The Family Firm

Chapter 44

'It's been hard lately, with you gone all the time. And now Junior's getting married, and Donny's come back . . . ' She closed her eyes and swallowed, her voice cracking. 'I feel worthless. And old. And I'm scared, and lonely, and . . .'

Here she turned around to face him, pushing back her long brown hair out of her eyes. 'I need my bruvver. I need you, Fred.'

'Aw, babe,' he said in that deep baritone of his, stepping across the lino to wrap his arms around her again. 'C'mere. I'm here for you, Franks. I always have been, haven't I? Ever since we was kids.' He kissed her tears and stroked her hair gently, feeling her sigh against his touch. 'I been out of me mind with worry about you. You been a bit off yer trolley lately, ain't you.'

The accusation stung, but Frankie nodded against his chest. Freddie chuckled and held her tighter.

'Well, I'm here now, baby. Let old Freddie handle everything. You shoulda come to me sooner. I thought Donny had a handle on things, or I woulda done me duty and took care of you proper. Then again, I suppose I shoulda known better meself. Donny's always been a few sarnies short of a picnic. Couldn't trust him to have a handle on a bicycle, knowing him.'

Kissing her once more, he looked down into her eyes and said, 'Come on, now, how about we get you cleaned up, eh?'

There was something hesitant in Frankie's eyes, and she bided a few moments of time by toying with the top few buttons on his shirt. She was chewing on her plush lower lip for a bit before speaking up. 'I ain't been with anyone else, you know.'

Freddie blinked. 'Huh?'

'Since Tommy. I ain't been with anyone else but you.' Now she was looking at him, her silver eyes glossed-over with tears. 'But you've been out shagging around the whole time.'

Fred's brows furrowed defensively, and he shook his head a few times, stroking her arms. 'Don't be silly now. Come on, I'll run you a bath.'

Her voice was low and cracked as she spoke, her eyes not quite meeting his. 'I can smell her perfume.'

He sniffed and blinked his bleary eyes a few times, head cocked to the side as he stared at her in disbelief. Frankie straightened out her posture, struggling to look him in the eye as his gaze bored into her like a drill through her skull. Each word that spilled from her lips wavered as if it were made of water. 'It's like you don't care about me. You say you care, but you don't spend time with me any more, and you shag any tart with a pair of fake tits.'

Pressing her lips together briefly, she shook her head, a tear escaping the corner of her eye and rolling down her cheek. She was filling the silence now, rambling. 'I try and get a shag, and look what happens to the bloke. Except no one can, can they, because he's disappeared into thin fucking air, just like anyone else I might want to be with. I know what happens to them, Freddie. I know you done summink to him. I know you done summink to Tommy.'

Freddie inhaled through his nose and spoke at last, nodding a few times before any words came out. 'Get a hold of yourself, Franks.'

Turning from her, he faced the table and began unbuttoning his shirt, peeling it off and leaving him in a thin, white vest, revealing the number of faded tattoos that lined his shoulders and chest.

Frankie's breath was coming in quick pants and the tears began rolling down her cheeks. 'You killed Tommy, didn't you? You killed him because he fucked me.'

Freddie's fist slammed into the table and his sister couldn't prevent the squeak from escaping her throat. In an instant, he'd flipped around and jabbed a ring-adorned finger against her breast bone. 'You don't know what you're fucking talking about. I didn't kill Tommy, you mad woman. Tommy moved to Deptford.'