The Feud (34 page)

Eddie stood up. He needed a refill. The conversation was making him thirsty. Face etched with anger, he faced his brother. ‘Don’t worry, Paulie. I’ll find out who did it and, when I get me hands on the cunt, I will torture him for weeks. I’ll starve him, burn him, cut him, then pull all his teeth and fingernails out, one by one. By the time I’ve finished, whoever did it will wish they’d never been born!’

Jessica was sweating in the dress she had on. She went upstairs to get changed into a vest top and shorts. She would have liked to have put on her bikini and jumped into the swimming pool, but didn’t feel comfortable in front of Eddie’s family. She had noticed Ronny leering at her in the past, and was sure he was a pervert.

Vicki giggled as Jessica sat down next to her. She had mixed them up some cocktails and they had been having a right old laugh at the expense of Eddie’s family. ‘Shut your legs, Jess. Quick, the pervert’s looking over,’ Vicki said laughing.

Jessica glanced at Ronny out of the corner of her eye. She had dark sunglasses on, so he couldn’t see her looking at him. ‘I never liked him when I first got with Eddie. He was really jealous of our relationship,’ she told Vicki.

‘Is his wife here?’ Vicki asked.

‘No, of course not. Sharon’s not his wife, she’s his girlfriend,
the poor cow. Neither Paulie nor Reg have brought their other halves, either. I reckon they keep all their women shut in cupboards indoors. The only time I’ve ever seen ’em out is at weddings or funerals.’

Vicki smiled. ‘I wouldn’t put up with that, would you? I mean, I know Dougie usually leaves me and stands with the men, but that doesn’t bother me. I wouldn’t be left indoors all the time, though, would you?’

Jessica shook her head. ‘That’s one thing I must say about my Eddie. He can be a sod at times, but he’s always put me and the kids first. He’s a real family man, he is.’

Glancing back at Ronny, Vicki started to giggle again. ‘Do you reckon his todger works if he’s paralysed?’

Jessica burst out laughing. ‘Shut up, Vicki, for Christ’s sake. You’ve just put me off me piña colada.’

Joyce couldn’t help herself. Every time Polly and Raymond walked away, she reappeared by their side like a shadow. ‘So, how long has your father been in the jewellery business, Polly? Raymond says he has lots of shops. How many exactly has he got?’

Sighing at Polly, Raymond linked arms with his mother and gently led her away. ‘Mum, you’re going a bit over the top now. Polly’s come here to socialise, not be interrogated. Sit down and have a drink with Dad. You can meet Polly another time. Perhaps I’ll bring her round yours one day or something.’

‘That’ll be nice, dear,’ Joyce said, smiling.

Spotting what her husband had done, Joyce’s smile disappeared. ‘What the bloody hell have you got on your bonce? Take it off, Stanley.’

‘It’s only me handkerchief. The sun’s burning me scalp. It’s all right for you, you’ve got hair,’ Stanley moaned.

Joyce snatched the handkerchief off his head. ‘What
will Polly think? You look like something out of
It Ain’t Half Hot Mum
, you silly old bastard!’

Stacey, Demi and Paige sat with their mouths wide open as Frankie told them all about her liaison with Jed.

‘So, was his willy big?’ Demi asked.

‘I suppose so. I dunno – I’ve never seen a real one before,’ Frankie replied giggling.

Seeing her brother, Dominic and Wesley heading their way, she told the girls to say no more.

‘I really like that Dominic. Can’t you put a word in for me?’ Stacey begged her.

If only she knew, Frankie thought as she nodded her head. ‘I’m going to the toilet and then I’ll get me dad to put some music on,’ she told the girls.

Eddie was busy on barbecue duty. ‘All right, sweetheart? Tell yours and Joey’s mates that the food’s ready now,’ he told Frankie.

Frankie gave him a hug. ‘What’s that for?’ he asked.

‘Dunno. ’Cause I love you, I suppose,’ Frankie replied guiltily.

‘Who’s that geezer standing over there with you? The tall one with the dark hair. Looks older than your crowd,’ Eddie asked. He didn’t trust strangers, especially in his house.

‘Oh that’s Wesley’s mate, Dominic. Me and Joey know him well, he’s a really nice person, Dad.’

Satisfied with Frankie’s explanation, Eddie winked at his daughter and held up a burnt-looking steak on a large fork. ‘Grub’s up, everybody,’ he bellowed.

Frankie went upstairs, sat on her bed and searched through her purse. When she’d come in this morning, she’d written Jed’s number on a piece of paper, then washed it off her arm. She was tempted to ring him and
arrange a date for the following day. Staring at his number, she switched on her mobile. Should she? Shouldn’t she?

