“He didn’t!” I snapped, a flash of anger flaring up. Again, how could Hemi believe me, when Jasper hadn’t? I might not have told him about the rape, but I did about his auntie perving on me.
Hemi let go of my shoulders. “What do you mean by that?”
“He didn’t believe me when I told him she wuz eye-fucking me.”
“When did you tell him?”
“The first day of school.”
“And he did nuthin’?” he asked, looking stunned.
“Other than kick me for insulting her.”
Fury flashed across his face. “He kicked you?”
I nodded. “He basically told me I wuz a liar.”
“Is that why you didn’t tell anyone else? Cos of my fuckin’ moron of a son?” he spat.
I shook my head. “I couldn’t risk her gettin’ Hunter hurt. And he will be if you tell my dad. You can’t tell him. Hunter’s a good dude, he did me a favour. You hafta believe me.”
“You think I give a shit ’bout you selling drugs?” he snapped. “I sell fuckin’ stolen cars!” He spun around and headed down the passageway.
I ran after him. “What are you gonna do?” I asked, now even more afraid, because he looked like he was going to blow.
He ignored me, turning left into the main part of the club. People looked up as he hollered, “Where’s Ngaire?!”
His brother pushed to his feet. “Why? What’d she do?”
“Just tell me where that sick bitch is!”
“The kitchen,” the guy sitting next to Killer said.
Hemi headed for it. I ran after him, Killer following close behind, along with the guy next to him. “What’d she do?” Killer asked again, pushing in front of me.
Hemi ignored him and shoved through the kitchen door, yelling, “Ngaire!”
I ran in after him, along with the other two, going still as Hemi rushed his sister. She was standing by the sink, doing dishes with Kapo’s woman. Kapo’s old lady shot away from the bench, while Ngaire screamed. She lifted her hands out of the sink as Hemi grabbed her, spraying dishwater over them both. Killer went for Hemi, trying to pull him away from Ngaire, but Hemi was unmovable, all of Killer’s strength useless against the bull of a man.
“You dirty fuckin’ bitch!” Hemi yelled, slamming Ngaire against the wall face first.
She cried out.
“Get offa her!” Killer shouted, slinging an arm around Hemi’s neck.
He yanked at his brother, trying to wrench him away. Hemi whipped his head back, slamming it into Killer’s forehead. Yelling out in pain, Killer let go of Hemi’s neck and swung out, hitting his brother in the back. Hollering, Hemi let go of Ngaire and spun around, punching Killer in the face, knocking him to the floor. Hemi turned back to Ngaire as she ran for the door. Jasper burst through the doorway with a couple of gang members, stopping Ngaire in her tracks. Taking advantage, Hemi grabbed his sister’s hair and yanked her to him, ripping an ear-splitting scream out of Ngaire. He pushed her to the floor and raised a boot, looking like he was going to stomp on her. Jasper shot forward, shoving his dad back, causing Hemi to almost lose his footing. He righted himself and went to push Jasper aside, but Jasper batted his hand away, planting himself firmly in front of his auntie.
“Back off!” he yelled at his dad, his expression furious and a touched stunned.
“You li’l shit!” Hemi spat with so much force that Jasper backed up, knocking into Ngaire. “You’ve known Dante all your life and you ignore him?!”
“What are you talkin’ ’bout?” Jasper’s eyes darted to me, silently begging me to explain what was happening.
Hemi jabbed a finger at Jasper. “Dante told you that Ngaire wuz creeping on him and you did nuthin’ to help him.”
Jasper’s eyes widened. “Dante talks shit all the time. You can’t seriously think Auntie would do sumpthin’ like that?”
“He’s not talkin’ shit! He also said you kicked him when he told you.”
“Cos he insulted Auntie!” Jasper threw a glare my way, no question in his eyes that I was at fault here.
“Which she deserved!”
Hemi’s eyes snapped to his sister. Ngaire was crawling towards the doorway, taking advantage of his distraction. Realising he’d noticed, she screamed and pushed to her feet, reaching for the door. Hemi grabbed her before she could escape, yanking her back. She kicked and screamed as he lifted her off the floor.
Jasper bashed into the back of his dad. “Let her go!”
Hemi spun Ngaire around, forcing Jasper to back up. “Ask Dante, fuckin’ ask him what he told me.”
