Page 71 of Petty's Crime

Her face blazes. “That’s a lie.” Glancing around, she plays to her audience, placing her hands on her stomach for emphasis. “I could be pregnant, and… and… just look at me. I’d have to be crazy to anger a man such as him. Who are you going to believe here? The whole idea is ridiculous. He was the one who was violent to me. She’s just making everything up—”

“Am I?” My voice is now deadly calm. “Petty’s got the hospital records to prove how you hurt him. Have you?”

“I can check,” another man speaks.

To which Red responds, “Yeah, check it out, Keys.” He casts a look over his shoulder at the man who’s still passed out. “I suppose we best get him to Doc.”

“Let him fuckin’ suffer,” the older man remarks. “That woman wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I agree, Titch, it’s unlikely.”

I toss a glare at Hammer whose name I do know. “He needs a hospital,” I tell Red.

Red looks between me and Britney.

Britney seems to realise while the camp is divided, it’s the leader she has to convince. Her bottom lip quivers. “I-I love him. I’d never hurt him.”

Red glances at me, and I see there’s at least some doubt in his mind, and he’s not completely swayed by her. His brow furrows, then his eyes sharpen as he turns back to Petty’s wife. “Why, after all this time, did you come back? Especially when you say he was violent toward you.”

She raises her chin defiantly. “I just told you I love him.”

Now Red approaches her, his head tilted to one side. “So why didn’t you contact him while you were inside?”

“He’s coming round!” Cobra’s voice comes over clearly.

Everyone’s attention turns back to Petty, except for Red who points his fingers to his eyes and then to Britney. “I’m watching you. Crash? Make sure she stays around.” Then he, too, walks over to Petty who’s managed to get himself into a seated position, though his head is dropped into his hands.

Red drops down to his haunches and raises Petty’s chin with his hand. “One chance, Petty. One chance to tell me the truth. Lying to me is as much a crime as anything else, and if you’re dishonest, you’ll lose your patch anyway. Do you fuckin’ understand?”

Petty’s eyes are watering when he meets those of his prez, though quickly he looks away. “You’ll have my patch anyway,” he says, his tone that of a man without hope.

Red draws back, his puzzled eyes meeting mine for a moment. He shrugs. “That’s for me to decide. Now I want the truth and I want to hear all of it.”

Petty shakes his head then places a hand to his temple. He grimaces in pain. I move toward him but Red’s arm shoots out and holds me back.

“Brother,” Red says, this time more gently. “From where I stand,” he snorts, “or from my knees on the ground, you’ve got a girlfriend who cares about you and a wife who couldn’t give a damn.”

Three people speak at once. Both me and Petty refuting the fact that I’m anything of the sort to him, and Britney who screeches, “I knew you were cheating.”

“I didn’t cheat.” Petty raises his eyes and manages a glare at his wife. Then he slumps forward into his hands again. When he speaks next, his words come out as a mumble, but clear enough. “I got back from Texas, Brit was waiting for me. She accused me of cheating which I didn’t. I was doing my job, Red.” He doesn’t even glance up to clarify that his prez will back him up. “She didn’t believe me and kicked me hard in the balls. Then, when I was on the ground, she kicked me in the kidneys, and the chest. I think she broke a rib, ribs.” If possible, his head sinks further into his hands. “I stood and she was going to come at me again, this time with a skillet, so I took it from her and pushed her away. She slipped and fell, hit her face on the edge of the countertop. I think I saw her going for the skillet again… I don’t remember anymore.”

“That’s all lies!” Britney screeches. When I turn to look at her, she’s pointing to herself. “How could I take a man like him down?”

I round on her. “Just like you did in the past.”

“I never hit him!”

“Prez?” The man Red had called Keys re-enters the room. He’s carrying a laptop in his hand. “Either Petty went through a period of being the clumsiest asshole around, or he was indeed being abused. His hospital records are numerous, all from the time he was married. I’m surprised the emergency room didn’t reserve him a seat.”

Red’s eyes narrow to focus when he looks at the screen Keys’ holds in front of him, then they open wide, and he again turns his attention to the man in front of him.

Petty swallows hard, and I swear tears comes into his eyes as he looks away from his prez. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry,” he murmurs.

“Brother,” Red starts. “You were beat as fuck. Britney do this?”

But Petty won’t answer, so I step in and reply instead. “Yeah. Hislovingwife abused him all their marriage.”

Two sounds happen simultaneously. One a defiant squawk and denial from Britney who tries to get away but the men holding her don’t release her. The second is an agonised wail but it comes from a man this time. Roller pushes his way forward and drops down beside his friend, gently turning him into his body.

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