Sins of the Father Page 2

  Matthew fostering her out of the blue had saved her from the bullying too, physically and emotionally, confiding in her he’d been bullied as a child too. By that sick freak Sullivan she’d eventually realised. ‘I might look as if I can hold my own, but I’ve been there, too,’ he’d told her as she looked at him, struggling to understand how, at five foot eleven and fit, he could ever have been a victim. ‘They’re cowards, Ashley,’ he’d said. ‘Bullies pick on people to shore up their ego in front of their friends, that’s all. It’s their problem, not yours.’

  Ashley reckoned there weren’t many men who’d risk their macho image admitting to that. Matthew was different though, like all the stuff he’d had to deal with had made him more caring. He was all right in Ashley’s book, one of the good guys. He loved Becky more than his own life. He’d proved that. It would take them a long time to heal completely, but Becky and Matthew had been stronger as a couple since little Mia had been born. Ashley was glad for them, that they’d managed to have another daughter of their own. She couldn’t help wishing she’d had Matthew for a father when she was little, but she had him now, and he was more like a father than an uncle anyway, and that was pretty cool.

  ‘Come on, let’s go and join them,’ Jasmine suggested, her gaze firmly on Matthew over the straw she was sipping contemplatively on.

  Here we go, Ashley thought. The girls at school had done the same, gone all wilty when they’d clapped eyes on Matthew. Good job Becky knew him well enough to know he simply wouldn’t go there. ‘Okay.’ She sighed and collected her drink from the bar. ‘I wouldn’t waste your time with the fluttery eyes though, Jasmine. Matthew and Becky are solid.’

  ‘Are they?’ Jasmine raised a neat eyebrow. ‘He’s still in love with her then?’ she asked incredulously, as if it was impossible for a man to stay in love with one woman.

  Well, it wasn’t. Unusual, yes, Ashley agreed. Miraculous probably, but he was. ‘Very,’ she assured her.

  ‘Good,’ Jasmine said, setting forth, leaving Ashley to trail confusedly after her.

  I don’t trust her, said the little voice in her head. Emily, as ever. Ashley had been really upset when she’d died and she’d lost the only person she could talk to in the care home. Now, she couldn’t get rid of her. She wasn’t going to listen to her about Jasmine though. She’d known her for almost a year now. A mature student, she was four years older than Ashley, a complete tart, but a good laugh. More importantly, she was a friend, someone to do normal things with. With everyone thinking she was weird, Ashley hadn’t had many proper friends.

  Jasmine stopped halfway to the table. ‘Oh no, here he comes.’ She groaned, glancing at Ashley and then nodding towards a guy from college who was heading towards them. ‘My ardent admirer.’

  ‘Aww, don’t be cruel. He worships the ground you walk on,’ Ashley admonished her as Connor slowed his walk to a saunter. He was trying to look cool, Ashley guessed by his laid-back demeanour. As if he wasn’t desperate to upgrade his status to boyfriend, rather than someone Jasmine used when she felt like it.

  ‘I know.’ Jasmine sighed expansively. ‘I don’t mind him worshipping me, but he’s a bit, you know, over keen, isn’t he? Like a stray dog. And let’s face it, he might be okay looking, but he’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the box, is he?’ She rolled her eyes and, bitchy though Jasmine was being, Ashley couldn’t quite suppress a smile. Actually, Connor was like a stray dog. He’d been besotted with Jasmine since she’d enrolled, following her around everywhere, even changing his modules to gaze wistfully at her from across the room.

  ‘I’m a bit busy, Connor,’ Jasmine said as he approached, making sure to give him that saccharine sweet smile she did, which actually did keep him keen for when she wanted him at her beck and call: to hand in her assignments when she couldn’t be arsed to do it herself, provide a taxi service for her, buy her lunch … ‘Ashley’s about to introduce me to her parents,’ Jasmine went on as Connor’s face fell. ‘I’ll catch you after, yes?’

  Connor immediately brightened. ‘Oh, right. Cool. I’ll get you a drink in then, shall I? Vodka tonic?’

  ‘Perfect.’ Jasmine blew him a kiss.

  ‘Cool,’ Connor said again, clearly delighted. ‘Later then.’ He indicated the table he was sitting at, blushed as Ashley gave him a despairing look, and about-faced.

  ‘Are you going to join him?’ Ashley asked Jasmine, perplexed. Hooking up with Connor at a wedding reception was bound to send out wrong signals to the poor guy.

