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“You’ve got that straight,” Cormac sneered. “I’ll be pressing charges on your scumbag brother.”

“Back off,” Johnny snarled, tensing beside me. “Or you won’t be around to press charges.”

“Please don’t,” I begged, sniffling. Rolling up the sleeves of Johnny’s school jumper that I was now wearing, I wiped my cheeks and tried to get a handle of my emotions. It was close to impossible, though. I was so worried about Joey, I could hardly breathe. “My brother’s going through a lot,” I pleaded. “Please don’t get him in trouble.”

“I don’t give a shit what he’s going through,” Cormac snapped. “He broke mynose, Shannon.”

“Shut the hell up, Ryan.” Hughie sighed wearily. “Don’t make a bad situation worse.”

“He attacked me!” Cormac shot back defensively.

“And she attackedme,” Bella sobbed.

“Because you attacked her,” Johnny snarled, chest heaving, as he pointed to me. “There’s only one scumbag around this place, Bella, and that’s you!”

“Screw you, Johnny Kavanagh,” she spat out. “This is all your fault.”

“You need to keep your mouth good and shut,” Gibsie hissed. “Stupid fucking girl.”

“I’m a victim here,” Bella wailed.

“You’rea victim?” Gibsie shot back, sounding outraged. “Jesus Christ, I hope your parents didn’t breed any more of you because you are one septic girl. The world doesn’t need another one of your kind prowling around.”

“Go away and find some water to drown in, Gibs,” Cormac shot back, glaring at Gibsie. “Like the rest of your—”

“Back the fuck off!” both Johnny and Hughie roared in unison.

Meanwhile, Gibsie remained rigid and silent.

“Don’t eventhinkabout going there,” Johnny snarled, wholly enraged. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“He called my girlfriend names—”

“So that justifies you sayingthat?” Johnny seethed. “Don’t even think about trying to make excuses, Ryan. That’s bleeding despicable.”

“From here on out, we’re done, Cormac,” Hughie added, shaking with rage. “If you’re thick enough to knock around with someone like her, then don’t even bother looking in my direction. And I mean that on the pitch as well as off it.”

“No skin off my nose, Biggs,” Cormac sneered. “You’re so far up Kav’s ass, it doesn’t make a difference to me—”

“Who is she?” Bella demanded then, dragging the attention back to her. “The girl who attacked me—what’s her name?” Narrowing her eyes, she spat out, “I know you all know who she is.”

“What girl?” Gibsie replied calmly. “I didn’t see a girl, did you, lads?”

“Never saw any girl,” Johnny agreed. “But I did see Cormac hit Joey first.”

Cormac’s eyes widened in disgust. “Youliar.”

Johnny shrugged. “That’s what I saw.”

“Funny, I saw that, too,” Gibsie offered. “He just lunged at you, Johnny. Lynchy was protecting you.”

“That’s what I saw,” Hughie agreed. “And Mr. Twomey was standing behind Johnny. His view was obstructed so he couldn’t see who threw the first punch.”

“And there are no cameras in the car park,” Gibsie mused. “I guess that makes it your word against ours.”

“Five against two,” Hughie offered. “Funny that.”

“Karma’s a beautiful thing,” Gibsie agreed with a smirk.

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