Page 58 of The Retaliation You Deliver

“He was helping me burn off steam.”

“Jesus, how much steam did you need to get rid of? You did a fucking number on your old man too.”

“Shit was fucked up.”

“Yeah, I get that man. But listen, as fun as continually leaving him half-dead is, you need to put an end to it. You can’t go into a new season with this hanging over you.”

“That’s months away.”

“This isn’t you, Leon.”

“What the hell do you know about me?” I snap.

“Fine. Fine. But if you don’t make a decision soon, I’m going to make it for you. You can’t continue like this.”

“What about my other issue?” I ask, knowing that Brett isn’t the only life hanging on by a thread right now.

“We’re on it. Working out a plan of action. I’ll be in touch once we have something.”

“Great.”

“Leon?”

“Yeah,” I mutter.

“Don’t beat the crap out of my brother again. I need his ass to keep business running.”

“Yeah, sure,” I agree, hanging up on him before he can do it to me.

I fall back on the couch with a sigh.

I need to go back to reality and deal with all this shit. But really, I just want to let myself drown here.

* * *

“Lee,” Luca’s deep voice booms up the stairs seconds after I heard the doorbell ring. “You’ve got a visitor.”

I still. She wouldn’t come here. Not after she ran in the middle of the night, would she?

My chest aches as I think about finding her side of the bed empty this morning.

I needed her after that nightmare, I fucking needed her and she’d left.

“Leon,” he calls again.

“Get rid of them, I’m not interested.”

“That ain’t gonna work, bro,” I hear the amusement in his tone and it just pisses me off.

“I’m busy jerking off,” I lie, “Get rid of them.”

I don’t hear anything else, and I can only assume that he’s done as I’ve said and I lift my laptop again. That is until the floorboard outside my room creaks and my door is pushed open.

“Luc, I said get rid of— oh,” I breathe when my visitor appears.

One look in her eyes and she bursts into tears.

“Shit,” I throw my laptop on my bed and scramble up, pulling her trembling body into my arms. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”