Behind the Hood (Behind the Lives) (41 page)

He dropped onto Nike, and raised his knife. Before he could bring it down someone ploughed into him, knocking him to the ground.

“You killed him!” Leila rained blows on him.

“You bitch!” He pushed her off then felt hands grab at him. Someone planted his face into the wet grass, causing more pain to shoot through his broken nose. His arms were pulled behind his back, and the cold touch of steel clamped around his wrists. Tama struggled, but stopped as the words he’d dreaded hearing since he’d stabbed Maia filled his ears. The mofucking pig was reading him his rights. He didn’t want to go to jail; he wanted to drink with his mates and fuck pussy. He needed to taste Jess again, and see his sister and Mikey, not the inside of a prison cell. No longer caring about the pressure, he hollered and thrashed about.

“Stay still,” a pig barked.

Needing to know that Nike was dead, Tama turned his head. Another pig blocked his view as she leaned over Nike’s motionless body. On the other side Leila stood crying, while Trey had his arms wrapped around her.

“Don’t touch the bitch!” Tama screamed. Shit, he may have had the knife, but she stabbed him in the back good and proper. He thought she’d loved him. She’d said it enough times. Yeah, he knew it was a mate’s love, but she’d still chosen Nike even after the bastard had shown no compassion towards her, constantly telling her to piss off. What the fuck was wrong with her? He’d helped her, not Nike. She was dead to him now. Dead!

“I fuckin’ hate you, Leila! I should’ve backed Jayden up and left you to die.”

Her sobs grew louder, but she stayed by Nike’s side.

“Trey, stop touchin’ her!”

Trey’s pretty boy face no longer looked pleasant. “You’re a bastard, Tama. You went too far.”

There was no way he went too far, and Trey shouldn’t be comforting the back stabbing bitch. “You disloyal prick!”

The pig hauled him off the ground, then yanked Tama back as he lunged for Trey. Trey ignored him, his concentration still on Leila.

Tama couldn’t see the other guys. At least they’d gotten away. They were his real mates, not Leila or Trey.

His gaze fell onto Nike. “He looks fuckin’ dead to me.”

“He’s still gotta pulse,” Leila screamed.

He sneered. “By the look of him not for long.”

Tama swore as the pig swiped the back of his head. An arm clamped around his neck.

“You better hope he lives or you’ll be going to prison for a long time,” the pig muttered in his ear.

“That’s a fuckin’ good trade off.”

Another smack landed across his head. Tama swore again. Fucking pigs were nothing more than dirty bastards that joined the force to have free rein to bash who they liked. He glanced at the cunt, realising for the first time he wasn’t from the funeral. This one was much bigger than the others, with a scar across his chin. He wondered who’d called the pigs, hoping it wasn’t Trey. Nah, even Trey wouldn’t do that. The sap just couldn’t keep his cock from overriding his brain. Like Leila would ever fuck him. Even Trey’s pretty face couldn’t hide the fact that he was too young for her.

Tama growled at the thought of Leila. The bitch better hope he didn’t get out of prison, because he’d been coming for her as soon as he left those gates. Hell, he’d even send his stepdad after her when Seth’s sentence was up later this year. Tama glanced over his shoulder at Leila. Yeah, his stepdad could teach the bitch a fucking great lesson.

The pig pushed him again.

“Stop doin’ that, you prick!” He cursed as he was shoved onto the bonnet of the pig mobile.

The cop leaned in. “I bet you’re gonna make someone a nice bitch in prison with your pretty little arse.”

“Bastard!” Tama screamed.

The pig grabbed his arms, and hauled him around the car. The back door opened and a big hand came down on his head, pushing him inside.

Tama kicked the door as it closed on him, panic now setting in. Prison wasn’t just a holding cell, it was a fucking hell ... and there was no way he wanted to get fucked in there.

62

Jess

Jess ignored the doorbell ringing. She didn’t want to talk with or see anyone, let alone get out of bed.

Footsteps ran past her room. “I’ve got it,” Maia yelled.

Jess placed an arm over her eyes and thought about Nike. She hadn’t seen him since yesterday. She knew he’d be out looking for Tama...

She stopped herself in mid-thought. She wished she could erase Tama from her mind, but no matter how hard she tried, the images of him on top of her kept replaying over and over again.

“Mum, it’s the police!” Maia shouted.

Jess sat up, wondering whether they’d caught Tama. Nike’s mother and aunty ran past her door. Jess pushed off the covers and got out of bed. She headed out of the room, stopping at the end of the passage so no one could see her.

“Ma’am,” the policeman said. “We’ve been given this address for a Jess Daniels. May we please speak with her?”

“Please say you’ve got the psycho,” Jess muttered, her heart pounding.

“Have you caught Tama Harris?” Sally asked.

“Yes.”

Jess exhaled as the others let out loud yeses.

“Ma’am, are you related to a Nike Daniels?”

Everyone went silent in the next room. Jess sucked in a breath, her chest going tight. Oh God, no! Police only came to the door when someone had died. She stepped into the lounge.

