Behind the Hood (Behind the Lives) (28 page)

“Oh God, no, no, no...” Tama pushed the seat back and climbed over Mikey. He covered the wound with his hoodie and closed the door. “Hospital. Now!”

Naf planted his foot on the accelerator.

Tama put pressure on the wound. “You’re gonna be alright, Mikey, you’re gonna be alright.”

Mikey closed his eyes.

37

Jayden

Jayden stared up at the hospital ceiling. His stomach hurt like hell, but what hurt more was the way Tama had beat him, not letting up even when he was bawling and begging for it to stop. How could Tama do that to him? They were like brothers, tight since primary school. Plus, he didn’t blame or hurt Tama for sleeping with Leila. Why couldn’t Tama do the same for him?

Jayden hoped Leila was suffering. He hated her. She deserved all the pain she got. She used him for money and Tama for sex, yet would have dropped them both for Nike. Well, at least Leila did something right by him. Since the police hadn’t shown, he guessed she mustn’t have laid charges.

Fingers brushed his cheeks. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”

Jayden looked at Annie in surprise. He hadn’t realised she’d entered the hospital room or that he’d even been crying.

Annie leaned over and kissed his forehead. It was probably the only part of his body that wasn’t damaged. What with Nike hurting his gonads, Annie’s father punching his face in, Tama kicking his gut and then bloody Nike making things worse, he felt like he’d run the gauntlet.

His mood lifted as his gaze fell on Annie’s necklace. He picked up the attached ring, and turned it over in his hand. It was the one that he’d given to her at thirteen. He couldn’t believe she’d still kept it. It was a cheap rip off he’d gotten from a second hand store with his pocket money, the tiny cubic zirconias mere speckles in the silver band.

He lay it against her crimson sweater. “I wanna replace this with a gold ring and put it on ya finger.”

“Oh, honey.” She leaned down, and kissed his sore lips.

He didn’t care about the pain. He grabbed her head and kissed her harder, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. She tasted good, like the spearmint gum she liked to chew.

She pulled back. A red blush burned her cheeks as she glanced around the room. Jayden found her shyness sweet. She was the complete opposite to Leila, who was brash and loud.

Carefully, he sat up. He winced and ran a hand over his ribs. Bloody Tama! He didn’t know whether he wanted to ever see the bastard again.

“Do ya need a nurse?” Annie asked.

“No, I just need my baby.”

She smiled at him. He thought she looked lovely with her curly brown hair and sweet dimples. Unlike her prick of a cousin.

He frowned at the memory of Nike arguing with Annie. “Did Nike tell ya more about what happened to Leila?”

“Yeah ... he visited her in hospital.” Annie dropped her gaze. “He said she wuz smashed up bad.”

Jayden squeezed his eyes shut. Fuck it. Why did Nike have to stick his nose into everything? Although he didn’t give a stuff that he’d hurt Leila, he did care what Annie thought about him.

“It’s alright, I know she pushed ya to it,” Annie said.

He opened his eyes and stared at her in amazement. “You still want me?”

“Of course I do. I love you.”

He continued to stare.

She fidgeted. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Why ya starin’ at me?”

“Sorry, you’re just so amazing.”

She giggled. “Do ya want anything? A Coke or chips?”

“Nah, I’m fine,” he said, feeling distracted. He was ecstatic that she wanted him, but ... something didn’t feel right.

Dread filled his gut as he scanned the room. The old fart on his left, with wrinkles so bad you had to scrape them off the floor, was mumbling. Across from him, a middle-aged woman was jabbering to a man who looked like he wanted to slit her throat. A car horn tooted outside, followed by a gurney trundling down the corridor. Although it wasn’t quiet, the noise level scared him.

“What’s wrong, Jayden?”

“Where’s Lil Jay?”

“Don’t worry about him, he’s fine.”

Jayden shook his head, praying that she hadn’t left Lil Jay with her parents. If her dad got his way he’d never see his son again.

“Where iz he?”

“At Mum and Dad’s.”

“Oh God, Annie,” he said, bringing his hands to his head. “Why’d ja do that for? Your dad will never lemme see him again.”

“He’s our child, not his.”

“Did Nike tell ‘im what I did?”

“Yeah. Dad yelled his head off, screaming that I wuzn’t allowed near you again.”

“I’m so sorry, Annie.”

“Don’t be. I told him I wouldn’t see you again and he backed off.”

Jayden’s face dropped, along with his hands. “Is this why ya here? Ya leavin’ me?”

Annie smiled. “Don’t be silly. As soon as you’re good enough to leave the hospital, I’ll get Lil Jay and we can take off.”

Jayden let out a sigh of relief. “Sheesh, ya had me goin’ there for a mo. I’m a bad influence on you, li’l Miss Goody-Two-Shoes.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I hated it when you used to call me that when we were kids.”

“Well, I should stop callin’ ya that, since ya did put out way too quick.”

She raised a hand as though to whack him, then stopped. “You’re just tryin’ to rile me.” She leant down and kissed his mouth.

“Annie, stop that!”