Jasper focused on me again, anger pulling at his expression. “What did you tell him?” he spat, his voice filled with accusation.
I shook my head at him and looked back at Hemi. “You promised not to say anything.”
“I didn’t promise you anything, Dante.” Hemi’s face twisted, his features pained. “You should’ve come to me, should’ve told me what she said. I would’ve protected you. Would’ve believed you, unlike my bloody son, who has no right to call himself your friend—”
“I don’t understand any of this,” Jasper said, cutting him off. “Dante talks shit all the time. He’s the king of shit-talking. You know that. And attacking Auntie and Uncle over it... What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Ngaire raped Dante!” Hemi yelled.
“No, I didn’t!” Ngaire shouted in his arms. “The boy’s a liar!”
“No, you’re the liar!” Hemi’s gaze shot to me. “Ngaire got a tattoo when she wuz sixteen, a shitty handmade one. I saw it once after I found her passed out drunk at a party, with the arsehole who did it. What does it say and where is it?”
I grimaced, wishing I could bleach it from my mind, the tattoo as ugly as Ngaire’s personality.
“Answer me!”
I jolted. “It says Jonah and it’s on her arse.”
Before anyone could blink, Hemi was hauling Ngaire towards the dining room table, shoving her face first onto it. She resumed screaming and struggling against him, but to no avail, her brother too big. Placing a massive forearm across her back, Hemi yanked her skirt up and pulled her knickers down. JONAH was blackened across one arse cheek, the tattoo hideous to look at.
Jasper backed up, his eyes wide with horror. Killer stopped rubbing his head and rose to his feet, his eyes just as horrified as Jasper’s.
“Now do you fuckin’ believe Dante?!” Hemi yelled at Jasper.
Jasper’s shocked gaze moved to me. “Why would you fuck her?”
“He didn’t do it willingly,” Hemi answered for me. “She blackmailed him, saying she’d tell his dad ’bout him selling drugs. What do you think his father would do if he found out who supplied Dante with drugs?”
Jasper closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them, a sheen of moisture turning his hazel eyes olive. “He’d attack Hunter.”
“And what do you think Dante would do to stop that from happening?”
Jasper shook his head, although his expression said everything. He knew I would do anything to protect my cousin.
“It’s not what it sounds like,” Ngaire sobbed beneath Hemi’s forearm.
Hemi’s eyes snapped back to her.
She covered her head. “No, Hemi, no! Please don’t hit me!”
“You make me sick!” he spat. “Dante’s not even half your age.”
“Lemme explain.”
“Explain what? That you blackmailed a fifteen-year-old kid into having sex with you?” His voice broke. “You know what happened to me, you know it’s why I eat myself to death, yet you did the same fuckin’ thing to Dante? How could you do that?” he said, not appearing to have noticed he had an audience, the gang members watching on in rapt silence.
Ngaire continued to sob, “It’s not the same, Hemi. What happened to you wuz totally different. You were a kid.”
“Dante’s a kid! And rape is rape!” he yelled, his words shocking me. Jasper also looked shocked, Killer too.
<
br /> “It wuzn’t rape, he penetrated me.”
Hemi’s face twisted with disgust. “Are you fuckin’ stupid? Just cos you’re a woman doesn’t mean you didn’t rape him. He didn’t wanna fuck you, but you forced him to. That’s rape.”
“No, it’s not. He liked it, he even came.”
“You dirty fuckin’ cunt!” Hemi flung her to the floor.
Ngaire cried out and scrambled to her feet. Holding out her hands, she backed away from her brother, banging into a gang member.
Hemi’s glare snapped to the man, then took in the others, finally registering them. The next second he was yelling, “Get out!” When they didn’t move, he yelled louder, taking a threatening step towards one of them. They took off, along with Kapo’s woman. Ngaire went to leave too.
Hemi grabbed her arm and yanked her back. “Not you.”
“Please, Hemi,” she begged, trying to break his grip. “You can’t compare what Uncle Eti did to you, to what I did with Dante. He hurt you, I didn’t hurt Dante.”
“If you didn’t hurt him, then why wuz he shaking and tearing up when he told me? Eh? Explain that.”
“He’s lying through his teeth to get outta trouble.”
“No, you’re the one doin’ that.”
