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watched Moshe blink in irritation but his bored tone did not change. ‘Get her to your flat. Schlimey will take care of the rest.’
    ‘To my flat?’ Namzul’s voice squeaked. ‘How am I to do that?’
    ‘That’s your problem. If you want the money, take the job. If you don’t . . .’ Moshe shrugged, then called to his wife that it was time to go.
    ‘Cash up front?’ Namzul couldn’t afford to let this pass. It was more money than he’d ever held at once in his lifetime. Moshe was right. He could actually begin to think about a different sort of life . . . perhaps even finally put the past behind him. There were times when he couldn’t believe he was on this dark path, and now it was getting darker.
    ‘As soon as she’s delivered,’ Moshe answered. He stood. ‘So what’s it to be, Namzul? Do we have a deal?’
    ‘The deadline’s tight.’
    ‘It’s then or forget it.’
    Namzul nodded, hating himself now as he realised with a shiver that he already knew the perfect girl. She fitted the specifications so neatly, it was terrifying. Could he do it to her? She was sovery beautiful, and not just in looks. He swallowed. So was his daughter, Anjali. And no one had cared about her dying of renal failure before a donor was found. ‘I’ll do it,’ he said, a surge of anger stinging at his already deep-seated guilt.
    ‘I knew you would,’ Moshe said, his sly tone infuriating Namzul, but he still felt powerless. The £ 10,000 would stop that helplessness.
    ‘Let Schlimey know as soon as you have her. You know what to do.’
    Namzul nodded, trying to hide his misery.
    ‘Meet me at Amhurst Park tomorrow, around eight. I’ll pay you there.’
    He had only hours but he knew exactly where he’d find her tomorrow morning.

3.
    Lily’s mobile sounded and she struggled to balance the vase of flowers on the reception counter of the maternity ward. It was too late, others had already heard it.
    A senior nurse frowned at her over her glasses. ‘No mobiles on the ward. You know that.’
    ‘Sorry, Sister,’ Lily said. She snatched it from her pocket and despite her irritation she smiled. It was Jack. A text giving her an idea of what he had in mind for her tomorrow evening. She giggled and gave the sister more reason to frown. ‘I’m switching it off,’ she assured the irate woman.
    ‘What’s your name?’
    Lily didn’t want to tell her but she could hardly refuse. ‘Lily Wu. I deliver flowers here regularly.’
    ‘Well, Ms Wu,’ the sister bristled, ‘by all means deliver your flowers but don’t let me hear your phone ring again on any ward that I’m in charge of.’
    Lily felt herself flush with embarrassment. ‘Um,can I take this to a . . .’ she checked the order, ‘Mrs Holt?’
    ‘You can leave it here,’ the brusque woman said. ‘One of the nurses will take it through.’
    ‘Thank you,’ Lily said, flashing the sister a dazzling smile. It didn’t work.
    She hurried back outside. She had an enormous number of deliveries this morning. It was lucky she’d found favour with the hospital car park attendants who let her bring the van in for a precise twenty minutes. Fortunately the cranky sister had saved her some delivery time and she rang Jack as she ran back towards the van.
    He answered quickly. ‘Can’t bear to be apart from me, can you?’
    She laughed. ‘You’re on for tomorrow night, but you’d better make good on that promise.’
    ‘I’m going out to buy everything we need later today.’
    This set her giggling again. Jack needed no props. Lily wasn’t what anyone could possibly consider enormously sexually experienced, but it didn’t take much to know whether you were satisfied. And Lily felt only joy and pleasure in Jack’s arms.
    ‘So where are you?’ he continued.
    ‘The hospital. Deliveries. The usual stuff. You?’
    ‘Huge day. You won’t hear much more from me. I’m just about to go into a meeting. I’m heading up a new operation that I suspect is going to be