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
‘Cheeky little bugger,’Eddie said to Raymond and Dougie. ‘No, you bloody well can’t,’ Eddie told him laughing.
‘Yes, I can,’ Jed said, pecking Frankie on the cheek. Eddie couldn’t believe the front of the kid. He wasn’t even used to grown men answering him back, let alone an ankle-biter. Grabbing hold of Frankie, Eddie hoisted her into his arms. ‘Off you go now, Jed. Go and find your own mum and dad.’
Jed shook his head. ‘I wanna stay here with Frankie.’
‘Please, Daddy, let me go and play in the woods with Jed,’ Frankie cried.
Getting more annoyed by the second, Eddie handed his daughter over to Jessica and knelt back down to face the brat. ‘Listen Jed, I’ll tell you once more, go away, else I’ll go and find your father and get him to drag you away.’
Jed stared into Eddie’s eyes. ‘No, you won’t. My daddy knows you, he don’t like you. He won’t do as you tell him.’
Suddenly, an awful feeling washed over Eddie. Surely not? It couldn’t be, could it?
Eddie felt his mouth go dry as he asked the question. ‘Who is your father, Jed?’
Jed smiled. ‘My dad is Jimmy O’Hara.’
THIRTEEN
Realising that Eddie was anything but happy, Jed decided it was time for him to jog on.
‘Bye Frankie,’ he shouted as he ran away.
Petrified, little Michael bolted as well. Absolutely seething, Eddie vented his anger towards his six-year-old daughter. ‘If I ever find out you’ve been playing in them woods with a gyppo, I’ll break your fucking legs, Frankie.’
Sobbing, Frankie clung to her mum. She was far too young to understand what she had done so wrong. ‘I’m sorry, Daddy,’ she whispered.
Not used to seeing his sister so upset, Joey started to sob too. Jessica was furious. ‘Pull yourself together, Ed. Your daughter’s only six years old, for God’s sake.’
Desperate to try and smooth things over, Raymond grabbed Eddie’s arm. ‘Come on, me and you will go and get another round of drinks,’ he told him.
Still shell-shocked, Eddie allowed himself to be led away.
Embarrassed by her husband’s behaviour, Jessica apologised profusely to Dougie and Vicki. ‘I’m so sorry about that. Eddie’s such a great dad usually, I don’t know what’s come over him.’
With both twins still sobbing and clamouring for her attention, Jessica did her best to placate them. ‘Now, come on, stop all that crying. Daddy didn’t mean what he said, he just got angry, that’s all. He is silly at times your daddy, isn’t he?’
Holding one another’s hands, Frankie and Joey nodded simultaneously.