Part 29 (1/2)

”What a load of bull. It wuz your b.l.o.o.d.y temper that got him hurt, no one else. You shouldn't have attacked Tyler.”

”Tyler took advantage of him!”

”I doubt that. Corey's the one who takes advantage of people. Look what he did to Juliet, and not to mention what he did to you with the threesome. He's lucky you didn't bash him for that.”

”I wouldn't hurt him.”

”Maybe not intentionally, but you needa back off or else you're gonna push Corey further away. He needs someone like everyone else, and if it's Tyler then at least the guy's good looking and has a b.l.o.o.d.y nice car. Sheesh, I'd love to drive it again, and if Tyler's his boyfriend, he might let me. It wuz such a sweet ride-”

”It's just a car.”

”Are you crazy? It's not just a car, it's a freakin' Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 JTS. Didn't you hear that V6 engine? And if you were nicer to Tyler he might let you drive it too-”

”I don't wanna drive his b.l.o.o.d.y car; I want him to keep away from Corey.”

”That's Corey's decision not yours, and if he wants Tyler as a boyfriend, get over it, cos Corey won't stay your mate if you keep beating up his dates.”

”Tyler's not good enough for him.”

”Are you s.h.i.+tting me? Tyler's way outta Corey's league; I don't know why that dude is even interested in my bro.”

”No way. Corey is way better lookin' than Tyler. It's Tyler who's out-kicked his coverage, not the other way round.”

”Are you blind, dude? Tyler looks like a freakin' model, and that car wuz an absolute babe.”

”Shut the f.u.c.k up 'bout the car.”

”But it purred, man, it purred-”

”You care more about Tyler's car than your own brother! And if you're not gonna do anything 'bout that sleazebag, I will.”

”G.o.d, you're a selfish p.r.i.c.k. You don't have a right to say who Corey can and can't see.”

”I've got every b.l.o.o.d.y right, I f.u.c.kin' love him!”

”You what?”

Sledge went silent.

”Holy c.r.a.p!” Naf said. ”That's why you're all hyper, you're jealous. Man, I would never have pegged you for a f.a.g.”

”Cos I'm not, you moron! I love him as a mate.”

”Yeah, I really believe that.”

”If you don't shut the f.u.c.k up, I'm gonna come round and beat the s.h.i.+t outta you.”

”Sounds like you're being a bit overly defensive. And if you want Corey, he'd definitely say yes, my bro loves you too. Just tell him what you feel.”

”What I feel? And you're calling me a f.a.g? Go f.u.c.k yourself.” Sledge hung up, aching to smack Naf's face in. And reactions like Naf's were precisely why he couldn't go with Corey, because he had a bad problem with tripping over his tongue and saying the wrong thing. And if he f.u.c.ked Corey, someone would eventually find out... Sledge leaned his back against the shed, and closed his eyes. But he wanted to, although he didn't understand why. He wasn't into dudes, and the transvest.i.te couldn't be counted, because technically he got a hard-on for what looked like a chick. But how did it explain him getting one for Corey, and why was kissing Corey so much better than all the chicks he'd ever kissed. He wished Corey had just left it at the kiss, because it had been perfect, but the little s.h.i.+t had to ruin things by grabbing his c.o.c.k, then showing off his own one. As if he was going to touch that. No b.l.o.o.d.y way, he wasn't a f.a.ggot... Was he?

”Sledge!”

Sledge jumped, then poked his head around the corner of the shed to find Mr. Murphy looking for him. ”I'm here, Mr Murphy,” he said, stepping out.

”What're you doin behind there, lad?”

”Just needed some privacy, I don't like pigs... I mean cops.”

”It doesn't matter, you still have to talk to him, and he needs to ask you some more questions.”

”Yeah, I know.” Sledge followed Mr Murphy inside.

The officer looked up from the couch as they entered the lounge. ”Have you managed to get a hold of everyone?”

”Almost all, just...” Sledge swore. He'd forgotten Beth.” He pulled out his phone, getting her on the fourth ring. After relaying the message, Beth started babbling hysterically, asking where Dante and Ash were. ”Heading for Craven's. Look, I can't talk right now, I've gotta go, just don't go near the house. Chaz may not come back, but the pigs don't want anyone gettin' in the way if he does.” Sledge hung up before she could reply.

”Another thing,” the officer said, not looking amused. ”Do you know a Deano Jones?”

Sledge slid his phone into his jeans, realising he'd let slip the word pig. ”Not personally, other than he's Len's cousin. Why?”

”While you were outside a colleague radioed through, bringing me up to speed on a new situation that has arisen. After identifying his cousin's body, Deano Jones lost it and started ranting that he was going to kill your brothers, then took off.”

”And you lot didn't stop him?”

The officer frowned. ”They tried to, but Mr Jones attacked the two officers who were in attendance, knocking one out and breaking the other's nose. We're currently looking for him. A car is at his son's house right now in Freeman's Bay, while another is at his place.”

Sledge's face fell. ”My mate's at his son's house, and Tyler doesn't live in Freeman's Bay, it's Herne Bay.”

The cop grabbed his radio. ”We have Freeman's Bay on file, what's the new address?”

Sledge told him.

The officer radioed it through, then refocused on Sledge. ”Does Deano Jones know there's a connection between your family and your friend?”

”Not that I know of.” Sledge pulled out his phone and dialled Corey's number. It rang through to the message system. He left a brief message, warning Corey about Deano coming, then texted a message, then recalled him, hoping he'd pick up. When Corey didn't reply, he went for the door.

”Where are you going?” the officer asked.

”To get my mate back.”

25.

Corey Corey opened his eyes at the sound of banging. Yawning, he pulled his right arm out from under Tyler and sat up, the limb having gone stiff from the position. His mate continued to sleep, no doubt exhausted from all the c.r.a.p that had gone down earlier. Tyler looked battered and bruised, both emotionally and physically, his swollen eyes not only from Sledge's fists.

Corey ran a finger lightly over Tyler's split lip, upset that Sledge had hurt the guy again. Just because Tyler did him, didn't mean Sledge had a right to knock the poor bloke about, and it wasn't fair, there was no compet.i.tion between the two, Tyler was too soft to do damage to anyone. Man, why couldn't Sledge stop being a p.r.i.c.k and see that Tyler was nothing like his father, because if sons were clones of their dads he'd be a fat b.a.s.t.a.r.d who hated gays.