Behind the Tears (Behind the Lives) (14 page)

Sledge felt his heart stop. He glanced over his shoulder. Juliet was now standing next to Beth, her eyes wide, her thoughts no doubt the same as his.

Panicked, he turned back to the nurse and pointed at the corridor. “Didja see my brother go down there? He has a tattoo round his left eye.”

“Yes, but I don’t know where he went.”

Her answer didn’t matter, because he already knew: Dante was missing, and the prisoner who the nurse had described sounded too much like Chaz. Terrified for Dante’s safety, Sledge took off down the corridor with Beth and Juliet following close behind, the nurse’s shouts trailing after them. They rounded a corner, ran the length of another corridor and pushed through a set of double-doors, almost smacking into two policemen.

The officers’ hands went to their batons, one of them yelling at them to leave the area.

“A prisoner took my brother!” Sledge shouted, more interested in getting their help than fluffing around with details.

The older, and fatter, of the policemen gave Sledge a once over. “Describe him.”

“He’s tall, with a tattoo round his left eye.”

“I know where he is. He was mistakenly pepper-sprayed and is being attended to.”

“How the hell did that happen?”

“We thought he was going to attack a prisoner. Turns out it was his uncle.”

Sledge screwed up his face. “Eh? What uncle? We don’t have any in Auckland.”

“A Seth Greenwood.”

“That’s my mate’s stepfather.” Sledge’s eyes went round. “And my stepfather’s last name.” The nurse’s words about the two brothers came to mind. Shit, they couldn’t be brothers, otherwise he would’ve known, Tama would’ve told him. Plus, Greenwood wasn’t exactly an uncommon name.

“Then the guy’s your uncle,” the cop said, snapping Sledge’s attention back to the fat pig.

“Where is he?”

“In there,” the cop said, pointing to the room behind him. “I can take you in, plus your brother will need help to get home.”

The younger cop took up position behind Sledge’s group as they headed into the room. Dante lay on his back on a hospital bed with a mask over his face and a towel covering his eyes.

“Dante!” Beth pushed past Sledge, her distressed cry making Dante turn his head. “Why’s he cuffed? Uncuff him now!”

“It was for his own safety,” the fat cop said, “So he doesn’t rub his eyes—”

A mild Australian accent cut the officer off, the voice coming from behind the green curtain next to Dante’s bed. “Bullshit, the nurse was scared of him. She thought Dante was a gang-member.”

Sledge walked up to the curtain, and pulled it across.

With striking pale blue eyes, Tama’s stepfather smiled up at him. “G’day, Sledge, how ya doin’?”

Sledge stared in stunned silence, still unable comprehend how Seth could be related to Chaz.

“Not so happy to see me?” Seth said.

“But you’re... You can’t be... What the fuck?”

“They told you I’m your uncle?”

Sledge nodded in shock.

“Sorry, mate, but when Tama first brought you home from school all those years ago I wasn’t exactly happy he made friends with a Rata. I was afraid your brothers would find out I was related to Chaz and try to take revenge on my kids, so I kept it quiet. And don’t blame Tama, he didn’t know. Well, not until he got thrown into prison alongside me and my brother. Guess being a crim is in the family blood.”

“You can’t be Chaz’s brother,” Sledge said, not wanting it to be true. He liked Seth, the guy was nice. He didn’t want him to be related to the sick bastard who had destroyed his family.

“Well, I am, and look at me, I do resemble him.”

“Not that much, just your colouring and eyes,” Sledge said, trying to find any excuse to unrelate Seth from Chaz.

