Cruel Shame (Knights of Templar Academy #3) - Sofia Daniel Page 0,26

boy you chose over Sammy?”

“Yes,” I said from between clenched teeth. “It’s nice to be with a man who doesn’t raise his hands against women.”

He scoffed. “No, Treacle. You just prefer a man who lets the police swing their fists.”

Kendrick hissed. I squeezed his hand, urging him not to speak. That false arrest was in the past, and Maxwell had already groveled and made up for his mistake by helping me with the Liddells. Neither of us needed to prove a damn thing to a man like Billy Hancock.

Billy Hancock leaned back in his seat and glared at Kendrick, who met his glare with an even gaze. Maybe Billy thought he was still the tough guy who left prison, but from the pallor of his skin and the dark circles under his eyes, he still hadn’t recovered from being shot.

I placed a hand on Kendrick’s chest, slid it up his neck, and cupped his jaw. When he turned his gaze back to mine, I leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips. He drew back and offered me a tiny smile.

A relieved breath eased out of my lungs. Male posturing over.

“It’s going to be a long wait for your mother.” Billy Hancock let the rest of the sentence hang in the air.

“We can come back later.”

“No.” He raised a palm and smiled. “Stay here. Margaret just put a roast in the oven. I’m sure you and…”

“Maxwell,” I said.

“Right,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll both enjoy her hasselback potatoes.”

My heart sank. Not because of the prospect of sitting across a dinner table with Billy Hancock—that was bad enough. If we were staying for lunch, it meant that Mother was going to be unconscious for several more hours.

I ground my teeth, my veins burning with hatred. This was all his fault. He kept enough gin and cocaine in the house to supply a bloody village, knowing full well that Mother had a problem. That bastard was the one who got her addicted.

Billy Hancock was a fucking spider and Mother was caught in a web of addiction and withdrawal. Most guys like to trade up when they got more successful. Dump the old wife for a new, sexier model. Not Billy. He clung onto Mother like she was the only woman in Richley. Clung onto her drunken, coke-addled self. Clung onto her even after I sent him to prison.

It was the foulest relationship I’d ever seen. When Mother wanted drugs, he supplied them. When she wanted to get clean, he paid for her to enter a rehab facility. When she wanted to leave, he plied her with enough drugs and gin to get her addicted all over again.

Memories of everything I had witnessed in this house swirled through my mind—the beatings, the blackouts, the bellowing. They formed loops and knots and twists, making my blood boil for vengeance. As long as this man was still alive and out of prison, Mother would never be free.

A knock sounded on the door. Billy Hancock stood with a wide grin. “Come in and join us for a cup of tea.”

I turned to find my ex, Sammy Kettering, strolling into the lounge. Tottering at his heels was that two-faced bitch, Nichelle.

Chapter Thirteen

I drew in a sharp breath through my teeth as Sammy strolled into the living room like he was an honored and regular guest at the Hancock residence.

Now that he’d regained the weight from prison, he looked… so much older. Twenty-seven was hardly granddad material but he hadn’t been eating right and now had a double chin. Shit. Nichelle had probably been ordering a bunch of takeaways instead of cooking real food.

Sammy wore his favorite leather jacket over a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed, and Nichelle wore my old cerise bodycon dress with a cut-out middle that exposed her thighs.

I rolled my eyes. These days, there were far worse things a girl could do than steal my clothes.

“Lilah.” He shot Kendrick a filthy glare. “I came down as soon as I heard.”

I turned to Billy Hancock, who brought the cup to his lips and smiled. “What do you want?”

“Another chance, of course,” Sammy replied.

I gave Nichelle a pointed glare. Stupid cow tilted her head to the side in one of those what-are-you-looking-at expressions. She wasn’t the brightest girl in the world, but even she should have recognized the implied insult.

“Come on, Lilah.” Sammy walked around the coffee table to Billy’s sofa and perched himself on its arm.