looked away. “No reason you should know at all.” Unless there had been more in Audrey’s letter to Devon than Calvin had ever suspected, and wouldn’t that be a kick in the teeth? “I’m not even taking meds anymore. Haven’t for over two years. I don’t know how the hell he got hold of the information.”
Danny made a sharp sound. At first Calvin thought it was a laugh, but the look on his younger brother’s face put paid to that assumption immediately. Danny’s jaw worked with an agitation Calvin had never seen in him before, and he was...he was pacing. Danny wasn’t the type to pace.
“Danny.”
“No.” Danny snapped a hand through the air. “This guy is fucked up. He’s into some fucking shitty things, if he can— Who is he, who does he know that could—” He yanked both hands through his hair and thumped down into a chair.
Devon eyed him. “He’s telling the truth about you, too?”
“I was a minor! It should have been expunged, it shouldn’t even be available anymore. Fuck, don’t look at me like that, Devon, I didn’t steal a fucking Monet.”
“Okay, I’m sorry.” Devon raised his hands. “Danny? I’m sorry.”
It was all going to shit. Calvin couldn’t fathom how normal things had been just this morning, comparably, and now, mere hours later, he couldn’t see a path forward anymore. “Where the hell are we going to get the money?” he breathed, mostly to himself, but there was no way they hadn’t heard him.
“We could go to the police,” Devon said doubtfully, but Danny jumped up again.
“ No . Not if he’s pulling out this old stuff, who knows what he—”
“Okay.” Calvin wanted to know what Danny had managed to do as a kid when he was supposedly here with Audrey, the best influence that existed in this world. Even more, he wanted to know why Audrey hadn’t come to him for help when her new kids started going off the rails. But there wasn’t time to expend on it right now. “I don’t think we should push him. There might be other things he could use.”
He let it drift there, and they all drank it in. Devon’s mask had come back on. Calvin wondered if they should be concerned about something on his end as well.
Devon must have seen it in his face. “Hey, no. There’s nothing I can think of. Not even something that...should be privileged.”
But it didn’t really matter, did it? “I’m still waiting on a loan application from my bank in Spokane,” Calvin said. “But it won’t be much. My car’s the only collateral I have and it’s almost twenty years old.”
“I barely have any money to my name.” Danny sounded beaten in a way that scared Calvin. Realization flooded.
“Wait, you have a job, I know you do.”
“Pay’s for shit,” Danny muttered. “My savings aren’t enough for this.”
“How were you going to—”
“I would have figured it out,” Danny exploded. “Somehow. Gotten a second job, something. I’ve been looking, filling out applications. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t leave you hanging, I swear I wasn’t going to cut and run or foist the debt off on you, it wasn’t like that!”
“Okay, okay, I get it.” Calvin had been there before, eking it out well enough on his own, but witless as to how he was ever going to make something more of his situation. Taking a chance with what he had left and all the while counting on something to happen soon, just in time.
But he’d had Audrey then. Now Audrey was gone.
Devon didn’t even own a car. A mortgage was out of the question, not with the house in legal limbo. “Anyone have any other property?”
Danny looked absolutely blank. Devon just shook his head. Not a surprise. Calvin didn’t own any property himself, and he could hardly expect someone as nomadic as Devon to put down such roots. This house, here, was about as permanent as any of them had ever gotten. Calvin couldn’t get around the sickness in his gut, a match to the way he’d felt during his darkest
Danny made a sharp sound. At first Calvin thought it was a laugh, but the look on his younger brother’s face put paid to that assumption immediately. Danny’s jaw worked with an agitation Calvin had never seen in him before, and he was...he was pacing. Danny wasn’t the type to pace.
“Danny.”
“No.” Danny snapped a hand through the air. “This guy is fucked up. He’s into some fucking shitty things, if he can— Who is he, who does he know that could—” He yanked both hands through his hair and thumped down into a chair.
Devon eyed him. “He’s telling the truth about you, too?”
“I was a minor! It should have been expunged, it shouldn’t even be available anymore. Fuck, don’t look at me like that, Devon, I didn’t steal a fucking Monet.”
“Okay, I’m sorry.” Devon raised his hands. “Danny? I’m sorry.”
It was all going to shit. Calvin couldn’t fathom how normal things had been just this morning, comparably, and now, mere hours later, he couldn’t see a path forward anymore. “Where the hell are we going to get the money?” he breathed, mostly to himself, but there was no way they hadn’t heard him.
“We could go to the police,” Devon said doubtfully, but Danny jumped up again.
“ No . Not if he’s pulling out this old stuff, who knows what he—”
“Okay.” Calvin wanted to know what Danny had managed to do as a kid when he was supposedly here with Audrey, the best influence that existed in this world. Even more, he wanted to know why Audrey hadn’t come to him for help when her new kids started going off the rails. But there wasn’t time to expend on it right now. “I don’t think we should push him. There might be other things he could use.”
He let it drift there, and they all drank it in. Devon’s mask had come back on. Calvin wondered if they should be concerned about something on his end as well.
Devon must have seen it in his face. “Hey, no. There’s nothing I can think of. Not even something that...should be privileged.”
But it didn’t really matter, did it? “I’m still waiting on a loan application from my bank in Spokane,” Calvin said. “But it won’t be much. My car’s the only collateral I have and it’s almost twenty years old.”
“I barely have any money to my name.” Danny sounded beaten in a way that scared Calvin. Realization flooded.
“Wait, you have a job, I know you do.”
“Pay’s for shit,” Danny muttered. “My savings aren’t enough for this.”
“How were you going to—”
“I would have figured it out,” Danny exploded. “Somehow. Gotten a second job, something. I’ve been looking, filling out applications. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t leave you hanging, I swear I wasn’t going to cut and run or foist the debt off on you, it wasn’t like that!”
“Okay, okay, I get it.” Calvin had been there before, eking it out well enough on his own, but witless as to how he was ever going to make something more of his situation. Taking a chance with what he had left and all the while counting on something to happen soon, just in time.
But he’d had Audrey then. Now Audrey was gone.
Devon didn’t even own a car. A mortgage was out of the question, not with the house in legal limbo. “Anyone have any other property?”
Danny looked absolutely blank. Devon just shook his head. Not a surprise. Calvin didn’t own any property himself, and he could hardly expect someone as nomadic as Devon to put down such roots. This house, here, was about as permanent as any of them had ever gotten. Calvin couldn’t get around the sickness in his gut, a match to the way he’d felt during his darkest
Similar Books
