Lewis shook his head. ‘Sorry, Georgio, I have spoken. Chopper it is. He will be in this afternoon. Timmy will be informed in due course.’

Georgio felt his hand squeezing the thick white mug hard. It was pointless saying anything, as Lewis had just told him. He had spoken. And when Lewis spoke, people in this place jumped, whether they wanted to or not.

‘But I’m quite happy with Timmy.’ He tried one last time.

Lewis laughed softly. ‘Surely you wouldn’t stand in the way of love’s young dream, would you? It gives the screws a laugh watching them try and get it together. They’ll have to look elsewhere for their amusement now. I’m sorry, Georgio, I have already cleared it with everyone; you haven’t any say in it.’

Georgio nodded. He was beaten and he knew it.

‘You remember Chopper, don’t you?’ the insinuating voice went on. ‘They’re shipping him here from Durham for late this afternoon. He will be working for me while he’s here. Me and Chopper go way back. I’ll enjoy seeing him.’

Georgio stared at the table.

Lewis stood up and glanced at him.

‘You’ll like my Chopper. He’s doing a twenty. Murdered two men, both villains. He cut one bloke’s head right off. Nice bloke, old Chopper. You and him should get on like a house on fire. He’s a scouser, my Liverpool boy.’

Georgio heard Lewis’s laugh as he walked along the wing towards his own cell and gritted his teeth in rage and frustration. He had to get out, and soon. Now that Lewis was banging him up with one of his trained gorillas, the need to escape was becoming more urgent by the second.

Alan and Donna were sitting in Joe Allen’s eating Eggs Benedict and sipping ice-cold white wine.

Donna’s appetite was fading by the second as she listened to Alan talking.

‘The thing is, Donna, we need to get up to Scotland at the weekend. That’s where we’ll be meeting with Jimmy Mac. He will then take us through his armoury, which will be imperative if we’re to spring Georgio.’

He was interrupted by the waiter who replenished their glasses. Donna smiled tightly at the handsome young man, swallowing her food with difficulty.

Alan carried on talking.

‘We’ll need to know exactly what we’re going to use. We’ll go to the Island tomorrow and see what we can suss from there. I reckon it’ll have to be done by helicopter. Parkhurst is one of the hardest jails to escape from, but like most so-called fortresses it’s got its blind spots. It’s our job now to look for them.’

Donna placed her knife and fork neatly in the centre of her plate.

Alan chuckled. ‘Lost your appetite?’