  ‘Dunno. Depends.’ Jasmine examined her nail extensions.

  ‘On?’

  ‘On whether I get a better offer, obviously.’ Jasmine headed onwards, wiggling in all the right places, all male eyes trailing after her, Ashley noticed. She couldn’t blame the guys. Lithe, tanned, long blonde hair down to her bum, boobs that arrived before she did and in that dress, Jasmine would probably fuel many a male student’s fantasy tonight.

  ‘You are so cruel,’ Ashley hissed, making sure Connor was a fair distance away. She was cruel where Connor was concerned, but boy, he really did set himself up for it sometimes.

  ‘Treat ’em mean …’ Jasmine shrugged, unperturbed.

  ‘Keep ’em over keen. Yeah, I know. It’s working.’

  ‘Hi, Mr and Mrs Adams.’ Jasmine stopped at Matthew and Becky’s table, smiling and extending her hand. ‘I’m Jasmine, a friend of Ashley’s.’

  ‘Rebecca.’ Becky smiled back, shaking her hand. ‘Lovely to meet you, Jasmine. That’s a beautiful dress.’ She indicated the dress Jasmine was barely wearing.

  ‘Thank you. It’s Lipsy,’ Jasmine supplied. ‘I do love Lipsy. They always fit so well, don’t they, Ash?’

  ‘Um, yes,’ Ashley obliged, though actually she preferred her own dresses with a little less cleavage spilling over.

  ‘I’m not sure they’d fit me that well,’ Becky said doubtfully, no hint of bitchiness as she looked Jasmine over, because Becky was like that, nice and completely unbitchy, which is why Ashley had immediately liked her.

  ‘Rubbish. You’ve got a fantastic figure.’ Jasmine smiled a wide, ultra-white smile. She was looking at Matthew though, Ashley noted.

  ‘That’s what I keep telling her.’ Smiling back, Matthew got to his feet and extended his hand. ‘Nice to meet you, Jasmine.’ Looking at her curiously, he cocked his head to one side. ‘Have we, er …?’

  ‘Met before? Yes.’ Jasmine seemed delighted at that. ‘Fancy you remembering. We didn’t even speak. You came to a call out at a friend’s house,’ she enlightened him. ‘Ages ago.’

  ‘Ah, right.’ Matthew nodded. ‘Well, lovely to meet you again, Jasmine.’

  ‘Likewise,’ Jasmine said, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek. ‘I’ve heard so much about you, Matthew. I’m so excited to be able to meet you properly.’

  ‘You are?’ Matthew looked perplexed, as Jasmine, looking definitely excited, beamed him another smile and then skirted around him to plant herself at their table. She was staying then, Ashley gathered, seating herself next to Becky.

  ‘A real live detective inspector.’ Jasmine sighed wistfully.

  ‘Well, I was last time I looked.’ Shaking his head, as if bemused by her enthusiasm, Matthew glanced at Ashley.

  Jasmine furrowed her brow. ‘Sorry?’

  ‘Alive,’ Matthew clarified.

  ‘And he has a sense of humour.’ Jasmine’s sigh this time was almost orgasmic.

  At which, obviously unperturbed by Jasmine’s blatant flirting, Becky exchanged amused glances with Ashley.

  ‘You’re so lucky, Ashley,’ Jasmine gushed on.

  ‘I know.’ Ashley curled a lip. ‘I have to pinch myself sometimes, I really do.’ Honestly, what was she like, simpering all over him? She couldn’t wait to see her face when Matthew failed to be captivated by her charms.

  ‘So what’s it like?’ Jasmine asked enthusiastically, resting her chin on her hands and looking at Matthew with obvious adulation.

  What was this, Ashley wondered, her bag a sugar-daddy technique?

  ‘Detecting, I mean. Catching the baddies,’ Jasmine elucidated when Matthew looked blank. ‘Exciting, I bet.’

  ‘Er.’ Matthew glanced from Ashley to Becky, uncertain. Then, obviously catching the amused glances, he looked quickly down. ‘Sometimes,’ he said, scratching his forehead with his thumb. ‘Mostly, it’s legwork though, tedious stuff.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Jasmine, now looking disappointed. Evidently she’d been expecting Matthew to preen and regale her with tales of his heroics. Matthew wasn’t like that, though. He’d once told Ashley that whenever a situation called for heroics, it usually meant someone got hurt. He tended not to go into the detail and he absolutely never shared anything that might cause Becky to worry unless he had to.

