"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.

Everything came out of Juliet's mouth all at once, a jumbled mix of names and fear.

The woman cut her off at the mention of Angelo. "Come inside," she said, opening the door fully.

Juliet followed the middle-aged woman into a lounge. The woman grabbed the phone off a wall cabinet and dialled, giving out the details to the emergency people. Two young boys entered the room through another doorway, asking what was happening. "Don't go outside," the woman answered, "The police are coming for a bad man."

Juliet's gaze moved to the older of the boys. He was Angelo's age. The image of those teardrop tattoos on Chaz's face shot across her mind, along with their meaning... Oh G.o.d, Angelo!

She rushed out of the lounge, terror moving her forward, making her no longer concerned for her own safety.

The woman called out to her, "You can't go back."

Juliet opened the front door and jumped down the steps, sprinting for Tiana's place, the Jeep and its owner now gone. She stopped in front of Tiana's driveway, her eyes scanning the property, ready to take off in a second if Chaz showed. Aroha's van was still parked in front of Tiana's Suzuki, but the woman was nowhere in sight. Juliet stood for a moment, fear now telling her she should leave, while her heart screamed at her to move forward, to call out to Chaz, to try anything to distract him, giving the police enough time to arrive.

Something banged on the other side of the van, making her jump. Through the windscreen she could see... She clamped a hand over her mouth as Chaz heaved someone inside. Although Chaz's body blocked her view, she caught a glimpse of his captive's arms, the tattoos on the left one telling her that it was Ash. She glanced behind her at Corey's car, her mind working overtime, trying to think of anything to stop Chaz from leaving. Pulling out the keys, she ran for the driver's side and got in, starting the engine before she could count to ten. She quickly backed up, blocking the driveway off as Chaz came around the corner of the van. Screaming, she jumped out and sprinted down the road, glancing back to see if Chaz had followed. When she couldn't see him, she headed into the property she'd run to earlier, the woman with the phone waiting for her by the front door.

A loud bang made her stop in her tracks. She turned to see Corey's car being shunted forward by Aroha's van. Now hysterical, Juliet took off down the road, sprinting as fast as she could for her brother, her ragged voice calling out his name. The van backed up again, then rammed into Corey's car once more before driving off in the opposite direction, Juliet too far away to do anything even if she was capable, which she knew she wasn't. She came to a stop and put her hands on her knees, not caring that she was crying in the middle of the road, only that Ash was gone. A man came out of the property across from her, asking what was happening. She ignored him and headed for Tiana's house, letting out a startled shriek as she entered through the front door. Aroha was lying face down on the wooden floorboards, the blood next to her head painting a picture of death. Juliet dropped to her knees, desperately fumbling for a pulse. Relief flooded her when she found one.

Banging started up from Angelo's room. Getting to her feet, Juliet opened the door, finding both Angelo and Tiana tied up. Angelo was lying on the floor, gagged and secured to a chair, although one of his legs had managed to get free. He stopped thumping the cabinet with his foot and looked up, his eyes filled with tears.

Juliet ran over and pulled out the gag, giving him a hug before trying to untie his arms. When she couldn't get them undone, she went to Tiana, who was tied to the bed, and removed the material from her mouth. Instantly, Tiana started screaming for Ash.

Needing to untie them, Juliet went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife then returned, freeing Angelo first. As soon as the last rope was cut, he shot out of the room, shouting, "Dad!" which was quickly followed by a scream.

Juliet dashed out after him, almost getting bowled over as he changed direction and ran into her arms, no doubt terrified from seeing Aroha lying still on the floor. "She's not dead," Juliet said, ushering him back to his mother.

She then cut Tiana free. Like Angelo, Tiana jumped up and ran out of the room, but called out Ash's name instead. Juliet followed her in a daze, unable to tell her what she'd seen, that he was gone, her tears choking her up.

When Tiana had finished scouring every room and the backyard, she headed for the road with Juliet in tow, her cries for Ash mixing in with the sound of a siren as a police car rounded the corner.

Juliet finally found her voice, anger now mixing in with anguish. "You're too late!" she screamed at the approaching car. "You're too b.l.o.o.d.y late!"

28.

Sledge Sledge's phone went off as he drove down the Southern Motorway. He clicked it on. "What?"

Juliet's cries came over the line. "Chaz kidnapped Ash!"

Shocked, he let go of the steering wheel, making the car swerve into another lane. The driver next to him moved to avoid him, then blasted the horn as Sledge got the car under control. He pulled over to the side of the motorway, his hands shaking badly from the near miss and Juliet's news.

"Sledge?"

"What about Dante?" he finally said, his heart still racing even though the car had stopped.

"He's taken off."

"Where are you?"

"Tiana's."

He started the engine back up. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"No, you have to go to Auckland Hospital."

"Why?"

"Corey's been hit by a car."

"What?!"

"I called to tell Naf 'bout Chaz hurting Aroha, and he told me Corey's in Critical Care."

"Oh G.o.d, oh G.o.d."

"Go to Corey, I'll phone you when I hear any more news 'bout Ash."

Sledge hung up and gunned the accelerator. His mind raced along with the car, torturing him, telling him that this was his fault, that Corey wouldn't have been hurt if he hadn't left.

He picked up speed, going as fast as he could without Juliet's car falling to pieces. He turned off the motorway at Newmarket, swearing when the lights turned red. He stopped and thumped the steering wheel, screaming at it to change. As soon as it flashed green, he shot out of there like a Formula 1 driver, reaching the hospital within minutes.

He parked in the first s.p.a.ce he found and jumped out, heading across the concrete, in between cars and onto the footpath, and bowling down a man when the b.a.s.t.a.r.d didn't move out of the way fast enough. Without looking back, Sledge shot through the emergency entrance, zeroing in on the nurses' station. Some women were talking to a nurse behind the counter. He pushed in front of them, ignoring their annoyed responses. "I'm after Corey Connor's room," he blurted out.

The nurse frowned at him. "Please wait in line; I was helping those women before you barged through."

"I can't wait, my best friend wuz hit by a car, he could die, I needa know which room he's in. Please, I needa be with him," Sledge said, almost in tears.

The woman's expression softened. "Okay, just hold on a tick." She tapped away at the computer, the seconds she took feeling like forever to Sledge. "He's in Critical Care," she finally said. "But only family are allowed through."

"But, he's my best friend."

"Are you able to call his family? They may be able to help-"

Before she could finish, Sledge was dialling Naf. When his mate answered, he yelled, "They won't lemme see Corey. I'm at the emergency entrance nurses' station. Tell them to lemme see him, I hafta see him!"

"I'll be right down."

Sledge's hand shook as he re-pocketed the phone. He stepped to the side and scanned all the doors, willing Naf to appear like magic. After a few minutes, his eyes snapped to his right as Naf exited a corridor. Sledge ran to him. "How is he?"

Naf looked distraught, his eyes red and swollen. "He's unconscious. His right leg's busted, and his face and ribs are pretty battered. He ran in front of a cop car tryna escape Tyler's father."

"Take me to him."