“How?”
I closed my eyes, remembering every detail. How he’d flirted outrageously, provoking me, trying to get me to give in to him. And how he’d kissed me, tasting of whiskey and heaven. I’d slapped him for it, then slapped him a second time after he’d been rude, going in for a third when he wouldn’t give up. He’d grabbed my wrists, stopping me. But he couldn’t have stopped what was coming next.
I’d kissed him, right there in my lounge, the rage he’d triggered turning into full-blown lust. My teeth had clashed against his teeth in my rush to taste him. I could still remember him jerking his head back, looking shocked, but I’d been past caring by that stage, any restraint I’d had completely stripped away. He’d taunted me, flirted with me, gotten me so wound up and needy that once I’d opened the floodgates, nothing could’ve stopped me from taking what I’d wanted from him.
I continued, “I basically mauled your mouth, then shoved my hand down the front of your pants, grabbing your cock.” I opened my eyes, swallowing as he licked his lips.
“Did we fuck?”
I shook my head. “Your ride came, interrupting us.”
“Did they catch us?”
“No, but your uncle caught me at a later date. I went over to your house after we had an argument, wanting to make things up to you. Your father almost caught us kissing in your room. You shoved me into your wardrobe, then got him to leave with you, so I could escape without him knowing. Your uncle saw me leaving your property. I pretended I was a Jehovah’s Witness, but he eventually cottoned onto the affair.”
“Which uncle?”
“Jasper’s father.”
His face saddened. “He wuzn’t technically my uncle, I just called him that. He wuz a close friend of my dad’s as well as my best mate’s dad. And you don’t needa tell me what happened with him, unfortunately that memory came back quick, one of the few things that did.”
My thoughts went to the man’s sister. “Do you remember anything else about Jasper’s family?” I asked, hoping he didn’t remember what his friend’s auntie had done to him.
“Like what?” he replied, seemingly unperturbed.
“About Jasper killing Happy Meal?” I said instead, coming up with the first thing that popped into my mind.
He shook his head. “Don’t remember, but I know ’bout it. Though, I do remember Happy Meal from before I lost my memory. He wuz a fuckin’ bastard, got what he deserved, just wished that Jasper’s dad didn’t hafta pay with his life for what Jasper did.” He frowned. “Jasper never forgave himself for that, took it real hard. He tried to commit suicide more than once, but the vice prez’s woman helped him claw his way outta his depression.”
“What’s Jasper doing now?”
“Serving time.”
My heart sank. “For what?”
“Car theft, well, way more than car theft. The Skins used to steal cars, fixing ’em up so they could sell ’em. They got sprung, most of ’em goin’ to jail. Jasper got a lot of time. He claimed he wuz behind the chop shop to get the prez and vice prez off, which worked. My dad rang earlier, sayin’ their sentences have been reduced.” His expression clouded over. “While Jasper’s has been lengthened another two years.” He shook his head. “I know he did it so the women could get their husbands back, but fuck it, it ain’t fair. He may have been involved in stealing the cars, but he wuz small time in comparison to the vice prez and prez. Still, if he has to stay in bloody prison, I hope they at least move him to another one.”
“Why?”
“Phelia,” he growled. “That bitch is a prison guard there.”
My eyebrows shot up, never in a million years expecting a girl like Phelia to be a prison guard.
“You know her?”
I nodded. “I wish I didn’t. Like you, she was in my English class. She also spoke against me at my trial. She claimed I seduced you, stealing you from her.”
His expression turned stony. “Fuck, I hate her. I wuz never hers to steal.”
“Does she still bug you?”
He shook his head. “Her obsession with me died a long time ago. She’s obsessed with Jasper now.”
My eyebrows rose even higher. “But I thought she didn’t like Jasper.”
“Only cos he wuz fat back at school. He’s nuthin’ like that now. He’s lost a shit ton of weight, turning it into muscle. He now looks similar to his uncle, and you know what Killer looks like. It’s why Phelia wants Jasper. I heard that superficial bitch is sexually harassing him, tryna make him do shit with her or pay the price.”
“What price?”
