Behind the Tears (Behind the Lives) (31 page)

“No.” He snatched the mug out of her hand and headed into the lounge. He poured himself some coffee then took a sip, satisfied it was warm enough. He sat down on the couch as Aroha walked past with a cup of tea, her shaking hands making the teacup rattle against the saucer.

“What’s wrong with you?” he said. “Not enough booze in your system?”

“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 ain’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.