“No! You’re scaring me.”
He barked out a laugh. “That’s stupid, I’ve never hurt you.”
She placed the cup and saucer on the coffee table. “Both you and Dante are always mean to me.”
“What do you expect when you hang round teenage boys? What’s the age difference between you and Naf?”
“Naf’s legal,” she said, moving further away from him.
“Barely. And weren’t you after Tama before him? You should stick to people your own age and leave the boys alone.” Hating even looking at her, he downed half the coffee, then shifted his attention to the picture of Angelo above the TV. “If my boy wuz eighteen and I found out some old bird wuz sleazing round him, I’d make damn sure it stopped instantly.”
“I’m not doin’ anything wrong, and Naf asked me out.”
“He’s young enough to be your son.” Ash downed the rest of his coffee and stood, agitated even talking to her. “Where’s that package you mentioned?”
She got to her feet, looking like she wanted to flay him alive. “You have no right to judge me.”
“I have every right, you sleazy perverted freak.”
“You are too!”
He sneered at her. “And you’re as juvenile as a teenager. Maybe that’s why you hang out with them, cos adults are above your comprehension.”
“You’re an arrogant bastard who deserves to be taken down.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “And you’re a whisper away from being a paedo, so keep your fuckin’ mouth shut.”
“You sell drugs, beat up people, including your own brother to the point that he had to be hospitalised, and you’re judging me? The world would be better without people like you.”
“Damn right, but you’re included in that lot, cos you don’t have a thing to contribute either.” He shook out his hand as a tingle ran through it, the feeling reminding him of pins and needles.
“You can’t class me in the same group as you and Dante, and Sledge is just as bad, only Juliet is of any worth outta your damn family. You’re a bunch of lying bastards who hurt innocent people.”
“I don’t lie, and those so-called innocent people are the ones who come to me looking for their next fix.” He shook out his right leg as numbness ran through it. “What the fuck?” he said, stamping his foot.
“You are a liar!” Aroha shouted. “You and your brother both ruined my ex’s life with your vicious lies.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking ’bout, and you’re not welcome here, so piss off.” He went to move around the table, but stumbled forward, his legs giving out from under him. He hit the ground, grunting on impact.
Aroha walked over to him. “What goes round comes round, Ash.”
He tried to move his arms to push up, but they remained numb and useless. “I can’t...” His words slurred then petered out as his mouth went numb too.
She smiled. “You should be more careful with what you drink.”
Ash felt a rush of fear race through him, then it kicked into overdrive as she called out Chaz’s name. Ash’s silent scream went unheard as footsteps approached him. He tried to move again, but he could’ve been encased in steel for all the good it did, although his heart pounded at an unnatural rate, like it was going to burst out of his chest and take off on its own.
Chaz pushed the coffee table out of the way and bobbed down next to Ash, giving him a prod. “Shit, that’s pretty strong stuff.”
“Yeah,” Aroha said. “The dealer told me it would either cause hallucinations or paralyze him, but not permanently.” She kicked Ash’s leg.
Chaz swiped out at her. “Don’t hurt him.”
“He won’t feel it, they use it on animals. Appropriate really, cos he’s a bloody animal.”
“No, he’s not.” Chaz brushed Ash’s hair back. “It’s alright boy, it’ll wear off.”
Ash flinched inside, although nothing showed. He couldn’t even feel Chaz’s touch, like his body was someone else’s, and he was just a viewer, watching the scene from afar. But what he saw terrified him, something that gripped him by the throat and squeezed hard. He wanted to run, to get out of there, or to at least close his eyes so he didn’t see that face again, the one who made him feel like a helpless fifteen-year-old again, a scared boy crying for the pain to stop.
“Close his eyes, Chaz,” Aroha said. “He’s starting to freak me out, staring up like he’s dead.”
Chaz lifted Ash’s wrist, his expression alarmed for a moment before relief flashed across his features. “Bloody woman, you made me panic.”
“Don’t see why, ’specially since you’re gonna—”
“Just shut up and help me get him into the van, then you can go free Tiana and the kid. She still thinks I’m forcing you, so you’ll be fine to stay.”
