She tried to stop thinking about it and to just enjoy being with Alice. But it was like trying to push back against the tide.

Rosa fell in love again that morning, this time with London itself. The city had been growing on her since she first arrived.

Her initial impression had been less than favourable, but her opinion had changed. And as she walked through the West End she realised that she would like to live here.

It was such a diverse and vibrant city, drenched in history and teeming with life. There was no place in Mexico to match it.

Rosa was thrilled at the prospect of living here with Alice. What a time they would have together. There would be so much to do, to see, to share. The bars, the restaurants, the clubs, the stores. The very idea was enough to make her salivate.

‘Are you having a good time?’ Alice asked her as they approached Trafalgar Square.

Rosa laughed. ‘You may not believe this but it’s already turning into the best day of my life so far.’

Alice blushed, then pulled Rosa to a stop so that she could kiss her. It was meant to be a small kiss, a peck on the lips. But it lasted a good thirty seconds and drew attention from some of the people around them, including a uniformed police officer who actually stopped to look at them.

Rosa felt her body tense and for a moment she thought she might have to reach for the pistol that was concealed in her bag and use it before she’d planned to.

But then the cop smiled and went on his way, and Rosa breathed a huge sigh of relief.

She knew that he was just one of many cops she would see during the course of the day on the streets of London. All of them were potential targets, and one of them would soon become her next victim.

All Rosa had to do was seize the opportunity the moment it presented itself. And she was fully confident that it would at some point in the day.

56

Slack

He spent the morning nursing a hangover. But it wasn’t so bad that it stopped him gloating over the shitstorm he was causing.

It was all over the news. The tears, the grief, the shock, the chaos. It filled him with pride to think that he was responsible.

Over the years he had achieved a great many things. He’d built a criminal empire, made a fortune, avoided going to prison, dispensed with most of his enemies. But in terms of sheer satisfaction nothing compared to this.

It was the purest and sweetest form of revenge because it was on a grand scale. It would impact on every copper in the country. Cause widespread suffering. Make the bastards regret what they had done to his son, his grandchild, his wife, his father. And to him.