Franny spat her words. ‘Then why did you do it?’

‘Because I had no other choice! I had no fucking choice. It’s not as if I could go to the auction with a frigging IOU, is it?’

Franny flew at Alfie, slapping him hard across the face. He grabbed her arms as she screamed at him, ‘And how are you going to pay it back? Go on, tell me – oh, and whilst you’re at it, tell me what kind of interest they charge.’

‘Three hundred per cent.’

As Alfie let go of Franny’s arms, she stared at him in horror. ‘Three hundred?’

Frustrated, Alfie kicked the kitchen cabinet. ‘That’s what I said, didn’t I?’

‘So, you have to pay back one and a half million pounds to the Triads.’

Alfie’s face curled up in a snarl as he leant in nose to nose with Franny. ‘Yeah, yeah, I do. And if I don’t, I know what happens, but you know something, Fran, I’m willing to take that consequence. I’m willing to do that for Taylor, because I won’t have a life anyway if I can’t save him.’

Franny spoke slowly. ‘But they must’ve asked you about collateral.’

‘They did … and I told them … I told them that it would be on the house.’

‘This house? As in my house?’

‘Well what other house am I talking about? I’m hardly talking about Hansel and fucking Gretel’s house, am I?’

‘You want me to re-mortgage this house that my dad gave me?’

Still furious, Alfie glared. ‘It’s bricks and fucking mortar, Fran. What we’re dealing with is worth more than that, so what’s the problem? And fuck me, let’s face it, it’s my life we’re talking about here. If I don’t pay them, well I’m a dead man.’

Franny stayed quiet as she thought about what Alfie was saying. The problem was, or rather the problem Alfie had, was that she’d already spoken to the bank about re-mortgaging the place. She hadn’t signed on the dotted line, but the bank had been only too willing to lend her some money against it – not that she had any intention of paying it back. They could repossess the house for all she cared, because like Alfie had said, it was only bricks and mortar.

But what it meant was when she left with Mia, she would also be leaving with a couple of million pounds, which ultimately meant she and Mia could lie low. And if she was careful with the money, she’d be set up for several years.

Nobody could find her; she could just fade into obscurity. She could even become someone else, assume a new identity. No more Franny Doyle.