Her mother opened the front door quickly, and her father was inside the house. She could hear the sounds of his men’s feet as they scrambled around. He was holding her mother to him tightly, kissing her hair and talking to her in a low voice, calming her down, making her feel safe.

Jessie watched silently, aware that none of them had even noticed her. She moved quickly and quietly, so she was out of view, tucked behind the banisters at the top of the stairs, and hidden by the darkness. She heard her father ask where she was, and her mother tell him she was locked in her bedroom. She saw him sigh with relief.

‘Who are these people, Michael? What are they after?’

She saw her dad take the shotgun from her mother’s arms carefully.

‘I’m so sorry, Josephine. This was an accident. It should never have happened, darling. You didn’t call the police, did you?’

Jessie saw her mother shake her head quickly. ‘’Course not. But I tell you now, another ten minutes and I would have. They were nearly inside our home! Our home, Michael! Jessie was terrified. I was fucking terrified.’

Michael was holding his wife tightly once more. Jessie could see the love they had between them, and she felt the tears come. It was so powerful to see them like that, holding each other so tightly, so attuned to each other’s needs, and looking so perfect together. Then she heard her father chuckle, and she knew that the danger was over, that everything was going to be OK.

‘You’re a fucking diamond, Josephine, and no mistake. Fucking shotgun primed and ready to use just like I taught you. I am so proud of you, darling. Defending your home, your baby. I always knew I had picked a good one, and this proves it!’

Jessie was astounded to hear her mum laugh shakily at her father’s words. ‘I was scared to death, Michael, I can tell you that much.’

‘I know that, darling. Now you go up and sort out our little Jessie. Tell her it was a robbery gone wrong, and it is all fine now. Bless her, she must have been terrified. I need to shoot out for a while, but I will leave some blokes here, so don’t worry. This is a one-off, darling. A fucking complete outrage, caused by two fucking imbeciles known as the Cornel brothers who, for some reason, got the breaks they needed by complete accident. It should never have got this far! After I have dealt with them – and, believe me, they will rue the day they travelled down south to front me up – I will then deal with the men in my employ who let this fucking abomination happen.’