Sometimes they even left their brats watching Peppa Pig in the back of the vehicle while they nipped over to Austin. It made him laugh. You could bet that if any of the people who lived round here got caught taking their children to a drug deal, those kids would be taken into care faster than you could say Pablo Escobar. But these liberals, the lifestyle coaches and marketing assistants and yoga teachers, software engineers and occupational therapists, all thought it was a game, a bit of fun.

‘What’s she after, anyway?’

‘Smack, innit, which is why she don’t want to be seen.’

Austin didn’t much fancy moving from this safe, comfortable place. He was of the opinion that if she needed it so much then she could come to him. However, it was also true to say that he was feeling the pinch right now, on account of owing some dangerous fellas a bit of dosh.

‘I think she’ll pay big, man,’ added Roy, who knew how to press his buttons. So Austin sighed and jumped off the railings.

The woman was standing against a wall, near the sallow glow of the single overhead light that still actually worked down there. Austin had to admit she was a brave lady for coming alone to this dirty, stinking place at – he looked at his phone – nearly midnight; brave or desperate. She was fit too, now he got a closer look, a milf.

‘My bruv tells me you’re after something,’ he told her.

The woman folded her arms, wary. She wasn’t like some of the other well-offs who came to see him, dizzy with excitement at meeting a dealer, and acted like they were his friend. Austin had enough friends as it was, people he’d grown up with on the estate, and didn’t need the friendship of some soppy dork with an online antiques business. He could see this woman just wanted to get the deal done and get away.

‘I need… heroin.’

‘Yeah?’ Austin went through the motions of appearing to be offended. ‘And what makes you think I can get you something like that?’

‘I heard it was you,’ the woman said. ‘Yes or no?’

He sucked through his teeth. Most of his customers were careful to stay polite, but this woman was straight to the point, and he respected that. That didn’t mean he was going to give her an easy ride.

‘Heard that, did you?’ The way she was dressed, the nice clothes, expensive jeans and shoes, a scarf round her face, something didn’t add up. ‘And what would someone like you want that for?’

The three of them tensed when a siren screamed in the distance, the woman waiting till it had receded. ‘I need it… for a friend.’

He smirked. If he had a pound for the number of times he’d heard that phrase, he’d be able to knock off early.