He shrugged her off as if she was a fly.

She looked at the two heavies for help. They stood watching, stony-faced.

‘Stop him, someone, for Christ’s sake!’

But no one moved. Even Candy was watching in fascinated silence.

Pushing her way in front of Alan, Donna put her hands up to his face, cupping his chin.

‘He’s not worth going to prison for, Alan, especially not out here. Leave him. It’s over. Leave him alone.’

Alan looked down at her as if in a trance. Then his shoulders slumped inside his jacket, and his body seemed to relax.

His eyes moved to the bloody face below him, and his mind registered that Stephen was still breathing. Inside he was sorry for that fact; he wished him dead. Never had he wanted anyone dead so much.

He glanced over at the two men waiting by the door. Their faces remained devoid of expression or thought.

Donna pulled him away from Stephen’s inert form.

‘There’s an injured child here, a girl, in a lot of pain. Her windpipe’s crushed. We have to find out what happened to her, Alan.’

Candy pulled herself up with the help of the bed. ‘I told you, she’s gone to the hospital.’

Donna looked into the hard face. ‘What hospital is she in then, and we’ll go there?’

Alan looked at the woman and said through clenched teeth, ‘I’m going to raze this fucking place to the ground. My advice to you is to tell the lady what she wants to know or else I’ll kick the truth out of you.’

Candy looked from Alan to Stephen and then to the men by the doorway. She sighed.

‘She’s up in one of the rooms in the roof.’

Donna’s face paled. ‘But she was dying, the child was dying!’

Candy nodded. ‘I’m quite well aware of that fact, Mrs Brunos.’

‘Then you’d better lead the way, hadn’t you?’ Alan’s voice was loud in the room.

He looked at the men by the door and said, ‘You know what to do.’

They nodded and left the room quietly.

‘Come on then, we haven’t got all night.’

Candy led them to the attic room, and as the door was opened, the heat hit them. It was like opening an oven.

The child was on an old blanket on the floor. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open. As Donna ran to her, there was the sound of shouting and Candy made a move for the doorway.

‘Stay where you are, lady, I haven’t finished with you. There’s another few men down there with my two. I came well-prepared. You ain’t going fucking nowhere.’