‘What? It’s Friday night, you should be out enjoying yourself. Come and have a few drinks with your old man. Your mum won’t mind,’ he lied. He knew that she would. She loved spending time with her boy, especially when it involved him working in her precious pub. It made it all the more enjoyable to monopolize Jake’s time as much as possible.

‘Hang on a minute.’

Nathan could hear Jake’s muffled conversation with Grace.

‘I’ll be there in an hour,’ he said and hung up.

Seeing Jake would take Nathan’s mind off that prick, Jimmy, at least for a while anyway.

The club was packed as it usually was on a Friday night. Some of the lads were regaling Jake with stories of their many misdemeanours and their near misses, showing off their various war wounds. Nathan watched his son laughing along with them and again it hit him how suited Jake would be to their line of work. He’d been so protected all his life, had never had a real fight as far as Nathan was aware. Never had any real brush with trouble. It wasn’t right that he should go off into the big bad world without knowing how to protect himself. As Nathan’s son, there would always be a danger someone would try and use Jake to get to him. He needed to prepare the kid. He was a big lad, and Nathan was sure he could have a good go, but it wasn’t the same if you hadn’t grown up around fighting. Even the smallest of men could knock you on your arse if they caught you just right.

‘Enough of the war stories, lads,’ Nathan said. ‘Come with me, son.’

They took their drinks into Nathan’s office and sat in the comfortable leather chairs.

‘Would you know how to look after yourself if someone came after you, Jake?’ Nathan asked him.

‘’Course I would,’ he responded, puffing out his chest as if to prove it.

‘It’s just that there’s a certain reputation that comes with being my son, and a risk too. Some people will always want what you have, and some will have the balls to try and take it. And I won’t always be around to protect you.’

‘Well, I’ve done all right for the past twelve years without you around, haven’t I?’ Jake snapped and it was the first glimpse of any sort of resentment towards Nathan that he’d seen – and it hit a nerve.

‘Do you really think I left you and your mother to fend for yourself?’ he bellowed at Jake. ‘There was always someone looking out for you. Always!’