Read Online The Long Game by J. L. Fynn - Free Book Online

back. Judd spat a mouthful of blood and
rubbed his jaw. He fixed Jimmy Boy with a cruel smile that smeared
blood across his teeth. It made him look insane. Jimmy Boy
struggled against the men holding him.
    I scrambled over the picnic table and lunged
for Pat, but he threw his elbow up as I charged him. It made
contact with my chin and sent a burst of painful light through my
skull, disorienting me long enough for Eddie, the fourth Sheedy
brother, to tackle me to the ground. Eddie outweighed me by at
least thirty pounds, and all of it lay on top of me, pinning my
arms and legs. I lifted my head in time to see Judd’s fist plow
into Jimmy Boy’s stomach. My brother lurched forward as far as he
could with his elbows still locked behind him by Sonny and Pat.
    Judd grabbed his shirt collar in both hands
and thrust a knee into his ribcage. Jimmy Boy grunted, sucking air
into apparently uncooperative lungs. Sonny yanked him upright
again, using the hair at the back of his head like a pull string.
Judd drew his arm back and released it, smashing his fist into
Jimmy Boy’s cheek.
    “Stop!” I struggled in vain against Eddie’s
bulk. “You’re gonna kill him.”
    Sonny and Pat allowed Judd
one final swing. The blow made a nauseating thwack , like the sound of raw steak
being tenderized. The men let go of Jimmy Boy’s arms. He fell to
his knees, swayed for a moment, then dropped to his hands. He
braced himself against the ground with one arm, holding his middle
with the other as he spilled everything in his stomach onto the
grass.
    “You’re both trash,” Judd said. “Your whole
family is trash. Always were and always will be. God only knows why
my dad is wasting his time with you.”
    “Fuck you,” Jimmy Boy said between gagging
coughs. “You’re just pissed Pop chose Shay over you. But he ain’t
stupid, Prince. He knows you’d fuck it all up.”
    Judd’s foot hit Jimmy Boy’s face so hard my
brother flipped off his hands and knees. He crashed to the ground
again, flat on his back. Judd swiped at his mouth, then wiped the
blood from his hand onto the leg of his jeans. He spit a gob of
rusty saliva that missed Jimmy Boy’s face by half an inch and
splattered into the dirt by his ear.
    The door of the trailer opened again, and
Maggie’s head appeared. “What the hell is going on out here?” she
asked. Her eyes fell on Jimmy Boy, and she flew down the steps and
across the yard to where he lay motionless on his back. “Who do you
think you are, coming to my home and carrying on like a bunch of
maggots?” She knelt beside her son, but her sharp gaze remained
fixed on Judd, who seemed to shrink under it. “Go on! Get out of
here before I whoop the lot of yeh.”
    Maggie was a small, fleshy woman and not the
least bit imposing physically, but her tone was enough to scare
four grown men to their senses. Eddie pushed me harder into the
ground as he stood and clambered over to join his brothers, who’d
already bolted for the Mercedes.
    Pop appeared at Maggie’s side, and the two of
them helped Jimmy Boy to his feet. She tucked herself under his arm
and supported his weight with one hand to his chest and one to his
back. I could see her scanning his face, already inspecting the
broken and bleeding skin of his cheeks and lips.
    “Come inside, love. I’ll fix you up.”
    Jimmy Boy’s head lulled in what may have been
an attempt at a nod but was more likely his neck’s inability to
hold up his head. They moved in limping steps toward the
trailer.
    “I’m sorry for the trouble, Maggie,” Pop
said.
    I imagined, with great satisfaction, the
earful Judd and his brothers would get for disrespecting Maggie’s
home.
    She glanced at him over Jimmy’s shoulder.
“Cuts and bruises I can handle, Michael, but what you’re planning
could do a far sight more damage.”
    “You let me worry about that,” he said. His
tone finally betrayed a hint of annoyance at her boldness.
    I pulled myself onto the bench of the