‘Hello, yous two,’ she said, as Buster and Bruno came tottering towards her.

Shoving the piece of paper into her bedside drawer, she switched off her phone and went back to the party.

Jessica had prepared three massive bowls of salad. She had also made coleslaw and warmed up lots of garlic bread. ‘Help yourselves – there’s plenty more in the kitchen,’ she urged everybody.

As Jessica sat down to eat hers, she studied her son from behind her glasses. She was intrigued by what she saw. The way he and Dominic were looking at one another wasn’t normal. They looked at each other the way she looked at Eddie.

As the two lads walked towards the barbecue, Jessica noticed Joey slyly pinch Dominic’s bum.

‘Oh my God,’ she said out loud.

‘Whatever’s wrong? Are you OK, Jess?’ Vicki asked concerned.

Jessica chucked her plate on the grass and jumped out of her seat. ‘No, I’m not. In fact, I think I’m gonna be sick.’

Eddie waved goodbye to the last of the guests and shut the front door.

‘Are you OK? You’ve been ever so quiet and you look really pale,’ he asked Jessica.

‘I’ve got a terrible migraine. Are Gary and Ricky still here?’ Jessica replied.

Eddie nodded and gave his wife a big cuddle. ‘I thought it was a great party. Even Ronny behaved himself and that’s a first.’

Jessica nodded. ‘I was enjoying it earlier, before I came over bad.’

‘The twins got some nice presents, didn’t they? Did you see their faces when your mother brought the cake out and made everybody sing “Happy Birthday”. They were well embarrassed and their friends were taking the right piss out of ’em.’

Jessica kissed Eddie on the lips. ‘I’m going to bed now. You sit up and have a nightcap with Gary and Ricky. I’ll tidy up in the morning, when I feel a bit better.’

‘Sweet dreams,’ Eddie whispered lovingly.

Jessica barely slept at all that night. Her mind was in turmoil as she tried to convince herself that Joey was straight and she was wrong. She pictured herself at Joey’s
age. She had been knocking about with her old friend, Mary, then. Had they ever pinched one another’s bottoms for a laugh, or looked at one another romantically. No, they hadn’t.

As much as she hated to admit it, Jessica wondered if, deep down, she had always known that Joey was different. He had brought girls to the house over the years and had even introduced them as his girlfriends, but Jessica had never been fooled.

Seeing him with Dominic earlier – the closeness between them, the affectionate glances – was proof of something she had desperately tried to avoid. Joey was still her son. She would love him whatever he was, but Eddie certainly wouldn’t. One sniff of her son’s sexuality coming out into the open and there would be murders, literally.

Two doors away, Frankie was also unable to sleep properly. Every time she shut her eyes, Jed O’Hara’s face disrupted her thoughts.

At 8 a.m., she got out of bed and took the piece of paper out of the drawer. She switched on her mobile phone. It was so early, he probably wasn’t even awake yet. Punching in his number, she held her breath. Her heart was beating like a drum and, as he answered, she could barely speak through nervousness.

‘All right? It’s Frankie,’ she mumbled.

Jed laughed. ‘You took your time ringing me, didn’t ya?’

‘You’re awake, then?’ Frankie said stupidly.

‘Of course I’m awake, you dinlo. I’m talking to you, ain’t I?’

Sensing her apprehension, Jed smiled. He often had this effect on women and he was used to it. ‘What you up to? Meet me in half-hour,’ he told her.

Frankie nearly dropped the phone in shock. ‘It’s only
just gone eight. I haven’t had a shower yet. I need some time to get ready.’

‘Well, make it an hour then. Shall I pick you up from outside your house?’ Jed asked.

‘No. Don’t pick me up from here. Where else can I meet you?’

Jed chuckled. He was dying to see Frankie again. ‘You know where my house is, don’tcha? Just before you get there, in the direction you’re coming from, there’s a layby on the left. I’ll meet you there, say half-nine.’

Frankie smiled. ‘See you then.’

‘And Frankie, don’t put on too much make-up. I wanna see that pretty face of yours.’

Frankie felt faint as she ended the phone call. She didn’t have a clue what to wear and had very little time to get ready.

Hearing Frankie switch the shower off, Jessica got out of bed. Joey and Frankie were as close as close could be, and if anyone knew his sordid secret, it was Frankie.

She gently tapped on her daughter’s bedroom door.

‘This is all I fucking need,’ Frankie muttered, as she chucked half her wardrobe onto the floor.

‘Can I come in, love?’ Jessica whispered.

‘Yes,’ Frankie replied angrily.