  ‘You do lots of undercover work, though, I bet,’ Jasmine pushed determinedly on. ‘You know, investigating crimes in less than salubrious places, mixing with the underworld, mingling with the lowlife?’

  Matthew looked uncomfortable at that. ‘Some,’ he answered evasively.

  ‘Have you ever been tempted?’ Jasmine asked him, and left it hanging.

  Matthew scanned her face warily. ‘To?’

  ‘Take bribes?’ Jasmine said, blinking innocently. ‘You know, look the other way? Or drugs? I mean, it must be hard to avoid if you’re trying to infiltrate a drugs ring or something, pass yourself off as a user or dealer. I bet you’ve been propositioned by sex workers, haven’t you? I bet that happens a lot.’

  Clearly wary now, Matthew narrowed his eyes. ‘Yes, occasionally,’ he answered honestly. ‘I don’t do much undercover work though.’

  ‘I won’t ask if you succumbed,’ Jasmine said, with a wink in Becky’s direction, causing Matthew to laugh incredulously and Becky to almost choke on her drink.

  ‘Have you ever wanted to set someone up?’ Jasmine fired off another question as they attempted to recover themselves. ‘When you knew they were guilty, I mean, but couldn’t—’

  ‘What?’ Matthew stopped her, now staring at her thunderstruck.

  ‘Oh hell, sorry.’ Jasmine obviously noted the look. ‘Sorry, Mrs Adams.’ She smiled apologetically at Becky. ‘I didn’t mean to be so direct. It’s for research, you see. I’m writing a book. A thriller.’

  ‘Ah.’ Matthew nodded, his expression somewhat relieved.

  Ashley watched him carefully. He was trying to compose himself, she could see, but that question was bound to have hit a raw nerve. ‘Fitting him up’ was exactly what that freak Sullivan had accused Matthew of, amongst a million other imagined things. Ashley could still see the malevolence swimming in his evil black eyes as he’d pressed the shotgun menacingly to the base of Matthew’s skull and calmly informed him it was payback time. He hadn’t pulled the trigger, he’d raised the gun instead, slamming it down against Matthew’s shoulders, again, and again, so hard Ashley had been sure she’d heard bones crack.

  ‘I see.’ Matthew managed a tight smile, as Ashley looked disbelievingly between them. ‘Well, Jasmine, I’m not sure how much detail I can actually give you, protocol, you understand, but I’d love to help you out if I can. Why don’t you give me a ring sometime?’ he suggested, reaching for his phone.

  Bad move, Ashley thought worriedly, noting Becky shooting him a disapproving look.

  Matthew missed it, unfortunately. ‘Do you want to let me have your number and I’ll text you mine?’

  ‘That would be brilliant.’ Clearly ecstatic, Jasmine quickly supplied her number. ‘Do you mind if I ask one more tiny question?’ she asked as he keyed it in.

  Looking apprehensive, Matthew checked his watch. ‘Actually, I think we’re just about to—’

  ‘Have you ever killed anyone?’ Jasmine asked bluntly. ‘Only I wondered how it felt. What went through your mind,’ she went on, obviously oblivious to Matthew visibly reeling.

  Matthew dropped his gaze and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. ‘I, er … I’m not sure this is the place to discuss work, to be honest, Jasmine.’

  Looking back up, he glanced at Ashley quizzically, as if wondering what this woman was all about. Ashley was beginning to wonder too. What was the matter with her? Had she been popping pills, or what?

  ‘Oh, right, sorry,’ Jasmine apologised again. ‘It’s just it would really help. You know, to get a point of view from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. My protagonist’s a policeman, you see, and he shoots this man and—’

  ‘I think it’s time we relieved the babysitter,’ Becky interjected forcefully, planting her glass down on the table. ‘Ashley, do you want to finish up your drink?’

  ‘I’d better go,’ Ashley said to Jasmine, shooting her another curious glance, as Becky got to her feet. ‘You have company anyway.’ She nodded towards Connor as he approached the table.

  ‘Jas?’ He smiled uncertainly. ‘You coming, or—’

  ‘Shit!’ Looking startled, which surprised Ashley, Jasmine shot to her feet before Connor had got the words out of his mouth. ‘Yes, coming. Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting,’ she said worriedly, unbalancing her chair and almost falling over her feet in her haste to be gone.

