Blood Rush (Lilly Valentine) Read Online Free Page A

leave. He bounded towards her, his braces glinting. Lilly squinted into the distance, searching for Sam. Why was he always last?
    ‘Do yourself a favour, Lilly,’ Penny put an arm around her son’s shoulders, ‘and don’t make life so hard for yourself.’
     
     
    Lilly had barely opened the cottage door when Sam pushed past her and headed upstairs mumbling about homework.
    ‘Advanced PS3, I assume,’ she called out.
    He grunted and slammed his bedroom door. Lilly sighed. He’d given her the silent treatment on the journey home from school, declining to speak except to mention that he was quite capable of getting the bus. Being collected by his mother was ‘totally embarrassing’. Lilly had pointed out that Penny still did the school run.
    ‘Van Huysan is a complete loser,’ said Sam. ‘Everybody knows that.’
    After that, she hadn’t even bothered explaining for the six hundredth time that the bus was too expensive. Sam’s dad paid the school fees but Lilly had to cover everything else, and since she was virtually passing Manor Park on her way home from work she wasn’t about to cough up three quid a pop for his lordship to be taken home.
    Instead, she’d flicked on the radio. The local news was full of the latest gang-related attack.
    The police have confirmed that the victim was set upon by a group of assailants, which leaves the people of Luton asking when will something be done about these violent young people?
     
    Sam had sneered at Lilly as if to say these were the kids she had always represented. Proud of yourself?
    She had snapped off the programme, concentrated on the road ahead and wondered when would be the earliest she could allow herself a glass of wine.
    Now, Lilly hung up her coat and went in search of Alice. She found her in the kitchen, asleep in Jack’s arms.
    ‘How’s she been?’
    ‘Grand,’ he smiled.
    Lilly flicked on the kettle while Jack kissed his daughter and hunted for his car keys.
    ‘Coffee?’ she asked.
    Jack stopped in his tracks. Since Alice had been born they had developed a routine of one in one out. Any attempts by Jack to initiate more than civility had been rebuffed by Lilly and soon abandoned. He was welcome to spend as much time as he wanted with Alice, but Lilly made herself scarce.
    ‘If you haven’t got time,’ Lilly didn’t look at him, ‘don’t worry.’
    He paused and Lilly felt the back of her neck redden.
    ‘A coffee would be good.’
    She reached into the cupboard and instinctively searched for Jack’s usual mug in the shape of Gromit. Sam had given it to him as a present and the nose was supposed to light up on contact with hot liquid. It had only worked once and it now had a chip.
    ‘So what are you up to at work?’ She tried to keep her voice light.
    ‘A GBH. The girl’s still in the hospital,’ he said. ‘Looks like another gang thing.’
    ‘I heard about that on the radio,’ Lilly sighed. ‘It’s getting out of hand.’
    ‘I know.’
    She placed the drink in front of him and couldn’t help notice him finger the now-defunct nose.
    ‘You?’ he asked.
    ‘I took on a kid in foster care.’
    Jack raised his eyebrows. ‘I thought you weren’t doing that work any more?’
    ‘I’m not,’ she said, ‘but I felt obliged.’
    He blew on his coffee and she knew exactly what he was thinking. So many of the other cases she’d taken on for kids in the care system had brought nothing but trouble. They took up too much time, and they were badly paid. Worse, they had placed Lilly in danger more than once.
    She had sworn to Jack, Sam, and more importantly herself, that she was sticking to divorce work. Boring, yes, but safe.
    ‘A quick guilty plea in the Youth Court for possession of class B,’ she said. ‘Ten minutes in and out.’
    ‘If you’re sure.’
    ‘I am.’
    A silence stretched between them until Jack smiled, drained his cup and stood. ‘Best get up to A&E.’
    She followed him to the door. He walked to his car and