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
Jessica knelt in front of her devastated husband. ‘How can you believe anything that comes out of Ronny’s mouth? He’s jealous of you, he always has been. He’s making up these awful lies because he can’t deal with your dad leaving you all that money. He wants to get back at you, Ed, and he’ll resort to anything to do so.’
Eddie shrugged. ‘I’ll go and see Terry Palmer, see what he has to say. Don’t look so worried, I ain’t gonna hurt him. I just want solid proof.’
‘It’s all lies. I know my own son, Eddie,’ Jessica insisted.
Eddie shrugged. Joey had always been different – too different for his liking. ‘He is fucking effeminate, Jess. Let’s face it, Joey’s never been like Gary and Ricky, has he? Even as a kid, he was frightened of his own shadow. I mean, he dresses strange and sometimes I look at him and think that he should have been the girl and Frankie the boy. She’s got bollocks, Frankie has, but not Joey. He’s not normal, Jess, I’ve always known it, but I kept me trap shut for years for your fucking sake.’
With tears rolling down her cheeks, Jessica did her best to hold her own. ‘Of course he’s not like Gary and Ricky, or you and your brothers. I didn’t want him to end up in your world, it was me that forced him to be different. I mean, come on, as much as I think the world of Gary and Ricky, their mum was an alkie, that’s why they’re rough around the edges. I brought Joey up differently. He’s soft, gentle, with a heart of gold, and I instilled that into him. He might be unusual, but that doesn’t mean he’s gay, Ed. It’s just different mothers, different upbringings, that’s all.’
Holding out his arms, Eddie snuggled up to his wife. ‘I’m sorry if I hurt you. I just lost me rag.’
‘Promise me, Eddie, that you won’t say anything to Joey. He’s in the middle of his exams, it’s not fair on him. You know how he takes things to heart – he’ll be traumatised.’
‘I swear I won’t say anything to him,’ Eddie said honestly. He had no intention of giving Joey a warning. If what was being said was true, he would catch him at it and when he did, he would throttle both him and his fucking boyfriend.
Terry Palmer lived alone in a council flat in Beckton. Terry had once been a man of substance, but since his wife had stung him for all he had, his life had gone completely downhill.
Opening another can of Special Brew, Terry focused on the television. He was watching the film Once Upon a Time in America. ‘Go on, get in there,’ Terry said, laughing.