‘Sure. They are. But their fucking families ain’t. And now they’re going to track me down and kill me like a dog. Dad’s had threats against me put through the door. And worse. Shit in a bag. A fucking burning rag last night. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Aysh, I got to clear out. Let it all die down.’

Aysha thought of the scorched letterbox downstairs. This was serious. The whole house could have gone up in flames.

‘But you’re skipping bail. Connor will lose his money. The police will be after you too. And the baby . . .’

‘The baby, the baby!’ he mocked her in a high-pitched voice. ‘Christ, listen to yourself! You don’t have a fucking clue about anything, sodding Princess Aysha, spoiled-rotten little rich girl.’

Aysha felt the colour leave her cheeks, felt the room tilt and sway. She clutched at her belly. She was carrying his child, and he was going to leave both her and the baby behind. And for how long? Was she ever going to see her handsome, feckless husband again?

Joey picked up the bag and swung past her out the door, along the landing. Aysha followed, grabbed his arm. ‘Joey, don’t,’ she pleaded.

‘Shut up, Aysh, I’m going,’ he said.

‘No!’ Aysha yanked him back, hard, and he shoved her.

As she tried to regain her balance, Aysha’s foot slipped from under her and then, almost in slow motion, she felt herself tilt sideways. She clawed at the wall, but it was no good. With a faint cry of horror, she toppled down the stairs. She felt a crashing pain in her knee, her elbow, her neck, as the world spun around her. Then blackness grabbed her and everything was gone.

108

108

The atmosphere in the house was so stifling that Josh escaped to the pub down by the river as soon as he possibly could. He couldn’t stand being around Shauna any more. Couldn’t even bear being under the same roof as her.

Fuck, what a mess.

The kids, the house, everything . . .

What a bloody mess.

He ordered a pint and then stood at the bar drinking it and thinking of Claire so far away. Claire had been good about this, although he could see it troubled and hurt her. She had said, ‘Yes, Josh, of course you have to go, I understand, and don’t worry about a thing. I’ll sort out the removals and get settled in the new place, you come straight there when you get back and I’ll be waiting, OK?’

He couldn’t wait to be with her again. And then . . . when all this muck and fuddle died down with Joey, he was going to sort this properly. Get rid of that cow Shauna. Yes, the kids would be knocked to fuck by it, he knew that. But at least Connor and Aysha were adults now.

‘Josh? That you?’