John gulped back his drink and put his glass down, waiting for Alex to pour another. ‘Never let sentiment come into business, that’s my philosophy. All this shit: you, him, the court case, could all be done and over with if he had seen sense and drawn a line under it. He felt he looked weak if he didn’t defend his stupid brother, well, he looks weak now and his brother is still dead. Now, you are going to do one last job and help me Alex, and then I am going to help you.’

Puzzled, Alex looked at him, waiting for him to carry on. ‘You’re already a grass with a court case looming, looking over your shoulder with every creak of the staircase. I want you to put my competition behind bars. When you’re in court, I want you to spill the beans on the lot of them and put them away. What happens after that, is my business. In return Alex, I will take the heat off you as best as I can. There is a bounty on your head, but who is going to pay it? Me? Absolutely fucking not!’ John burst out laughing at such a stupid notion. ‘I cannot guarantee that there won’t be a lone ranger out there thinking he will ingratiate himself by killing Alex Silva. No one can. But I can promise what happens to him if he does.’

‘The police already know everything John. There will be convictions, so why ask me?’

‘I want certainties. More fingers pointed. I want you to look them in the eye and face them when you point them out, Alex. I want them all out of the way and then the coast is clear for me to take over. No competition. They will all come to me begging for a job and that is when I take the heat off you. No one will have my order to kill you or your family. It will be over. Like I say, there are no guarantees – you know that. But, rest assured, the threat won’t be coming from me. I want things tidy. No hiccups. You’re already behind bars.’ John laughed at his own joke when he realised he was in a pub with a bar. ‘No seriously Alex. This is not who you are. You lived the good life, wore suits like mine, had fast cars and expensive holidays. Now, you’re stuck in the middle of Kent running a pub without your own name above the door? To me, that’s hell. I couldn’t do it.’

‘Some days John, neither can I.’ Alex shrugged and laughed. ‘I have memories, good ones. But when your own turn on you and put a bounty on your head, what’s left? Our life is short and sweet, and all I want to do is live it to the full with my family, knowing they are safe.’

‘Do you take my proposition then?’ John looked at Alex over the top of his glass. He could see this wasn’t the life he wanted to live, but was settling for it, for the sake of his family. Humdrum suburbia, with no excitement. The very thought of it made his blood run cold.

‘I know you’re a man of your word John, you always have been. So yes, I take your proposition. But as you say, there are no guarantees on either side. We don’t know what sentences they will get, and I don’t know if some loose cannon will come looking for me. After all, what happens when it all comes out and we have to leave here? Fuck knows, John. I am winging it by the seat of my pants every day I’m alive.’

John’s voice turned softer, almost a whisper. ‘Do you need cash? I can help you, for old times’ sake. We’re friends still, well, I’d like to think so, and if you ever need a job when all this shit is over, there is one waiting for you. I need people I can trust around me. You could work on your own and not bump into any of the old gang.’

Although Alex was tempted, he shook his head. ‘Let’s see what happens first, eh? Talking of gangs, do you know there are a bunch of Liverpudlians in the area selling goods and waving guns around?’

John’s eyes narrowed and he frowned. ‘I know of some Liverpudlians who are small-time scumbags. But I didn’t know they had come this far to sell their goods. I will get Jimmy Bananas to look into it for me.’

‘Jimmy Bananas!’ Alex laughed and recalled the man permanently chewing on bananas. His gum disease made his whole body smell; it was disgusting.

‘It’s the only thing he can chew Alex.’ John burst out laughing. ‘He has no teeth, his mouth is so rotten. It was bad enough when they were black and he grew that moustache to hide them with. He will look into this, and I guarantee they won’t be stealing my custom for long.’

John reached out his hand to shake Alex’s. ‘It’s good to see you amigo.’ Looking around the room, John smiled. ‘And it’s not so bad here; much better than those military barracks you were in before…’ Seeing Alex’s jaw drop, he grinned. ‘Yes, Alex, I’ve known where you have been hiding for a long time. Now, it’s time I left. There is a black taxi rank in the high street; I will get one of those. I could do with the walk.’

Alex showed him to the door and for one moment they looked at each other. Then John opened his arms and Alex wrapped his own around him, slapping his back.

‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said and then left.

