Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Andrew saw Neil's glance. "I think I'm concussed. Either that or this is a new side effect of my medication the doctors forgot to warn me about. If I throw up on you it is only half-intentional."
Neil thought he might lose the battle with his own stomach first.
The strangled noise Aaron made was his best attempt at Andrew's name. It was barely intelligible but it was enough. Andrew, who'd barely acknowledged Aaron's existence in the entire time Neil had known them, looked immediately to his brother. Andrew snaked a hand out from under the sheet and curled his fingers in a demand. Aaron clambered onto the bed and reached for Andrew. Andrew tried moving out of his way, but that was finally too much for his stomach. Neil helped push him forward when he started choking.
"Andrew," Aaron said, desperate and frightened. He held onto Andrew like he thought Andrew would disappear if he let go. "Andrew, I didn't—he—"
Andrew spat a couple times and gasped for breath. "Quiet, quiet. Quiet. Look at me," he said, but it took him a while longer before he could sit up and face Aaron again. He pressed a hand to Aaron's bloodied shirt. "It's everywhere. What did he do?"
"It's not mine," Aaron said. "It's not mine, it's—Andrew, he—"
Andrew touched Aaron's temple where he himself was injured as if he expected to find an identical injury there. "Did he touch you?"
"What did he—"
Andrew knotted his fingers in Aaron's hair and yanked to shut him up. "Answer me. I said, did he touch you?"
"No," Aaron said.
"I'm going to kill him," Andrew said.
"He's already dead," Neil said.
"That explains the silence," Andrew said, "but that's not who I meant. Look, we don't even have to go anywhere. He'll come right to us."
He meant Luther, Neil realized. There were footsteps on the stairs again, too many sets to be just Kevin. It sounded like Kevin had brought an entire army with him, but maybe some of that pounding was just Neil's heartbeat in his ears. Neil looked over his shoulder as Kevin and Nicky came through the doorway.
Nicky only needed a second to see all the blood, and he rushed for the bed with a horrified, "Oh my God."
"Don't," Neil said, holding out a hand to ward him off.
Neil didn't know if Nicky heard him or if he just realized there was no room for him to fit on the bed with them. He stopped as close to the bed as he could and reached for Andrew's face with both hands. Andrew tried tilting back out of his reach, but he was too nauseous and unsteady to move fast enough. Nicky cradled Andrew's face in his hands.
"Andrew, what happened?" Nicky asked, frantic. "Are you okay? Jesus, there's so much blood. Are you—"
"Nicky," Andrew said, "I need to talk to your father. You have two seconds to get out of the way."
How Andrew saw Luther's arrival with Nicky in his way, Neil wasn't sure, but Luther was standing frozen only a couple feet inside the bedroom door. Nicky looked from Andrew to the wrecked sheets to the bleeding body on the floor. When he saw the state Drake was in, his expression crumpled. The noise he made didn't sound human. Neil felt it like poison in his veins, but Andrew only laughed.
"One," Andrew said.
"Nicky," Neil said. "Get down."
Nicky let go and sank to his knees beside the bed. It gave Andrew an unobstructed view of Luther over his head. Andrew already knew Luther was there, but he feigned surprise at the sight of the other man. The look that washed that away a second later was almost delighted. Neil might have believed it if not for the fierce grip Andrew still had on his brother's hair.
"Oh, Luther," Andrew said. "Oh, good. You made it. Saves me the trouble of going downstairs to find you. Hey, as long as you're here, do you want to explain what Drake is doing here? I can't wait to hear it. I hope it's good."
"What in God's—" Luther started, voice hoarse.
"Oh, no," Andrew interrupted him. "No. Don't ask what. You know better. You know better," he said again, with heat. Andrew tilted forward as far as he dared. He started to sway, but Neil caught his shoulder to keep him from falling. "Looks like I was right about him after all. Or do you still think this is all a big misunderstanding? Go on, tell me again how I'm too unbalanced to understand normal brotherly affection and love. Tell me this is natural."
Nicky looked like he'd been sucker punched. Aaron's flinch was full body. Across the room Kevin was staring at Andrew like he'd seen a ghost. Andrew was oblivious to the effect his words had on any of them. He was smiling with vicious glee as he stared Luther down.
"Hey, Luther," Andrew said. "Speaking of misunderstandings, am I remembering this wrong, or didn't you promise me you would talk to Cass? You told me she wasn't going to foster any more children after me, but apparently she's had six more since I left juvie. Six, Luther. I'm no good at math but even I know that six is an awful lot higher than zero. How many do you think were in her house when Drake was home between deployments?
"Now you let him into your house," Andrew said. "You put him under the same roof as your son, as my brother. After everything I did to keep them away from each other?" Andrew gave Aaron's hair another fierce tug, inadvertently yanking Aaron closer to him, and finally let go. "As soon as I get my balance back I am going to take you apart, Luther. This is the only warning you're going to get."
Aaron's face was white with fear and horror. "This has happened before."
He said it low, like he was afraid the words would make it real. Aaron stared at Andrew like he'd never seen Andrew before in his life. Andrew didn't bother returning the look, so Aaron finally dragged his attention to Luther's face.