Page 20 of Caged Bird

And apparently five years had done nothing to change that fact.

For a second, she was that girl again. The one who’d smiled and laughed and made me feel like a million dollars every time she’d spared a glance for her boyfriend’s younger brother.

I stared at her. “Tell me you’re truly happy here.”

The brightness in her eyes instantly dimmed into something more volatile. Something angry. Something hurt. She yanked her arm out of my grasp. “Just go, Zane. Your brother wants you.”

But I wouldn’t be swayed. I couldn’t help myself. I took a step closer, always wanting to be closer to her back then, and apparently nothing had changed. I hadn’t even meant to. She was smaller than I remembered. Or maybe it was just that I was bigger. But I crowded her against the corner of the counter, forcing her to look up at me. “Not until you answer the question.”

Her bottom lip trembled. Then parted, like she was going to say something.

“Zane!” Eddie bellowed from the front room.

Fawn flinched ever so slightly before she straightened her spine and glared at me with defiance. “Go, Zane. You’re being summoned, and we all know you do exactly what your brother tells you. Like a good little boy. So just go. I don’t want or need you in my kitchen.”

She ducked beneath my arm and went back to the frying pan, angrily jabbing the two steaks and turning her back on me.

I went because her words hit home. I’d always been Eddie’s puppet. That hadn’t changed. He was still the one pulling all the strings.

In the living room, I passed my brother a beer wordlessly.

He cracked the top and motioned for me to sit on the recliner across from him. I did, setting the beer down on the scratched coffee table in between.

Eddie eyed me. “You gonna drink that?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Drink it.”

I eyed him. “I said no.”

Eddie sat back with a grin. “You grew yourself a tiny backbone, huh? That’s good. You’ll need it if you’re going to control my guys.”

“Also told you I’m not doing that.”

“And yet you’re here.”

He was right. But I’d only come to check on Fawn. And she’d made it more than clear she didn’t want me here any more than I wanted to be here, so what the hell was I hanging around for? “Then I’ll leave.”

I waited for the threats. For the demands I do as he said.

Eddie shrugged. “Go on then.”

It was the last thing I expected him to say, but I wasn’t going to argue either. I pushed to my feet and strode to the door, catching Fawn’s eye as she emerged from the kitchen with two plates of food.

“You’re leaving?” she asked.

I gave a curt nod, ignoring the watering of my mouth. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten.

She didn’t say anything else, and neither did I.

I opened the front door and stepped through onto the creaky wooden porch steps.

And froze.

Eddie erupted into laughter behind me. “Maybe you’re not going anywhere after all, huh, Zaney boy?”

All four tires on my truck were flat, gaping holes slashed in each one.

---