Part 12 (1/2)

”No f.u.c.kin' 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 f.u.c.kin' 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 s.h.i.+tless.”

”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 b.a.s.t.a.r.d, and would insult anyone he considered gay in prison. It made my life a living h.e.l.l 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 s.h.i.+t outta him. I was screaming at him to stop, then the guards came and all h.e.l.l 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 m.u.f.fled 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 p.i.s.sed over being sprayed than restrained. ”Get them offa me!”

”Oi, Pig!” Sledge shouted. ”s.h.i.+t, I mean, Cop. Remove the cuffs.”

Dante glanced over at the fat policeman approaching the bed, his vision clearing enough to recognise him. ”You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” 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 gla.s.s 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, wis.h.i.+ng he could punch the smarmy b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

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 f.u.c.kin' business, and don't think I'm letting you get away with pepper-spraying me. I'll be filing a complaint against you.”