“Like I told you last time — we have nothing to talk about. We have no relationship. As far as I’m concerned, you no longer exist.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. We’re family. We’ll always be family. There’s no changing your blood.”
“Stay away from me. I’m warning you—”
“Warn away. You forget that I know you, Archer. Your bark has always been worse than your bite.” His lips tug up at one side. “And your actions speak louder anyway. You didn’t call the cops. You didn’t dime me out.”
“So?”
“If I didn’t mean anything to you, I’d be in a cell right now. Or on the run again. But my boys kept watch for days and… nothing happened. No one came. You kept your mouth shut.”
“A mistake I’ll rectify very soon, trust me.”
Jaxon shakes his head. “Nah. I don’t think so, bro. You’re loyal. Even if you don’t want to admit it. Even if you hate it.” He pauses for a long beat, staring at me. “In my circles, we reward loyalty.”
“I’m not in your circles.”
“What if you could be?” There’s a strange excitement in his eyes. “When I saw you the other day, I realized how much I missed you. How much I miss our family. And then, when you didn’t turn me in… I realized you must miss me, too.”
He’s fucking delusional.
Or high.
Or both.
“I had an idea,” he continues, stepping closer to me. “Of how I can help you.”
“Helpme?” I hiss. “What makes you think I need your help?”
“You seen yourself lately? I barely recognized you the other day.” He smirks. “You’re my little brother. You’ll always be my little brother. It’s my job to look out for you.”
“Jaxon—”
“I want you to come work for me,” he cuts me off. “Withme.”
“You must be joking.”
A flare of temper shoots through his eyes. “You don’t understand. This new gig I’m running is foolproof, Archer. The money just pours in, hand over fist. More than you could ever need.”
“I don’t need money.”
“Everyone needs money.” He scoffs, as though I’m an idiot. “You want to buy a mansion for Ma and Pa?Done.” He snaps his fingers. “Just like that. You want some state-of-the-art experimental surgery to fix your hand?Boom.” He snaps again. “You could play baseball again, Archer. You could pitch again.”
I shake my head, trying to shut out his words. They’re too good to be true. I know that deep down. But just the thought — however improbable, however unlikely — that I could potentially get back my dream…
No.
Jaxon takes another step toward me. “You want to impress that rich girl you were always chasing around? Give her the life you know she’s expecting?Easy.” Another snap. “You could finally turn Josephine Valentine into Josephine Reyes.”
My eyes spring open. Fury fills me, infusing my every nerve ending until I’m practically shaking with the force of it. “Stop talking, Jaxon. I mean it.”
“You’ll be set up for life!” he continues, not sensing the danger. “You’ll never have to work again. Never have to struggle again. And we… We can be brothers again.”
“You must be high.”
“I’m not!” he insists, but his pinprick-pupils say otherwise. “I’ve changed. Unlike you. Same old Archer — too proud to ever accept help. No wonder you’re alone. No wonder Ma and Pa couldn’t wait to leave you. No wonder your girl left you, too.”
“Shut up!” I roar, stepping forward and grabbing him by the shirt front. I mange to shake him a few times before he shoves out of my grip. “For once in your life just shut up!”