Climbing the rickety wooden steps, Grace almost slipped on one of the loose planks of wood. She silently cursed the expensive heels she was wearing, wishing she’d opted for more appropriate footwear.

‘Cup of tea, girl?’ Nudge asked as she walked into his office.

‘Yeah, I’d love one,’ she lied. His cups were always filthy but Nudge considered himself a good host and she knew it would offend him if she said no. She was fond of Nudge, and besides he’d just done her a huge favour.

‘So, Nathan came to see you then, Nudge?’ she asked as he frantically searched for some teabags in his numerous cupboards.

He turned his attention to her. ‘Yep. Brought your lad with him too. Seems like a good kid.’

Grace bristled. So, that’s where Jake had been all the previous afternoon. She’d thought he was out with Siobhan. She could kill Nathan. How dare he involve Jake in his business with Nudge. It seemed he was determined to put their son directly in harm’s way. God, he made her blood boil.

‘Looks just like his dad, doesn’t he?’ Nudge went on.

‘Yes,’ Grace groaned. ‘Thankfully it’s only Nathan’s looks he’s inherited.’

‘Hmm.’ Nudge nodded. ‘He’s still a cocky little fucker, isn’t he?’

‘Yep. So, tell me, what happened?’

Nudge sat down, forgetting about the cup of tea. ‘It was just like you said. I told that Mandy bird about Mitchell wanting me to source him some shooters and she went straight to her boss and blabbed. He’s asked me to give Mitchell duds.’

‘Good. I thought he would.’

‘And obviously when Mitchell’s buyers find out that he’s supplied them with dodgy merchandise, he’ll wish he’d never even thought about getting involved in the firearms business.’

Grace contemplated what Nudge had told her. Kevin Mitchell was becoming a massive pain in her arse. Every time she met with him, he seemed to be pushing for more money or a bigger cut of her business. Since the Carters had gone into hiding, he’d become even more obnoxious. Obviously, he thought that Grace was a pushover without her hired muscle around. How wrong he was.

When she’d heard he was making noises about creating a name for himself in the firearms business, she’d thought of the perfect plan.