Page 116 of August Lane
“Show them her stash!” Ethan shouted. “Tell them about the closet she used to lock us in. Tell them there’s never any fucking food in this house!”
“They’d still take you away.” Luke kept his voice calm and even, hoping Ethan would listen. “You want to end up in foster care?”
“I want to be with you.” Ethan’s eyes filled with tears. “Please don’t leave me, Luke.”
There was a moth on the ceiling, and Luke fixed his eyes on it to keep from breaking down. Both of them bawling in the living room wouldn’t fix anything. Only time could do that. A plan and some purpose. “It’s not permanent,” he told Ethan. “Just until you’re done with school.” Luke smiled, trying to get Ethan on board with his vision. It was as clear as a photograph. Him wiser. Ethan older. Their frictionless escape from this life. “I’ll use my dad’s money to pay for your college. It’s not much, but it’ll buy books and pizza. That stuff adds up.”
Ethan didn’t smile back. He twisted his hands and said, “She didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“That money’s gone. She closed your account when you left.”
Luke heard him, but only in fragments, like a faulty connection over the telephone. “She closed my account?”
Ethan looked nervous. “Yeah. Like I told you earlier, she’s been using more. That’s how she could afford it.”
What Ethan was telling him finally registered just as the front dooropened and Ava walked inside. Her boyfriend stood behind her. Don wore a white shirt and khaki pants, with a gold class ring that glinted on one hand. A set of car keys was held in daggers between his fingers.
“What are you doing here?” he asked Luke, with the keys half raised and ready to use as a weapon.
“Visiting my brother.” Luke glanced at Ethan, who was focused on Ava. She hid behind her boyfriend’s arm.
Don curled his upper lip. “Right. A friendly visit. Nothing to do with us clearing out that bank account, huh?”
Luke stared at him. “That was you?”
“We didn’t steal it,” Ava said quickly. “My name was on the account, so it’s half mine.”
“We’re not keeping it all,” Don said. “Just the half that belongs to your mama. The rest’ll go to your college fund.”
“What fund?” Luke flung a hand at Ava. “She spends everything on fucking pills!”
“I’m sick!” Ava shouted. “You know I’m sick.”
Ethan snorted and rolled his eyes. Don glared at him, but Luke sidestepped to block his view. “Knock it off,” he whispered to Ethan.
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Both of you boys need to learn some manners.” Don pointed to the hallway. “Ethan, go to your room.”
“Fuck off.”
Don reached for his belt. Ava’s eyes flew to Luke, and whatever she saw on his face made her touch Don’s arm. “Not right now.”
“Discipline needs to be swift to be effective.” Don yanked his belt from the loops. He folded it in half and slapped his palm. The sound flipped a switch in Luke’s head.
“You touch him, and I’ll kill you.”
Don went still. “Don’t threaten me.”
Ava stepped between them. “Luke, you should leave.”
“Give me back my money,” Luke said to Ava. “Dad left it for me.”
“He left it forus,” she snapped. “You didn’t even know him. And thank God, he died before you—”
Luke grabbed her arms and held her still. He was trembling, fightingthe urge to shake her. “Stop,” he said, his voice cracking. “Please, Mom. Stop.”
