Read Online Brother to Brother: The Sacred Brotherhood Book I by A.J. Downey - Free Book Online Page A

needed her to take care of her boy, and maybe get a job if that’s what she wanted.
    “Get any of them applications in?” I asked.
    “Yes,” she said with a worried frown.
    “What’s that look for?”
    “With as much as you work, I don’t know how I’m going to…”
    “What do you mean?” she gave me an exasperated look and it pissed me off some so I told her, “Quit lookin’ at me like I’m stupid or some shit and spit it out.”
    “Who’s going to watch Noah?” I asked.
    “Mm, I’ll figure it out.” She stared at me wide eyed, her mouth very nearly hanging open. “What?” I demanded.
    “Nothing, I… I just…” I pinned her with a look, what, didn’t she fuckin’ trust me? Jesus Christ, I took her and the kid’s ass in, didn’t that earn me a little bit of trust? She was saved from answering me, and I was stopped from saying anything else because right then was when the boy chose to stir, pushing himself into a sit and rubbing his eyes.
    “Good morning!” Melody said, and her worried expression was just gone – poof, just like that; like it hadn’t been carved into every line of her face just a second before.
    “I gotta get to work,” I grumbled, and took my ass into the bedroom. I grabbed like a five minute shower, a cold one to wake up that really had absolutely nothing to do with Mel and that little robe of hers. I redressed quick in a fresh shirt, fresh pair of boxers and the same pair of jeans from the day before. I grabbed a fresh pair of socks and sat on the end of the bed to put them on.
    Mel was talking to Noah and I watched her for a minute as she interacted with her boy. She was different than the girl we’d all left behind in Arizona. More mature, more grown up. I think the word you’re looking for is responsible , you dick. I thought to myself and it sounded suspiciously like Grinder’s voice in my head.
    I knew it was all me, though. I didn’t believe in ghosts or any kind of afterlife. You died and that was it. It was like turning off a television set. The picture went out, the screen went dark and that was that. I also believed that you only got this one life. That there weren’t any do overs. There weren’t no such thing as heaven and if there was a hell? Well we very surely was livin’ in it.
    “You okay?” Mel asked and I snapped out of it, shaking my head a bit, to clear it.
    Blinking a few times, I answered her, “Yeah, just deep thinkin’ I guess.”
    “You’re going to be late,” she murmured.
    “Don’t nag me, woman,” I said and I meant it in jest but all it did was make her blanch.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way… I’ll keep my mouth shut,” she uttered and I frowned.
    “Yeah, okay.” I got up and went over to the couch pulling my boots on. “See you, same bat time, same bat channel, you be good for your mom, Kiddo,” I told Noah.
    “Unca Atcha, bye-bye,” Noah said and opened and closed his little hand in a wave. I felt myself smile in spite of myself and waved back at him.
    “See you later, Squirt,” and with that, I opened up the front door. “Lock up after me,” I ordered Mel and she nodded, rising gracefully from her seat in that way that only women could.
    “See you tonight,” she said and I gave a nod, shutting the door tight so I wouldn’t have to look at her and the worry that was carving ruts into her face and the dark circles that were taking up residence under her blue eyes.
     
    ***
     
    “You rang?” Dragon asked, making lazy strides in my direction a few hours later at the garage.
    “Yeah, I need your help with somethin’ P.”
    Dragon arched a salt and pepper eyebrow and said, “Oh yeah? You got my interest, what might that be?”
    I couldn’t get my back and forth with Mel that morning out of my head and it was taking over just about every thought I had like some kind of cancer.
    “You got a way with scared females, like you’re the fuckin’ pussy whisperer or somethin’,” I said with a