“But you said I could come with you.”
“Only if someone found out our connection.”
“But you promised.”
“We’ll talk about it after we get him into the van. Now grab his feet.”
Aroha grunted as she lifted his legs. “He’s bloody heavy.”
“Yeah, he’s impressive, just like Dante. It’s freaky how much those two look alike now.”
“I already told you that.”
“Yeah, but seeing them is totally different. It’s just a pity that fat bastard showed up at their place, otherwise I could’ve gotten Dante too. All I did was ask the prick to leave, and he went off his head at me. It was his own fault he died. Though, it was a damn good idea you had phoning the cops. Now Dante can rot in prison—”
“Ash deserves to be in prison too,” Aroha said, her voice sounding strained.
“Not affected by his looks?”
“He’s nasty to me, and fuck he’s heavy. Lemme rest for a bit.” She dropped Ash’s legs onto the kitchen floor.
Chaz lowered him down. “That’s cos he’s probably too old for your tastes. Once Tama found out you’d visited me, he told everyone ’bout you proposing to him.”
“So what? At least Tama wuz eighteen; Ash wuz younger when you did him.”
“Doesn’t matter, it was consensual.”
“I never thought he wuz that way inclined, he seems to like females.”
“I like females too, just not as much as males. So, shut up and lift.”
“But, he’s killing my back. Why don’t you just kill him now instead of waiting?”
“Why the hell would I wanna kill him for?”
“Cos of what he did to you.”
“He did nuthin’ to me, it was Dante and their mother who fucked things up.”
“Eh? But I thought Ash lied ’bout you raping him.”
“Nah, I didn’t say that, just said they got evidence offa him.”
“Yeah, he talked.”
“No, I mean “evidence” as in a rape test.”
Aroha gasped. “You raped him?”
“Um, well… sort of—”
“You said Dante lied!”
“He did. He said his mother slashed me, but it was that little shite who did it.”
“I thought you were talking ’bout the rape charge, not who bloody slashed your face. And you just said it wuz consensual.”
“You’re sounding like a broken record, woman. And Ash wouldn’t have known anything if his mother and brother didn’t come home early. Once the roofie wore off he would’ve been none the wiser.”
“You drugged him?”
“And you’re surprised after what I’ve just done? Shit, you really are dumb.”
“You lied to me!”
“You believed what you wanted.”
“No, you lead me into thinking things. God, how old wuz he when you raped him?”
“A week away from sixteen.”
“Fifteen! How could you?”
“I tried not to! Fuck! Stop making me feel like shit.”
“I wouldn’t have helped you if I’d known.”
“Well, it’s too late now, ain’t it? And you a
in’t so sugar sweet considering how you were quite happy for me to kill him a minute ago.”
“Cos you lied ’bout what happened. I thought they ruined your life, not the other way round.”
“So the fuck what? You’re s’posed to be on my side, not the Ratas.”
“I’m not on anyone’s side, and I’m gonna phone the cops.”
Ash saw colour flash past him, followed by Aroha screaming. Ash strained to move, but still couldn’t budge.
“Shut the hell up, Aroha!” Chaz shouted.
“No, lemme go!”
Chaz threw Aroha at Ash’s feet. “Pick him up. Now!”
“No! You’ll rape him again.”
“No, I won’t.” Chaz stepped back. “But if you wanna call the cops so bad, let’s see how things turn out for you after I tell them how you helped me.”
Aroha scrambled to her feet. “You bastard! You can’t do that to me.”
“Then don’t threaten me! I fuckin’ saved your arse when we were kids, so you owe me.”
“I stuck by you while you were in prison.”
“If it wasn’t for me you’d be dead. And this is how you repay me by threatening to call the cops?”
“But, you lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie! It’s not my fault you live in a bloody fantasy world, choosing to believe what you want.”
“But, how could you rape him after what your uncle did to you?”