 Seth’s expression saddened. “I’m sorry for what my brother did to your family. It shattered me when I heard about it. I was so ashamed of him that I hid having a brother from my wife and kids.” He breathed out, his breathing rattling. “But, I never stopped loving him. I can’t, even though at times I want to, cos I hate what he did, but he wasn’t always sick, and if it wasn’t for him I could be the same. He protected me when we were kids. My uncle raised us...” Seth’s face twisted into a mask of hatred. “That sick pervert bloody made Chaz’s life hell, doing all sorts of shit to him. Then the sick bastard went for me on my tenth birthday. Chaz talked him out of it, said he would go with him willingly as long as my uncle didn’t touch me. He was twelve years old,
twelve years old
!” Tears glistened in Seth’s eyes. “I didn’t say a word, just hid under my bed, listening to Chaz crying.” He closed his eyes, and shook his head. “But, I still can’t believe Chaz hurt Ash in the same way when he hated what was done to him.”

Juliet started sobbing. Sledge turned to her, but instead got distracted by Beth, her reaction surprising him. Her eyes had gone big, the shock and disbelief he saw mirrored in them reflecting how he’d felt at the hearing. “Ash didn’t tell you?” he said, already knowing the answer, although he couldn’t believe it was true. If he had a partner, there was no way he’d hide something that big, no matter how difficult it would be to say.

She shook her head, her features slowly cracking, the disbelief now turning into tears.

Sledge turned back to Seth, the whole situation surreal, like he was stuck in a soap opera where every second something new and shocking was revealed. And he didn’t know how to handle it, or how he was expected to react to Seth’s story. He still hated his stepfather—
with a fucking passion
—and could never forgive him for hurting his brothers and taking away his mother—
no matter what
—but the sorrow in Seth’s voice unsettled him, as well as the guilt on the man’s face. It reminded him of Dante, who Sledge knew wrongly blamed himself for their mother’s death.

“No fuckin’ sob story can change how I feel,” Sledge snapped at Seth, annoyed he felt sorry for the guy. “That sick freak killed my mother! I want him to suffer for what he did to her and my brothers.”

“I know,” Seth said. “He has suffered.”

“He deserves to! He destroyed my family.”

Seth squeezed his eyes shut. “My family’s destroyed too. My wife committed suicide, someone else is raising my daughter, and my brother thinks I’ve betrayed him cos my stepson thought it was a great fuckin’ idea to try and kill his uncle.”

“Tama tried to kill Chaz?” Sledge said, not believing his ears.

“Yeah, him and a kid called Zane ambushed Chaz this morning. I don’t know how Tama could do that to me...” Seth’s voice broke. “He couldn’t even stand Zane, hated that li’l punk’s guts, but he still helped him attack Chaz.”

“But, why would he do that?”

“He found out what Chaz did to Ash. Cos of it he started becoming more aggressive towards my brother, constantly threatening him. I had to hold him back a few times, and even had to stop Chaz from goin’ at him too, cos they both hated each other.”

“But Tama didn’t like my bro, Ash scared him shitless.”

“He respected Ash, and he loves you like a brother. Tama may be delusional in many ways, but when it comes to his mates, he will even go against his own family. He’s also a deeply prejudiced bastard, and would insult anyone he considered gay in prison. It made my life a living hell trying to defend him, cos he didn’t care whether the guys he insulted were big or not.”

Beth pushed in front of Sledge. “Who attacked your brother first?” she said, her face almost panicked.

“Tama, then Zane. They came at him from different angles. I tried to stop them, but my mates were also in on it. Nick and Sammy held me back. But Chaz must’ve realised something was up, cos he was too quick for the kids. He knocked Tama down, then went for Zane, but Tama got back up and stabbed him in the back. Chaz turned on Tama, punching the shit outta him. I was screaming at him to stop, then the guards came and all hell broke loose. The other prisoners started attacking the guards and each other. That was when I was let go, cos me and my mates had to defend ourselves too.”

“How old is the other person who attacked Chaz?” Beth asked, almost shouting.

“’Bout a couple of years older than Tama, I’d say twenty. Why?”

Beth started shaking her head. “No, he can’t be.”

Seth looked at her confused. “What’s wrong, love?”

“Tama’s eighteen.”

“Yeah, so?”

“The-the news said...” She took in a large gulp of air. “Tha-that the per-person who caused the attack wuz eighteen.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You do-don’t understand. They said the eighteen-year-old is...” Her tears muffled her last words.

