Michael shrugged. ‘I know the score. I appreciate that you have been so honest with me, but I knew from an early age that getting my collar felt was an occupational hazard. It goes with the territory. I am not a fool, Patrick. I know the downside to this business and, if for whatever reason I do get banged up, I know I will get my head round it, and do my time. As you know yourself, that’s all you can do.’

If Patrick Costello had liked Michael before, now he found that he had a sneaking admiration for him as well. He had it all, this youngster – good looks and a seriously sensible attitude. Now he needed to make sure that Michael was tied to him for ever. He had to make him a party to something that would not only guarantee the boy’s allegiance, but would also bind them together, give them a bond of sorts.

‘Well then, Michael Flynn. Welcome aboard.’

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Josephine Callahan was dressed to impress; from her long, thick blond hair, styled in the latest fashion, to her high-heeled stiletto shoes, she looked every inch the part of the girlfriend of a man like Michael Flynn. He expected her to look good when he took her out, and she understood why. He was making a name for himself, and he needed a girlfriend who was his equal. She had been seeing him since she was fourteen years old. He had been nineteen then, but the age difference had never bothered anyone. Now, at seventeen, she was his in every way that mattered. They were a couple, and engaged to be married. She could not have asked for anything more. They were a match made in heaven.

Josephine’s dad, Des Callahan, was a Face – not a well-known Face, not someone people were really scared of, but he wasn’t a mug either. He had done seven years for a bank robbery, and he had done it without complaint which had earned him respect. It hadn’t been easy for his wife and daughter when he’d been put away, though – without a regular income coming in they’d struggled, relying on the goodwill of his bosses. By the time he got out, Des had learnt his lesson. This time he planned for the future, putting his ill-gotten gains into legitimate businesses in case he was ever unlucky enough to get another serious capture. Her mum, Lana, now ran a café on the A13 and a betting office in Dagenham. They were both booming businesses these days, and her dad, although not exactly retired, was in a position where he could pick and choose his work.

Josephine was an only child, adored by both her parents, and now by Michael, who was everything they could have wanted for her.