“She got him thrown into the hole more than once when he refused to play ball. I told him to get Killer to sort her out, but he won’t. Apparently, she’s holding sumpthin’ over his head, he just won’t say what.” He grunted. “Why are we even talkin’ ’bout this? I wanted you to cheer me up, not make me feel worse.”
I went to apologise, but stopped at the sound of the doorbell. “I’ll get it,” I said, pushing up. I went for the door, then quickly retraced my steps, grabbing the whiskey before Dante could get a hand to it, which he was already trying to do. I shot out of his room, slipping the whiskey into my bedroom before running down the stairs. I reached for the door handle just as the bell went off again. I quickly pulled it open, freezing at what I saw, the man standing before me a replica of Dante.
Ash Rata.
I’d mistaken Dante’s older brother for Dante once before, but from a distance. It had been a month after I’d gotten out of prison. I’d gone to Dante’s house, parking up the road from it. Ash had appeared first, then Dante had followed. They’d looked like twins from a distance. But this was the first time I’d seen Ash up close, and he still looked like he could be Dante’s twin, the three years between them not showing at all. If it weren’t for their different tattoos, people would probably confuse them. Unlike Dante’s tattoo around his left eye and the colourful designs covering his arms, Ash had tribal tattoos on his neck and left arm. The arm tattoo, which stopped at his elbow, extended out over his pec, his black singlet partially covering the Maori design. He was also clad in leather pants and shit-kickers, the man looking like he’d stepped out of the film Once Were Warriors.
As if I were nothing, he pushed past me, yelling, “You fucker, get down here. Now!”
“Excuse—” The me caught in my throat as he spun around to face me, his expression furious.
“Leave,” he growled.
“She ain’t goin’ anywhere, Ash,” Dante said.
I glanced up at the staircase, which Dante was descending. He’d put on a black shirt, his scruffy appearance and slightly glazed eyes making it look he’d just gotten out of bed.
“Like hell,” Ash snapped. “I hear you ditched rehab, now you’re fuckin’ random hoes again?”
“She ain’t a ho, she’s my P.A., dipshit, so apologise to her.”
Ash’s head snapped around to me, making me take a rapid step back, the guy intense. “Is he tellin’ the truth? Cos the bastard lies all the time.”
“Fuck you, you cunt,” Dante barked, stopping in front of him. “Ask your girlfriend if you don’t believe me.”
Ash’s brow furrowed. “Why would Tiana know ’bout her?”
“No, L.”
Ash scowled at him. “L ain’t my girlfriend, nor is she a girl, motherfucker. Tiana’s my woman, so quit provoking me.”
“Tell L that, cos she’s writing shitty love songs ’bout you.”
“What the fuck are ya on about?”
“I just blew Jade up, tellin’ him there’s no way I’m singing L’s songs. The first one wuz a love ballad ’bout unrequited love, a sickly-sweet childhood fantasy. She may have swapped the gender roles around for me, but it wuz bloody obvious it wuz ’bout you. She has it hard for you, bro, like real hard.” He made a crude gesture to his groin.
“You’re fuckin’ delusional, L’s just a mate.”
“A mate who’s always visiting you.”
“Co
s she’s a mate, dipshit. That’s what mates do.”
“Mates don’t have perky tits that are begging you to suck ’em.”
“Fuck, you’re a foulmouthed bastard, and stop deflecting shit. Just tell me why you got booted outta rehab.”
“Some prick had it in for me.”
Ash rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s always someone else’s fault.”
“It’s true,” I piped up, not liking that he was blaming Dante. “It wasn’t Dante’s fault; it was a counsellor’s.”
Ash narrowed his eyes at me, reminding me of his father, his hard gaze the same. “How do you know that?” he asked.
“I used to work there as a counsellor. The creep was prejudiced against Dante.”
“How?”
“Because he assumed he was a gang-member. He also didn’t approve of Dante’s father being gay—”
“Our dad ain’t gay, he just has a kink for Killer.” He cocked his head to the side, assessing me. “But I guess you already know that, Mrs. Hatton. I remember you now, you’re that teacher who Dante diddled.”
I swallowed. “My name’s not Hatton anymore.”
