Page 57 of Broken Brothers

My phone rang, but I ignored it at first, more absorbed in the business at hand than at anything else. If it was Layla, like I suspected it was, she could wait for some time before I answered the phone. I was in no rush to get back in touch with her, not especially since my defenses were fading and I needed to have them up for my interactions with all the companies we dealt with.Fucked over, I will not be.

But then the phone rang a second time, too close to the first ring for it to have been two randomly different callers. Curious, I headed over and saw it was a New York number I did not recognize. I would have ignored this one, too, but the double-up of the phone calls suggested someone wanted to reach me. Claire, maybe.

I picked the phone off the ground.

“This is Chance,” I said.

“I know it’s you, boy.”

My demeanor immediately soured when I heard Edwin Hunt’s fake cheerful voice on the other side. I’d heard this voice too much to be fooled. He would compliment and charm me, but I could practically taste the venom and smell the disgust from the other end of the line at having to speak to his adopted son. If I had to guess, this was probably the fourth phone call he had ever initiated to me.

“Hi, Mr. Hunt,” I said, providing my own fake cheerful voice. “How are you, today?”

“Oh, well, you know me, it’s always a delightful day in the heart of New York City. In any case, Chance, I suppose we should get right to it, I know I am a busy man and you must be busting your behind to find yourself a new job.”

And there it is. The infamous passive-aggressiveness of Mr. Hunt toward me and Morgan.

“I would like to have you meet me and Morgan for dinner at Ava’s Steakhouse tonight. 6:30 p.m. What do you say?”

Well, I didn’t really have much choice in the matter, did I? At least I was getting the chance to enjoy some nice steak at a nice restaurant on a tab that most certainly was not going to be mine. Even if Mr. Hunt “left early for business” Morgan had access to the card that could pay off its monthly tab with the investment interest alone.

“I say that sounds great,” I said, trying desperately to fill my voice with some degree of enthusiasm. “It will be an absolute pleasure to see the family.”

“Oh, well thank you, but this will be a gentleman’s evening,” Mr. Hunt said with a chuckle. “Melanie is going to stay at home for this one.”

I figured, but it’s still shitty to hear.

“Oh, OK, well that would be great,” I said. “I suppose we’ll have some fun discussing shop.”

“Now, now, it won’t be all shop, we’ll talk about the Yankees too, we can’t be working all the time!”

Ironic coming from you. I don’t know that you do anything that can’t make you money.

“Haha, I understand that,” I said with a fake laugh.

“Good! Then I will see you there.”

He hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye, which was pretty much his modus operandi, even with his wife. I contemplated texting or calling back and saying I could notmake it, but that would have been really fucking stupid. Edwin did not take no for an answer well.

And besides, I wanted some steak. Having to skimp on eating, even if I was used to it, wasn’t exactly something I was eager to continue indulging in.

When I showed up that night, Morgan, thank heavens, greeted me first outside the restaurant.

“The hell is this about?” I said, careful to make sure first that Mr. Hunt was not in sight anywhere.

“I have no idea,” Morgan said. “But I don’t think he knows about MCH and I’d like to keep it that way. So please don’t say anything.”

“Like I would,” I said with my eyes rolled. “You’re the one that has to be careful, golden son.”

“Whatever,” Morgan said, a bit more defeated than I expected. “Let’s just go. You know the drill with dad.”

That I do. I know it all too well.

I got in and shook hands with Mr. Hunt, wearing a nice black suit and black tie. I had to say, even though I had seen him just a couple of weeks ago, he looked worse for the wear. Age was beginning to be a factor for him, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see in just a few short years him get so bad he’d have to retire or worse.

In that sense, the pressure on Morgan to be ready to take over the company had probably intensified to an even higher degree. That probably explained why he looked as worn out as he did. He wasn’t in the mood for jokes. He wasn’t in the mood for brotherly play fighting. He was just in the mood to get shit done.

Seeing him like this and seeing Edwin Hunt made me wonder for how long Edwin had been as… questionably ethical and brutal as he was. Was he always like this? Did the pressure of business get to him? Was he once a cheerful and happy person like Morgan and I? Or was he just always a manipulative asshole?