Page 43 of The Boy from Half Moon

“What about Ma and me? You care about us at all?” His face shifted toward his lap, where his hands were currently doing battle with one another. I noticed him tearing up, so I didn’t push. “We’d be sad if you didn’t love us back,” I added, pushing my foot against his leg. “You’re my only baby brother.”

“I ain’t no baby.”

“You’re acting like one,” I said. “That’s not the brother I know and love.”

Those eyes of his, the ones filling, suddenly overflowed. He swiped at them with the back of his hand, but the dam had burst. Too late now. I moved closer and tried to put my arm around his shoulders, but he pushed me away.

“Don’t touch me,” he hissed. “I don’t like being touched.”

“Since when?” I teased. “I’m your big brother and if I want hugs, I’ll take them.”

I tried again, but this time, he smacked my arm hard. “Don’t,” he snarled, behaving like an injured dog.

“David!” I yelled, gripping his wrist to stop him from fighting me. “What is this? I demand that you tell me what’s up with your behavior. And remember this, brother. You will not disrespect me.”

“You don’t care about me.”

His eyes were distant, and the little boy I knew and loved was absent from them. An alarm sounded in the recesses of my mind the moment I recognized the look he’d suddenly adopted.

My face moved to within an inch of his, my temples pulsing. “Has anyone hurt you, David?” He remained stone-faced, still fidgeting with his hands. “I asked you a question.”

I reached for his chin and pinched it hard as I lifted his face to me. He tried to pull away from me, but I wouldn’t let go. “Stop!” he cried. “Leave me alone, Luke. You don’t care about me. You’re never here for me anymore.”

“I’m here now, ain’t I?”

His eyes narrowed and his lips quivered. “Yeah, but you’re too…”

He hesitated. “I’m too what?” I whispered.

“Nothing. Never mind.”

I came to my knees in front of him and held his shoulders. “Listen to me, David,” I growled. My voice must’ve frightened him because his eyes popped wide open, and he tried pulling away again. “Has someone hurt you? Has anyone that isn’t Ma or me laid a hand on you?”

We stared at one another. I could almost see his mind whirling. My chest burnt with anger. Just tell me, and I swear I’ll kill him.

“No,” he whispered. “I’m just mad at you.”

“Do not lie to me.”

“I’m not,” he argued. “Ma is being mean, and you don’t like me anymore.”

Then, my ‘all-grown-up,’ big-talking little brother, began crying. I pulled him close and smothered him into my chest. “You’re the most important person in my life, David. Do you understand me?”

“You promise?” he asked, clinging to me.

“Yes,” I answered, stroking the back of his head as he cried. “And you’d tell me if someone was hurting you? You’d make sure I knew, right?”

He nodded his head against my chest. I stared into space as a fear like no other gripped my heart.

Could I believe him?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Tate

A lady I’d never met was blathering on about her husband and how he worked too much. “Yeah, but he just bid on a… won you a…” My mind went blank. What had he bid on? “Oh yeah,” I squealed, probably too gay for a stuffy event like the one I was at. “A trip to Fuh-udgy!” I exclaimed. Was I slurring my words? I’d meant Fiji and began laughing hysterically at my mistake, turning to Alec. “She’s going to Fudgie,” I said, giggling.

“And it looks like we’ll be going home,” he replied.

“What?” I complained, pointing toward a Porsche SUV in the middle of the large banquet room. “Bid on that for me. I might be nice if you do?” I slurred.

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