Watching him walk away under the streetlight, Alex felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. True enough, there were no guarantees in life, but at least he now had some hope that they would all be okay.

After a lot of deliberation, Deana felt it was time to put her own plan into action. Her mum and dad were busy downstairs, and she felt now was the time to speak to her brother. Knocking on Dante’s bedroom door, she whispered, ‘Dante, I want a word with you.’

‘What is it? I’m doing my homework, Deana.’

‘Just open the bloody door,’ she snapped impatiently. ‘I need to talk to you. It’s important.’

Hearing noises from inside Dante’s bedroom, Deana waited impatiently. ‘Christ, what are you doing in there, moving the furniture?’ Slowly, the door opened, and Dante stuck his head around it. ‘Go on, what is it?’

Barging her way inside she stood with her arms folded. ‘Well, are you going to close the door or not?’

Standing in his red Avengers pyjamas and adjusting his dark horn-rimmed glasses, he looked at her pouting face and decided to do as she asked. Closing the door, he walked over to the bed and sat on it. ‘Go on, Deana, say your piece.’

Now that she had got his attention, she felt better. Over the last couple of days, her own thoughts had been in turmoil, and a million things had raced through her mind. The only person she could confide in was Dante. He was the voice of reason and would see the practical and logical side of things. ‘You know Dad’s got this court case coming up soon? Well, they’ve set a date.’ For a moment, they just looked at each other in silence, and Dante nodded.

‘Are you scared, Deana? Because I know I am. They try and keep a lot from us, but it’s not fair. It’s about us too.’

Deana ruffled Dante’s dark hair; he looked almost sleepy. ‘I feel the same, bro. We’re not kids any more. No kids I know of have lived the way we have. Forever looking over our shoulders, and afraid to say anything to anybody. They love us deeply and try to protect us, but it’s just not possible, Dante. Soon, we’re going to have to deal with the fallout. Dad’s photo will be all over the news. Kids from my college and your school will all know we’re mafia kids and what our dad used to do for a living. We’re going to have to deal with all that flak, Dante. Just you and me. We have to stick together from now on.’

Listening to her, Dante lay back on his bed, putting his arms under his head for support, and let out a huge sigh. ‘So, what do you want to talk about, Deana? Let’s have what’s on your mind.’ Sitting up, Dante sat beside her and waited.

‘We’re gonna need money. I mean real money. God knows what the outcome of the court case will be or if we’re gonna be turned out on our ear. If Dad walks free from court, do you think he’s going to be stood behind the bar come opening time, pulling a pint of lager? I don’t think so, that’s if we have any customers to serve! I know Dad has a plan, but he hasn’t said anything to me or Mum. That money that is stashed away isn’t going to buy much or last long in today’s financial climate. They have both done everything to keep us both safe, and now it’s our turn.’

A puzzled frown crossed Dante’s brows. Taking his glasses off, he wiped the lenses clean with his pyjama top before putting them back on and waited. ‘Don’t pause for effect, Deana. Spit it out, it’s boiling up inside you. What do you intend to do?’

‘I know how Dad got that money down in the cellar. More to the point, I know who from.’

‘I presume you’re talking about the same person who got you the antibiotics for Dad. You never did say where you got them from.’

‘Luke. That’s his name. He’s not an old man, nor a gangster. He’s young, about twenty-ish,’ mused Deana. ‘Anyway, his age doesn’t matter. He and Dad have got some kind of cannabis scam going on. He is looking after loads of plants. And half of them belong to Dad…’

‘And you’re going to do what with these plants? I presume you have a plan, Deana, or you wouldn’t be rambling on like this. It feels like you’re way ahead of me. Why don’t you start from the beginning?’

‘Okay, let me just say it, and then we’ll make sense of it.’ Deana realised that when she said her plan out loud, it didn’t sound as good as it did in her head. ‘Dad’s got to be squeaky clean through this court case, and God knows how long it’s going to go on for. It could be months. And after, we could be thrown out of here, and then what? We’ll be left on the scrap heap with the other losers. Not me, Dante. I want more from life. In fact, I want my life back.’ She stuck out her chin.

Lowering his voice to a whisper, Dante nodded. ‘I know what you mean, but we’re not criminal masterminds. Those guys took years to form their syndicate. What have you got in mind, Deana?’

