Page 47 of Tormented
“Not really.”
“Neither.” He sighs, pulling out his pack of smokes. “Way I see it, either your old man gets his way with us all, or we end up on a Korean barbeque when they find out we can’t pay our debts. Might as well fight the devil we know, right?”
He’s so hopeful . . . .
Yeah, well hope is the only thing a man who’s lost as much as he did has left to hang on to.
“Logic aside,” I say. “How do you feel about it all? Whole thing’s gonna fall on your doorstep.” My old man’s property is closest to the Fort Worth compound.
“Hasn’t it always?” He smirks, bringing the lighter to his cigarette. “A few months ago, I would have told King where to stick his fuckin’ idea of bringin’ an imminent war to the table. But now?” He stares off into nothing while he sucks on the stick. “Now, your old man made it personal.”
“I tried, brother. I really did.”
He nods, swallowing hard. “I know.”
“Fuckin’ kick myself every day for stoppin’.”
“What’s supposed to happen, will happen. Ain’t nothing you can do to stop it when your time’s up.”
“It should have been me.” Dana died for no real fucking reason, other than yet another way my father could fuck with my head. He’s always taken what’s mine, the things I loved and cherished. Why would he stop now?
Hooch sighs, tuning the smoke between his fingers. “As much as I’d love to agree because it would mean I’d have my sister back, she wouldn’t be as much use as you will be when the time comes to knock that fucker off his pedestal.” He takes a lazy drag, letting the smoke pool out around his nose. “I never asked you what exactly went down between you and Dana, brother.”
Don’t do it now . . . .
“But I’m goin’ to assume it was enough that you got the best of her selfless heart.”
I don’t answer him. What can I say? She gave me more than anyone had in such a short time, enough to change the course of my life, but clearly not enough to be any help when it comes to understanding the other sex any better.
I lean forward, elbows on my knees, and cup my hands over my mouth. “How much do you know about Abbey’s childhood?”
Hooch narrows his gaze on me. “How the fuck did the conversation go straight from my sister to Abbey?”
I shrug, but he’s not stupid.
“She’s not to be fucked around with because your cock’s feelin’ lonely,” he snaps. “You need to get your sick fascination with ruinin’ people for the fuckin’ fun of it under control.”
“Who said I wanted to ruin her?” I ask, dropping my hands between my knees and fisting them to save from hitting something—him.
“Isn’t that what you do?”
“You think it’s what I did to Dana?”
“I fuckin’ hope not.”
“I didn’t.” I hang my head and sigh. “I don’t know what it is, man. I can’t stop thinkin’ about her is all.”
“It’s natural to want to know what you’re not allowed to. That’s what makes secrets so damn interesting; everyone wants what they can’t have.”
“I’ve always got what I wanted one way or another, though.”
“But not her, right?”
“She told me the name of the asshole who abused her.”
Hooch stares at me, probably quietly surprised.
“And then she told me to leave her alone.”