‘Well, see.’ Josa exchanged a look with some of her boys, who smiled back at her, enjoying this. ‘We like the look of your motor. And we was wondering if you, like, wanted to, like, borrow it to us.’

‘The thing is …’ Ed was trying hard to stay calm, neutral. There was a crowd of spectators forming. Wanting to see these intruders made to look small. Lewis was lost among them somewhere.

‘The thing is what?’ said Josa.

‘The thing is we really need this car. We’ve got to get back to London when this is all over, and before that we’ve a lot of ground to cover looking for our friends, you know?’

‘That’s not really our worry, though, is it, funny face?’

‘I appreciate that, Josa. But I’ve got my guys here who I’m responsible for. We can’t just walk off out of here into the night unprotected. Without that car, we don’t stand much of a chance.’

‘I certainly wouldn’t bet on you,’ said Josa and she laughed, her gang joining in. ‘As I say, you’re not my worry. You don’t mean nothing to me. My job is to look after my people here.’

‘And my job is to look after my people here. So it’s stalemate, I guess.’

‘Not really,’ said Josa. ‘I mean, you do the maths, funny face. You’re kind of outnumbered. And outgunned. And out everything.’

‘Is that what you think?’

‘It is. And I ain’t gonna discuss it no more, it’s too boring, and it’s past my bedtime. Put it like this, posh boy, you can walk outta here as you are – we’ll even let you take some of your weapons. Or you can take us on and get whipped and go crawling outta here in your boxers.’

‘Or we can go out the way we came in.’ Ed was sounding quite cheerful now. ‘In the car. Nice and easy. Toodle-pip.’

‘I ain’t offering that. That’s not an option.’

‘Oh, but it is an option actually.’

‘Ain’t no option,’ said Kenton and he laughed, doing a silly twirling move with his shotgun.

‘You think we haven’t learnt how to look after ourselves in London?’ Ed asked Josa.

‘I think you’re all mouth, funny face, and I’ve heard enough of what comes out of it.’

‘Yeah,’ said Kenton. ‘Just give us the keys and be on your way. Or Mister Shottie here will tattoo you worse than my face.’

Once again he did the silly twirling thing, only this time Lewis moved in. And he moved much faster than Ed could have imagined. He seemed to come from nowhere.