“I’m not! I’m the victim here, not that fuckin’ ho. He’s playin’ you.”
Hemi sneered at her. “More like you’re tryna play me, and it ain’t working. Though, I’d like to see ya say that shit to Tane. He’ll kill ya for callin’ his boy a ho, let alone touching him.”
Ngaire yanked her arm free. “Why should he care? He’s a fuckin’ ho too. That walking hard-on pro’bly taught Dante the tricks of the trade.”
Hemi’s hand whipped out, punching her in the face. She cried out and stumbled back, almost losing her footing. Her hands went to her mouth, blood coming from it. Hemi advanced on her, his expression chilling.
She held out a bloody hand. “Stop it, Hemi,” she said, her voice muffled by her other hand. “He’s not innocent.” Her back hit the wall. “He’s a drug dealer and a whore, for real. Women pay him for sex. I’ve got proof, taped it offa his phone.”
“That wuz a misunderstanding!” I yelled. “Some bitches got the wrong end of the stick, assumed I wuz one, but I would never whore myself out. I fucked them cos I wanted to, not for money.”
Ngaire dropped her hand. “Liar!” she spat, blood spraying from her mouth. “I’ve got proof.”
“Proof you fuckin’ used it to blackmail him!” Hemi barked.
Her face fell, what she’d given away dawning on her. “No, it’s not like that,” she spluttered.
“It sounds exactly like that. You used blackmail to rape my best mate’s kid.”
“I’m telling ya it wuzn’t rape! And he’s pro’bly had more sex than the both of us combined. You see what he looks like,” she said, indicating to me, “you can’t blame me for wanting a piece like those other bitches. And you pay for sex.”
“With adults!”
“A ho is still a ho.” She sneered at him, her bloodied lips and teeth looking ghoulish. “And you can’t judge me with the shit you do. You take part in gangbangs.”
“Consenting ones.”
“What woman would consent to you?” she said, indicating to his stomach. “And if you say one word to Tane, I will tell the cops ’bout your perversions, ones that’ll get you locked up.”
He blinked at her. “Now you’re tryna blackmail me?”
“Tane will kill me if he finds out what I did with Dante. You know that.”
“And you don’t think I will kill you?”
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t. You’re my brother.”
“No sister of mine would rape a child!”
Hemi struck her in the face again. Ngaire’s head whipped back, bouncing off the wall behind her. Her legs gave out. She collapsed to the floor, unconscious before hitting it. Hemi reached down, his large hands wrapping around her throat. His expression wasn’t right, something having snapped.
Jasper went for his dad, yelling, “No!” He grabbed his arms, trying to break the chokehold. Hemi let go of his sister and shoved his son away, but Jasper latched on to him again, screaming at him to stop.
The Sousa twins burst through the door, followed by Kapo’s woman. She indicated to Hemi, yelling at the twins to help Ngaire. The Sousas advanced on Hemi, looking like two pumas in their black leather, ready to pounce. Jasper let go of his dad and stepped in front of him, changing from fighting to protecting Hemi.
Jasper held his hands out. “Everyone needs to calm their shit down,” he said, looking scared, and for good reason. The Brazilian twins were brutal street fighters, nasty bastards who fought dirty.
Rafael Sousa spat on the floor. Unlike his brother’s wavy brown hair, his was shorn short. He also had a scar cutting across his nose and right eyebrow, giving him a vicious look. “Women bashers get what’s coming to them,” he said, his accent thick.
Jasper shook his head. “I didn’t—”
Before my mate could finish his sentence, Rafael ran at him, while his twin zipped around them. Matheus ‘Mattie’ Sousa leapt off the floor, striking Hemi in the face, while Rafael swept Jasper’s legs out from under him. Killer yelled out and ran at Rafael, who spun around, doing a roundhouse kick into Killer’s stomach. Killer flew backwards, crashing to the floor with a loud thud. Rafael’s face fell, as though he’d just realised who he’d kicked. He went to Killer, who had rolled onto his side, trying to suck in breath, probably badly winded. Rafael placed a hand on Killer’s arm, asking if he was all right, his voice uncharacteristically soft.