  Didn’t mean to keep him waiting? Connor? He who she dangles mercilessly on a piece of string? Ashley stared gobsmacked after her, as Jasmine skirted around Connor – timidly? –and then flew through the reception room towards the foyer.

  Looking as baffled as she felt, Matthew glanced after Connor, who’d immediately followed her, and then turned to Ashley. ‘What the hell was that all about?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ Ashley assured him. Drugs. Had to be. Jasmine was being freakily weird. And since when had she met Matthew before? This was the first Ashley had heard of it.

  Chapter Three

  ‘What the hell were you playing at Connor?’ Jasmine hissed angrily, once they were outside.

  ‘What?’ Bemused, Connor furrowed his brow. ‘When?’

  ‘Back there!’ Jasmine splayed her arm across the car park in the direction of the hotel. ‘Coming over all possessive boyfriend, embarrassing me in front of everyone!’

  ‘I wasn’t.’ The furrow in Connor’s brow deepened. ‘I didn’t mean to. I was just wondering—’

  ‘If you’re going to play macho man, Connor,’ Jasmine baited him, purposefully, ‘why don’t you try bloody well living up to the image for a change?’

  Connor was now very perplexed, the gormless look on his face evidence of that.

  ‘Shout at me,’ Jasmine challenged him.

  ‘Do what?’ Connor did a double take.

  ‘I said shout at me.’ Jasmine stepped towards him, jabbing him in the chest with two sharp-tipped fingers. ‘Argue back, why don’t you? Stand up to me.’

  ‘But … why?’ Connor stared at her, his look now a mixture of incredulity and bewilderment.

  Jasmine sighed exasperatedly, wondering what she could do to get him to retaliate. Whatever she dished out, the idiot just took it. ‘Because you want to.’

  Connor just stared at her, as if she’d lost it. She would, too, in a minute. She hadn’t got time for this. ‘No, I don’t,’ he refuted, that wounded puppy-dog look in his eyes that he wore whenever she hurt his oh-so-delicate feelings, which she did often. A smile and a flutter of the eyelashes, though, and he was soon back in the palm of her hand, where she wanted him. Six foot tall, stacked, and dim-witted, Connor was going to come in very useful. As Ashley had observed, he was totally besotted with her, meaning he was pliable. At least he would be until he’d got what he wanted. And if he was going to get into her knickers, he’d better give her what she wanted.

  ‘Oh, stop being such a wimp and man up, can’t you, Connor?’ she snapped. ‘I need an alpha male, someone who knows what he wants and doesn’t take any crap, not someone who follows me around like a little lapdog.’

  Clearly crestfallen, Connor glanced down. ‘I don’t,’ he said, looking back at her, a flash of humiliation in his eyes.

  Not enough, though. Jasmine needed him to be good and angry. Furious enough to fight back. She would have to sleep with him if she was going to offer him incitement in future to do as he was told, when he was told, but right now she had no choice but to goad him into it – and, if she was going to grab the opportunity to set her plan in motion, she had to do it fast, before Matthew Adams and his rusty-topped brainless wife appeared. Still loved her, did he? Rock solid, were they? Jasmine would soon see about that.

  ‘Yes, you do,’ she scoffed, deciding a full frontal attack on his manhood might be her only way forwards. ‘Everyone knows it. Your so-called friends at college are staggered you’d take so much shit from a girl. Fight back, why don’t you? Don’t just stand there and take it.’

  Connor’s answer to which was to do exactly that, stand there mutely, looking at her as if she’d just ripped the ear off his favourite teddy bear.

  Jasmine folded her arms, eyeing him despairingly while she debated her next move. ‘You can’t, can you?’ she said eventually. ‘You have absolutely no idea how to assert yourself, do you?’

  Connor’s humiliated gaze flicked down again and then back to hers.

  ‘Oh, forget it, Connor,’ she said tartly. ‘I want a man, not a wimpy little limpdick.’

  At which Connor’s gaze darkened. Finally, Jasmine thought, quashing her irritation.

  ‘I bet you can’t even get it up, can you?’ She trailed a derogatory gaze the length and breadth of him, pausing momentarily at the appendage in question. ‘Hannah was right about you, wasn’t she? You don’t have a clue what to do with it, do you?’ Referring to his former girlfriend, who Jasmine had actually barely spoken to, she rolled her eyes demonstratively. ‘What a loser. The girls are just going to love this.’