‘You’ll keep, boy.’ Ricky’s voice was deep and low. But everyone noticed that for all his talk, Ricky was the first to look away.

Sadie and Georgio made their way back to Timmy.

‘What’s the rowing about?’ he asked.

Georgio sighed deeply, running his hands through his thick dark hair. ‘Let’s just say, the king’s not dead yet, but it ain’t stopping him being overthrown.’

Timmy looked puzzled. ‘What’s he on about, Sade?’

She shook her head. ‘Let’s just wait and see what happens, shall we? I thought that Lewis’s going could only be for the good, now I’m not so sure.’

Georgio grinned rakishly. ‘Well, I ain’t complaining.’

Sadie giggled. ‘Now I come to think of it, neither am I!’

Timmy stopped the two men’s laughter by saying, ‘But that’s just it, ain’t it? He ain’t dead yet.’

Silence descended on the three once more, all taken up with their own thoughts. But all thinking about the same thing.

Lewis.

Jamesie whistled through his teeth in wonderment.

‘We’re talking Armalites, helicopters, the works. Parkhurst is hardly the easiest place to escape from. It’ll mean big money.’

Alan wiped his mouth with his napkin. The poached salmon was perfect, as was all the food before him.

‘I’m well aware of that fact. You’re the only person I trust to supply us with what we want. You’re the man, Jamesie, everyone knows that.’

Donna watched the little man preen himself in satisfaction.

‘I get a lot of my stuff from the Army, as you know. I could easily arm my own little corps if I wanted. Christ knows I’ve done it for enough African countries. I draw the line at the Arabs though, never had a lot of truck with them.’

Donna smiled, acting the part of willing negotiator with everything she had. ‘I thought the Arabs had it sewn up?’

Alan nearly choked on his salmon at her words.

‘That’s only rumours, my dear,’ Jamesie said brightly. ‘I could name a few other biggies for you. I deal mainly with people from the continent these days. What with Glasnost and everything else out there, I could get you some plutonium if you really wanted it. The things I’ve been offered, you wouldn’t believe!’

‘I would,’ Alan interrupted. ‘I was talking to Peter the Pole the other week. He’s doing a lovely sideline these days - ex-Army flame-throwers. They’re going like hot cakes, by all accounts.’