Jeb said nothing for a full minute. He just stood there, a half-smile on his lips, his eyes on her face. Then he reached out a hand, quick as a viper. He grabbed her throat and yanked her toward him. Shauna let out a half-strangled cry. She was nose to nose with Jeb now, her feet almost dangling off the floor. In panic, she grabbed the front of his coat, clawed at him.

‘Now you listen,’ he said right into her face. ‘All right? They were coming here and now they’re nowhere to be found? That’s fucking odd, I’d say. But you know what? I’ll tell you what, and you should be grateful for it, you scheming bitch. Fact is, I don’t much care. That pair of whoresons have been kicking me around for most of my life and so, who gives a fuck? Not me.’

Shauna tried to speak: couldn’t.

‘But you want to keep ol’ Josh safe?’ Jeb went on. ‘You keep on being nice to me, Shauna. You be very nice indeed. Starting now. This ain’t over – and you know what? It’s better now, because it’ll be just you and me, real cosy. No brothers to worry about. And if you think about changing that one more time, just think again, OK? Because I’ll kill him. I’ll kill Josh Flynn, I swear it. And the kid.’

He grabbed her chin again, looked into her eyes as he slammed the front door shut behind him. Then he pushed her ahead of him into the kitchen, hustled her over to the sink and leaned her over it.

‘Jeb, stop . . .’ she gasped out. I’m pregnant. Don’t be rough. Don’t hurt the baby. But the words wouldn’t come.

‘Shut up,’ said Jeb, yanking down her pants, unzipping his fly.

Shauna shut up, let him do it, thinking of the baby inside her, knowing she couldn’t fight this. She mustn’t.

It seemed to go on for a long, long time. But it was only minutes.

When Jeb was finished, he pulled out of her, zipped up.

‘Now!’ said Jeb. ‘You are going to learn your lesson and fall in line. You got that?’

Shauna turned, straightened, shivering with shock.

‘Got it?’ said Jeb, staring into her eyes.

‘Yeah,’ said Shauna. ‘I got it.’

67

67

Seven months later, when the two eldest Cleaver brothers had rotted away almost to nothing, lying weighted down safely in the middle of the deep, wide riverbed at the bottom of the garden, there were big changes for the Flynn family. Josh started promoting as well as boxing; they moved house; and their daughter Aysha was born.