‘Because what I did was for you as well, you know.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
‘There were lots of relationships going on here. Oliver and Alexa. Oliver and Claire. Parker and Megan. But also Megan and you.’
Cody doesn’t want to listen to this crap. But at the same time, he’s intrigued.
‘You see,’ Franklin continues, ‘I didn’t know if it would work out between Megan and Parker. I still don’t for certain. But you were always at the centre of this, too, even though you probably didn’t realise it.’
‘You’re not making any sense.’
‘But I am. And you know it. Before Parker, there was you. Megan was your girlfriend, your true love.’ He pauses. ‘Answer a question for me, Cody.’
‘Ask it, and I’ll think about it.’
‘Haven’t your feelings towards Megan changed over the past few days?’
‘No. We’re work colleagues, and that’s all.’
‘That’s not true.’ He spits out some more goo. ‘No matter. You won’t admit it to me. But I know you’ve changed, and I know I made it happen.’
‘Well, you can keep telling yourself how proud you are when you’re locked up in a cell for the rest of your life.’
Cody hears sirens in the distance. He’s relieved this is coming to an end.
They arrive en masse – uniformed police and paramedics. The medics tend quickly to Toby’s wound. Cody doesn’t distract them by mentioning the cut on his own arm. As Toby is whisked away, Cody waves to him and assures him yet again that he’ll be absolutely fine. He needs to believe it himself as much as Toby does.
The uniforms don’t question the physical state of Franklin. What they don’t ask, they can’t doubt. They know exactly what Franklin did, and their own manhandling of him is somewhat rougher than that which they would apply to most detainees.
‘Cherish the love, Cody,’ is Franklin’s parting remark as he is bundled out of the door.
Alone in the shabby, damp, chaotic flat, Cody mulls over Franklin’s words. He recalls how he felt back at the hospital when he realised there was a good possibility that Megan might reboot her relationship with Parker. He was happy for them. But at the same time, he experienced sadness. As though he’d just lost something incredibly dear to him.
Perverse though it might seem after all the bloodshed, Cody wonders if it has given him a new perspective on life.
And, more importantly, he wonders what he will do about it.
A WORD FROM DAVID
Thank you so much for reading Love Kills. When I changed publishers after Your Deepest Fear came out, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to continue writing about Cody, Webley and the gang. However, I love the characters so much, and such was the volume of requests I received asking to know what happens next, that I just had to take a gamble in writing this new book. Whether there will be further instalments in the future largely depends on how this one is received. If you’d like to see more, please do leave a favourable review somewhere, and tell all your friends! And if this is your first taste of my Liverpool series, I hope it entices you to catch up from the beginning. A full list of my novels can be found on the next page.
As Franklin B Goodman would say: Cherish the love!
David
ALSO BY DAVID JACKSON
Standalone Thrillers
The Resident
The Rule
No Secrets
One Good Deed
The Liverpool Series
A Tapping at My Door
Hope to Die
Don’t Make a Sound
Your Deepest Fear
The New York Series
Pariah
The Helper
Marked
Cry Baby
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
