Page 127 of Fighting Mr. Knight

“Jack won’t let that happen,” I say faintly.

“Did Jack stop the sixteen other people from being murdered by the Wicks over these past ten years?”

“What about justice?” I ask in a small voice.

“Justice?” he echoes gruffly. “We have justice. Wicks is a lifer. He’s paying for his crime and now he’s dying. Don’t condemn me to an early death too, Bonnie.”

His face crumples. Dad looks afraid. And old.

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Are you going to crucify me for that?”

A wave of nausea rolls through me as I stare down at the signet ring, wishing it would disintegrate in my hand.

Would Donnie Wicks really kill Dad over handing in a ring that was at a murder sceneover a decade ago?

But if I call Dad’s bluff and he’s right, I’ll never be able to live with myself.

I need time to think.

Jack is visiting Wicks in two weeks’ time. Wicks might confess and then everything will come out in the wash.

I nod. “Okay, Dad. I won’t say anything for now. That doesn’t mean I’m happy about this. Just make sure you keep it safe. For God’s sake, make sure it doesn’t go missing in the flat move.”

He breathes a deep sigh of relief and takes me in for a hug.

I smile back wondering how I’ll be able to look Jack in the eye ever again.

Then when he has turned his back on me, I put the ring in my pocket.

30

Jack

“Bradshaw messed up,” Sean says in a harsh breath. “The conservation officers at the council have declined the planning application for Motor Works. It’ll delay us by another three months now.”

I look up at him from behind my desk. “How?”

Sean walks toward my desk and sets down papers. “Bradshaw didn’t do proper due diligence on Newham council planning permission. It works slightly differently to the other London boroughs. They missed a form.”

I scan the documents. It’s a rookie mistake and one Bradshaw Brown should be embarrassed to make. “Call the leads in.”

He nods and leaves.

When he returns, Max, Steve, Bonnie and two others are behind him. All of them look nervous as they pile into my office.

I don’t ask them to take a seat.

Max clears his throat, looking particularly twitchy. “Jack, I—”

“Three months,” I cut him off. “Perhaps I should cut the Bradshaw contract and get professionals on it.”

The room collectively inhales a breath.

I glance at Bonnie. Her shoulders slump like the final energy drains from her body. These past two weeks she’s been acting strangely. Pulling back from me. She’s spent most nights at my place, but her mind is elsewhere. She tries to distract me with lamb stews, bright smiles and blow jobs but I still see it.

She’s hiding something from me.

I need to figure out why because it’s fucking killing me. Somewhere between the bad dancing at the wedding and the nights spent fixing broken things in her flat I’ve fallen in love with her.

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