Savage Rage Read Online Free Page B

you holding up, hon?” Karen eased in beside Jack and he slipped an arm around her waist.
    Smiling for the other guests, he turned to her and whispered in her ear, “I’m freaking dying.”
    From one house party to another. And this one was nowhere near as fun as the one he and Brett had broken up the night before.
    No, this morning. Today, I think. It’s still Tuesday, right? Ah, the joys of shift work.
    After busting up the party and leaving poor Eric to clean up as best he could while contemplating his future — if it had been a teenaged Jack and his dad, death would have been a definite possibility — they had taken Jockhead, also known as Matthew Covingston, to the station. After a stopover at Sunnybrook Hospital, that was. Jockhead’s nose had indeed been broken and by the time he was released from the station hours later, he had two beautiful shiners bracketing his nose splint.
    As he had left the station, Jockhead had sworn revenge, screaming an all too familiar refrain in 53 Division: “I’ll sue your ass! My mom’s a lawyer!”
    Jack rarely slept well on night shift anymore. Seven years ago, as a squeaky-clean rookie, he was able to sleep anywhere, anytime, but not anymore. Now, after a poor day’s sleep, he was at his in-laws’ house in Stouffville pretending to enjoy himself while all he wanted was to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.
    Karen’s dad, good old George Hawthorn Sr. — Oops, forgot the Doctor, sorry, George — had published yet another book and was throwing a Congratulations to Me party. He and the missus, Evelyn Hawthorn — no pretentious “doctor” or “senior” attached to her name — had invited several dozen of their closest friends to help Hawthorn stroke his ego. At least that’s how Jack saw it.
    Hawthorn taught political science at the University of Toronto and his most recent book of six was yet another tome on the post-economic, socially destructive mating habits of the rich and egotistical. Or something like that. Jack’s eyes glazed over while Hawthorn was regaling his captive audience with his book’s incredible insights. Jack had to admit, Hawthorn was intelligent and no doubt his writing would be beyond Jack’s comprehension, but why that didn’t excuse him from this fabulous shindig, Jack couldn’t say.
    But that was sheer bullshit, wasn’t it? Jack knew perfectly well why he was here.
    Hawthorn resented that his only daughter was married to someone as common as Jack, someone who had not even finished university and was a public servant and, yes, stress the servant part. There was an older son, George Jr., and he was off somewhere adding letters after his name and no doubt Hawthorn had expected his daughter to marry someone of equal education. All through their dating, engagement and marriage, Jack’s in-laws slapped him down at every chance. And not just good old Dad but both of them, for Evelyn could be just as condescending toward Jack as her husband, although she disguised it as a mother’s natural belief that no man was good enough for her daughter. His upbringing, his education, his job, his salary — none of it was good enough for their daughter.
    At first, Jack had hoped they would grow to accept him as they realized his presence in Karen’s life was more than just temporary. But that had been foolish thinking. If anything, their dislike of the future son-in-law had grown in direct proportion to the relationship. In time, it had become a mutual dislike and distrust, especially with Hawthorn. By the time Jack and Karen were married — on Hawthorn’s bill, of course. Can’t let the useless son-in-law forget that, can we? — Evelyn had become a side player in the game and the game was simple: every chance he got, Hawthorn reminded Jack that he was unworthy of his daughter and Jack would grin and take it, refusing to respond to the