"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, wishing 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."

"That's your prerogative, but I did everything by the book." The cop left the room, settling himself into the chair outside the door.

"p.r.i.c.k," Dante muttered.

"You're bipolar?" Sledge asked.

Dante turned back to Sledge. "Yeah, but no one knows, so keep your mouth shut."

"Why? Not like anyone will be surprised since Dad and Hunter are too."

"Cos it's my choice, and Hunter isn't bipolar, he has psychosis."

"Isn't it the same thing?"

"Course it f.u.c.kin' isn't."

"But, you appear normal."

"Thanks," Dante said, sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it as an insult, I just meant you don't act the same way as Dad."

"Cos I don't go off my meds like he does." Dante frowned, realising he hadn't taken any for the past two days. He'd never done that before, but with all the s.h.i.t that had gone down, and not being able to find them, he'd let his routine slip. Although he felt stable, he needed to find them as soon as he got home.

"Is Ash bipolar too?" Sledge asked.

s.h.i.t, Ash! "Is he alright?"

"Yup, he woke up 'bout half-an-hour ago. So, is he bipolar? Cos that would explain a lot."

"No, he's just a grumpy b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

Sledge smiled, then his face screwed up. "I love you, bro," he said, pulling Dante in a bear-hug.

Dante patted Sledge's arm, his brother's words making him feel good, well, as good as he could be with his eyes still burning like gonorrhoea. "I love you too, Sledge."

Sledge let him go, his expression broken.

"What's wrong?" Dante asked.

Sledge shook his head, his lips in a tight line.

A chill p.r.i.c.kled up Dante's arms. "Is Ash really alright?"

Sledge covered his face.

"You're scaring me, Sledge. What's happened?"

Sobbing started up in the next bed. Dante glanced at Chaz's brother. The man had one huge, muscular arm across his eyes. "What's wrong with him?"

"Tama..." Sledge said, dropping his hand. "He's dead."

Dante's mouth fell open. Tama had been one of Sledge's closest mates since the beginning of high school. But, if it wasn't for his kid brother being upset, Dante would've been happy that Tama had finally gotten what he'd deserved. He put an arm around Sledge's shoulders and headed towards the door.

"Ash is this way," Sledge said, steering him in the opposite direction.

They walked the length of the corridor, turning a few corners and pushing through a couple of doors, then came to a sudden stop when Sledge pulled Dante into another hug. Dante stood still, allowing Sledge to get himself together. After a minute, Sledge released him, then without a word, they entered Ash's ward.

Four beds lined each wall; some surrounded by green curtains. In the far corner, Juliet was seated next to Ash's bed, while across the room Beth stood awkwardly by the window. A brief smile flittered across her face when she spotted him, before a mask of sadness fell into place. Surprised to see her, Dante followed Sledge, doing his best to keep his eyes directed elsewhere. He could feel her gaze on him as well as Ash's, making him intensely uncomfortable. Dante glanced at Ash as he neared the bed, then quickly dropped his gaze, his brother's scowl making him feel ashamed.

"How're ya feeling?" Dante mumbled.

"Been better," Ash said. "Heard 'bout that sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d escaping. He better not come near us, or he won't be ending up in hospital again, unless it's for an autopsy."

"True... Um..." Although Ash was talking to him civilly, he knew he was in for a yelling, he just hoped it didn't come with a 'f.u.c.k off, I don't ever wanna see you again' speech. "I'm sor-"

"Don't say it!"

Dante look up at Ash's glare.

"You know sorries don't cut it with me." Ash's gaze shifted to Beth. "But for some G.o.dd.a.m.ned reason Beth doesn't. Though, I let her stay here for one reason," he said, returning his glare to Dante. "Do you wanna know why?"

Dante wished he could shake his head or say no, because he most definitely didn't want to know why. Instead, he wanted to get the h.e.l.l out of there before Ash opened his mouth again, but he remained stuck to the same spot.

Ash sniffed. "The only reason I allowed her to stay is cos I wanted everyone to learn what type of people you two are."

Dante could see Juliet's confused expression. "Leave, Beth," he said, knowing Ash was building himself up, the soft way his brother was speaking unsettling.

"No, I wanna stay with Ash," Beth said.

"Why?!" Ash yelled, seemingly oblivious to the other patients watching. "Cos I can't stand being near you. You used me, used my brother. I have enough s.h.i.t in my life; I don't need you adding to it."

"Ash!" Juliet shouted. "Don't talk to Beth like that."

"I can d.a.m.n well do as I please, cos she does, not giving a s.h.i.t 'bout the people she f.u.c.ks over-or f.u.c.ks."

Bursting into tears, Beth took off out of the room.

"What's wrong with you?" Juliet growled. "She's your girlfriend, for goodness sakes."

"Not anymore." Ash's gaze shifted to Dante. "Dante's here now, he can tell you why."

Shame flooded Dante, leaving him speechless.

"Tell them what you did," Ash said, his voice calm again.