[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

They shared a glance between them that spoke volumes, even
though they said nothing at all.
“Sir.” Terry held the glass door open for me as I exited Moda
Monde Logistics.
“I need to see Wilber.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shut it down. Shut everything down. You can’t fall apart.
Don’t think of what you just did. Don’t think of it. I just kept
speaking to myself in a loop. The car slid to a stop outside of
Wilber’s house. Terry got the door to the car. Mikey opened the
157
Derekica Snake
door to the house. I don’t remember the stairs, but I must have
climbed them because I found Wilber up on the second floor in his
master bedroom.
I don’t remember him looking so old. He looked old and
frail… and so still.
The only time I’d seen him so still was when he was stupidly
drunk. My eyes just drank him in. My last memories of him were
of us together on my birthday. He was so vital and strong. He
made me feel safe. He had lost weight. He wasn’t a big man to
begin with, but his pallor was sallow. I just stood at the end of the
bed staring at him. Wilber has never been weak. He was my rock.
He was my strength.
The numb was beginning to break inside me. I could feel the
tears begin to leak out the corner of my eyes. I couldn’t find him
during my trial because he was here… like this. Alone. All the
times he was there for me, the one time he truly needed me with
him, I couldn’t be there.
I lifted a hand to cover my eyes. I didn’t have the right to cry.
My hand had a tremor. My throat tightened, and my nose began to
run. My legs felt weak, and I lurched shifting the bed slightly.
“Goth Boy.” The sound of his voice broke open the
floodgates.
I just wilted to the floor at the foot of his bed and began to
sob. I shot a father of five in the head. And he thanked me for it!
How fucked up is that?
“Brant. Get up. Get over here.” I bit my lip and sat up,
brushing at my tears with the back of my hand. The fading light of
day caught the gold ring as it flashed on my hand.
“Brant…” Was there a sign of disappointment in his voice
or… no, it was resignation.
“You knew Constantine was going to do this?”
Wilber lay back and patted the mattress at his side. “I missed
you, my boy.” I stretched out on the bed carefully, trying not to
shake it or rock him. He lifted his arm and draped it across my
158
That’s What Brothers Do…
shoulders. “You have no idea how much I miss you when you are
not around.”
“I didn’t even know you were sick. Nobody told me.” My
voice was broken and cracked with stress.
“Constantine told everyone to keep it from you. This has all
been to test your mettle. He wanted to see how you reacted if you
thought everyone had abandoned you. He had you all those years,
and he never really knew you, did he?” Wilber lifted my hand and
looked at the gold and diamond ring. “And you passed his test.
You run my District. You spilt blood and are now part of the
Family. You are now a key member of the Organization.”
“I killed…”
“So have I. So has Constantine. So has the Brotherhood that
you are now a part of. You have made yourself into something
greater than I could have ever hoped. Even though you weep,
know that I am proud of you, Brant.” Wilber groaned as he twisted
toward me. “Give me a kiss, then let me rest a bit. I am getting
stronger, but my stamina is low.”
I didn’t know if he should be moving like that. I leaned over
and looked Wilber in the face. I blinked. I met him gaze for gaze.
His body might be weak, but what did they say about the eyes?
The eyes were the windows to the soul. His spirit still burned hot.
Just because he was down at this moment, didn’t mean that he was
down forever. His thumb brushed my tears out of the corner of my
right eye. “I thought I couldn’t feel anymore. Everything just got
cold in my core.”
I brushed at his hair. I don’t think I have ever seen it this
shaggy. “That’s called the zone, boy. Sometimes, it’s called the
killing zone. I’d hoped you wouldn’t have it, but to survive in my
world, I knew that you’d need it.”
Wilber lifted his hand to my cheek. I turned my head and
leaned into it. I missed his touch. I missed his scent. I was here
now. So was he. “Brant.”
I opened my eyes. “Wilber.”
159
Derekica Snake
“I miss your hair.”
I gave him a weepy smile. I didn’t need tailored suits. I didn’t
need a penthouse with a view. Wilber had shown me through
actions that he held me dear in his heart. “I miss it, too. I’m going
to grow it out again.”
“Not just for me.”
“For me, too. It’s easier to hide in it when I get emotional.
This client face is numbing me.”
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. I could see the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]