Page 1 of Brother to Brother

Chapter 1

Melody

I’d had my phone shut off and the little pre-paid go phone I’d purchased in case of an emergency didn’t exactly have GPS, so I was doing this by way of the dinosaur; with a set of hastily scratched instructions on a napkin and an honest-to-god fold out map from the back room of a gas station. The attendant had even been surprised his dad had them back there and even though they were from something like the 1970’s, they were still pretty functional. The gas station clerk’s father had told me that I was looking for the juvenile correction center on the map, and that that was the place.

I put the map back down on my passenger seat and ignored it when it slipped to the floorboard. I was pulled over on the side of the road, and I looked into the back seat, twisting all the way around, to check on Noah, my son, in his car seat. He was fast asleep, and I sighed. The trip from Arizona all the way here by car had been a rough one on both of us.

“Okay, Baby. We’re almost there,” I said under my breath, twisting back forward again. It was spring, early March according to the calendar but that didn’t stop the sun. It was out bright and shining but I wasn’t in Arizona anymore so it was considerably cooler than back home, that and it totallyshowed. Everything here was sogreenand I really loved it. It was easy on the eyes after so much flat, scorched brown dessert tract.

I turned on my signal and pulled back out onto the three lane, rural highway. One lane in either direction, with a turn lane down the middle. I was close according to the map, and when I saw the wrought iron fence, the gate to it open wide but still less than inviting, I knew this was the place. The Sacred Hearts club in Arizona had been the same; less than inviting to look at, but the man I’d loved had been one of them, and now he was here, and so I had to try.

I pulled up into the driveway and turned off to park in the lot, the back of my car pointed at the front door of the building. I got out and shut the door quietly. I didn’t want to wake Noah, and I would only be feet away. A clubhouse, even during the day when it was sedate, wasn’t any place for a baby, which Noah still was being barely past a year old.

I let out my breath slowly, my heart rate picking up speed. I was out of money, I was out of options, and I was desperate. It showed, too; to have gone to the trouble to track Grinder down all the way here. I swallowed hard, and wiped sweating palms off on my cut off shorts. We’d parted on less than fabulous terms when I’d last seen him. In fact, he’d pretty solidly broken my heart, but I still somehow loved him, and I still somehow harbored the belief that there was a chance, and so I was here.

I put my sunglasses up on the top of my head and went to the door, pulling it open and stepping into the gloom. The door swung shut behind me, and I jumped when it thumped closed. I stood still just inside it and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dim, daytime barroom gloom. There were two men at a table talking, and at least one behind the bar and I looked for the brother who looked like he was most likely in charge.

“Can I help you?” one of them at the table asked, standing, smoothing down his brown faux-hawk in front. I opened my mouth to ask for Grinder but was stopped cold before I could even vocalize anything.

“Oh no! Oh hell no, you tramp. Get the fuck on out of here,” a familiar voice, but not Grinder’s, oh no, it was his brother, Archer, who spoke from the archway leading back further into the club. He approached me like an impending storm that was going to unleash all kinds of havoc on me and I shrank in on myself.

“Archer, I’m not here to cause any trouble, honest! I’m just looking for –”

“I don’t give afuck!” he barked and made long strides towards me, I felt myself shrink back even more, backing away into the closed door while he powered in my direction, rolling like a thunderhead across the sky. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me forward, away from the door which swung inward as he jerked it open with his other hand.

“Archer, no! Please, I’m just looking for Grinder I have to talk to him,pleasejust tell him I’m here!” I babbled, trying to get him to listen to me as he dragged me out into the sun. He spied my car, eyes locking onto the Arizona plates. The two men from the table and the man from behind the bar piling out the door calling after him as he towed me towards my car.

“Archer! Man, let her go,” one called; the other right over the top of him saying, “What the fuck are youdoing, man?”

“Archer, please!” I hauled my body away from him, dug my sneakers into the gravel but he was hurting me, dragging me inexorably away from the building. I was sliding and I either let him tow me or I was going to go down and he’d drag me across the unforgiving sharp stones anyways. He was a man on a mission and that mission was to get rid of me at all costs and as soon as possible.

“I don’t know what the fuck you were thinkin’ comin’ around here, Melody, but you damn sure ain’t welcome. Now, get back in your car and take your ass back to Arizona! I mean it, too,rightthe fucknow,” he was saying as I shouted and pleaded over his husky smoker’s voice, which he’d always had, a lot of the girls finding it sexy until they actually slept with him. I don’t ever remember any of the club girls doing it twice.

“Archer, I have to talk to Grinder, please let me go! Let me talk to him you have to let me talk to him!”

He rounded on me and slammed me up against the side of my car and screamed, “Grinder’s dead, you bitch! Whatever the fuck you told him to chase him out here, it was the last move he ever made! It fuckin’ killed him, soI don’t have to do shit!”

I cried out as my back made impact with the back door and his words made impact with my heart. I looked up at him, shocked, eyes wide and the tears gathering just as the high, thin wail of my son broke the clear day as he started to cry. The noise and the car rocking from mine and Archer’s scuffle waking him.

Archer looked past me through the window glass at Noah’s small face, and his eyes widened in shock. I stared up at Archer, and I stammered out; “I told him I was pregnant… that’s why he left us,” but all I could think was,oh my god, he must be lying, he must be lying, no Grinder can’t be dead, he can’t be dead… Oh my god, what was I going to do? It’d taken everything I had, all of my money, just to get us out here.

“They didn’t tell me, oh god, theyknewand they didn’t tell me… what am I going to do?” I heard myself say out loud. I looked up at Archer’s familiar and angry face and asked the empty air, “What am I going to do?”

Chapter 2

Archer

She pushed me back and I was so fixed on the boy in the car seat I just sort of stepped back, poleaxed, while she opened the back door and brought him out where I could see him better. Jesus Christ, he looked just like Grind when he was a kid. I mean, this kid had Melody’s bright blond hair, but the boy’s eyes? They were the same hazel as my brother’s and all I could do was stand there for a second and stare.

Fuck you, Grind.I thought at my dead brother,fuck you, if what she says is true.Which I knew it was. The proof was right in fuckin’ front of me, staring at me with my dead brother’s eyes.

“Archer, you fuckin’ cool, man?” I turned and looked at Reaver who was standing there with Data and Disney flanking him to either side, all three of them lookin’ skeptical but Reaver’s eyes especially cold.

“Mel, put the baby back in his seat,” I ordered, staring Reaver down. He arched an eyebrow at me and I gave him a nod.

“What, why?”

“Just put him in the fuckin’ cage, now!” I barked at her, and she jumped, the boy started up, screaming loud and she cuddled him close, making soothing noises and I cursed myself silently for scaring him.

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