"You mind if I sit here?"

I looked up from my lunch tray, into the moon-like face of Jonny Angel. Before I could reply, he put his tray on the table, heaved his heavy-set legs over the bench, and sat down opposite me.

"You could have waited for me to say something, Jonny." I shook my head, but Jonny seemed oblivious to my disappointment.

"Nah," he sad. "You're a good guy. You don't mind. Thank you for being my friend."

Me? A good guy? Maybe Jonny Angel was right - in his own confused mind at least. I had been sentenced to five years for pulling con jobs on old ladies. So, being a conman, I was a good judge of character, a sympathetic listener and a true Judas willing to prey on the innocent and gullible. The other convicts in this establishment were here for crimes of violence: assault, armed robbery, murder. But my talents meant that I knew how to manipulate them and navigate the morass of prison life without coming to grief. So, it probably wasn't surprising that somebody like Jonny Angel felt he could believe in me.

I watched Jonny as he spooned a sizeable helping of prison slop into his maw. Jonny was a giant of a man - layers of fat draped over the muscles he needed to move his bulk around. His crime was not knowing his strength or the ferocity of his temper. Otherwise, he was a gentle, trusting soul. I reached across the table to wipe a trail of gravy from his mouth. "You've made a mess, there," I said. "Let me clean it up for you."

Jonny smiled. "Thank you." His gaze turned to my tray, still half-full of the mess from the kitchens. "Can I have your pudding?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Go ahead."

Jonny leaned forward and grabbed my tray, tipping the contents onto his. Then he continued feeding, a look of happy anticipation on his face. I sat back and watched him, fascinated at how he could stand the prison slop. That was a mistake. I didn't notice it when Frank the Blade came up behind me and put the edge of his knife against my neck.

"Hey, Mendez." Frank's voice was calm and steady. "Mr Pye wants a word with you. In private."

I tried my best to be nonchalant. "It's lunchtime. Can't Mr Pye wait?" I knew why I was in trouble. If I could just delay the meeting, then I could find a way to fix things.

"Mr Pye wants you now."

"Well, you'll at least let me apologise to my friend," I said loudly. "Jonny doesn't like it when I go without telling him."

Jonny looked up from his meal. "Sure," he began. Then his eyes narrowed and look of pure rage welled up. With unbelievable speed, Jonny grabbed my tray and slammed it - hard! - into Frank's head. Frank fell to the floor, unconscious.

I smiled at Jonny. "You're welcome," I said.