Page 179 of Five Brothers

“Then use the downstairs one!”

“But it doesn’t have a shower …”

“Just …” I bite out, giving him a look.

And I don’t need to say more. He twists his lips to the side and spins around, pouting his way out of the bedroom.

“Macon!” Army shouts again.

I fit the end of the wire hanger in the little hole, feeling for the pin, and I push. The handle twists, giving way, and I open the door, immediately seeing him.

“Get out!” he yells.

Army stands behind me, but he doesn’t try to push past to see.

Macon sits in the claw-foot tub, his back against the wall and his legs bent up with his arms hanging over his knees. His head is down as the spray pours over his body, a stream gliding down his nose.

I close the door, Army stumbling back a few steps.

I look at him. “Go to work.”

“But—”

“I’ll be here,” I tell him. “I’ll call if something’s wrong.”

“Krisjen—”

“He won’t want you here.”

He won’t want me, either, but I’m not family. It’s different. He cares what they think.

Army’s next words are lost as he stares at me, his eyes filled with pain. I can’t tell if I hurt his feelings, or if he’s just worried, but he’s smart enough to know Macon won’t want anyone to see him like this. Especially another man.

Army struggles for a minute, trying to decide what’s right. He was twenty when his mother took her life. He knows something is wrong.

He takes my face, kissing my forehead. “I’ll get the kids to school.”

“Thanks.”

He leaves, and I slip inside the bathroom, closing the door and locking it before heading over to the tub.

Water spills off Macon’s forehead and mouth as he bows his head, and I lean close to his lips, trying to smell if there’s alcohol.

But he jerks away as if suddenly realizing I’m there. “Don’t.”

I press a hand to the back of his neck and then to his forehead, both burning under the hot water.

“Stop,” he growls, pulling away from me and leaning back against the tile. “Just leave. Get out.”

I turn the faucet, making it a little cooler.

“I said get out!” he shouts up at me.

I startle.

He clutches his head in his hands. “Please. Get the fuck out.”

My eyes pool with tears, and I clench my teeth to keep them from falling. I don’t know how to help him.

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