Eddie nodded. He was a good boss and didn’t expect any of the lads to work at weekends, unless it was unavoidable, of course. ‘Don’t worry, Gary and Ricky will have to get their lazy arses out of bed or, worst ways, I’ll bring Paulie with me. So, how’s things going with Polly? It sounds serious.’

Raymond smiled. He was a deep person at times and didn’t like to give much away, especially when it came to relationships and stuff. His mum was brain damage and Eddie was a piss-taker, so he always kept his cards close to his chest. ‘It’s going all right. She’s a nice girl,’ was all he said.

About to pry some more, Eddie was stopped by the appearance of Trottsy walking towards them. ‘Here he is, the low-life cunt, just crossing the road. Go and grab him, Ray, put your arm around his shoulder and lead him over here. There’s tons of traffic about, so be careful. Any probs, show him the gun under your jacket.’

Raymond had never met Tommy Trott before. ‘Is that him? The geezer in the denim jacket?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, go on, quick as you like,’ Eddie replied.

Whistling as he walked, Tommy Trott crossed the busy road and stopped to spark up a Rothmans. He didn’t see Raymond approach him – he was too busy trying to shield his lighter from the gusty wind.

‘Who are you? What the fuck do you want?’ he yelled, as Raymond grabbed hold of him.

‘Shut the fuck up and walk with me. A mate of mine wants a little word with you,’ Raymond said calmly.

‘I ain’t going nowhere. I’m –’

The gun being thrust into his ribs stopped Tommy in mid sentence. Immediately, he realised that Eddie Mitchell must be involved.

‘I’m gonna pay Eddie back, I’ve just been a bit short. I lost me job, I was paying him up until then,’ Tommy whinged.

‘Shut up and tell him yourself,’ Raymond said coldly.

As Raymond and Tommy walked towards the motor, Eddie smiled as he switched on the ignition. Trottsy’s face was a picture of panic, the fucking moron.

Longbridge Road was far too busy at this time of day for Eddie to do the business, so he ordered Raymond to put his prey in the back and sit beside him.

‘Long time no see, Tommy boy,’ he said sarcastically.

‘Ed, I’m so sorry, I lost me job. I’ll get your money. Next week I’ll pay you, I promise,’ Tommy pleaded.