"I didn't wanna hurt you, but you did this, you kept pushing me away. And you lied to me, cos I know you're still in love with your ex. If you could, you'd cheat on me in an instant to be with her."

"I would never cheat! I'd break things off if I wanted to be with someone else."

"Now you're lying, cos you want to be with her, not me."

"I didn't sleep with her, you slept with Dante."

"You pushed me."

"So, it's my fault you f.u.c.ked my brother?"

Her jaw clenched. "If you'd showed me love, instead of treating me like c.r.a.p, I wouldn't have done him. I showed you that I love you."

"You don't love me, cos you can't. You don't treat someone you love like that, cheat on them with their own brother. He's the closest family I have, the only person I could fully trust, who knows everything 'bout me. Now you stuffed that up. I've got no one now. No one!"

"That's your own fault! You push everyone away!"

"Get out!"

"This is my room."

"Get out!"

"I hate you, I hate you!" She went for the door, jolting back as it opened from the outside.

Dante stood in the pa.s.sage, blocking her exit. "What the h.e.l.l is goin' on?" His eyes widened. "What happened to your face, Beth?"

She pushed past him, the front door slamming a few seconds later.

Dante's gaze moved to Ash. "What did you do?"

"Me?" Ash charged at Dante, shoving him into the pa.s.sage wall.

Dante shoved him back, his expression now angry. "You don't hit women!"

Ash moved his face within a breath of Dante's. "She wuzn't crying cos of that, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You f.u.c.ked her!"

Dante's face went slack.

Ash pushed away from him. "f.u.c.king a married woman wuzn't enough for you, so you went after my one?"

"Oprosti mi."

"Your apology means s.h.i.t. You spoke to me over the phone like nuthin' had happened. You're only sorry you got caught."

Dante flinched. "I snapped. She wouldn't stop pushing me."

"You f.u.c.ked her cos you were mad at her?"

"No, I wanted her, always have, but I stopped it when I realised what I wuz doin'."

"So, you think that makes it right?" Ash spat. "You f.u.c.k her, then suddenly get a conscience after coming?"

"I stopped it before that. And she should've asked me out, not you. Everyone chooses you over me."

"Yeah, the rapists and cheaters choose me. Not sumpthin' to be f.u.c.kin' jealous over."

"You can't include Tiana in that. You should've stayed with her, but you hafta control everything and everyone completely. You never compromise, you just do as you please."

"I don't do as I please!" Ash yelled. "You're the one who does whatever the h.e.l.l you want. And if I did what I wanted, I wouldn't be selling drugs; I'd be with Tiana and Angelo."

"So Beth's a consolation, or with the way you treat her, a b.o.o.by prize, someone that's there cos you can't get what and who you want."

"She wuz still my woman! I never cheated on her."

"You don't own her! And you did cheat. You may not have f.u.c.ked someone else, but you would've dropped her in a second if Tiana came running back. Beth's just there when you feel like f.u.c.kin' someone. Stuff her feelings. Well, what didja expect her to do, stick around you forever while you treat her like c.r.a.p?"

Ash's hands clenched into fists.

"You don't even love Beth," Dante continued, his face going red with anger. "So, yeah, I f.u.c.ked her, but I also f.u.c.kin' love her. You ... you just f.u.c.k her, but give nuthin' back. You f.u.c.k everyone over, like Sledge. You're a violent a.r.s.ehole just like Dad!"

Words couldn't describe how Ash felt-not a cliche but reality.

Anger...

Hurt...

Betrayal...

...they weren't enough. Pure rage was closer to the mark. Every f.u.c.ked up thing that had ever happened to him battered his mind: his father beating him up, his stepfather raping him, his mother being killed in front of him, the woman he loved and trusted leaving with his child, his kid brother a.s.saulting his mate and his other brother f.u.c.king his girlfriend. He wanted to stop those thoughts, to punish the people who hurt him, to hit out...

again, again, and again...

Dante hollered, catching his attention. Ash froze, realising he'd been hitting his brother on autopilot. He dropped his hands and stared in shock at Dante's bloodied face. The next second Dante's fist barrelled into Ash's stomach, making him stumble back. Coughing, he looked up as Dante shoved him into the wall, slamming more breath out of him and jolting his head. Ash wobbled, confusion and dizziness taking over. He lifted a hand, then let it flop back down, too disorientated to understand the angry words spilling out of his brother's mouth. His eyelids wavered, then closed as he slid down the wall and onto his b.u.t.t. Banging reverberated throughout the house, but he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. He needed to sleep...

"Ash?" Dante said, his voice no longer angry. "I didn't hit you that hard."

Ash's chin was yanked up.

"Open your eyes," Dante said, slapping Ash's cheek. "What's happening to you?"

"My head," Ash mumbled, his words slurring.

"I didn't hit your head."

"Len did-" Ash slumped over.

10.

Dante Dante watched as another nurse went past, anxiously waiting for someone to tell him whether Ash was alright. His sister continued to babble in the seat next to him, increasing his anxiety.

