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“Seriously?” Corey shot out, throwing a hand toward Amelie. “Why would you bring her back here?”
“You want to talk about ridiculous shit. What the hell was that about?” Ricky shot back.
Corey blew out a breath. “I might owe him some money.”
“You might?”
“Okay, I do.”
Ricky shook his head, letting out a disgusted sigh. “How much?”
This sucked. First dealing with that woman, and now having to admit the mistakes he’d made when he had been high to his brother. He wasn’t proud of some of the things he had done. Hell, he didn’t even like to think about that shit.
But it happened. Now he had to pay the price.
“Five grand.”
Ricky swore. “Do you have that much?”
It kept getting better and better—his pride getting hit as if his brother were beating him with the bat hanging in his hand.
“I’ll figure it out.”
Ricky shook his head. “Meaning you don’t have it. What about Amelie?”
“What about her?” Corey motioned for Ricky to unhook her from his chest and hand her over. “Give her back.”
Ricky made no move to do so. “That asshole is going to come back tonight, and I have a feeling he’s not going to leave as nicely as he did now. That shit” –Ricky shoved a hand toward the back exit— “has no place near her.”
“I said I’ll figure it out. I would never do anything to hurt her.”
She was the reason he kept going these days. The reason he resisted the temptation always gnawing in his gut. Yeah, his brother was supportive, too, but he’d shown he could easily slip out of his life without all the facts. He’d proved that by walking away three years ago. It was damn hard staying clean, and Amelie gave him a good reason why he needed to.
“I’ll give you the money. What else might pop up from your past? Well, besides this and that woman.”
“Is she gone?”
Ricky shrugged. “She better be. Now answer my question.”
“Look, I’m not proud of some of the shit I did when I was high, okay. It is what it is, but I’ll handle it. I don’t need your damn money.”
Ricky moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder, his eyes trailing to his neck that no doubt was red and bruised from the guy holding him against the wall. Despite it aching with pain, he forced himself to pretend it didn’t even bother him. It hurt to swallow, but he’d never admit it.
“I’m sorry.”
Corey flinched. What? Why was his brother apologizing?
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most. But I’m here now, so let me help. Do you have the money?”
Corey sighed. Yeah, he was sorry as hell, too, that Ricky hadn’t been there for him. He had felt so alone and lost. When he had been high, those feelings didn’t matter. Nothing did.
Some days he still felt so alone and lost. The struggle was real. Every. Single. Day.
“I have maybe half.” That hurt to admit. That he couldn’t even fix his own problems.
“Then I got the other half. Last thing Amelie needs is her dad with broken legs or something.”
Shit, that was no lie. Especially if she had another terrible night. Only rocking her and walking as he swayed back and forth helped to soothe her.
