The Traitor. Kimberley Chambers

but other than that, it’s just me, you and the baby from now on.’

      Jed held her tightly. ‘How do you know you can trust your brother? He might be in on it with ’em. I bet that cunt of an uncle of yours is something to do with it as well.’

      Shocked, Frankie pulled away. ‘My brother would never betray me. You don’t know Joey like I do, Jed, he’s not like them. Anyway, he’s not even living there any more.’

      ‘Where’s he living then?’

      ‘With his friend, Dominic. He’s living in Islington,’ Frankie replied.

      Jed chuckled. ‘Why don’t you just admit to me that he’s gay? I ain’t no dinlo. The first time I met Joey I knew he was as queer as a nine-bob note.’

      ‘So what if he is? It don’t make him a bad person, does it, Jed?’

      Deciding it was time to be nice again, Jed reverted to the softly-softly approach. ‘Why don’t we invite your brother and his boyfriend round for dinner one night, eh? Or if you’d prefer, we can take ’em out. I’ll pay, of course.’

      Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Frankie managed a smile. ‘I’d love that, Jed. I promise I won’t have no more to do with the others, but if I still see Joey at least I’ve got some family left.’

      Jed pushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘Go and sort your face out, then let’s do that shopping. I’ll take you out for a meal when we’re done, then tomorrow you can ring your brother and arrange a night for us to see him.’

      As Frankie started to walk away, she glanced back at him. ‘I love you, Jed.’

      Winking at her, Jed smiled as she disappeared into their bedroom. From his point of view, the conversation she’d had with her nan couldn’t have ended any better.

      Yesterday, when she’d threatened to leave him, Jed had seen the fire in her eyes. He hadn’t liked it, not one little bit. Now she had nowhere to go once more and that suited Jed O’Hara down to the ground.

      Eddie Mitchell acted like cock of the walk as he strutted into the canteen. Clocking Baz’s friends, he ordered his food and sat on the end of their table.

      ‘All right, lads?’ he asked boldly.

      The three petrified men nodded simultaneously. They’d all seen what Eddie Mitchell was capable of and were truly shit-scared of him. As Ed munched away on the dry bit of bread-crumbed cardboard that the authorities had the cheek to call fish, he decided to mutter a few special words.

      ‘Get word to your mate, if he grasses me, I’ll kill him, then I’ll kill you,’ he said threateningly.

      Seeing a screw clocking him, Eddie smiled.

      ‘He won’t say a word. We’ll make sure of it,’ the shortest guy insisted.

      When the three men hurriedly made their excuses and left the table, Eddie began picking at their dinners. All the more cardboard for him. For the first time in ages Ed felt incredibly hungry and he was thrilled that his appetite had finally returned. If he was to make a success of his time in nick, he needed every ounce of strength he could muster.

      With her anguish from earlier now long forgotten, Frankie felt extremely happy as Jed pulled up outside the trailer. Their shopping trip had been a great success. They’d bought babygros, toys, a highchair, a pushchair and Jed had insisted on buying her some ultra-modern maternity clothes for when she got bigger.

      ‘Choose what you want, Frankie. You’re showing now and, another couple of weeks your clothes won’t even fit you,’ he told her.

      Frankie giggled as Jed struggled to unload all the bags from the truck.

      ‘Shall I make us a cup of tea?’ she asked.

      Jed dropped the bags, grabbed her hand and pulled her close. ‘Why don’t we go in me mum and dad’s for a cup of tea? Me mum would love to see all the baby stuff we’ve bought.’

      Frankie agreed. She knew that she had to start making more of an effort, for Jed’s sake.

      Alice O’Hara was in her element as she pawed over the purchases for her unborn grandchild. ‘Look at that little suit, Jimmy. Ain’t it pretty?’ she said to her husband.

      Jimmy nodded, cracked open a couple of cans and handed one to Jed.

      With his mother and Frankie sitting on the carpet rabbiting about babies, Jed couldn’t help but smile. Once his mum and girlfriend bonded properly, his life would be a damn sight easier and he could go out partying more.

      Just lately Frankie had become too clingy for his liking. He loved her and all that, but hated feeling trapped, and that’s how Frankie had made him feel recently. He felt like a poxy bird stuck in a wire cage. It was for that reason and that reason only that he’d copped off with that pretty little filly the other night.

      Sally was her name. She was twenty-one years old, a right little goer and, as Jed thought about her, he could feel his cock rising to attention in his trousers.

      Watching his mum look at his dad like a lovesick teenager, Jed smiled. He’d only been a nipper when his mother had caught his dad knobbing some bird in his salvage yard, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. At the time he was too young to understand, so he’d sided with his mum, but years later his dad had explained the situation and given him a good man-to-man talking-to.

      ‘Jed, take my advice. Find yourself a good woman, a loyal one. Once you’re sure she’s the one for you, chain her to the cooker and the bedroom. Whatever she cooks for you, even if it tastes like shit, tell her how nice it is, then, once she gives birth to your chavvies, that woman is yours for life. Never forget to enjoy yourself though, son. Us men are grafters: we put the food on the table, therefore we’re entitled to have some fun. A travelling man will always be a travelling man, in more ways than one, boy.’

      As his dad handed him another can of beer, Jed again clocked his mother looking adoringly at his father.

      ‘Cheers, Dad,’ Jed said, clicking cans with him.

      ‘To you and Frankie,’ Jimmy said.

      As Frankie squeezed his hand, Jed smiled. ‘To me and Frankie,’ he repeated.

       CHAPTER NINE

      As visiting time approached, Eddie felt his stomach start to churn. He hadn’t seen Raymond since the night he’d murdered Jessica, and even though he was desperate to see him, he was also incredibly nervous. Ed knew that Raymond understood what had happened was a pure accident. Ray had sent him quite a few letters and there was no sign of anger or blame in his words.

      ‘You OK, Ed?’

      Eddie smiled at his young cellmate. ‘Not bad, Stu. I’m a bit apprehensive, I suppose.’

      ‘Don’t worry. Ray’ll be fine with you, mate, I just know he will.’

      It had been just over two weeks since Eddie had attacked Big Bald Baz and got away with it. Five days after that, young Stuart Howells had become his new cellmate. Ed hadn’t particularly wanted to share with anybody, but he’d somehow taken to Stuart immediately.

      At twenty-two years old, Stuart was only a nipper compared to Eddie. He was from Hackney and was awaiting trial for stabbing a black lad who had later died.

      Within days of Stuart’s arrival, both cellmates had opened up to one another.

      ‘The police tried to make out it was racial, but I ain’t like that, Ed. Jonesy had it coming to him and there was no way I was letting him get away with it. I had him as soon as the police released him on bail,’ Stuart admitted.

      Eddie admired the kid’s morals, attitude and bravery. Stuart had been with his girlfriend, Carly, for two years when she had been dragged into a block of flats on the way home from a night out and brutally raped.

      It