Michael nodded. ‘Put them inside the house. I’ll ring Dana, make sure that she doesn’t even take Jake to school. Until this is over, we daren’t chance anything.’ Michael looked at the photo of his daughter again. ‘She’s fucking terrified, you can see it in her eyes. How in fuck’s name has this happened? How the fuck has this mad cunt managed to get this far?’

Declan shrugged; he was genuinely disturbed himself now. This was well outside their usual remit. Until now, he would have bet his last penny that a situation like this would have been an impossibility. They were too big, too well known. But Declan knew, from bitter experience, that the greatest of threats nearly always came from the people you least expected.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Eight

Chapter One Hundred
and Twenty-Eight

Hannah Flynn couldn’t understand why Michael had not been around to see her for days. It wasn’t like him – he always made a point of dropping in to see her. She was particularly worried after what Josephine had told her. If her Michael had lost his temper with his wife then there was something serious going on. Josephine had never been able to do any wrong in Michael’s eyes. Now, it seemed, he had finally lost his patience, and she had found herself actually feeling sorry for Josephine. That alone had been a shock. The woman had been completely devastated by her husband’s attack on her. But Christ Himself knew – she blessed herself automatically at the use of the Lord’s name in vain – Josephine Flynn was one of the most selfish fuckers that had ever been put on this earth. Hannah sat down at her kitchen table. She was a bundle of nerves lately, she couldn’t seem to settle. What had happened to Jessie was playing on her mind. The girl always kept in touch with her nana Hannah.

She poured herself out a glass of good Irish whisky, and took a large gulp to steady herself. Then she poured herself another. She heard her doorbell, and sighed with annoyance. Few people sought her company, and that suited her. She had never suffered fools gladly. But, as she walked to her front door, she hoped against hope that it was someone with news about her Jessie.