Jessica sat on the edge of Frankie’s bed. Her daughter wasn’t the earliest riser on earth and she wondered what was so special about today. ‘You’re up early. Going somewhere nice, are you?’

With time running out, Frankie decided her acid washed jeans and denim jacket would have to do. Her black suede ankle boots and black basque were enough to tart the outfit up. She didn’t want to look like a tomboy. ‘I’m going out with the girls. It’s Stacey’s cousin’s birthday and she’s having a barbecue,’ Frankie lied.

Jessica knew when Frankie was lying, but said nothing. Whatever she was hiding couldn’t be any worse than Joey’s little secret, and Jessica was more worried about her son than her daughter. ‘Has, erm, Joey said anything to you recently about his life? He hasn’t confided in you about anything unusual, has he?’

‘Like what? What you talking about?’ Frankie replied casually.

Jessica was a bit lost for words. Say Joey hadn’t said anything to Frankie, or she had made a mistake. ‘Has he got a girlfriend?’ Jessica blurted out.

Aware that her mum was on her brother’s case, Frankie said very little. ‘I dunno. We’re not together all the time, Mum. He ain’t said nothing to me, but if you’re so interested in Joey’s love life, you best ask him yourself.’

Jessica nodded. The twins were as thick as thieves and, chances were, even if Frankie did know something, she wouldn’t tell anyone. ‘So where does Stacey’s cousin live, then?’ she asked, changing the subject.

Frankie let out a bored sigh. ‘I don’t know. Stacey never told me. Now, can you leave me alone, Mum? I’m trying to get ready and you’re making me late.’

With a heart full of worry, Jessica apologised and walked away.

Frankie checked her appearance, grabbed her purse and ran down the stairs. She wanted to warn Joey about the conversation she had had with her mother, but he was fast asleep and she didn’t have time to arse about. Debating whether to take her phone with her and ring him, she decided against it. The poxy thing was a nuisance to lug around and she had nearly lost it twice the other night.

Running into the kitchen, Frankie took a large gulp of vodka out of the bottle. ‘No, doggies, no,’ she said,
as Buster and Bruno tried to clamber up the leg of her jeans.

‘All right, Frank? What you doing?’ Ricky asked.

Startled, Frankie dropped the vodka bottle and it smashed to smithereens on the stone kitchen floor. ‘You scared me. I didn’t realise you were still here,’ Frankie replied.

‘Me and Gal slept in the lounge. Drinking a bit early, ain’t ya, girl?’

Shooing the dogs out of the kitchen so they didn’t cut their paws, Frankie looked at Ricky with pleading eyes. ‘Look, I’m meeting a boy and I don’t want Mum and Dad to know. Can you clean that mess up for me? I’m running late.’

‘What’s going on? Was something smashed?’ Jessica shouted out from upstairs.

Ricky smiled at Frankie. ‘Sorry, Jess, it was me. I went to make a coffee and knocked a bottle of vodka off the kitchen top. You go back to bed, I’ll clean it up.’

Frankie hugged her half-brother.

‘Do you wanna lift?’ he asked her.

‘No, I’m fine. Thanks Ricky, you’ve just saved my life.’

As Frankie ran down the drive, she nervously glanced back at the house. She usually got cabs wherever she went and prayed that no one was watching her.

Frankie’s heart leaped as she heard a loud tooting coming from behind her. She was afraid to look around. Surely it wasn’t her dad?

Aware of a gold four-wheel drive pulling up beside her, she glanced apprehensively at it.

‘Get in, Frankie,’ Jed ordered her.

Frankie did as he asked. ‘Sod you, you frightened the bloody life out of me. Whose car’s this? Where’s your pick-up truck?’

‘At home. Can’t take a beautiful girl out in a pick-up truck, can I? This Shogun’s mine as well. Bought it off some old mush me dad knows. Got it for a good price, I did.’

Frankie was impressed. None of the boys she had ever mixed with could even reach the pedals on a motor like this, let alone own one or drive one. ‘Where are we going?’ Frankie asked, trying to sound relaxed.

‘Cambridgeshire,’ Jed replied coolly.

Frankie looked at him amazement. He had to be joking, surely. She didn’t even know where Cambridgeshire was, but it sounded a long way away. ‘You are having a laugh, aren’t you?’

Jed stopped at the red traffic light. He leaned towards her and softly kissed her on the lips. ‘No, I’m not having a laugh. It’s where my family comes from. You’ll love it. It’s absolutely beautiful, Frankie, just like you are.’

As his piercing green eyes gently teased her, Frankie looked away. The effect he had on her was abnormal and she barely knew what day it was.