“Guess you changed your name and hair so people didn’t recognise ya.” He waved a hand at my hair. “It almost threw me off, but I’ve got an eye for faces, don’t ever forget ’em, and yours wuz plastered all over the news. They called you a blonde bombshell. You don’t look like a bombshell to me, you look like a scared li’l girl.”
Dante stepped in front of me. “That’s cos you’re bein’ a prick and intimidating her.”
Ash shrugged. “Guess that’s why the paedo likes boys, men scare her.”
Dante stepped closer to Ash, the two brothers almost nose to nose. “She ain’t a fuckin’ paedo,” he growled low. “Otherwise she wouldn’t still want me.”
“Da fuck do I care. You’re an adult now, you can stick your dick in her to your heart’s content.” He stopped talking and sniffed Dante, a scowl rapidly spreading across his face. “You’ve been drinking.”
Dante tensed. “Didn’t have much,” he said, taking a quick step back. “Clara took it offa me.”
Ash glared at him. “You shouldn’t be having any. And that’s why you should be in rehab, not here talkin’ to me.”
“He wouldn’t have had any if his ex-girlfriend didn’t put it through the cat flap,” I cut in, still scared of Ash, but not willing to let him put all the blame on Dante.
Ash frowned. “Which ex?”
“Kara.”
He shook his head. “Nah, she wouldn’t do that. She wuz at the intervention.”
“It was definitely her. She left Dante a note, saying she’d give him all the alcohol he wants if he goes back to her. She even propositioned me to help get him back, stuck her finger in my mouth.” I pulled a face, still disgusted by what she’d done. “She said if we worked together, we could both have him in no time.”
“What da fuck?!” Dante yelled.
Ash spoke over him. “That bloody bitch,” he snarled. His gaze moved to Dante. “She claims to love you, yet she goes and does that? That ain’t love, that’s selfish as shit. You defo made the right decision to leave her.”
Dante grimaced, hurt pulling at his expression, which in turn hurt me. I went to say something to make him feel better, but was cut off by a loud, “Ash!” I looked at the entrance as L and Dante’s manager stepped through the doorway.
L’s face was beaming, the woman truly stunning. She ran past me in a flurry of orange and blonde hair, wrapping Ash up in a hug, looking so tiny next to the muscular man.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, sounding like all her Christmases had come at once. “Do you need me to watch over Angelo?” She let go of him. “Is he still sick?”
“No,” Ash answered. “A mate’s lookin’ after him.”
“Then you’re free to stay for a drink and a chat,” she said, her lovely Welsh accent lyrical. “What would you like? A hot chocolate or an orange juice?”
Ash chuckled, a smile cracking his stern expression. “Do ya think I look like a hot chocolate kinda guy?”
Her pale cheeks went a splotchy red. “You don’t drink coffee, so I thought... um... you’d prefer it.”
“Nah, I’m not thirsty, but thanks anyway.”
Dante sniggered behind his brother. “But L’s defo thirsty for your dick.”
L’s expression dropped, the poor woman looking horrified over Dante’s comment.
Ash spun around, getting his face in Dante’s. “Apologise, fucker!”
Dante flicked his teeth with his tongue. “You didn’t apologise to Clara for callin’ her a whore, so wear it, bitch.”
Ash narrowed his eyes at Dante. “I ain’t ever apologising to a woman who fucked a fifteen-year-old.”
“Then I ain’t apologising to L until she admits she’s only helping you out cos she wants you.”
“L’s a friend, nuthin’ more.”
“You’re dreaming, bro, cos it’s obvious she has a hermaphy hard-on for you, and right now, maybe you should give her a piece of the Rata pie.”
“I’m with Tiana!”
“You shouldn’t be. I may love T like a sister, but she ain’t treating you right of late. But L is. Throw her your bone, dog, cos T ain’t worth it anymore. You made a mistake gettin’ back with her. It ain’t working. Admit it.”
“I didn’t make a fuckin’ mistake, Tiana’s mine,” Ash spat.
