There was a long pause from Charlie as he swallowed down his anger, his hurt, his bile. He whispered the words: ‘A few games? Is that what you call them?’

Barry smirked to himself. ‘Oh, please tell me you ain’t going to start whining and crying like a girl? I would’ve thought you’d done enough of that to last you a lifetime.’

Coldly, Charlie replied, ‘I ain’t going to cry. Never again. Not for you. Not for anybody. That’s one thing I do know, you understand?’

Roaring with laughter, Barry started to cough as a crumb of peanut caught the back of his throat. ‘That’s more like it. That’s my boy! Now, tell me again what it is you’re after.’

‘Not me, but I’ve got some clients. They’re a married couple, who like their products young.’

‘How young?’

‘As young as you can get. They also aren’t bothered whether your products are pink or blue. All that matters is that they’re fresh. They’re willing to pay a lot.’

It was Barry’s turn to pause before he said, ‘You do understand when I get a call from you like this, it makes me nervous, makes me wonder what you’re up to. After all, I wouldn’t say you were the most trustworthy of sons.’

‘Listen, I’ve always had clients come and ask me for very young products, but until now, I’ve had my own business. I’ve had my girls and that’s suited me, so I’ve never really bothered with anything else. But now, who knows how long I’ll be stuck in here, and who knows if I’ll be able to run the club anymore. I have to start thinking of other ways to earn money. I thought I might as well make the most of you. After all, we’re family.’

Sneering as he stubbed out his cigarette, Barry said, ‘It’s a shame you didn’t think that way when you decided to give evidence against me in court.’

There was another long silence on the phone before Charlie spoke again. ‘Look, I ain’t saying that we’ll ever get to that point where we’re going on a cosy fishing trip together. But what I do think is that we can work together. I’ve got a lot of people who want what you can provide, and I’ll be able to guarantee that all of them are trustworthy. You won’t have any problem with them because they’ll only be people that I know personally. We can sort out the money properly later, but I’m thinking a fifty-fifty split … What do you reckon?’