He grinned. ‘Look, they were out of order, but I’ve sorted it now. So stop worrying, and just start relaxing and enjoying our new home, eh? They’re moving out soon anyway. They’ve all bought flats – with my fucking money, of course! It’s time they started looking after themselves.’

She smiled, but she still felt uneasy. Gangland murders were not something she could overlook as easily as her husband could.

Chapter Seventy-Two

Peter Bailey had heard the news concerning the Daly brothers’ demise within minutes of it happening – as had his brother. Peter had made sure that everyone in the family was well within the public arena as it was going down. There was no way it could lead back to them, no matter what people might think. It had not been cheap, but he had not expected it to be.

Everyone assumed the Daly boys had been chastised severely because they had gone on the rob without the Baileys’ permission and no one would argue with that. Even their own families had been forced to wipe their mouths; the brothers had disregarded any kind of protocol and that could not be overlooked. The main thing was that no one knew the real reason – that they had involved the younger Bailey boys in their affairs. It was imperative that no one saw that there were any weak links in the family.

It had also been a warning to each of the younger Bailey boys of what could happen if you didn’t toe the line. No one worked anything without it being discussed and, more importantly, agreed by them all. That was the only way they could keep themselves safe – the fewer outsiders involved in the big decisions, the better for everyone in the long run.

He sat at his desk and wondered how Daniel was going to move forward. His brother was still fuming over Noel and Jamsie’s foolishness, but Peter believed that’s all it was – young men being foolish, trying to prove themselves; there had been no malice in it.

Peter felt old suddenly. He’d heard, of course, that Daniel was doing a great job with the money laundering, and he was impressed with just how well his brother had done. Tommy Barker still oversaw the business, but that was a formality really; Daniel was a natural at it. He also had the temperament needed to deal with the Russians – they were like Daniel in many ways; they were violent criminals, who were not only uneducated, but were also devoid of any social graces. A match made in heaven really.

Daniel, like him, was earning more than enough on a weekly basis, and they were both teaching their boys the ropes. The sons were still very close, and that was very important because, as a family – as the Baileys – they were a formidable team.