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Back The Jump Save as PDF
Chapters (52)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. BOOK ONE
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Chapter Twenty-Four
  30. Chapter Twenty-Five
  31. BOOK TWO
  32. Chapter Twenty-Six
  33. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Chapter Thirty-Four
  41. Chapter Thirty-Five
  42. Chapter Thirty-Six
  43. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  44. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  45. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  46. BOOK THREE
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Chapter Forty-Two
  50. Chapter Forty-Three
  51. Chapter Forty-Four
  52. Epilogue

He was the only man she had ever really wanted, the only man to share her bed, and the only man she could love.

No matter what he did, he was hers, and she would move heaven and earth to keep it that way.

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Paddy watched as the girl gyrated around the stage. Her cosmetically-enlarged breasts looked even more false in the harsh lights. As she bent towards him they hung down from her ribcage like two lumps of cement. Paddy sighed in boredom. Her face was angelic and he wondered if her father knew what she did for a living, and if he knew, whether he cared.

He glanced at his watch and frowned. Stephen was cutting it fine. Sipping his scotch he watched the girl once more, her swivelling hips making him want to laugh. Instead he looked around him at the men in the club. All were middle-aged, all had the shining expectant eyes of perverts, and all had half of bitter in front of them. He saw Stephen walk in at the club doorway and sat back in his seat. He hated these places; they were depressing and the odour of cheap perfume and male sweat made him feel queasy.

Stephen slipped into the seat beside him. Ignoring the girl on the stage, he said peremptorily: ‘Did you know Danny Simmonds was murdered last night?’ He was gratified at Paddy’s look of shock.

‘You’re joking!’

‘I’m not, Paddy. He was burnt alive in his car outside his bird’s flat. You know his boy was run over, don’t you?’

Paddy nodded. ‘A crying shame that. I never had much time for Simmonds meself as you know, but the lad was nothing to do with any of it. Lewis is getting out of hand.’

Stephen sighed. ‘That’s Frankie White, Peter Wilson and Danny Simmonds. All brown bread. All that’s left of the blaggers now is Georgio, and unlike the others he wasn’t there. Lewis wants all the dosh, and you know the worst of it, don’t you? Frankie and Danny are only dead because Georgio wouldn’t tell Lewis where he hid it.’

Paddy sipped at his drink and shrugged. ‘Well, I’m sorry, Stephen, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over them. What’s done is done.’

‘Well, don’t you think my brother should tell that bastard Lewis where the dosh is?’

Paddy laughed harshly. ‘No, actually, I don’t. It’s his only insurance, isn’t it? Once he opens his mouth about it, then he follows them to hell.’

Stephen watched the girl as she picked up her few scraps of clothing and left the stage.

‘I wish I knew where Georgio had stashed the money, don’t you?’ He looked straight into Paddy’s eyes and Paddy returned his gaze without blinking.