Mattie yelled out for his twin’s help. Although he was holding the Raketes off, Jasper back on his feet, he looked like he was tiring. When his brother didn’t come to his aid, more concerned with Killer, Mattie dropped down and swept Jasper’s feet out from under him, doing the exact same move as his brother had done, Jasper falling for it twice, literally.
Hollering in fury, Hemi barrelled into Mattie, knocking him into the wall by Ngaire. Rafael jumped up and went for Hemi, hitting him in the jaw from side on. Hemi barely flinched, the guy having an iron jaw. Though, the punch had hurt Rafael, the guy swearing blue murder as he shook his hand out. But it was enough distraction for Mattie to get the upper hand over Hemi. He started moving too fast for Hemi to block every strike, blood now coming from his nose and mouth.
I went to help Hemi, but Jasper sprung onto Rafael’s back, knocking him away from his dad, momentarily distracting Mattie. Taking advantage, Hemi head-butted Mattie, sending him staggering back. Before he could right himself, Hemi threw a punch, lifting Mattie off his feet, Hemi’s fist almost as big as the guy’s head. Hemi then turned to Rafael, who was getting the better of Jasper, my mate not having a chance against him.
Hemi ripped Rafael away from Jasper, tossing him across the floor. Rolling over, Rafael went into a crouch, not even looking at his injured brother, too fixated on Hemi to notice that Mattie was on his hands and knees, spitting blood and a tooth out.
Breathing heavily, Hemi reached behind him and removed a gun from his pants, pointing it at Rafael.
“You don’t pull a gun on a brother!” Rafael hollered, referring to the gang’s brotherhood, not blood.
“You don’t attack your vice prez either!” Hemi yelled back, his face messed up even worse than Ngaire’s.
Rafael pointed a finger at him. “What did you expect after you beat the shit out of your sister? You don’t raise a hand against a woman. Ever!”
“She’s not a woman!” Hemi spat back. “She’s a fuckin’ rapist!”
A loud sob penetrated the room. I looked at Ngaire, thinking she’d regained consciousness, but she was still out cold—or dead. Another sob sounded. My eyes moved to Jasper. He was slumped on the floor, crying, “She wuz my mum,” the wuz sounding like he thought Ngaire was dead.
Hemi breathed out and shook his head. “She’s not your mum, boy.”
“She’s t
he only one I knew.” Jasper turned to Ngaire, but instead of hugging her, he curled over himself, his sobs breaking my heart. His auntie had raised him after his real mother had abandoned him, though I’d never heard him call her his mum before.
Hemi squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, looking like he was having trouble holding it together too, then he slipped the gun away and bobbed down behind Jasper, pulling his son into his arms.
The club’s president appeared through the doorway, my dad staggering in behind him, making me tense up. The prez’s eyes swept the room, taking in everything, from Ngaire to Hemi and Jasper, to the Sousas and Killer, the latter still trying to suck in air. Kapo’s old lady swiped up an inhaler that must have fallen out of Killer’s pocket and gave it to him. Killer took a couple of puffs, while she rubbed his back, talking to him softly.
The prez’s glare settled on the Sousas, Rafael in particular. He was a tall, muscular man like my dad, just paler, his olive skin lighter than mine. Zoran Matich also had what my dad called the Croatian bump on his nose and the palest of eyes that changed from blue to green, depending on his mood. And right now, they were so pale they looked washed out.
He stepped closer to the twins. “What the fuck is wrong with you two?” he boomed at the Sousas, probably assuming they were in the wrong, which they usually were, the two often provoking fights. “You attack your vice prez and his family?”
“I’m the one who bashed Ngaire.” Hemi let go of Jasper and rose to his feet.
The prez’s head snapped around to his vice prez, his expression shocked. “What?”
Hemi brought a hand to his chest, sounding like he could do with Killer’s inhaler. “If I told you why, you wouldn’t be lookin’ at me like that.”
“Then tell me!” the prez boomed, his face turning beet red. “Because no VP of mine would raise a hand against a woman, and especially not family.”
Hemi pointed at my dad. “I’ll tell ya after you get that useless prick outta ’ere.”
My dad stopped rubbing his face, his eyes snapping up to Hemi. “What the fuck did I do?”
“Nuthin’!” Hemi bellowed. “That’s the problem. You weren’t here for your son. Too busy boozing and fucking.”
Shattered Poetry (Broken Lives #2) Page 31