“I made a mistake, which I won’t do again. Now stop wasting time and help me lift him, then we can discuss this later when we’re safe.” A car pulled up outside, making Chaz swear. “Shit! Look what you’ve done now. Just get rid of whoever it is, cos if they spot me I’ll fuckin’ kill ’em, and you know I will.”
A few seconds later a knock came from the front door, followed by Juliet’s voice.
27
Juliet
Calling out Ash’s name, Juliet knocked again, desperate to tell him what had happened. Right after she’d dropped him off, Dante had tried to talk her into visiting their father in Taranaki, and when she’d refused, he’d jumped out of the car at the lights. God! Dante never listened to reason, just did as he pleased. Yeah, he was unwell, but what he wanted to do was beyond insanity, it was downright stupid. Firstly, the cops would know where their father lived, and secondly, it was a six hour drive and he knew she needed to be at work in thirty minutes, which at this rate wasn’t going to happen.
“Someone answer the door!’ she yelled, then jumped back in surprise as it open-sesamed, no footsteps warning her, but then again she had been shouting at the top of her lungs.
“What’re you doin’ here?” Juliet asked, surprised to see Aroha.
The skinny woman held onto the door like she needed something to prop herself up. “I had to drop off that package, remember?”
“Oh yeah.” Juliet went to enter, but Aroha blocked her way. “Please move; I hafta see Ash.”
“He’s gone.”
“Where?”
“To a neighbours with Tiana and Angelo. Tiana got scared when some skinhead called Deano showed up.”
Juliet gasped. “Oh God, is she alright?”
“Yeah, just shaken, but he might come back, so you should get outta here.”
“You too. Deano’s a psycho.”
“I will, I’ve just gotta grab my bag, so go, I’ll meet ya back home.”
Banging started up inside the house.
“What’s that?” Juliet asked, angling her head around Aroha.
Aroha pushed her away from the door and closed it, shutting them both out. “Please, Juliet, you hafta leave now.”
Juliet glanced through the living-room window as someone dashed across the kitchen and into the passage, the glimpse enough to tell her that it was a tall man. She looked back at Aroha, the woman’s expression now terrified, the cracks in the foundation along her forehead pronounced. Then Aroha opened her mouth, the whisper of a name bringing Juliet’s world to a standstill: Chaz. Juliet stared at Aroha in disbelief, because her stepfather couldn’t be here, not at Tiana’s, he didn’t know about this place.
When she didn’t move, Aroha grabbed her by the arm and practically dragged her down the steps, almost making her fall over. Behind them, the front door banged open, capturing Juliet’s attention more than Aroha’s bony grip. She pulled free and spun around, then stopped, the shock at seeing her stepfather freezing her in place. Although she didn’t remember what he looked like, the scar and teardrop tattoos on his face were dead giveaways as to who he was: someone who she knew would kill her in a heartbeat.
A scream ripped out of her lungs as he jumped down the steps. Aroha pushed Juliet aside and leapt at him, screaming and clawing like a crazed banshee out for blood. Without a second thought, Juliet scrambled to her feet and ran, the terror of seeing the man who’d killed her mother causing her to shoot across the road without looking. A Jeep Wrangler screeched to a halt, barely missing her. She turned, ready to beg the driver for help, then screamed louder as Chaz emerged from the property, the blood on his face matching his murderous glare. He went for her, then quickly backed up as the driver jumped out, the man even bigger than Chaz. Juliet watched with hope, which quickly disappeared with one punch, Chaz flooring the man. Before the driver hit the ground, Juliet was off again, pumping her powerful legs like she was at the Olympics, chewing up the footpath faster than she’d ever run at any track meet. After she’d passed several properties, she glanced back. Chaz was nowhere in sight, although the driver still lay on the road.
Trying to work out what to do next, she glanced around, then headed into the closest property, a small brick house. She banged on the door, her heart pounding so fast she thought it was going to smash a hole through the wooden panel.
A chain jingled, then the door cracked open. “What do you want?” a female voice asked harshly.
Everything came out of Juliet’s mouth all at once, a jumbled mix of names and fear.
