As well as The Deep across from her barbershop, there was a pub just around the corner from the shop called The Reef, and several others in the Greater Glasgow area. Throughout her twenties and early thirties Mack enjoyed the atmosphere and the women who she met there, but now, and especially after her time in jail, that wasn’t attractive any more. This was her chance to make a life that would fulfil some needs that became apparent every night as she lay in the dark in her cell.

Mack closed her eyes and imagined a life like the one her aunt and uncle had. A loving family home with someone to love her. But bringing that life she imagined into reality was a harder conundrum to solve.

Finding someone to trust, to bring into the Sharkey family, was so difficult. So difficult that she’d never even tried. Her aunt and uncle had managed that, but her mum hadn’t, and she’d brought her up herself. Nikki too had never settled down, not that she ever seemed to want to.

Nikki was happy with being a family, just her and Isy, with the occasional short-term playmates. That wasn’t enough for Mack, but it might just have to be. She couldn’t risk bringing harm to her family. They might have been running legitimate businesses for a few decades now, but they did run on the edges of the law at times, as Mack’s time in jail was testament to.

So she couldn’t be too careful.

Now across the street, Mack was just a few yards away from The Deep, but something made her look across the road to the sweet shop. She saw her new neighbour, Flora, watching, but before Mack could wave or make any acknowledgement of her, Flora put her head down and hurried out of sight.

“Why is she running from me, Dex?”

Something in this woman’s eyes made Mack determined to know more. Mack knew fear when she saw it. She’d seen it in the eyes of many with whom she’d dealt over the years, but Mack hated to see the innocent so frightened, especially a woman. If Flora was frightened of her, then Mack had to do something about that.

She walked up to the door of the club and entered. There were no bouncers and no ticket office staff on, as it was so early. Dexter barked and wriggled in her arms.

“Okay, okay, wee man. Off you go.” Dexter knew his way around the club, so she put him down, and he trotted off around the corner.