He waited in his car, dead opposite the front entrance to the police station, and watched just in case Lowry decided to let the informant out early. He didn’t trust the police. Not only that, he didn’t have much confidence in their efforts to get around thorny issues. However, he thought the Commissioner had played a blinder at the end of the meeting. As he surveyed his surroundings, he spotted two black guys a short distance away. Blinking, he had to squint to confirm he wasn’t seeing things. One had long dreadlocks, the other had shorter ones. ‘Fuck me, if it ain’t Dez and his brother,’ he mumbled under his breath. It was obvious from the facial characteristics that this must be Randy, Dez’s brother, even though he’d never met him. But he’d made it his business to know exactly who Dez’s brothers were, and now he was going to kill two birds with one stone – literally.

Dez had been the one man he detested the most, all the while he was in prison. The evil bastard had burned nearly all of his photos of Ricky and held a knife to his son’s throat. A sly smirk eased along his lips as he watched and waited. No doubt Dez and Randy were waiting outside for their eldest brother. He laughed to himself. Now he realized who the informant was. The so-called nasty, hard Yardie who everyone knew and feared was Woodrow. What a turn-up for the books – he was nothing more than a snitch. He looked down at the passenger’s footwell – at his arsenal. The heavy chain, the metal cosh, and his torque wrench were all there. All he needed now was to get the bastard – and his brothers – to a place where he could fucking do what he did best – extract information.

Lou drove past Mike and parked in a side street. He was followed by Staffie and Willie in a separate car. They slowed up alongside Mike and lowered the window.

‘Are you gonna take the grass to the lock-up?’

‘Behind you, Staffie, are Dez and Randy, his brother. I want them too. Tell Lou to come with me. I want the cunts alive.’

Staffie grinned and Willie suddenly scooped a lump of cocaine from his pouch and snorted it hard.

Mike laughed. Willie hadn’t changed a bit, always being ready for any action to be had. But before he did, he loved to pep himself up with his livener, as he called it. Staffie drove on ahead and turned into a side street to inform Lou what was going on.

Within a few seconds, the brothers, who up to now had just been hovering around, began to walk towards the police station, passing Mike’s car. Too busy chatting, they didn’t notice Mike. Quietly, he slipped out of the car and followed the unsuspecting prey.