The woman cut her off at the mention of Angelo. “Come inside,” she said, opening the door fully.
Juliet followed the middle-aged woman into a lounge. The woman grabbed the phone off a wall cabinet and dialled, giving out the details to the emergency people. Two young boys entered the room through another doorway, asking what was happening. “Don’t go outside,” the woman answered, “The police are coming for a bad man.”
Juliet’s gaze moved to the older of the boys. He was Angelo’s age. The image of those teardrop tattoos on Chaz’s face shot across her mind, along with their meaning... Oh God, Angelo!
She rushed out of the lounge, terror moving her forward, making her no longer concerned for her own safety.
The woman called out to her, “You can’t go back.”
Juliet opened the front door and jumped down the steps, sprinting for Tiana’s place, the Jeep and its owner now gone. She stopped in front of Tiana’s driveway, her eyes scanning the property, ready to take off in a second if Chaz showed. Aroha’s van was still parked in front of Tiana’s Suzuki, but the woman was nowhere in sight. Juliet stood for a moment, fear now telling her she should leave, while her heart screamed at her to move forward, to call out to Chaz, to try anything to distract him, giving the police enough time to arrive.
Something banged on the other side of the van, making her jump. Through the windscreen she could see... She clamped a hand over her mouth as Chaz heaved someone inside. Although Chaz’s body blocked her view, she caught a glimpse of his captive’s arms, the tattoos on the left one telling her that it was Ash. She glanced behind her at Corey’s car, her mind working overtime, trying to think of anything to stop Chaz from leaving. Pulling out the keys, she ran for the driver’s side and got in, starting the engine before she could count to ten. She quickly backed up, blocking the driveway off as Chaz came around the corner of the van. Screaming, she jumped out and sprinted down the road, glancing back to see if Chaz had followed. When she couldn’t see him, she headed into the property she’d run to earlier, the woma
n with the phone waiting for her by the front door.
A loud bang made her stop in her tracks. She turned to see Corey’s car being shunted forward by Aroha’s van. Now hysterical, Juliet took off down the road, sprinting as fast as she could for her brother, her ragged voice calling out his name. The van backed up again, then rammed into Corey’s car once more before driving off in the opposite direction, Juliet too far away to do anything even if she was capable, which she knew she wasn’t. She came to a stop and put her hands on her knees, not caring that she was crying in the middle of the road, only that Ash was gone. A man came out of the property across from her, asking what was happening. She ignored him and headed for Tiana’s house, letting out a startled shriek as she entered through the front door. Aroha was lying face down on the wooden floorboards, the blood next to her head painting a picture of death. Juliet dropped to her knees, desperately fumbling for a pulse. Relief flooded her when she found one.
Banging started up from Angelo’s room. Getting to her feet, Juliet opened the door, finding both Angelo and Tiana tied up. Angelo was lying on the floor, gagged and secured to a chair, although one of his legs had managed to get free. He stopped thumping the cabinet with his foot and looked up, his eyes filled with tears.
Juliet ran over and pulled out the gag, giving him a hug before trying to untie his arms. When she couldn’t get them undone, she went to Tiana, who was tied to the bed, and removed the material from her mouth. Instantly, Tiana started screaming for Ash.
Needing to untie them, Juliet went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife then returned, freeing Angelo first. As soon as the last rope was cut, he shot out of the room, shouting, “Dad!” which was quickly followed by a scream.
Juliet dashed out after him, almost getting bowled over as he changed direction and ran into her arms, no doubt terrified from seeing Aroha lying still on the floor. “She’s not dead,” Juliet said, ushering him back to his mother.
She then cut Tiana free. Like Angelo, Tiana jumped up and ran out of the room, but called out Ash’s name instead. Juliet followed her in a daze, unable to tell her what she’d seen, that he was gone, her tears choking her up.
When Tiana had finished scouring every room and the backyard, she headed for the road with Juliet in tow, her cries for Ash mixing in with the sound of a siren as a police car rounded the corner.
Behind the Tears (Behind the Lives) Page 23