I gasp as a man clears the doorframe.
“Goddamnit, Zeke.” Zane shouts as he looks at the identical version of himself.
“Goddamnit, Zeke!” I gasp loudly, lowering my gun. “I almost blew your fucking head off. Why are you here?”
“You remember when you told me to just say the word and I’m in?”
“Yeah?” I look at my brother, confused at what he’s getting at because I told him that the last time we saw one another, 4 years ago, right before I got locked up. Right before he told me to go fuck myself.
“I want in.”
“Why, now? I haven’t heard from you in what, almost a year?”
“Zeke?” Comes from behind him and my eyes widen at the recognition of the voice. The voice that had once been so strong, but now just seems torn and tattered.
“Liza?” I look past Zeke to her standing in the hallway on the top step. “Why are both of you here?”
“I was just coming over to find you… but…” Zeke starts, looking down at me, and laughing. “I see you’re making the place your own.”
“Why are you here?” I cut my eyes at him.
“Z, it’s…” Liza starts. I can see a brief flash of the girl that I remember growing up with, the one completely void of fear.
“What is it?”
Liza doesn’t answer me, but I watch her eyes trail into the kitchen and I glance back to where Tatum is standing.
“She’s fine. You can trust her.”
“Are you sure?” Liza’s voice seems muted.
“Yeah, don’t you know Liza? Z doesn’t make any mistakes.”
“Fuck off, okay.”
Liza’s eyes widen as we snap at one another. I haven’t seen her in a while and, well; she hasn’t seen my brother and me together in even longer.
“No, Z, we all know how fucking perfect you are.”
“Stop!” Tatum shouts from in the kitchen. “Fuck!” I can hear her slam her hands down on the counter. “Clearly, something more important than whatever issue you two have is fucking going on.”
“Who the fuck even are you?” Zeke snaps over at her, pissing me off further.
I’m about to tell him to back the fuck off, but I stop when I hear her start again. “Uh, someone who apparently has been around a lot more than you recently.”
Zeke looks taken aback by Tatum’s attitude and I see Liza look down with a smirk on her face.
“You’re right.” I look over at Tatum, nodding my head.
“Good.” Her eyes widen before she’s stepping around the island and walking over to where we stand. “Now we’re going to go to separate corners and calm down, maybe put some pants on. And readdress this in a few minutes.”
She doesn’t wait for me to answer, but pushes me back into the living room and up the stairs.
I can’t help but smirk as I hear my brother grumble to himself after Liza says she likes her.
?
I know she’s looking at me as I’m shutting the door. I turn around, looking at her and give her an awkward smile.