"How could you do that, Dante, how could you?" Juliet hissed. Earlier, she'd turned up at his place, yelling and banging on the front door when she'd heard the fight.

Dante shoved his fingers through his hair. "I only punched him in the gut," he said quietly, self-conscious of being overheard. A woman with a toddler was giving him curious glances. He wondered whether it was because of his battered face. Although the blood had been cleaned off, he had bruising under his left eye while his mouth and jaw hurt like a motherf.u.c.ker-nothing broken, although it sure as h.e.l.l felt like it.

"Then how did he get knocked out?"

People stopped what they were doing and looked up.

"Lower your voice," Dante said. "We fought, but I never hit his head. He mentioned Len Jones. Ash phoned me earlier, saying he needed to brief me on sumpthin' that had gone down at the Joneses."

"The Joneses? I don't understand why Ash even went near those psychos after they tried to shoot you. You two are so stupid sometimes, it makes me wanna scream."

"Hey, we're not stupid."

"Stupid, thick-headed, brainless, testosterone-crazed men..." She covered her face, little hiccups accompanying her crying. "I couldn't take it if Ash died."

Dante placed an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a gentle squeeze. "He won't, he's strong, he'll be fine," he said with more confidence than he felt.

She leaned against his shoulder. "Why won't they tell us anything? It's been almost an hour now; I can't take it anymore."

"How 'bout I ask the nurse at the counter, while you try gettin' a hold of Sledge again."

"Sure," she sniffled, pulling away from him.

Dante headed for the nurses' station. Halfway across the waiting room, his phone went off. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket, glanced at the name, then clicked it on. "Beth-"

"I'm so sorry, Dante, I didn't mean to tell Ash. Are you okay?"

"No, Ash collapsed."

"What?! Is he alright?"

"I'm not sure, the doctors won't tell me."

"Where are you?"

"At Middleton hospital with Juliet."

"Why did he collapse?"

"Sumpthin' 'bout Len Jones. .h.i.tting his head."

"Oh G.o.d." She started crying.

Dante looked down at his feet. "Ash is strong, he'll be fine."

"I'm coming now." She hung up.

Dante opened up his contacts list, then hit Tiana's number. When she answered, he rattled off what he'd told Beth, getting the same startled response and an affirmation that she was coming. He hung up, then went to the nurses' station. He rapped on the countertop, attracting the attention of the young nurse talking on the phone.

She covered the receiver, "No, I have not heard anything about your brother," she said in a clipped manner. She was dressed in the nurses' lilac uniform with her brown hair pulled back into a tight bun and one h.e.l.l of a big nose, reminding him of his cousin Nadija. At first she'd been happy to answer his questions, but after a while she'd become abrupt, probably since both himself and Juliet had been pestering her every five minutes.

"Can't you check again?" he said. "It's been almost an hour since my bro arrived, they must know sumpthin' by now."

"Sir, I can't keep checking constantly, and I've already told you, I'll let you know when information comes through. Now, please take a seat."

A sound caught Dante's attention. His focus shifted to the corridor on his right. Halfway down it, the doctor he'd spoken to on arrival was following a male nurse, the latter pushing a gurney.

"No probs, I'll leave you be," Dante said to the nurse.

"Good. Thank you," she said, sounding both exasperated and relieved at the same time. She resumed her conversation on the phone.

Dante gave her a sideway glance, then started walking down the corridor fast, following where the doctor had gone. He didn't know whether he was allowed down there, as there had been a policeman standing at the entrance a few minutes ago, but stuff it, if the nurse wouldn't help him, he'd find out himself.

The doctor disappeared round the corner. Dante ran to catch up, his boots echoing down the corridor. He turned right, covered the length of the pa.s.sage, then pushed through a set of double-doors, coming to a sudden halt on the other side. Seated next to a doorway, a hulk of a policeman with a large beer gut looked up from the book he'd been reading. Seeing Dante, he jumped to his feet, dumping the book in a second.

"How'd you get past my partner?" the cop said, his hand going to his baton.

"There wuz no one there."

The cop swore. "b.l.o.o.d.y useless rookie, I've told him enough times not to walk away. Still, you're not allowed down here, so go back."

"I'm just tryna find out 'bout my brother. The doc looking after him went this way."

"Go ask at the nurses' station."

A loud voice hollered from the room the officer was guarding. "Copper!"

The cop made a grunting sound. "Why do I always get the s.h.i.t jobs?"

The person yelled louder, "Tell me about my stepson! Please ... I needa know, it's driving me insane!"

"I told ja, I'd tell ya when I know something, so stop asking!" The cop frowned at Dante. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

Dante remained still, that voice sounded like... His eyes widened. s.h.i.t! The prisoners from the riot were at Middleton. He went to look inside the room.

The cop stepped in front of him. "I won't ask you again. Leave. Now!"

"Who's in there?" Dante asked.

"You deaf? Move it or I'll make you."