Read Online Slow Burn - a Novel: The Elite by KB Winters - Free Book Online Page A

care—especially if I brought him a coffee too—but had resisted the pull. I didn’t want to push my chances of getting an extension on my contract. The longer I stayed in Holiday Cove, the more money I’d make and a better chance at getting to know Carly.
    I folded up my papers, tucked them into the large folder Aaron and I had been using to compile all of our testing notes, and then grabbed my keys and phone from the counter where I’d dropped them that morning. I flipped off the lights, set the security code, and locked up. I made it halfway to my truck when my cell phone started ringing. I fished it out of my back pocket and saw an unknown caller.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey, Nick!” The voice belonged to my younger brother, Nate. He was currently stationed with the Marines over in Japan and called every few months. Usually when he’d had a little too much to drink and got all sentimental.
    “Hey Bro, what’s up?” I continued on to my truck and hopped inside to keep warm. The sun was getting ready to dip down over the ocean and there was a slight chill in the air.
    “Not much. Just bored.”
    “You stayin’ out of trouble?”
    “More or less.”
    I pressed my eyes closed. Not the answer I was looking for.
    “You do realize you have a lot of eyes on you right now, right?”
    Nate groaned. “Nick, I didn’t call you to get a lecture. If I was in the mood for one, I would’ve called Dad. He’s better at chewing my ass than you anyways…”
    “Maybe you should listen sometime. Then you wouldn’t be in your position,” I growled.
    “This was a mistake. I’m gonna go.”
    “Nate, grow up. Don’t hang up just ‘cause you don’t like what I have to say. You fucked up, little bro, and you’re gonna have to live out the consequences.”
    Nine months ago, he and some buddies got drunk, crashed into a General’s car with the rental they were joyriding in. He was lucky to still be in the Marines. He’d been punished, but in my opinion—he’d gotten off way too easily. Likely because one of his buddies was the son of a high powered officer. He had undoubtedly pulled some favors to get the entire fiasco glossed over and put away.
    But, if Nate made one more wrong move—it would cost him his career.
    Not that he seemed to care.
    “I know! I know! Damn! I’m keeping my nose clean.”
    I was skeptical, but he was thousands of miles away and there wasn’t anything I could do about his choices anyway. It didn’t stop me from worrying though. If anything, I worried more because I wasn’t there to bail his ass out like I was when we were kids.
    “Glad to hear it,” I replied. “Have you talked to Mom and Dad lately?”
    “No. Every time I call, Dad gets on and bitches at me. So I stopped calling.”
    I set my jaw. That was the major difference between the two of us. Nate liked to run and hide from his problems. Whereas I preferred facing things head on, taking my hits, and moving on—lesson learned. He was nearly seven years younger than me though, and my parents had definitely babied him as a kid. At least in comparison to the way I’d been raised. Although, now that Nate had gotten into trouble, I think they were finally seeing that maybe that wasn’t the best route and my dad in particular seemed to be wanting to make up for lost time by swooping in and breathing fire on Nate anytime he stepped out of line.
    Ten years too late, Dad.
    My ear perked at the sound of bawdy cheers and ruckus in the background. There were some muffled sounds, as though Nate were holding the phone against his chest to block the sound. I heard him say something, but couldn’t make out all the words. It sounded a lot like a warning to hold it down for a minute.
    “Listen, I gotta get going…” Nate said, returning to our call.
    I rolled my eyes. “Something important from the sound of it. What is it? Last call coming up?”
    “Goodbye Nick. Maybe next time when I call you can be less of a dick.”
    The line went dead