Page 99 of Overkill

I slumped over the armrest of my wheelchair in relief. She bent at the waist to hug me, and I wanted to weep. The worst had not happened. Not to her, and I was so glad for it.

“What does that even mean?” He was angry. He was in denial. Worse yet, I think he knew that I wouldn’t say it out loud.

His sisters would never say out loud what a monster Luke was, and he wouldn’t believe it unless we did.

I would not sully his memories of his father. Not until he had a better place for his feelings and more control of himself. Not until he was more centered.

Or maybe never. What good would it do to tell him what his father had been like? What Luke’s side of his genes were capable of?

“I wish you hadn’t come back!” Marcus hurled the words at me, and they felt like a slap in the face. “We’d be better off with anyone else!”

But then there was a flash in his eyes, a moment of remorse. An apology he could not force through his prideful lips. Instead of red with anger like I expected him to be, he was pale. He wasn’t on the brink of breaking the kitchen table again. Instead, he was closer to tears, like his world was falling apart.

“That’s enough.” Our heads swung to the open front door where Greg stood, hands in his pockets and a cold anger in those immaculate green eyes.

His socked feet had quietly let him sneak in on us, and I had no idea how long he’d been He didn’t do anything but walk in and suck the air out of the room, making my heart clench as the sheer sight of him brought tears to my eyes.

Greg pointed at Marcus, his finger inches from my brother’s nose. “Apologize.”

He didn’t yell. Didn’t even raise his voice. But his tone had so much promise, so much command, that Marcus opened his mouth to do just that before shaking himself out of the daze and clamped his mouth shut.

“It’s okay,” I said, because Marc looked like he was in pain. “Greg, back off.”

“Apologize.” Greg didn’t look at me.

He stared at Marc. Marc stared back. There was an entire conversation happening in their eyes that I couldn’t even begin to interpret. Something had happened while I wasn’t paying attention. Something had happened while I was too busy being sick, and…and…

Shit.

“Boy, you’ve got a choice to make. Either you grow the fuck up, or you keep acting like a child and hurt everyone that you care about.” Greg got right up on Marc, eyes glowing with rage, but his voice a deadly calm that terrified me. “Ask me how I know.”

The two of them stared at each other, and I had to get up. I had to put an end to this.

Marc said nothing, and I wanted to shake him. Not because I was angry. He was stuck. He was frozen.

I couldn’t even imagine what was going through his head.

“Say something, damn it!” Greg grabbed him by the collar, shaking him. “Say something!”

Pain spread through my body as I forced myself to get up from the wheel chair, and I launched myself at Greg, grabbing his collar, turned his head, forcing him to break eye contact with my brother so I could breathlessly, weakly say, “You have no right to talk to Marcus that way.”

I wanted to be stronger. I wanted it to be a command, not a half-whimpered request of an injured woman.

With the last of my strength, I whimpered, “Marc, Miriam…go. Go to your rooms.” When no one moved, I shouted, “Now!”

Chapter 35

Enjoy It

Vedder

I’d done it now. Good going, asshole.

She dismissed the kids, which left us in the kitchen, alone in the heavy silence. She was ready to fall, and I was the only thing keeping her up. I lowered her gently to her wheelchair, making sure that the breaks were down so she didn’t slip.

“You don’t get to talk to him like that.” I couldn’t imagine what strength she needed to say that while also being in unimaginable pain.

I’d come in because I’d heard the yelling. I came in to help.