She pulled away from him and sat back down, wiping away her sodden cheeks. ‘I can’t, not yet. I’ve got this cocaine delivery, so I need to be there. Oh Christ, why did I even get involved? What was I thinking? You’re right, you know. I’m all over the place at the moment. I do need a break, just to clear my head of all the crap that’s been fed into it by people who I thought I could trust.’

Victor looked at the brandy bottle. ‘Here, d’ya want a top-up?’

She nodded and sniffed back a tear that had run down her nose. ‘Will you come with me? I don’t think I should go alone, and I can’t trust the Regans or the Lanigans anymore.’

Victor topped up her glass and his own. ‘Of course, babe.’

She laughed through her tears. ‘Look at us. There’s me, a skinny bitch on the one hand, and you . . . ’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘An old man?’

‘No, I was going to say a taxi driver.’

He straightened his shoulders and presented a half-grin that appeared like a cruel smirk. ‘You and I both know that I’m more than that, Zara. Your father never underestimated me. I didn’t have the nickname ‘The Machinist’ for nothing, ya know.’

Zara gulped back the brandy and gritted her back teeth; the liquid was so strong it burned the back of her throat. ‘Yeah, you’re right, of course. My father thought very highly of you.’ She sat up straight and took a deep breath. ‘So, shall we get down to business?’

Victor placed his glass back on the table. ‘Okay. What’s the plan?’

‘Well, I don’t really have time for an elaborate plan because the drop-off is tonight.’

Victor’s eyes were on stalks. ‘Tonight? Shit. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’

She shook her head. ‘No, not really, but the advantage I have is that no one knows: only you, the dealer, and me. The sole risk I face is if he turns up with a firm and takes the money without leaving the gear.’

‘He’ll be one foolish man if he does that on the first drop-off. In my experience, dealers, if they are inclined to, will only do that after a few exchanges. It’s only once the buyer gets complacent and doesn’t take precautions at every one that they get screwed.’

Zara’s eyebrow raised as she grinned. ‘You seem to know a lot?’

‘And where do you think I learned it from? It was from your dad, of course. He had me on board for many an exchange. He said he didn’t trust anyone else, so he always called me . . . but he paid me well.’

‘Oh yes, sorry, about the payment. I was thinking ten grand . . . in cash?’