Annie bolted upright. “Dad?”

Jayden breathed in sharply.

38

Tama

Tama stared down at his hands. They were covered in Mikey’s blood. His cuz hadn’t been moving when he and Naf carried him into the hospital. No moans, nothing.

Naf pushed Tama. “You gotta get outta here, before the pigs show.”

Tama steadied himself and looked around the foyer. People were staring, some on rows of yellow seats, others leaning against the white walls.

“Sir, he’s in shock,” a female voice said.

Tama turned towards her. It was the same nurse who’d helped him with Leila yesterday. No it wasn’t, this chick had smaller tits. Behind her, the nurses’ station looked busy as patients and paperwork were dealt with.

“Sir, please take a seat,” the nurse said.

Tama slumped down in the seat behind him. The woman on his right detached her baby from her breast, and shifted further down the row. Tama watched as she rushed back to grab her purse, her baby now crying.

Naf and Corey grabbed one of Tama’s arms each and pulled him up. “You can’t stay here,” Naf said. “The pigs’ll be comin’.”

Tama pushed them away and sat back down. He didn’t care if they came; he wanted to be here for Mikey. No matter what he’d said before, it was his fault that his cuz got shot. Zane was shooting at him, not Mikey. His hands began to shake. He couldn’t take it if Mikey died.

Naf squatted down in front of him, his voice gentler. “C’mon, Tama. It’ll do Mikey no good if you’re thrown in the slammer.”

Tama stared at Naf. “I did this to him.”

“No,” Naf gritted out. “That mofucka did it. If you want to do sumpthin’ for Mikey, we’ll go back and get him.”

Tama shook his head. “I need to wait for Mikey. I promised my aunty I’d look after him.” He looked down at the blood on his hands. “I did this.”

Naf sighed. “Don’t cha wanna see Mikey again?”

“Of course I do,” Tama snapped. “Why wouldn’t I? He’s my cuz.”

“You won’t if ya stay here, waiting for the pigs. They’ll stop ya from seein’ him.”

Tama’s gaze flicked to Corey as the younger Connor started nodding.

“We gotta go now,” Naf said. “You’re too recognisable now with your tat. They’ll haul your arse away in a second.”

“Okay,” Tama replied. “But only if Corey stays; I want someone here for Mikey.”

“No probs,” Corey said.

Tama stood up and followed Naf towards the exit, then took a sharp turn as two pigs walked through the sliding doors. Tama quickly headed for the toilets and pushed open the door, with Naf close behind.

“Shit, did they see me?” Tama asked.

Naf shook his head. “I don’t think so. But you need to cover up your tat.” He took off his hoodie and passed it to Tama.

Tama pulled it on, covering his head with the hood. “Check where they are.”

Naf opened the door a fraction. “They’re talkin’ to Corey.”

“Can we get past them?”

“Nah, they’ll see us.”

Tama walked over to a urinal and unzipped his jeans. He took a leak, zipped back up, and wiped his hands on his jeans.

Naf screwed up his face. “Wash your hands; you’ve got blood all over them.”

Tama glared at him. “Cunt, ya didn’t hafta fuckin’ remind me.”

Naf’s face fell. “Sorry, man, I didn’t think.”

Tama went to the sink, and ran the tap. He scrubbed his hands, watching as Mikey’s blood ran down the drain. He had to see his aunty. Yeah, she’d dobbed him in, but she still needed to be told in person. This sort of shit couldn’t be done over the phone.

He dried his hands on Naf’s hoodie.

Naf’s face hardened. “As soon as we get outta here we should go kill that fucka.”

“No, my aunty needs to be told first. Then I’ll go gut the bastard.”

Naf opened the door a fraction, and peered out. “I can’t see the pigs or Corey anymore.”

“Let’s piss off then.” Tama pushed past Naf.

Halfway across the foyer, a woman gasped, “Oh God, no!” Tama turned. It was Nike’s mother. Her fat face looked horrified.

Naf grabbed Tama’s arm. “Pigs straight ahead.”

Nike’s mother screamed, “He stabbed my daughter!”

Two cops, standing at the other end of the foyer with Corey, snapped their heads around.

Naf shoved his keys into Tama’s hand. “Go! I’ll stall ‘em.”

Tama took off.

39

Nike

Nike trudged down the dark street and up his driveway. It was weird coming home without the van. He’d been couriering since he’d left school. Although he wouldn’t miss it, he still felt nervous about the new job, especially with what he’d learnt about Craven. But hell, there were also dangers working for Ash. The only difference now was he was going to get paid better.

All the lights were off in the house. Damn, Jess must be sick, because she never went to bed this early. He slipped inside, tiptoed past the cot and into the bedroom. Feeling knackered, he undressed and got into bed.

“Ow!” He switched on the bed-light and looked down at the baseball bat on his pillow, then at Jake lying asleep next to a fully clothed Jess.

“What the hell’s goin’ on?”

Jess bolted upright. Jake opened his eyes and started crying. Nike moved the bat onto the bedside table and picked him up. “Well?”