Maura's Game Read Online Free PDF

were ringed black from lack of sleep and her face was pale. Lee loved her with a vengeance no matter how she looked. When she was heavy with a child, her belly swollen out of proportion, he felt like the luckiest man alive. His brothers ribbed him over it, but he knew they admired him too. Since Sheila he had never really looked at another woman, just the odd one-nighter here and there. He couldn’t risk losing what he had.
    She sighed heavily.
    “I feel so rough, Lee. I never felt like this with any of the others.”
    “It’ll be worth it when he arrives.”
    “It could be a she, you know. Especially as this pregnancy is so different from the others.”
    He squeezed her shoulder.
    “You can hope, girl. But I only have masculine sperms.”
    They were laughing again. Lee looked fondly at his wife and was as always thrilled that she was his. He hoped this baby was a girl. Deep inside he would love a daughter, and after four boys it would be a nice change. He knew Sheila wanted one. His mother wanted a girl as well. She acted like it was entirely his fault that they had had four boys, like he could choose or something.
    “I love you, Sheila.”
    She looked up into his eyes.
    “I know.”
    The bedroom door opened and his four young sons piled in. Sheila was still trying to throw up in the en suite when Jason the youngest said seriously, “Is Mummy’s baby coming out?”
    They all laughed again.
    Lee picked up his three year old and said loudly, “Who wants a bit of brekker then? Eggs, bacon and fried bread for me boys, eh?”
    “Oh, stop it, I feel sick enough as it is, Lee!”
    As he heard his wife throw up again he called through, “Sorry, Sheila. Dry toast for you then, eh!”
    All the boys laughed and Lee led them downstairs happily. No matter what the trouble at work he never brought it home with him. It was something that had served him in good stead all his life, and Sheila was his life now. Her and his kids. As bad as things were for the Ryans in general, his own little family had no inkling that anything was amiss and he was determined to keep it that way. Sheila knew the score and was of the same opinion. Outside the house was another world and they both protected the children from it as much as they could.
    The phone rang as he was serving up the eggs and his eldest son Gabriel answered it. At eight he was already big for his age and like the others a miniature Ryan.
    “Yeah, OK, then, Uncle Roy. I’ll tell him, he’s just cooking the breakfast.”
    Lee heard his son laugh at something his uncle had said and felt a stab of pride in all his family. They were close, and they loved each other. Nothing could ever come between them.
    “Uncle Roy said he’d meet you at the office.”
    “OK, Gabriel, thanks.”
    Sheila came into the kitchen, her long blonde hair brushed and her swelling belly hidden underneath a satin dressing gown. She smiled wanly at her husband as he placed a cup of tea and two slices of toast before her.
    “A late one again today?”
    Lee nodded.
    “See you when I see you then.”
    He kissed her, to the derision of his four sons.
    Garry and Roy were having breakfast at their mother’s house. Garry still chose to stay there whenever he was in the smoke.
    “Joliff had a message saying that we killed his bird, which we didn’t, but I think it was Joliff who done Terry right enough. There’s something heavy going down all right.”
    “It’s definitely a set up, but let’s wait and see what we garner from the other boys, eh?”
    Sarah listened to them with only half an ear. As she placed a Benny Special in front of them they smiled their appreciation.
    “Nothing like a bit of grease, Mum. Clog up the old arteries.”
    “Shut up and eat it, you stupid fool.”
    She left the kitchen and went into the sitting room. It had hardly changed in years, still jam packed with religious statues and overstuffed furniture. Photographs of her five dead sons had candles burning beneath them and