Chapters (48)
- Cover
- THEFEUD
- Dedication
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- PROLOGUE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
‘I will come with you, after all. I could do with a bit of fresh air,’ Joyce told her husband. She had suddenly realised how wonderful it would be if her photo appeared in a newspaper. Her friends were already in awe of her underworld connections and they would be so, so jealous if they opened their newspaper tomorrow and saw her face smiling back at them.
‘Come on, then,’ Stanley said angrily. He knew his wife better than she knew herself and he guessed her intentions were not entirely honourable.
Joyce gave a royal wave as the electronic gates opened. On their father’s orders, Joey and Frankie hid their faces under a blanket in the back of the car.
‘Stop waving at them, you stupid old bat,’ Stanley screamed.
‘Just shut up and drive,’ Joyce replied, still waving.
Relieved that they weren’t being followed, Stanley told the twins to uncover themselves. He felt so sorry for his grandchildren. ‘Where do you want me to drop you?’ he asked sympathetically.
‘In the town centre, by the clocktower, Grandad,’ Frankie replied.
‘What one of your friends lives by the clocktower?’ Stanley pried.
‘Stacey,’ Frankie said, nudging her brother.
Five minutes later, Stanley put his indicator on and stopped the car. ‘Now are you sure you’re going to be all right? Me and Nanny will watch you go into your friend’s house,’ said a concerned Stanley.
‘We’re fine, Grandad. Stacey’s mum owns that pub across the road. It’s called the Angel.
‘Stacey and her family live upstairs,’ Joey lied.
Stanley watched the twins walk into the pub. Worried sick, he turned to Joyce. ‘Them kids won’t grow up to be normal, not in an environment like that, they won’t.’
‘Jessica and Eddie are wonderful parents. Them kids have never wanted for a thing in their lives,’ Joyce said angrily.
Stanley scowled at his superficial wife. ‘A bit of normality wouldn’t go amiss for them. Everything’s about money with you, isn’t it, Joycie? What do you know about parenting anyway? You was the one that encouraged your own daughter to take up with a villian in the first place.’
Joyce was shocked by the change in Stanley’s attitude. ‘Turn the car around and drop me back at Jessica’s, immediately. How dare you talk to me like that, Stanley? How dare you?’
Furious, Stanley swung the car around. ‘I’m trying to make you see sense. Something bad will happen to our Jess or them kids. I can feel it in me bones, Joycie, on my life I can. One day you’ll be sorry you never listened to me.’