Nevertheless, Colin Dawes had worked for the Barbers for a very long time, and Jonny recognised that he owed him a private audience for that reason alone. His loyalty had never once been questioned, he’d never given them cause for any doubt, unlike the majority of the men on the Barbers’ payroll, who Jonny personally wouldn’t trust to look after his mother’s mangy old cat without a written statement of support from the RSPCA. His brother Dicky had played a hand in that. He had picked fights with everyone at some time or another – it wasn’t even personal, it was just his nature. In all honesty, Jonny wasn’t entirely without blame. Just like Dicky, he had never been blessed with a sunny nature, and he had caused his fair share of bad feeling with the people he employed. Thanks to his brother’s natural antagonism towards most of the human race, he had never been in a position to relax his guard and put his trust in the people around him. Dicky could have more fights than Joe Frazier in a twenty-minute timeframe. Dicky had made a career out of alienating everyone on their payroll at one time or another. Now Jonny was worried it might come back to bite them on their arses. His younger brother was basically a fucking moron.

‘All right, Colin? What can I do you for, mate?’ He was trying to be friendly, jovial even. It was hard though. He was still waiting for his brothers to make an appearance.

Colin smiled, trying to look relaxed. He was still a good-looking man, even at his age. Colin had always put his looks down to his aversion to alcoholic beverages of any kind. He had never liked the taste of drink, even as a lad and, seeing the trouble that it could cause, he was very glad about that. Give him a cup of tea any day. Alcohol not only reduced people’s inhibitions – it was also a fuel for bad tempers. It fanned flames that caused serious damage to everyone involved.

He was nervous, and he took a breath to steady himself. ‘Look, Jonny. I don’t want to cause trouble, mate. You know me – I keep out of everything, but I can’t stand by and see you made a mug of.’

Jonny Barber was looking at Colin Dawes as if he had never seen him before in his life. He had not expected anything like this – certainly not such raw honesty. ‘What the fuck are you prattling on about?’

Colin had no choice, he had to tell it like it was. Jonny was not going to make it easy for him, but it was too late to back out now.