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‘This goes back years.’
    Finally Skinner stops and stares down at me, gloating. ‘You’re right. I should have done this a long time ago.’
    Hurting in more places than I can count, I scramble to my feet. Broken, but not dead yet, I ram my head into Skinner’s gut. He doubles over, winded. Trying to keep the momentum going I ball my fist again, and connect with theunderside of his chin, then again with his nose. He sinks to his hands and knees and, gasping, scuttles away like a rat.
    Skinner will get his breath back in a few seconds, so time is short. I look at Josh and Damien. I don’t think they will stop me if I take Sophie and run. They glance at each other with confused looks. This is more than they had bargained for.
    Standing in the darkness, Skinner appears as a ghost, hunched over and breathing heavily, blood dribbling from his nose. He steps out of the shadows, eyes on fire with rage. That’s when we all see the empty beer bottle in his hand. He smashes it over the banister rail, breaking off the end. Glass scatters across the concrete.
    Did I say how twisted this world is?
    The golden glass glistens under the light of the single globe hanging above the club’s exit. I hold my hands up, palms out, as Skinner points the bottle at me and I’m thinking I’m screwed cos Skinner is out of control. I knew he would snap one day.
    He’s reached the point beyond reason, but I still have to try. ‘Adam, listen to me, man. I’m sorry. I’m
really
sorry for what I did. We can walk away from this peacefully if you put the bottle down. At least let Sophie walk away. She has nothing to do with the real reason we’re here.’
    Josh stares at Skinner as if he doesn’t recognise him. He’s no help at all. I try to reach Skinner again. ‘Dude, remember how it used to be. I loved Seth too. He was like …
man
, you two were my brothers! I never meant for Seth to die. If I could go back, I’d choose differently. I swear I would take his place.’
    My words only enrage him more. But at least Joshcomes to his senses and tries to make Skinner see reason. ‘Adam, come on, mate. This has gone too far,’ he says. ‘We were just supposed to shake him up a bit. Not this. And … and … what if they’re telling the truth? You could be making a big mistake.’
    ‘Shut up, Josh. Just
shut up
!’
    Damien says, ‘Mate, I can’t be found here if this goes bad, and it’s bad enough already. You never mentioned hurting
her
!’ Glancing briefly at each other, Josh and Damien start backing away.
    ‘Wait!’ Sophie yells after them.
    They don’t look back.
    Disgusted, Sophie yells, ‘Cowards! I thought he was your friend!’
    ‘Sophie, stay back,’ I call out before she makes a rash move. Skinner’s friends are gone, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less dangerous. ‘Go around to the front and get help.’
    She shakes her head. ‘I’m not leaving while this maniac is aiming a broken bottle at you.’
    ‘He needs help, Sophie.
Please
, get help.’
    She scans the ground for her handbag. Running to it, she gets out her mobile phone and calls the cops.
    Undaunted, Skinner blocks the stairs by moving in front of them. ‘Calling the cops won’t help,’ he taunts. ‘They won’t get here fast enough to save your new boyfriend.’ He turns his attention to me. ‘I should
never
have let you get away with killing my brother. Consider yourself lucky I allowed you to live this long.’
    The door swings open and Danny steps on to the platform. ‘There you are!’ Oblivious to what’s unfolding beforehim, it takes him a moment to figure out something is wrong. ‘I was wondering where you two had gone.’ And then, ‘What’s going on?’ He steps down on to the top stair.
    ‘Go back!’ I take my eyes off Skinner for a second to gesture to Danny. ‘Get security out here, quickly.’
    But a second is all it takes for Skinner to charge. The sharp inhalation of air screeching through his front teeth is my warning,