“He’s my son,” Sally cried. “What’s happened?”

The officer looked over Sally at Jess. He was big, with a noticeable scar under his chin. He looked sad. Maia’s eyes drifted to Jess, her young face saying she was thinking the same thing.

“He can’t be dead!” Sally screamed.

The officer opened his mouth. Jess didn’t hear what he said next.

***

Jess came to and looked up at the policeman leaning over her. Sally sat on the other side, while Maia and Nike’s aunty stared down at her with concerned expressions.

Jess started crying as the realisation of what Sally had said hit her. Nike was dead. Tama had taken more from her than her body, he’d taken her life. Without Nike she didn’t want to live anymore, even for Jake and the new life in her womb. She wasn’t strong enough to raise a family without him, didn’t want to either if she couldn’t have Nike.

“Jess, don’t cry...” Maia stopped as her breathing became ragged, tears glistening in her eyes.

“I want Nike,” Jess cried. “I want him back!”

“We’ll take you to see him,” the officer said.

Jess squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She couldn’t handle seeing Nike laid out cold on a metal table, beaten, cut up and...

“Jess, Nike’s alive,” Sally said.

Jess froze at the words, afraid that she didn’t hear right.

“He’s been taken to the hospital,” the officer added.

Jess opened her eyes and looked at all the faces around her. She focused on Nike’s aunty, her eyes pleading with Celia to confirm that it was real.

A soft smile lit up Celia’s pretty face, the dimples in her cheeks forming just like Annie’s. “He’s alive.”

Jess sucked in another breath. But Nike had still been hurt otherwise he’d be here now.

“How bad is he?” she asked.

“Officer Thompson...” the policeman glanced over his shoulder at the female cop standing behind him, “...said he was still breathing when he was lifted into the ambulance—”

The policewoman cut in, “A female by the name of Leila and a young male went with him to the hospital.”

Jess blinked. “Leila?”

“Yes. If it wasn’t for her your husband would be dead. The assailant was about to kill him when she tackled him. There was no way we could’ve stopped him in time if she hadn’t been there.”

Jess blinked again, her brain trying to take in the information. She sat up. Maia and Sally grabbed an arm each and helped her to stand.

“I wanna see him now,” Jess said.

“Love, get changed first,” Sally replied.

Jess looked down at her nightie, then turned and ran for her room.

63

Maia

Only a short while ago she’d been the one in a hospital bed being watched over by her brother. Now it was Nike who was all cut up and a helluva lot worse than she’d ever been. He had bandages wrapped around his head, strapped to his chest, shoulders, arms, and plasters running down the left side of his face and neck. His lips and face were swollen, while dark bruising rimmed his left eye. And that was only what she could see.

Maia wiped her cheeks as she stood behind Jess who was talking to him. He wasn’t awake, probably too hopped up on Morphine. But he was breathing, his heart monitor playing a steady rhythm that was music to her ears. She knew he’d risked his life for both her and Jess. This morning he’d come into the lounge and had told her he loved her. She hadn’t thought anything of it until the police had visited, but now realised that it had been a goodbye just in case he didn’t make it back.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. “He’s going to be alright,” her mother said.

Maia nodded, knowing they were damn lucky to still have him. Yeah, he’d been beaten badly, but none of his injuries were critical. He was going to survive.

She looked at the wall behind her brother. He’d been placed in the room next to Mikey’s. She wondered whether Mikey knew that Tama had been caught.

She turned to her mother. “Can I see Mikey for a minute?”

Her mother nodded.

Maia left the room, and stopped in Mikey’s doorway. He had his head buried in a comic book.

“Mikey,” she said, grinning nervously.

He looked up, and smiled for a second before a frown formed across his brow. “Why you here?”

Nice welcome,
she thought. “My brother’s in the next room.”

“Why?”

“Your cousin busted him up real bad and stabbed him multiple times.”

Mikey’s face fell. “Will he be okay?”

“The doctor thinks so. Plus, Nike’s tough.”

“I’m sorry.” He dropped his gaze. The expression on his face looked like he blamed himself for everything.

Maia sat on his bed and reached for his hand. He flinched, but didn’t yank it back. “You alright?” she asked.

He gripped onto her fingers. “Did they catch Tama?”

“Yes.”

He loosened his grip and leaned his head back against his pillow. “I have no one now.”

She gave his hand a squeeze. “Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t. He wuz the only one who cared about me.” He paused, his features now angry. “Why you even here?”

She sighed. Sheesh, the guy could switch from one mood to the next in a split second. “Cos I like you.”

“Why?” he said, gruffly.

Maia stared at him for a moment, trying to think why she did. His rudeness right now wasn’t exactly endearing.

His features softened as silence fell between them. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

She smiled sadly, realising why she liked him so much. The vulnerability in his eyes was what did it. They cut into her, making her want to protect him. She may not have gotten everything she wanted in life, but she had a million things more than him. Yeah, she’d gone a bit wild after her father moved overseas, but after what had happened to Mikey she felt like an utter brat.