Part 31 (1/2)
”And you're surprised after what I've just done? s.h.i.+t, you really are dumb.”
”You lied to me!”
”You believed what you wanted.”
”No, you lead me into thinking things. G.o.d, how old wuz he when you raped him?”
”A week away from sixteen.”
”Fifteen! How could you?”
”I tried not to! f.u.c.k! Stop making me feel like s.h.i.+t.”
”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 f.u.c.k 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 h.e.l.l 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 b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You can't do that to me.”
”Then don't threaten me! I f.u.c.kin' saved your a.r.s.e 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 b.l.o.o.d.y 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. ”s.h.i.+t! Look what you've done now. Just get rid of whoever it is, cos if they spot me I'll f.u.c.kin' 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. G.o.d! 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 G.o.d, 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 pa.s.sage, 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 p.r.o.nounced. 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 pa.s.sed several properties, she glanced back. Chaz was nowhere in sight, although the driver still lay on the road.
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.