Page 12

Chapter Twelve

Y ael had a half hour before he had to head to the school gymnasium where Eryn's game was taking place. It was just enough time to eat the leftovers from yesterday.

He grabbed the container and put it in the microwave before grabbing the television remote for some background noise. The house was too quiet without Eryn.

Eryn stayed at the school with the rest of the team. They had pizza for dinner and a pep talk from the coach, since it was the last game of the season unless they won, in which case, they would go to the next championship game.

The news came on. Yael half paid attention to it as he made his way to the door. He slipped on his shoes but didn't bother with his coat. The weather was warmer than it had been in recent days. And besides which, he was only going to the mailbox. He wouldn't be outside long.

The sun was just getting ready to set. It would be fully dark by the time the game was over later.

Eryn intended to go to a party which left Yael with the house to himself. He was looking forward to that, although he wouldn't have minded if Simon showed up. Yael knew he wouldn't because he was out of town, but he missed him. It felt as though they'd been separated for a week, even though they'd parted that morning.

Yael grabbed the mail. He shuffled through it as he headed back inside. A personal loan and two credit card offers.

The next envelope made him stop halfway to the house. He could hardly touch it.

Letter number two meant Andre had something going on. Some sort of nefarious activity. He'd sent two letters a day apart from each other. Did it mean he was desperate? If he was, why was that? What was happening to him? He was doing something bad. That was the most likely situation.

Whatever was inside would taint him. If he opened the letter, it would change his life forever. Or maybe Andre would happen to them regardless of if he opened it. Maybe opening it didn't matter.

What did was the threat lingering inside. He knew there was one. There had been an undercurrent of one in the first letter. Knowing Andre, he doubled down to where he knew Yael would send the money. Give him the money or else. Whatever bad thing Andre could do from prison would happen. Andre didn't make empty threats.

So, the question was, what could he do from prison?

Yael locked the door behind him as if Andre lingered in the shadows somewhere outside. Paranoia set in and the bravado he had yesterday, after opening the first letter, disappeared.

He leaned against the door and opened the envelope. It was a single sheet of paper with one sentence on it just like the first: Do what I say, or Eryn will get a proper education.

Yael sucked in a breath and dropped the letter as if it had burned him. He put a hand over his mouth, although he wasn't sure why. He didn't have an urge to scream. If anything, he just needed to keep air in his body because it certainly left the room the second Yael read the single sentence.

He wasn't sure what he would do, but he knew what Andre meant by a proper education. He'd had one of those growing up. So did Andre. The legacy their father left was filled with violence and pain. Yael had left it behind a long time ago. Even before their dad died.

As threats went, it was an effective one. Andre had always been very good at knowing which of Yael's buttons he could press to get what he wanted. He'd been better at that than anyone else in Yael's life, including their abusive father.

Yael didn't question his means for following through on the threat. If he made a threat, he already had a means to an end. Capability wasn't in question. But Yael would like to know how without finding out the hard way.

His hands shook as he texted Eryn.

Are you okay?

I'm fine. Why? What happened?

Nothing. Everything is fine. For now, but Yael wondered how long it would stay that way.

Do you need me to come home?

No. We can talk after the party. Or tomorrow morning. Whichever. Focus on your game.

If you're sure.

I'm sure. Go Dragons.

Go Dragons!

Yael forgot about eating until the microwave beeped. It did it every minute until he opened the door after being in use. He grabbed the leftovers and put the container on the counter to cool. He made a mental note to put it back in the fridge after he left for the game. His stomach was in knots, so he wouldn't be able to eat anytime soon.

His laptop was in the bedroom, so he made his way there and carried it to the office. He sat behind the desk and waited for it to boot. It didn't take long.

It had been a long time since he’d put money in Andre's commissary. More years than he'd had his laptop, so he had to search for the prison site and then for the place where he could give money to a prisoner.

It took less than a minute to do his brother’s bidding. The whole time he wondered what can of worms he had just opened.