The Legacy: Trouble Comes Disguised As Family (Unspoken Book 2) T. Belshaw (management books to read .txt) 📖

‘It’s twenty thousand, he added interest and inflation on.’

Jess burst out laughing. ‘He’s intelligent enough to work that out, is he?’

‘Look, love…’

‘Don’t you ‘look, love’ me. Not after all you’ve done. Not after scaring the living daylights out of me last night.’

‘Bill, you said it was a misunderstanding?’ Nicola walked across the room and stood next to Jessica.

‘It was, she heard me trying the door handle. I only went to see if she was all right. She scares easily.’

‘I wouldn’t have been scared if you’d knocked on the bloody door,’ Jessica snarled. ‘Instead, you crept around the place wearing a face mask and a hoodie.’

‘Bill!’

‘Shut up, you.’ Bill’s face turned to thunder. ‘Now, Jessica... Jess… are you going to help me or not? I’m not just asking, love, I’m begging.’

‘The answer is no, Dad. Stand up to him, or do a runner like you normally do when you get yourself into trouble. I’m not going to bail you out.’

Jess got to her feet, picked up her bag and walked around the table, heading for the door.

‘Get your coat, Mum, you can stay with me until it’s safe to come back to get your things.’

‘She’s going nowhere.’ Bill pushed Nicola out of his way and squared up to Jess. Nicola crashed into the ironing board, knocking it over, the iron crashed to the floor.

‘Mum,’ Jess stepped across and held out a hand to help her up.

Nicola shook her head to clear it and reached out, but Bill had already taken hold of Jessica’s shoulders and spun her around.

‘Selfish bitch,’ he spat, and hit her across the face with the back of his hand.

Jess staggered, tripped over her mother’s legs and ended up on the floor on top of the broken ironing board. She looked back as Bill unfastened his thick leather belt and pulled it from the loops of his trousers.

‘You need a lesson in manners,’ he snarled.

Jess crawled for the door and yelped as the heavy belt buckle came down into her back. She looked up through tear-soaked eyes, as he raised his arm again.

‘Dad, please…’

Before the second blow could land, Nicola threw herself onto Bill’s back, digging her nails into his face. Bill dropped the belt, and flailed his arms while spinning around, trying to shake her off.

‘Run, Jess, get out,’ Nicola shouted.

Jess got unsteadily to her feet, her back stinging where the belt had landed. She eyed up the distance to the door and decided she could make it, but then changed her mind and turned back to face her father.

‘I’m not going without you, Mum.’

Bill suddenly pushed himself backwards with all his force, crushing Nicola against the wall, knocking all the air from her lungs. Her grip slackened and she slid onto the floor. Mustering what strength she had left, she lifted her arm and pointed to the door.

‘Go,’ she gasped.

Jess took a step towards her helpless mother, then twisted away as Bill caught hold of her shoulder.

‘I’ll get help,’ she screamed, then twisting, and dropping her shoulder in one movement, she dragged herself away from her father’s grasp, and throwing herself forwards, placed a foot on the sofa and threw herself over the back. She landed awkwardly and felt a flash of pain shoot through her ankle as she straightened up. Bill bent over, grabbed his belt and came for her again, but by the time he got around the sofa, Jess had opened the door and was limping out into the street. She had only struggled three painful paces when he came out after her.

‘Leave her alone,’ Mrs Kaur stepped out from the doorway of her shop and hurried towards Jessica. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder she helped Jess limp across the narrow street.

Bill stopped dead, then waving the belt at them, he swore, turned around, and went back inside, leaving the door, wide open.

‘Mum,’ Jess tried to get to her feet, but her ankle gave way underneath her. Sitting on the pavement, she opened her bag, grabbed her phone and dialled 999. To her utter relief, a voice came on the line almost immediately.

‘Caller, which service do you require?’

‘Police… and an ambulance… It’s my father, he’s gone mad, my mother is still inside, please hurry.’

‘Where is the emergency? Where is the residence located?’

‘Spinton, Burnett Street, number 47. Please hurry. He’s gone mad.’

‘The police are on their way, caller. Please stay on the line, I have some questions for you.’

Jess struggled to her feet and with the help of Mrs Kaur, half walked, half hopped back across the road.

As she got to the opposite pavement, she heard her father’s angry voice inside the house.

‘You stupid bitch. You ruined everything.’

Jess lifted her phone towards her mouth. The emergency call centre officer was still talking to her.

‘Please, hurry, please hurry,’ she whispered.

As she pulled the phone away from her mouth, she heard the distant sound of a police siren.

Chapter 42

As he walked back into the house, Bill fixed his eyes on Nicola who was just getting to her feet.

‘You broke my iron, Bill,’ she said, pointing at the appliance on the floor.

‘Sod your iron.’ Bill walked slowly towards her, still carrying his belt. ‘I’m screwed, and it’s your fault.’

‘How is it my fault? You gambled all our money away, then borrowed more.’

‘She would have given in.’

‘I’m not going to stand by while you beat my daughter.’ Nicola stuck out her chin belligerently.

‘Then you can have the beating instead.’ Bill lifted his belt in the air.

‘I’m used to it. You’ve done it often enough in the past.’

‘Because you didn’t do as you were told.’ He took a step forward and brought the belt down on her shoulder. ‘You’ll learn one day.’

Nicola held her arms in front of her face as the next blow landed.

‘Go on, Owen… do you worst. I’m not frightened of you anymore. Jess was right, you’re pathetic.’

He snarled as he brought down the belt again and again. Nicola sank to the floor and curled into a ball as