“You’re right, Lenny would have killed him. The little worm got what he deserved but sometimes…”
“What is it?” she said when Faith trailed off.
“Sometimes I remember that look in Lenny’s eyes when he knew he was going to die. It was fear and pain and sadness all rolled into one.” She surprised herself when tears filled her eyes. “I never want to end my life feeling that way. It was horrible.”
“That won’t be your fate sweetheart,” she said, patting her arm. “Lenny was a nasty little man with no one. You have a family who love you dearly and I include myself in that.”
“I didn’t want to kill him,” she rasped. “But I did and now I’m a monster.”
“Oh sweetheart,” she said, embracing her while trying not to squash Blossom. “You’re not a monster. You’re a very strong, brave woman who has guided this family through so many troubled times. Unfortunately you carry the emotional brunt of that but you’re strong enough to deal with it. Nothing will ever break you.”
Faith wiped her eyes on the back of her free hand. “Thanks…Mum.”
Rose smiled. It was the first time she’d called her that in quite a while. “Vance spends the nights here, doesn’t he?”
“Yes,” said Faith slowly.
“No, it’s okay. Actually, I’m glad. I don’t think you should be alone while you’re feeling so raw.”
“He does help me a lot.”
“It’s good that you have him to lean on. Right, I’m off. I’m meeting the girls at bingo.”
“Thanks for popping round, I appreciate it. I feel a bit better.”
“Good.” Rose smiled and gently patted her face. “I do hope we can put aside our differences and become closer. If recent events have taught us anything it’s that family is important and we are your family Faith.”
She nodded. “I’d like that. I’m tired of fighting.”
Rose’s blue eyes twinkled. “Wonderful.”
“And thanks for the casserole. I’m looking forward to that.”
“It is rather good, if I do say so myself and I hope Blossom enjoys her treats.”
“I’ve no doubt she will.”
Faith saw her to the door and was actually smiling when she’d left. Perhaps it was time to let the past go?
Rose exited the front of Faith’s building and breathed a sigh of relief. That had been an intense conversation. She’d tried in the past and failed to get Faith to admit that she’d killed Lenny Paisley, so her only recourse had been saying it for her. It had been a horribly tense moment. Faith was very sharp but Rose had selected her moment carefully, when she’d been feeling vulnerable and her guard had been down and it had worked.
Rose took the voice recorder out of her coat pocket and played it back, sighing with relief when she heard Faith admit she’d killed Lenny. Finally she had the leverage she needed. If Faith and Vance ever decided to tell the world where Faith had really come from, she now had the perfect way to ensure their silence.
THE END
Many thanks for reading Takedown. I hope you enjoyed the latest outing of the Chambers family. There is more to come in this series.
I have many more books to download on Amazon Kindle, including my first traditionally published book, Blood Brothers (Gallowburn series #1). The first book in the series is already available to purchase on Amazon, Waterstones and through my publishers, Boldwood Books. The second book, Bad Blood, will be released on 1st June 2021. I also have many more self-published books to read, ranging from crime to historical, romance and fantasy. If you would like to read more about the Maguires, the Dividing Line series is available to download on Amazon Kindle.
You can follow me on:
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
