shrugged. So, she’d agreed to stay, but I didn’t think for a second she wasn’t going to find another way to fight us.
Addison
It was a little awkward sitting there with my brother in the room. I was a little sad that I hadn’t kept yup with him. But the awkwardness didn’t come from not seeing him. It came from the very obvious fact that I was a problem. I was stubborn, and I didn’t give up on what I believed in. But the thing was… the whole thing was laughable. I was one hundred and twenty-eight pounds of trouble in their opinion. But they’d taught me to be this way. They’d spent childhood forcing me to be independent and take care of myself. They couldn’t get mad at me for that.
The common room. That was the room I’d come into. It was well lived in. Almost like a real apartment. They spent a lot of time here, if I were to judge by the well-read gun magazines, and fitness books lying about on the coffee table.
There was a TV in the corner, which was strange. I wondered what they watched when they were in here. Behind me, there was a table with four chairs arranged around it, almost like a dining room table. But I knew they had a separate chow hall, so maybe they played games there or something.
The only thing missing were windows. You never really notice windows until they aren’t there anymore. It triggered a low level panic within me that I had to fight to keep it from barreling to the surface. I’d had claustrophobia as a child, and sometimes it still flared up. Considering the crazy tension in the room, I was feeling it.
But this was my current life, stuck in underground hell with my brother and his best friend.
“You can’t stay silent forever.”
Speak of the devil.
I could be silent if I damn well pleased. I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. I wasn’t really that angry, but honestly, I was tired of being dictated to.
He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Addy. You have to talk sooner or later.”
“I will not say anything that might incriminate me. And you can’t make me.”
“Nothing is going incriminate you here. You living here for now—”
I turned my head toward him, slow and deliberate, but the expression on my face was enough to stop him from finishing that sentence. “Let’s get one thing straight, Chris. I don’t live here. I live in a really gorgeous house, with a nice view and a private beach, and a lush expense account. I may have agreed not to run for now, but I still don’t live here.”
“That was Alex Giroux’s house.” Chris spat out, his disgust apparent.
“Yep. Sure was.” With Alex’s death, I owned it all. Chris obviously had not found out that tidbit yet. No doubt that was coming soon, and I wanted to be gone before that happened.
Chris sighed and sat down on the couch next to me. I ignored him. “Addy… How did you meet Alex Giroux? How did you even get sucked into this mess?”
Twisting to look at my brother, it was hard to realize that we were twins. Sure we had the same grey-blue eyes, the same sunny hair, the same facial structure, though his were more angular and masculine than mine. But we were as different as night and day inside. He was the saint, and I was the fuck-up.
“Oh, are we due for another interrogation?” I folded my hands together and held them out. “Shouldn’t you go get your handcuffs? You know, let’s make it all official-like.”
“Fuck it all, Addy, would you stop being a brat?” My brother growled.
“Why don’t you stop being an asshole?”
“Children!” Both of us stopped and turned toward the sound. I think we’d both forgotten that Murphy was there. It wasn’t hard. He wasn’t talking. He just let us argue. Murphy leaned over the back of the couch between us so we had to look at him. “Do I need to put you two in time-out?”
“I’m already fucking there,” I shot back, and leaned back into the couch. I crossed my arms in a moderate sulk. My goal wasn’t to antagonize my brother. That
Addison
It was a little awkward sitting there with my brother in the room. I was a little sad that I hadn’t kept yup with him. But the awkwardness didn’t come from not seeing him. It came from the very obvious fact that I was a problem. I was stubborn, and I didn’t give up on what I believed in. But the thing was… the whole thing was laughable. I was one hundred and twenty-eight pounds of trouble in their opinion. But they’d taught me to be this way. They’d spent childhood forcing me to be independent and take care of myself. They couldn’t get mad at me for that.
The common room. That was the room I’d come into. It was well lived in. Almost like a real apartment. They spent a lot of time here, if I were to judge by the well-read gun magazines, and fitness books lying about on the coffee table.
There was a TV in the corner, which was strange. I wondered what they watched when they were in here. Behind me, there was a table with four chairs arranged around it, almost like a dining room table. But I knew they had a separate chow hall, so maybe they played games there or something.
The only thing missing were windows. You never really notice windows until they aren’t there anymore. It triggered a low level panic within me that I had to fight to keep it from barreling to the surface. I’d had claustrophobia as a child, and sometimes it still flared up. Considering the crazy tension in the room, I was feeling it.
But this was my current life, stuck in underground hell with my brother and his best friend.
“You can’t stay silent forever.”
Speak of the devil.
I could be silent if I damn well pleased. I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. I wasn’t really that angry, but honestly, I was tired of being dictated to.
He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Addy. You have to talk sooner or later.”
“I will not say anything that might incriminate me. And you can’t make me.”
“Nothing is going incriminate you here. You living here for now—”
I turned my head toward him, slow and deliberate, but the expression on my face was enough to stop him from finishing that sentence. “Let’s get one thing straight, Chris. I don’t live here. I live in a really gorgeous house, with a nice view and a private beach, and a lush expense account. I may have agreed not to run for now, but I still don’t live here.”
“That was Alex Giroux’s house.” Chris spat out, his disgust apparent.
“Yep. Sure was.” With Alex’s death, I owned it all. Chris obviously had not found out that tidbit yet. No doubt that was coming soon, and I wanted to be gone before that happened.
Chris sighed and sat down on the couch next to me. I ignored him. “Addy… How did you meet Alex Giroux? How did you even get sucked into this mess?”
Twisting to look at my brother, it was hard to realize that we were twins. Sure we had the same grey-blue eyes, the same sunny hair, the same facial structure, though his were more angular and masculine than mine. But we were as different as night and day inside. He was the saint, and I was the fuck-up.
“Oh, are we due for another interrogation?” I folded my hands together and held them out. “Shouldn’t you go get your handcuffs? You know, let’s make it all official-like.”
“Fuck it all, Addy, would you stop being a brat?” My brother growled.
“Why don’t you stop being an asshole?”
“Children!” Both of us stopped and turned toward the sound. I think we’d both forgotten that Murphy was there. It wasn’t hard. He wasn’t talking. He just let us argue. Murphy leaned over the back of the couch between us so we had to look at him. “Do I need to put you two in time-out?”
“I’m already fucking there,” I shot back, and leaned back into the couch. I crossed my arms in a moderate sulk. My goal wasn’t to antagonize my brother. That
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