Then he had come home, and he had gone on his usual busman's holiday trumping anything with a pulse and a pair of tits. And she had swallowed it all, until now. Now she had the added humiliation of Bethany Hutchins. Bethany, who had tits like lumps of warm cement and a reputation that made her sex life a who's who of criminals from the local manor. Jackie closed her eyes tight in distress. She hated him when he did this to her, she knew he didn't care a toss about her feelings, or the fact she had to see these people on a daily basis. Up the shops, in the pub, at friends' flats and houses – this was a small community and he would fuck his way through it if she wasn't careful, like he had before he went away. Even her mates weren't off limits to him, as she had found out over the years.

Yet for all his faults, real and imagined, if he knew she was pregnant and dropping pills he would kill her. She had learned many years ago that the best form of defence with Freddie was attack. So she put her coat on and, leaving the girls alone in bed, she walked from her house.

Bethany Hutchins was about to get the shock of her little life.

Maggie was upset but she had finally accepted her boyfriend's haphazard loving. She knew he had a lot on his mind and she allowed for that. Jimmy would always love her for the way she understood his feelings without him having to explain himself over and over again.

Jimmy adored her. He needed her, but his work was taking his life over because Freddie was so unstable. Jimmy for his part had a feeling that Freddie was going to piss all over their fireworks if they weren't careful. He was off the rails, looking for fault with Clancy. In short he was after his pavement. He wanted all that Clancy had, and knowing his cousin like he did, he was going to get it whatever.

Freddie was so dangerous, yet he was also in his own way astute. He knew how to tap into people's fears, knew instinctively what scared them. Jimmy was his cousin's number two. He loved being trusted so much, and he knew Freddie would do whatever was needed to keep them both in the manner they had become so accustomed to.

Life was catching up with him even at his young age and he had the sense to see that. He also knew that whatever shit Freddie brought to their door he had to fight it with him side by side.

That was the law of their world. But it didn't mean he had to like it.

Jeannie Hutchins was in her late forties but looked older, not that anyone would ever have said that to her face, of course. She had the deep-grooved skin of a woman who had smoked and drunk herself old before her time. Her hair was cut short and blow-dried into a halo around her head. Her heavy green eye shadow and liner made her look demented, her lipstick was Burnt Orange by Max Factor, a colour she had worn since the sixties. Her thin body was wiry looking and she could have the proverbial row when necessary.

She wondered if she would have to defend herself this night because as usual her husband was nowhere to be seen. That could be a good thing, though she would have to wait and see the outcome before she decided that.

When she had opened her front door and seen Jackie standing there, her heart had sunk down to her boots, even though she had been expecting her.

Because in her day she had been Jackie. She also knew Jackie well and liked her. They were two of a kind, both had men who were villains, who were quite happy to walk all over them and who expected them to wait until they were released from prison. No matter what.

Bethany had made a big mistake, and she had inadvertently upset her mother. Because Jeannie had been on the receiving end of women and girls like her youngest daughter all her married life, her Bethany was going to get the hiding of her life. It was long overdue, and she was quite happy to dish it out herself if Jackie was not up to the job. Jeannie felt that her daughter was on the slippery slope of becoming a villain's bird and she knew it was hard enough being a villain's wife, let alone being the number two in the equation.

Now as she looked at herself twenty years earlier, her resolve was strengthened. 'I've been expecting you, Jackie love.'

This was not what Jackie had been expecting and she found herself smiling into the eyes of a kindred spirit.

Inside the flat the smell was overpowering, Jeannie was a housework dodger and the place looked like a tip. In the small lounge a large colour TV took pride of place and even though it was sticky from children's hand marks and covered in dogs' hair it was still bright enough to light the whole room up. Bethany was sitting in a large Dralon chair and the look on her face was priceless to the two women.

Jackie knew immediately that Jeannie was giving her daughter a lesson in life and secretly thanked whatever God had decided to smile on her this night.

'Hello, Jackie.'

Jackie grinned nastily. 'Hello, Bethany, long time no see.'

The atmosphere in the room was electric and Bethany was staring at her mother now as if she had never seen her before in her life. She was aware she had been served up to Jackie and the knowledge was terrifying her. That her own mother would take an outsider's part was unheard of. They were a family and family stayed together no matter what happened.

Wait until she told her dad about all this!

As Jeannie put the kettle on she heard the first sound of fist on skin. It was hard not to interfere but she knew one day her daughter would thank her for this night. At least she hoped so anyway.

Her granny used to say if you lay down with dogs you got up with fleas. Well, her daughter's fleas had well and truly come to bite her.

She could hear the screaming and crying as the kettle boiled.

'You took your fucking time!'

Freddie was not as annoyed as Jimmy had thought he would be, in fact he looked euphoric. He also looked sober, though he was just about to snort a line of amphetamine off the counter.

He automatically cut one for his little cousin.

Paul and Liselle were grinning and as Jimmy was handed a drink they filled him in on the night's excitement.

As Jimmy listened, the smile on his face got more and more frozen because the Clancy family might not be as amenable as they all seemed to think about Siddy's injuries. He kept this to himself, though, because he knew that there would be no reasoning with Freddie while he was like this.

In truth there was no reasoning with him at any time.

But Jimmy needed to think, to digest the information and to gather up a plan of attack in case they might need one.

As he listened to Paul explaining to Freddie what he was going to do the next day, however, his heart got lighter by the second.

'Me and Liselle visit him every month and bring him up to spec, see, Freddie. We knew that Siddy was having him over like, but there wasn't much we could do without proof.'

Paul poured them all another drink as he continued. 'But it's the houses we need the help with and I reckon you'll have to take them over as well. Liselle won't let me near the brasses, as you can imagine.'

The three men laughed, much to the chagrin of Liselle who was too sensible to let them know that her husband was about two inches from having his balls removed without any kind of anaesthetic.

Freddie knew nothing about the houses, but this did not show on his face. He was already wondering how much he could earn from it all. He had never seen himself as a ponce, though he had been called it more than once during the course of his life. He knew all about it though, he had picked up a lot on his sojourn inside.

'Tell Ozzy to put me cousin down as a visitor. He ain't ever had a capture and that will take the onus off you and the wife. Ozzy can deal directly with him then, can't he?'