Before she knew it, Mack was standing out of the prison on the pavement. The day was chilly, but the sun was bright in the sky. Mack looked up and took in a big gulp of fresh air. She’d been dreaming of this moment ever since she’d been sentenced a year and a half ago, and the time had finally come.

Mack started walking, enjoying the freedom already. There were so many things she was looking forward to, the main one being seeing her true love again, but having a shower and sleeping in her own bed were right up there.

As she walked along the road, a blacked-out Land Rover pulled up beside her. The front passenger window opened slowly and a big beefy looking man glowered at her.

“Get in the car.”

Instead of being frightened, Mack burst into laughter and said, “You need to work on that menacing persona, Murdo.”

Murdo screwed up his face. “It works on most people.”

“Well, most people don’t know you burst into tears if one of your tropical fish dies.”

Murdo jumped out of the car and grinned ear to ear before pulling Mack into a bear hug. “It’s so good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back. Now get me away from this place,” Mack said.

Murdo opened the door for Mack, and before she slipped in, he said, “Mack? What you did—well, I just want you to know that we’ve all got big respect for you, man.”

“You’ve got to be willing to take one for the team, Murdo. It’s the golden rule.”

“Aye, you’re no wrong.”

Growing up as a Sharkey was a very particular experience and one that instilled great family loyalty, and those that worked with them had to get their heads around that fact, or they didn’t last long.

She sat in the back, and the younger driver of the car held out his hand to shake hers. “Mack, you’re a legend.”

Mack laughed. “Thanks, Jamsey, but I don’t think I’ve reached legend status yet.”

But as self-deprecating as she was, Mack knew that serving time for her cousin Nikki, the head of the Sharkey family, had elevated her status to one of ultimate respect.

“I know you’ve probably got some other things you’d like to do, but Mr. Thomas asked me to drive to the HQ.”

HQ was the Sharkey family home on a large piece of land in the leafy outskirts of Glasgow. Thomas, her uncle, lived there with her aunt Christine, and next door Mack’s mum had her own house.

In all those long months in prison, it gave Mack comfort to know that her mum was safe, right next door to her aunt and uncle.

“That’s okay, I want to see ma wee Ma and the love of my life.”