Behind the Tears (Behind the Lives) (32 page)

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 woman 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.

Juliet finally found her voice, anger now mixing in with anguish. “You’re too late!” she screamed at the approaching car.
“You’re too bloody late!”

28

Sledge

Sledge’s phone went off as he drove down the Southern Motorway. He clicked it on. “What?”

Juliet’s cries came over the line. “Chaz kidnapped Ash!”

Shocked, he let go of the steering wheel, making the car swerve into another lane. The driver next to him moved to avoid him, then blasted the horn as Sledge got the car under control. He pulled over to the side of the motorway, his hands shaking badly from the near miss and Juliet’s news.

“Sledge?”

“What about Dante?” he finally said, his heart still racing even though the car had stopped.

“He’s taken off.”

“Where are you?”

“Tiana’s.”

He started the engine back up. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“No, you have to go to Auckland Hospital.”

“Why?”

“Corey’s been hit by a car.”

“What?!”

“I called to tell Naf ’bout Chaz hurting Aroha, and he told me Corey’s in Critical Care.”

“Oh God, oh God.”

“Go to Corey, I’ll phone you when I hear any more news ’bout Ash.”

Sledge hung up and gunned the accelerator. His mind raced along with the car, torturing him, telling him that this was his fault, that Corey wouldn’t have been hurt if he hadn’t left.

He picked up speed, going as fast as he could without Juliet’s car falling to pieces. He turned off the motorway at Newmarket, swearing when the lights turned red. He stopped and thumped the steering wheel, screaming at it to change. As soon as it flashed green, he shot out of there like a Formula 1 driver, reaching the hospital within minutes.

He parked in the first space he found and jumped out, heading across the concrete, in between cars and onto the footpath, and bowling down a man when the bastard didn’t move out of the way fast enough. Without looking back, Sledge shot through the emergency entrance, zeroing in on the nurses’ station. Some women were talking to a nurse behind the counter. He pushed in front of them, ignoring their annoyed responses. “I’m after Corey Connor’s room,” he blurted out.

The nurse frowned at him. “Please wait in line; I was helping those women before you barged through.”

“I can’t wait, my best friend wuz hit by a car, he could die, I needa know which room he’s in. Please, I needa be with him,” Sledge said, almost in tears.

The woman’s expression softened. “Okay, just hold on a tick.” She tapped away at the computer, the seconds she took feeling like forever to Sledge. “He’s in Critical Care,” she finally said. “But only family are allowed through.”

“But, he’s my best friend.”

“Are you able to call his family? They may be able to help—”

Before she could finish, Sledge was dialling Naf. When his mate answered, he yelled, “They won’t lemme see Corey. I’m at the emergency entrance nurses’ station. Tell them to lemme see him, I hafta see him!”

“I’ll be right down.”

Sledge’s hand shook as he re-pocketed the phone. He stepped to the side and scanned all the doors, willing Naf to appear like magic. After a few minutes, his eyes snapped to his right as Naf exited a corridor. Sledge ran to him. “How is he?”

Naf looked distraught, his eyes red and swollen. “He’s unconscious. His right leg’s busted, and his face and ribs are pretty battered. He ran in front of a cop car tryna escape Tyler’s father.”

“Take me to him.”

“My dad said only family’s allowed.”

“He
is
my family!”

“Okay, man, if anyone says anything you’re my cousin, and ignore my dad, my mum will override him.”

They headed up an elevator and through a few corridors before coming to another nurses’ station. Naf spoke to the woman behind the desk, then poked his head into Corey’s room, telling Sledge only his mother was there, then took off, saying something about Aroha.

The nurse came out from behind the desk, and led Sledge into Corey’s room, spouting information he couldn’t process, because all he could see was Corey lying unconscious on a hospital bed with his face battered, bruised, and bandaged up to the hilt, while his left leg was in a cast and raised high.

First Tama, now Corey.

Although Tama’s death had hit him hard, he could grieve him, but Corey was different, he meant everything to him, even more than his own life. He didn’t know when things had changed between them, when Corey became more than a mate, but he knew it had, because it killed him seeing Corey like this.

His eyes moved to Corey’s heart-rate monitor, terrified that it would stop, because
his
bloody heart would too. God, he fucking loved the guy.

Mrs Connor wrapped her arms around Sledge, bringing him out of his stupor. He’d forgotten she was in here, because all he saw was Corey. He turned to her and pushed his face into her shoulder, letting it all out. Mrs Connor stroked his hair, saying soothing words, reassuring him that Corey would be alright. He didn’t know how long he’d cried for, but eventually she pulled free and steered him towards the bed, sitting him down by Corey.

She kissed Sledge on the head like a son, then wiped his face. “I understand what Corey is to you. I’ll give you a few minutes alone. His father will be back soon, so make the most of it.” She drew the curtains, leaving him alone with Corey.

Sledge reached out and touched the beanie on Corey’s head, which had been put over the bandages, no doubt by his mother, the woman one of the sweetest people he’d met. He then looked down at Corey’s hand for a moment before taking it. “I’m sorry,” he said, running his thumb across the pale skin, “I didn’t mean those things I said, I wuz angry and I wuz...”
jealous.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for leaving you there; I shouldn’t have walked off like that.” A sob escaped Sledge, the sound so loud in the room where only monitors reigned. “You can’t die, you’re not allowed to; you’re everything to me. I ... I love you, and if you don’t die, I’ll do anything, I’ll try to deal with things better, even meet you half-way. I don’t know how, but we can sort things out, just don’t die.” He wiped his eyes and nose. “Please wake up, you hafta, I can’t lose you.” His thumb moved over Corey’s knuckles, then he bent down and kissed them.

Footsteps made him jolt. He placed Corey’s hand down and turned to see Mr Connor push the curtains aside.

The man’s eyes narrowed in on Sledge, his pudgy face angry. “You’re not allowed in here, you’re not family.”

“He’s my best friend,” Sledge said, not willing to move from Corey’s side. “And Mrs Connor said I could stay.”

“I don’t give a damn what she says! If it wuzn’t for your sort, he wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

“My sort?”

“Gays.”

“I’m not gay and I wuz nowhere near him when he got hurt.”

“There’s no use lying to me; I know what my son is.”

Sledge stood up. “I ain’t lying, and what the hell do ya mean you know what Corey is, like he’s a thing?”

“He’s gay. You made him that way, and don’t bloody deny it. I saw how Corey followed you around like a love sick puppy, then I saw that repulsive shit on his computer. God! How could you do that to my boy?”

“I didn’t do anything to him, and what stuff on the computer?”

Mr Connor continued on, like he hadn’t heard Sledge, his face distorting in pain, his anguish stark. “When I threatened to kick him out if he didn’t stop seeing you, he yelled at me, told me that he loved
you
, that he was gonna move in with
you
, and that he didn’t care ’bout anything but
you
. He said this to me like I wuz nuthin’ to him. He chose
you
over his own family. I never kicked him out, he left! I wuz bluffing, I didn’t think my own son would turn his back on me.
You made him hate me!
”

Sledge stared at Mr. Connor in shock.

“So, don’t you dare lie to me, I know you two are boyfriends. But you got him hurt, and there’s no way I’m gonna back down this time. He’s my son! You can find someone else, I can’t. So fuck off, before I call security to throw you out.”

“Then get them, cos I ain’t leaving!”

Mrs Connor entered the room. “Stop it, John! Leave Sledge alone. He has a right to be here.”