‘I have to think about him. Jamie is all that matters in this conversation. You should have seen him after you left. He’s grown up worshipping his dad, The Beast of the football pitch, the local legend. He’s spent just about every moment of his childhood with a ball at his feet and your name on his back. I really don’t know what he thinks about you anymore. He’s stopped wearing your football shirts, I know that much. You really hurt him.’

‘He’s twelve. I let him down, I know that, but I’m still his dad, I can make it up to him. You can’t keep me away from him for ever, that’s not fair. Don’t make me beg you, Sharon …’

‘I don’t want to talk about this now. Not in front of Callie.’

‘In front of Callie? That’s the best one yet. And not the first time you’ve used her to shut me down either, is it?’ Danny could feel his head throbbing as his anger increased. He still had hold of his daughter’s hand but he let it go. He needed to get out to where there was some air. He suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe.

‘Running away again, are we, Danny?’

‘Just doing what my therapist told me to do. My therapist. The one you drove me to.’ He stumbled when he made it back out into the corridor. His head throbbed. Fresh air was a long walk away. He ducked into a gents toilet to splash some cold water on his face instead.

‘God DAMMIT!’ Water dripped off the reflection that yelled back at him. He always got so angry when he was around her. He knew why: he wasn’t angry at her, he was angry at himself for being so pathetic, for giving her so much material to throw back in his face. And he was angry that he had no control, that he could do nothing about what it was that was tearing them apart.

Danny Evans had never been the sort of man to stand still and do nothing.

Chapter 4

9.20 p.m. The last of the families filed out and The Duke Inn was again under the control of the losers, the forsaken. The drunks.