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But I'd never seen him again until this afternoon.
"Stay away from him, Xavier. I made a phone call today while Uncle Curtis was cooking dinner."
His tone was a contradiction, because it was mixed with both confidence and uncertainty at the same time. I kept myself still, seemingly unconcerned as he spoke, though I knew whatever was coming next wasn't going to be good for me.
"Imagine my surprise to find out that Sheriff Tiegs hasn't retired yet."
I flinched at the name because the old cop had taken just a little too much pleasure in arresting me when I’d been a kid, as well as warning me not to step over the line every time he’d seen me since the day I’d returned to Eden.
So, Brooks had reported me despite telling his uncle he wouldn't. I wondered why Sheriff Tiegs hadn't already arrested me. Maybe the fat old fuck was waiting until daylight to trek up into the hills to come slap the cuffs on me.
"I thought the guy was going to have an orgasm right there on the phone when I started asking about you. He had a whole lot of questions for me. Like had you threatened me? Had you talked about going after my father? Had you been drinking alcohol? Had I seen you with a weapon? The list went on and on. It finally occurred to me why he was asking. See, I’d assumed you'd been released from prison after serving your sentence, but you weren't, were you, Xavier? You're on parole."
Brooks looked like the cat that had eaten the canary. He wasn't exactly smiling, but he was definitely feeling his oats now. I knew what he wanted… he wanted to see me afraid. He wanted me to ask him what he’d told Sheriff Tiegs. He wanted me to agree to leave Black Hills Ranch in return for him keeping his mouth shut. The dick wanted to deal. God, he really was like his old man.
I didn't respond to his comment because that was what he wanted. I remained indifferent and actually glanced at the watch on my wrist as if I were bored. I saw Brooks hesitate briefly and knew my reaction wasn't the one he’d been anticipating. Something shifted in his expression and I was shocked to see him look rather sad. He shook his head and when his voice came out next it was quiet, reluctant.
"Just go, Xavier. Your parole probably doesn't require you to stay in Eden, right? You just can't leave the state. Go somewhere and start over. Just leave Uncle Curtis alone."
"This about your Uncle Curtis or is this about you?" I asked. Brooks seemed caught off guard by my question. "The sooner I go, the sooner you can go too, right? What did you even come out here for? He told me it's been five years… since he lost Del. I doubt he told you I was here before today or I'm sure you and your father would've had something to say about it. So I ask again, are you here for him… or you?"
"No, that's not—" Brooks began, but I cut him off.
"Do yourself a favor, Silver Spoon. Take a real good look around this house and when you're done, come tell me what you see. Then tell me again how you're here to make sure your Uncle Curtis is okay. For once in your life, take the fucking blinders off, Brooks."
Brooks was speechless for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "One wrong step, Xavier. Just one and you're done." Brooks turned on his heel and stomped to the door. He grabbed the knob and snapped over his shoulder, "Enjoy your pie,” before slamming the door shut behind him. I took in a deep breath and waited several long seconds. Even in that small amount of time, I could feel the walls closing in on me. It got harder to breathe, even though there was air coming in from the balcony just behind me. But it wasn't enough.
When I heard another door slamming from the room next to mine, I hurried to my door and yanked it open. The relief that it hadn't somehow magically ended up locked was like a wave crashing over me. One of the first things I’d done when I’d moved into the spacious room had been to replace the doorknob with one that didn't have a lock on it. But even that wasn't enough to convince my messed-up mind that there was no way I could get locked in again. I felt like a fool, but at least I had one thing going for me.
Brooks didn't know that particular truth and if I had my way, he never would.
Chapter 5
Brooks
"Another one?" I asked in disbelief as I watched Uncle Curtis carry a large shoebox, or rather, cowboy hat box, into the room.
