He watched as Danny took in the enormity of what he was saying. He had learned many years ago that the best way to disguise any real fuckery was to openly admit to a lesser charge. You could disguise the true problem you were trying to hide with an element of truth. It was simple psychology.

‘I’m trusting you with this because I realise now I was a cunt to try and keep it on the down low. If you repeat this, Danny, you know I will be in fucking deep shit. I have been creaming off the Allens’ take since day one. You know what I’m like – I always have to take things to the extreme. I ain’t skanking off the family, though, just taking a percentage of the Allens’ earn. They acted so fucking flash, like they were doing us the favour, you know? So I strong-armed them. I should have told you, but I couldn’t.’

Danny Bailey was in a quandary; this was more complicated than he had anticipated. ‘If the old men were to find out about this . . .’

Petey nodded eagerly. ‘Precisely. But I have guaranteed the Allens’ silence. You see, I knew they needed to be replaced. They were getting too fucking lairy for their own good. I am the one who dealt with them on a daily basis, Danny, don’t forget that.’

Danny could see the fear in his cousin’s eyes, and he had every reason to feel scared. Petey was a natural-born con man – it was part of his charm. But Danny had never thought he would be fool enough to instigate a rob against his own family; that was as outrageous as it was perilous. Petey’s own brother had been eliminated for less. What the fuck was he thinking?

Danny lost all his self-control in an instant, absolutely sickened by what his cousin was telling him. ‘Jesus fucking Christ, Petey, are you on a death wish or what? I know that you slipped me a roofie to keep me away from the meeting with the Allens. You fucking caned me. Can you imagine how that makes me feel? Knowing you were willing to fucking disable me? And for what? Because you are a fucking thief? Because you wanted an outside fucking earn? This is fucking unbelievable! I guessed that you had some kind of fiddle going with the Allens. I ain’t a complete fucking moron, whatever you might think. And now you have dragged me into it. I know about it now – that makes me a part of it.’