Irritated, Franny sighed. There was no love lost between her and Vaughn, who’d been Alfie’s business partner for a long while now. And no, she didn’t entirely blame him for being pissed off with her. But he knew as well as Alfie did that the stunt he was always referring to, the ripping off he often spoke about, simply wasn’t true. Okay, she’d taken his and Alfie’s money without asking them last year. A lot of money. Two million pounds to be precise. But it wasn’t about conning or cheating anybody. The fact was she knew if she’d asked them they, or at least Vaughn, would’ve said no. And no would’ve meant two people who were very dear to her would’ve likely been killed by the notorious Russo brothers, who’d demanded the money in return for her family’s safety. Not that it’d ended up being as simple as that, far from it, but she would defy anyone not to do the same in her position, and that included Vaughn.

‘I didn’t rip you off, you know that, and I’d do it again if I had to.’

Vaughn nodded. ‘I know, and that’s the problem. You aren’t to be trusted, and if Alfie can’t see that, then I’ll make it my business to make him see.’

‘Keep out of my business, Vaughn, you hear me?’

‘Not a chance. I’m going to bring you down, Franny.’

Franny barged past Vaughn, pushing down her anxiety and doing her best to ignore what he was saying.

‘I’m watching you, Franny Doyle. You hear me? I’m watching you!’

As Franny walked into the overheated basement club, her mood wasn’t helped when she saw Alfie slumped across the bar with one of the women who worked for them almost sitting on his knee. The minute she saw Franny, she blushed, tottering off quickly in her too high stilettos and shorter than short mini skirt muttering an apology under her breath.

Stony-faced, Franny sat on the Perspex bar stool next to Alfie as she looked around the club full of wealthy punters. Punters who were happy to flash their black Amex cards and pay well over the odds for the middle-of-the-road Champagne they served. And in return for their money, they got to wind down and chat freely to the pretty girls who worked there, away from their wives’ prying eyes.