Paulie quickly shut up. Ever since Ronny had left the firm and Eddie’s boys had joined, he’d felt like a complete fucking outsider.

‘Right, there’s headlights coming our way,’ Eddie said, starting the engine.

‘It’s him, I’m sure it’s a white van,’ Raymond told him.

Making sure no one else was about, Eddie crawled along the road. Nearing the van, he switched on his beam. Seeing a startled-looking Dickie put his hands over his face, Eddie pulled up alongside him. Dickie immediately spotted the gun.

‘Drive down the end of the dirt track, then open the door and get out,’ Eddie ordered him.

Dickie did as Eddie asked. Petrified, he squealed like a pig as he fell to his knees. ‘Please don’t shoot me. I’m sorry Eddie, I’ll pay you back, I promise I will. I’ve got kids and a grandkid – you can’t shoot me, you can’t.’

Eddie got out of the Land Cruiser. He put his big foot on top of Dickie’s head and pulled back the catch.

‘Pull the car forward,’ he urged Raymond. He’d only just bought his new Toyota Land Cruiser and he didn’t want it covered in some scumbag’s blood.

‘Kids, grandkids! Shame you didn’t think of them before you knocked me, you mug,’ Eddie said, smiling at Dickie Pearce’s fright.

Lifting Dickie’s chin up with his boot, Eddie winked at him. ‘Bye-bye Dickie,’ he said, as he casually pulled the trigger.

Eddie got into the passenger seat. ‘Do us a favour, Ray, find a McDonald’s or something. I’m fucking starving.’

‘Frankie! Joey! Your dinner’s ready,’ Jessica shouted up the stairs.

‘We’re not hungry yet. We’ll warm it up later,’ Frankie shouted back.

Jessica sighed and covered the plates with cling film. She had gone to a lot of trouble to cook for them and now they were too busy to eat. Not wanting to eat alone, Jessica covered her own up. She hated eating alone, always had done.

Bored, Jessica poured herself a glass of wine. The twins worried her at times. She knew they were working hard for their exams, but she didn’t want them overdoing it. Whenever she picked them up from school lately, they seemed so knackered. They barely spoke on the way home because they were so worn out.

‘We’re going upstairs to do our homework,’ they would say as soon as they got through the front door.

‘But you’ve only just left school. You must have a break. Can’t you do it later?’ she would ask them.

‘You don’t understand, Mum. The school gives us tons of homework and if we don’t do it, we’ll get in big trouble,’ Frankie told her.

A couple of times Jessica had gone upstairs to try to help them do their homework, but they’d both been fast asleep.