Nodding, Shannon jumped out of the car, once more delighted at having some money in her pocket, though this time round, she’d make sure her dealer didn’t mug her off. But she could get used to this; not having to sleep with men and playing all their pervy games for a living felt good, and she had to admit, although at first Vaughn had been a bit moody, and hadn’t really been much of a talker, he’d been nice to her, like Alfie had. Two people being nice to her in twenty-four hours – that really did take some beating. By her reckoning, this might be the best day of her life. ‘Yeah I’ll be fine, Vaughn. See you around. Oh, and tell Alfie, I hope he’s all right.’

Absentmindedly, Vaughn watched as Shannon skipped down an alleyway. He had to give it to her, she was made of tough stuff. He didn’t know if he’d be able to cope with all that she put up with, and underneath the hard exterior, she seemed like a sweet kid who just needed someone to look out for her. It was a shame she was so bang on the gear.

Turning his attention away and looking into his wing mirror, Vaughn indicated to pull out, wanting to do a U-turn rather than have to drive the whole way around, but he froze as he caught sight of a dark blue Porsche Cayenne Turbo at the traffic lights of Warspite Road. He stared at the driver and through the pelting rain, he could just make out who it was. It was Franny.

What was she doing around here? It was only a couple of hours ago she’d been at the club. He’d assumed she’d gone somewhere with Alfie, but clearly she hadn’t, and whatever the reason she was here, well maybe this was his opportunity to find out exactly what Franny was up to.

Pulling into the lane, Vaughn cut across the road being careful to keep a couple of cars’ distance from her. It helped that it was raining hard. He doubted the visibility was good enough for her to see him. He only hoped that the traffic would stay busy. But at the main roundabout, she turned left into Ruston Road, driving past the large Plumbase and several derelict warehouses. With no other cars about, Vaughn was forced to slow down, hanging back as he watched Franny pull over.

Turning off his lights, he frowned. She’d never mentioned knowing anybody living in Woolwich, and he knew most of her and Alfie’s friends and acquaintances.