‘Parties?’

She shrugged. Tony looked around the room. The only face he recognised was Martin Kelly’s, sitting on the sofa between two Irish girls, breaking apart a cigarette. A ten spot of dope, its corner already charred, sat on the table next to a packet of Rizla papers.

‘Do you want to get a drink somewhere else?’ Tony asked, his body suddenly alive, his legs seeming to vibrate with the surge of nerves he felt at having asked.

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Maybe one.’

‘We’re just leaving,’ Tony said, as Hugh made his way into the kitchen, depositing the two bags on the counter with such force it sent the nut bowl’s contents scattering across the worktop and onto the linoleum floor.

‘Was it something I said?’ he asked, mock offended.

‘It’s a bit crowded,’ Tony said. ‘We’re going to head and get a drink somewhere.’

‘I’ll walk you out,’ Hugh said, despite the flat not being his, as far as Tony knew. ‘I want to ask you something.’

‘What is it?’ Tony asked. He felt Karen stiffen a little beside him.

‘I need to ask the two of you a favour,’ he said. ‘But we’ll take a walk first.’

They made their way down the stairway and out into the night before Hugh spoke again.

Now, outside, he stopped. ‘Can’t be too careful,’ he said, his voice rising over the sound of a police car siren as it sped past on its way into the city centre.’

‘Trouble in town,’ Karen said.

‘Car bomb,’ Duggan said. ‘One of the other side hiding out in Glasgow. Someone put a bomb under the engine of his car.’

‘Is he dead?’ Karen asked.

‘If he’s not, he’ll not be playing football again for sure,’ Hugh said.

Karen shivered lightly. ‘It’s cold. Can we walk?’

Tony motioned to take off his coat for her, as before, but she stopped him. ‘It’s grand,’ she said. ‘I just want to keep moving.’

Hugh walked to the outside, next to Tony, Karen to the inside. ‘I need you to go for a drive this weekend.’

‘What?’ Tony asked.

‘Where?’ Karen asked, simultaneously.

‘Out to Paisley,’ Duggan said.

‘Is this something to do with your man, Martin Kelly?’ Tony asked.

‘What?’

‘Are you looking for us to move drugs for you?’ he asked, whispering the words.

Hugh laughed. ‘Jesus, no. I want you to go for a drive to Paisley. Take a walk, get some dinner. There’s a nice restaurant there; Watson’s. I’ve booked dinner for the two of you for eight o’clock on Saturday.’

Tony glanced at Karen, then back to Hugh. ‘What the fuck?’ he asked. Arranging to have them both at a party was one thing, but booking dinner for them was too much.

Duggan said. ‘Park the car in the rear car park and leave it unlocked. When your dinner’s finished, bring it back into Glasgow. Pick it up and leave it back in the car park of the old church down past Bellgrove station. It’ll be unlocked, with the key under the mat on the driver’s side. You can lock it when you come back. The person collecting it has the spare key.’