Michael laughed in derision at his wife’s words; he was angrier than he had realised. Without thinking, he found himself shouting with temper, ‘Have a fucking day off, will you, Josephine? For Christ’s sake! She’s a fucking walking nightmare. If it wasn’t for you, I would have cut her off years ago.’

Josephine started to cry real tears then, her whole body shaking with her sobs. Michael was out of his seat and kneeling before his wife in seconds. Holding her to him tightly, he held her as she cried bitterly, knowing that this was something she should have done a long time ago. He hated himself for saying what he had. He knew that his Josephine didn’t want to hear the truth, but sometimes he really felt that she needed to hear it, needed to be dragged back into the real world, no matter how much that might hurt her.

Chapter Ninety-Four

Chapter Ninety-Four

Declan Costello was laughing loudly; he liked a good joke, and he also liked a drink in the afternoon. The new barmaid was a real comedienne. She could make a cat laugh. Shame she looked like a fucking Russian athlete – if she had the looks he would have been on her in nanoseconds. He was getting older now, and was still overweight but that didn’t bother him too much, he had never been what anyone would ever call a looker. Many girls had tried to tie him down, but he had never let himself get caught. After a few weeks they bored him, even the really good-looking ones. He didn’t want a life partner, never had.

He was waiting for Michael. It was Thursday, and that meant Michael would meet him in the private club they owned in East London by one o’clock at the latest. It was something they had done for years. Michael always liked to hear everything that was going on first-hand, and Declan was more than happy to oblige. He always gave Michael the lowdown on everything and everyone he dealt with. After Michael had nearly murdered him all those years ago, no one had been more amazed than him when Michael had brought him back into the fold, treating him as if nothing untoward had happened between them. It had been a real learning curve for him, and he had never forgotten it. Michael had only ever mentioned their contretemps once, on the day he had come round to his house just after he had finally left the hospital. After enquiring about his health, Michael had looked at him sadly, before saying, ‘I never want us to fall out again, Declan. All I want is for you to keep your eye on the ball in the future. You were supposed to have my back, you were supposed to be making my life easier.’