‘He’s okay. He gave us a fright, but the doctor reckons he’ll make a full recovery. And you, Zara? How are you faring?’

She smiled and then chuckled. ‘Well, I guess a lot better than you. Jesus, Davey, you look washed out. Why don’t you book a room in a hotel? Get some sleep. I’ll stay with Neil.’

He shook his head. ‘I’m fine. Anyway, Tania’s on her way. She’s in a right state.’

Zara’s memory of Tania, Davey’s wife, was of a fiery redhead who probably had more mouth and trousers than any woman on the planet. ‘Well, when we find the cunts who did this to Neil, we could always let her loose to do what she does best – vent her spleen.’

Davey laughed for the first time since he’d received the news that his son had been stabbed. ‘Jesus, she is nuts, that woman. Even to this day, I still sleep with one eye open.’

That brief moment of humour was quickly brought to a halt as they both looked over at Neil’s prone state. Zara pulled up another chair and sat opposite Davey. ‘Maybe this isn’t the right time to broach the subject, but I’ll not rest until I have the bastards strung up. Shamus tells me that my arcades and my restaurants have been raped. Tell me, Antonio’s? Is that still okay?’

Davey shrugged his shoulders. ‘Up until last night it was, but who knows? All my men are back in Ireland now. Mind you, Zara, I’ve asked for six of them to come over to London. I want the filthy bastards caught.’

Zara nodded, in acknowledgement. ‘Can you call Antonio and tell him to close the restaurant and leave a sign that says due to staff sickness the restaurant will only be open on this coming Saturday? I don’t understand why they are targeting our businesses. But one thing’s for sure. We need to be a step ahead of the game. Let’s keep this to ourselves. This firm will no doubt rear their ugly heads, and I, at least, will fucking blow the cunts away.’

Davey didn’t argue; he pulled out his phone and spoke to Antonio to make the arrangements. Antonio didn’t question him; he’d heard about the other restaurants and was a nervous wreck. In fact, he’d already booked flights back to Italy when he’d been made aware of the trouble.

Zara leaned forward and gently kissed Neil’s forehead. As she sat back down, his eyes slowly blinked and then opened. Like his father’s, Neil’s eyes were a piercing blue. He blinked again, and as he focused, a generous smile spread across his face.

‘Hello, handsome. How are ya doing?’ She spoke with a gentle calmness to her voice, which masked her inner concern for him.