‘I’m going to contact Luke. Dad has a mobile phone with his number stashed away. We’re going to sell our share of those plants and more if we can. I want that fucking money for my family. I want us to buy our own home. I’ve learnt the hard way, and so have you. You can’t do anything without money. Well, I don’t intend being a bloody barmaid for the rest of my life. Are you with me, Dante?’ Turning towards Dante, she could see that he was deep in thought.

‘Do you think this Luke person would let you in on the act?’

‘I think Luke might go along with it, but I’m not 100 per cent sure. This has just been going around and around in my head, and to be honest, I’m not even sure it’s a good idea! All I know is there is money out there, and I don’t intend not getting our share.’

Dante looked over his glasses at his sister seriously. He could see she was serious in her ideas, but felt she hadn’t really thought it through. ‘And what happens if you get caught, Deana? Prison sentence? Is that the home you want to buy, one with bars at the windows?’

‘We’re too young for prison,’ she said dismissively. ‘So, should we have a meeting? I mean you and me, have a meeting with Luke? Personally, I think we should spill our guts and tell him the truth. The whole truth. It’s gonna come out anyway, and I think he would rather hear it from us than from the news.’

‘Do you trust him, Deana? It seems like a lot to ask. What if he’s just a greedy dealer and wants the lot for himself – have you thought about that? What if he grasses us up? Our name will be in the tabloids, and every Tom, Dick and Harry will have a story about our family to sell. Why not him? It’s quick, easy money, Deana. Let me see… “I got antibiotics for Alex Silva when he’d been in a shoot-out.” The tabloids would pay him a big sum of money for that story.’

‘Because I think he’s on the run himself. Me and Dad saved his life, and whoever wanted him dead is still looking for him. He needs a partner. Or partners.’ Seeing the quizzical look on his face, Deana took a breath and decided to start from the beginning and tell Dante all about the night she and Alex had met Luke at Percy’s house. During her confession, he never interrupted or said a word.

‘Well, that’s me all talked out, Dante. You think about it. It’s an option. Not a very good one, but an option all the same. And by the way, did you know that Uncle John came to visit Dad? I don’t know what was said, but it can’t have been that bad, because Dad is still alive.’

Wide eyed and taken aback by this revelation, Dante’s jaw almost dropped, and he shouted louder than he knew he should have. ‘John! Here, in this house?’ Dante exclaimed. This was a total shock to him. He couldn’t believe it. ‘Well, I didn’t think you could top the last tale, but you just have! We could all be dead by now. By all accounts, he’s one evil bastard. Why did Dad let him in?’

‘Shush,’ she warned, putting her finger to her lips. ‘They might hear you downstairs. I told you, I don’t know all the ins and outs. But he was here, believe me.’

‘Christ, Deana, you’re like the oracle; you know everything.’ Letting her words sink in, he thought about it as they sat in silence. Deana’s eyes were almost pleading with him to agree to her crazy plan. ‘There are a lot of loose ends to your plan, Deana, and we could end up making things worse. Have you thought about that?’

‘What could be worse than what we’ve already been through? For nearly two years, we have lived like ghosts. Our every move monitored. Well, not any more, Dante. We have to think for ourselves, and there is a golden opportunity just waiting for us, if we have the guts to do it. I have, but do you? I’m not doing this without you. Apart from Mum and Dad, you’re all I have. The only other person in the world that I trust with my life. I know it sounds crazy, and I don’t even know if we can pull it off, but what other choice do we have?’ Letting out a huge sigh, she felt exhausted from her ranting and fell backwards on the bed.

‘Well,’ Dante began slowly, ‘let’s see if we have the Silva streak in us. Firstly, you need to set up a meeting with this Luke. I need to meet him, and then, and only then, Deana, will I give you my answer. Let me think. Is that a good enough answer?’

‘Definitely. I knew Mr Logical and Practical wouldn’t jump on board immediately. You always see the things I miss. I’ll contact Luke right away and sort out a meeting. We won’t mention our intentions, just a meeting to tell him the truth about Dad. Then, we will see his true colours come out.’

‘And if he doesn’t agree, Deana? Have you thought of that?’ he asked nonchalantly.