Dante shook his head. “You were in denial with Beth, now you’re in denial with Tiana. Move on, you know the relationship has turned sour. You can’t stay with a woman who refuses to accept your soon-to-be-born kid. Is she still pissed at you over it? Not like it’s your fault. If she didn’t leave you, you wouldn’t have got with Beth and knocked her up. Now T’s back, she can’t have everything her way. Either leave her or make her suck it up, cos when the baby comes, it should go to you, not the grandparents.”
“I can’t leave Tiana. I lost out on seein’ Angelo for a year when she split with me.”
“Get shared custody this time.”
“Fathers don’t get the same rights as mothers. If I left her, she could stop me from seein’ him like she did the last time.”
“So, you’ve considered leaving her?”
Ash clamped his mouth shut, Dante obviously hitting on something.
“Does she wanna split too?”
Ash shook his head, his expression worried. “I’m not leaving her, I love her.”
“I love Kara too, but I can’t stay with her. Our relationship is too toxic.”
“Tiana’s not a nut job like Kara, she just can’t accept that I’m gonna be a dad for another woman’s baby.”
“She’ll hafta if she wants to stay with you.”
Ash ran a hand through his messy black hair, hair just like Dante’s. “I’ll sort sumpthin’ out.”
“Just as long as it’s with the new baby, cos kids come first.”
“What do you know? You don’t have kids.”
“I know if I had one I wouldn’t let some woman try to make me give it up. Grow some balls and stand up to her.”
Ash snorted out a derisive laugh. “You’re tellin’ me to grow some balls? You’re the one turning to the bottle at the drop of a hat.”
“Just cos I’m an alcoholic doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m talkin’ ’bout. You’re just too pig-headed to take advice.”
“No, it’s cos your advice fuckin’ sucks. If I leave Tiana, I lose both her and Angelo. And it’s not like I won’t be able to see the new baby. Beth’s mum said I can pop in whenever I want.”
“It’s not fair to make Mrs. Connor quit her job to raise your kid.”
“She offered! And I work constantly, so I can’t look after a new-born. I wouldn’t even know how to. And I can’t expect Tiana to quit work to raise another woman’s child. At least Mrs. C is the grandmother.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Dante yelled. “I’d drop everything to be with the baby
if it wuz mine.”
“I wish it wuz yours.”
Dante glared at him. “That’s a fuckin’ shit thing to say.”
“I didn’t ask for the kid.”
“That’s what Dad said ’bout Sledge and Juliet, he didn’t ask for them.”
Ash tensed. “I’m nuthin’ like that fuck-up! So shut your mouth!”
Dante raised a brow. “Or what? You’ll make me? Nah, you won’t do shit, cos Tiana’s turned you into a pussy.”
Ash shunted Dante back with his chest. Dante shoved him in return, the brothers resembling two raging beasts ready to tear each other’s throats out. I lunged forward, grabbing Dante’s arm, while L went for Ash, trying to pull him back, the woman too small to do much.”
“Ash, no!” she scolded. “Stop it!”
Ash yanked his arm free and let out a low growl, his hard gaze not leaving his brother. “Fuckin’ lecturing me when you’re with your teacher. She went to prison for riding your underage cock.”
“My cock ain’t underage anymore, fucker, so she can ride it all she wants.”
“I’m the fucker?” Ash let out a mean laugh. “From what I hear, it’s the other way around. Are you still fucking Jade for cash or are ya doin’ it for free now?”
Dante’s face dropped, then he leapt at Ash, throwing a punch at him. Ash stumbled back. L screamed and went to shield him, but Ash shoved her behind him and swung out at Dante with a meaty fist, knocking him into the staircase railing. I pushed in front of Dante as he went to retaliate, but he shoved me to the side, looking like he wanted to rip his brother’s head off.
“No, Dante!” L cried, pushing in between them.
Ash swung L around to protect her, but Dante was already lowering his fist, though he looked like he wanted to rain a thousand blows down on Ash. “Fuck off,” he growled, his expression just as vicious as his brother’s.
Ash sneered at him. “Gladly.” He left without another word, L running after him.
Dante’s manager held up his hands. “I didn’t tell him about what we did.”
My heart slammed against my chest, not expecting the man to confirm it. I’d just assumed that Ash had insulted Dante, not actually meant it.
Love Drunk (Broken Lives Book 4) Page 17