“Is what?”

“Dead.”

12

Dante

Voices awoke Dante. Feeling groggy, he went to take off the damp cloth covering his eyes, but something around his wrists prevented him. He yanked at the metal, not understanding why he was held down.

A hand landed on his arm. “Relax, bro, the pig said he’ll remove the cuffs once you wake up.”

The material over Dante’s eyes was removed. Fluorescent light stung his eyes.

“Can you see alright?” Sledge asked.

Dante squinted at the blurry form of his brother hovering over him. His eyes still stung, but not as bad as before... The memory of being pepper-sprayed returned. He yanked at the handcuffs, more pissed over being sprayed than restrained. “Get them offa me!”

“Oi, Pig!” Sledge shouted. “Shit, I mean, Cop. Remove the cuffs.”

Dante glanced over at the fat policeman approaching the bed, his vision clearing enough to recognise him. “You bastard!” he tried to yell, although it came out as a croak. His throat felt like someone had rubbed it with sandpaper. “Why didja pepper-spray me for?”

“Sorry, I thought you were gonna attack the prisoner,” the cop said, freeing one of Dante’s hands. He moved over to the other side.

Once his other hand was freed, Dante sat up and rubbed his wrists. He must’ve been yanking pretty hard, because the skin was broken. “I thought I heard my stepfather.” He swallowed. “I need a drink.” Sledge handed him a glass of water, which he gratefully gulped down.

“Did you know your uncle was here?”

“No.” Dante asked for more water. After drinking it down, he returned his attention to the cop, annoyed that the man didn’t look sorry. “I didn’t know he wuz my uncle,” he said, wishing he could punch the smarmy bastard.

The cop lifted his hat and scratched his bald spot. “That’s what your brother told me. Your uncle also confirmed it, but I needed to check that all your stories were straight, especially with what has just happened. Kind of thought it was too much of a coincidence to start with, but since I now I have all the information on your stepfather you guys are cleared.”

“What’re ya talkin’ ’bout?” Dante said, wiping at the corner of his eye.

“Your stepfather and another prisoner escaped.”

Dante went still, not believing what he was hearing.

The cop continued talking, “I have your brother’s phone number, so we’ll contact him once your stepfather has been apprehended, but I’d advise you stay someplace he isn’t aware of.”

Still stunned, Dante nodded automatically.

“If you’re feeling up to it, you can leave now.”

Dante swung his legs over the side of the bed, then almost fell back, Sledge catching him in time. He shook his head, feeling dizzy.

“You’ll still be feeling the effects of the pepper-spray,” the cop said. “You had a stronger than normal reaction to it. It usually reacts badly when the person sprayed has drugs in their system.”

Dante stared at the cop, trying to process what he was saying.

The cop grimaced at him.

Dante finally clicked onto what the man was getting at. “Don’t look at me like that; I’m not a drug addict. I take bipolar medication.”

“What’s the medication called?” the cop asked.

“None of your fuckin’ business, and don’t think I’m letting you get away with pepper-spraying me. I’ll be filing a complaint against you.”

“That’s your prerogative, but I did everything by the book.” The cop left the room, settling himself into the chair outside the door.

“Prick,” Dante muttered.

“You’re bipolar?” Sledge asked.

Dante turned back to Sledge. “Yeah, but no one knows, so keep your mouth shut.”

“Why? Not like anyone will be surprised since Dad and Hunter are too.”

“Cos it’s my choice, and Hunter isn’t bipolar, he has psychosis.”

“Isn’t it the same thing?”

“Course it fuckin’ isn’t.”

“But, you appear normal.”

“Thanks,” Dante said, sarcastically.

“I didn’t mean it as an insult, I just meant you don’t act the same way as Dad.”

“Cos I don’t go off my meds like he does.” Dante frowned, realising he hadn’t taken any for the past two days. He’d never done that before, but with all the shit that had gone down, and not being able to find them, he’d let his routine slip. Although he felt stable, he needed to find them as soon as he got home.