Page 97 of Malice and Surrender
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” She shifted position, so she was staring directly at me, and I didn’t know if that was better or if more of her intense focus was worse.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and swallowed as the pizza churned from the tension building in my gut.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without Avro. His real name is Alex, in case he never told you,” I said and let my mind float back to the fight that I didn’t know would be the beginning of the end of my family.
Alex and I wandered along the sidewalk toward my house. I didn’t get home from Duke as much as I liked. Between the full course load, playing on the basketball team that had brought me there with a full scholarship, and trying to promote my music, it didn’t leave much time for family visits.
I glanced at Alex and wished he’d change his mind and move to North Carolina with me. I knew he had dreams of his own, but I missed him. We went from spending every day together to swapping every other weekend. He made the twelve-hour drive two weekends ago and stayed with me from Thursday night until Sunday morning, and this was my weekend to drive back home. I loved the school, my team, and the entire experience, including meeting people to jam with, and yet it felt like something was always missing until Alex was there.
“What do you want to do tomorrow?” I asked and then froze. I grabbed Alex’s arm as shouting from inside my house could be heard from where we were on the sidewalk.
“What the fuck?”
“Is that your parents?”
“Sounds like it.” I jogged up the driveway with Alex beside me. My mom never fought with anyone, and I couldn’t even remember her ever fighting with Lyle, but it was definitely his voice I heard as we neared the front door.
The door was locked, and I slammed into it as I tried to push it open. “Dammit.”
Whipping my backpack off my shoulder, I rummaged around in my bag until I found my keys. My hand shook as I tried to get the key into the lock, then something inside smashed.
I looked at Alex, and he had the same horrified expression to match the anger and fear forcing me to break out in a sweat. Pushing open the door, I didn’t understand what I was walking in on. My mother was sitting on the floor dabbing a tissue on Chad’s head while Shannon stood in the archway to the kitchen, crying.
Lyle was pacing the living room, yelling about something to do with bills and money and where it was going. The sentences were choppy. As soon as he spotted us, he stopped and pointed at me.
“What the fuck are you staring at?” Lyle yelled. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot with either lack of sleep or alcohol. I got my answer a moment later when he walked in my direction and looked like he was trying and failing a sobriety test.
“Lyle, did you fucking hit Chad?” I asked, my hands balling into fists.
I stepped toward him with my fists clenching tight and ready for a fight when my mom jumped in my way. She put her hand on my chest and shook her head no.
“Mom,” I said, the anger over being held back clear in my voice. Before she could answer, a knock sounded on the open front door, and I looked over to see two officers standing in the doorway.
“You called the cops?” Lyle fumed at my mom.
“No. I did, Dad,” Shannon said, the tears rolling down her face. “You’re acting crazy,” she said through her sobs. “You hit Chad and said you hate us,” she wailed.
“You traitorous little bitch!” I pulled my mom into my side as the officers entered the room, their eyes focused on Lyle. My mom was liable to get in their way, but the fact he hit Chad and everyone else was in tears was enough for me to want to kick his ass.
“Sir, we’re going to need you to come with us to give you time to calm down,” the older of the two officers said.
“I don’t need to fucking calm down,” Lyle said, squaring off with the officers.
My mom covered her face and cried like I’d never seen before. I hugged her tight and watched Alex check in with Chad before wrapping Shannon in his arms. Chad seemed more pissed than hurt, but Shannon’s heart looked like it was breaking. What the hell had caused this?
“Fucking little bitch!” Lyle yelled as the officers got the cuffs on him and escorted him out of the house.
“Mom, what the hell happened? I’ve never seen Lyle like that.” I asked the moment the front door closed.
With Lyle gone, I realized I was breathing easier, and the room felt safer. His eyes held so much hatred, and I couldn’t even imagine my mom doing anything to inspire that level of anger.
My mom waited until Alex had herded Shannon and Chad into the kitchen before answering.
“I’m sorry, Jace,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to tell you and have you worry while you were away at school, but I caught Lyle in a few lies and confronted him last month.” She wrung her hands together. “There were these unexplained expenses from a city a couple of hours away when he said he was on the other side of the country for business. He was gone two weeks, got home, and acted like that was where he’d been the whole time.” She took a shuddering breath, her lower lip trembling. I hated seeing her like this. “We fought, but I wasn’t letting it go, and he finally blurted out that he has a whole other family.” She broke down into full-on sobs, and I held her tight, not even sure I heard her correctly.
“I’m sorry, what? How is that even possible?”
