APRIL CANAVAN
CONTENTS
1. Avery 2. Carter
Avery
Avery 5. Carter 6. Avery 7. Carter 8. Avery
Carter 10. Avery 11. Carter 12. Avery 13. Avery 14. Carter 15. Avery 16. Carter 17. Avery
18. Carter 19. Avery 20. Carter
21. Avery
22. Carter
23. Avery Carter
Keep Reading the Everyday Heroes! Keep Reading April Canavan! Also by April Canavan
About the Author
Also Written By K.
Bromberg
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.
Bent © 2020 KB WORLDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people.
Published by KB Worlds LLC.
Cover Design by: Under Wraps Publishing Services
Editing by: Under Wraps Publishing Services
Formatting by: Under Wraps Publishing Services
Published in the United States of America
Dear Reader, WelcometotheEverydayHeroesWorld!
I’m so excited you’ve picked up this book! Bent is a book based on the world I created in my USATodaybestselling Everyday Heroes Series. While I may be finished writing this series (fornow), various authors have signed on to keep them going. They will be bringing you all-new stories in the world you know while allowing you to revisit the characters you love.
This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I allowed them to use the world I created and may have assisted in some of the plotting, I took no part in the writing or editing of the story. All praise can be directed their way.
I truly hope you enjoy Bent. If you’re interested in finding more authors who have written in the KB Worlds, you can visit www. kbworlds.com.
Thank you for supporting the writers in this project and me. Happy Reading, K. Bromberg
Idon’tknowwhereI’dbewithoutmybestfriendinthisworld.She mightnotbewillingtokillspidersforme,butCaseytaughtmethe powerofagoodcupofcoffee.
“I SWEAR TO ALL THAT IS HOLY, IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR ASS BACK UP HERE, I’m gonna lose my shit.” The words came out before I could stop them, and the frozen look of terror on my nephew’s face said it all.
“Aunt Avery!” Rett screeched the way only a five year old could, and still get away with it. “You’re not ‘posed to say bad words to me. Daddy doesn’t like it.”
“Deacon can kiss my ass,” I muttered under my breath.
My brother didn’t know shit when it came to raising his son, which was why more often than not, he dropped him off with me for quality ‘auntie time.’ I’m the one who taught Rett how to ride his bike, swim, and now I was teaching him how to paddle board. Deacon wasn’t a bad dad, by any means. He was just busy, running a business and keeping a handle on his club. Besides, it takes a village to raise a healthy and safe child. Especially after Deac’s wife died in childbirth.
I grabbed the back of Rett’s life jacket before he could float away and pulled him back onto the board with me. In the process, I almost slipped off the board myself. Somehow, I managed to keep hold of the paddle that we definitely needed to get back to shore.
“Wow,” he gasped. “I thought for sure you’d fall over too.”
“This,” I huffed. “Is why you don’t get a paddle of your own, Everett James. At least, not until you figure out how to stay on the board with me.”
“My name is Rett.” He insisted with a grimace. “And Dad says paddle boards are for pussies,” he announced proudly, and really loud, right in my face.
“I got nothing to say to that.” I started maneuvering us back to shore. “But I’d like to see your father climb up on here and not fall off with you jumping around like a hyper monkey full of sugar.”
Paddle boards took a lot of effort. My stomach and feet were already starting to throb, and we hadn’t even made it back to shore yet.
“Oh,” I added belatedly. “You’re not supposed to curse, either. Sittin’ here and yelling at me for it. Then you turn around and say something worse.”
Rett looked up at me from where he was sitting between my feet, rubbing his wet head all over my legs like a dog would, and smiled a nearly toothless grin.
“You love me.” He leaned back against my legs and I winced against the cold. With a deep sigh that could have come straight from his dad, Rett closed his eyes. “Take me home, Aunt Avery. I’m hungry and my party won’t wait forever.”
“Yeah, yeah ... Hold on, Rett. I’m gonna try to get there faster.”
Except, as soon as we left the cove we’d been sitting in for most of the morning while we practiced, a gust of wind blew across the pond and straight into my face.
“Scoot up,” I snapped after five minutes of paddling just to keep from going backwards. “I’m gonna kayak us home.”
Rett giggled, but scooted up enough that I could sit behind him and wield my paddle like the weapon it was going to become.
Switching sides every few strokes wasn’t easy. “I wish this thing had a paddle on both sides.” Despite that, I made it work. Otherwise, we’d be sitting out there until someone decided to try and rescue us. Knowing my family, it wouldn’t happen, either.
When we finally made it out of the cove, I was covered in sweat and ready to give Everett back to his dad. Once I did that, there was definitely a beer somewhere with my name on it. Or a shot. Or both. Yeah, as I paddled us back to the dock, both sounded like an amazing idea.
“Told you the party didn’t wait.” Rett pouted as we saw people milling about and heard music blaring from the shore. There was nothing I could do about it, though.
“Seriously, man.” I grunted as I used the little bit of energy I had left to get us back and tied off to the dock. “You can’t even say thank you for getting us back without tipping over?”
“No.” Rett stared at me with the same hard eyes that his father had. “I can’t. I’m cold.” He held up a finger, counting my offenses. “I’m hungry. And I’m late to my party.”
“I guess I’ll give your birthday present away, then.” I shrugged as I helped him back on the dock and then climbed up myself. “If you’re mad at me for being an awesome aunt who takes you on paddle board rides on your birthday, you must not want the present I got you.”
I turned away, but not so far that I couldn’t see him out of the corner of my eye. We might be on a dock with less than three feet of water, and the kid might have a lifejacket on, but he was still my responsibility.
“Hurry up,” Rett whined from behind me. “We gotta go. I smell cake.”
Rolling my eyes seemed like the only possible option. Especially when I couldn’t shove him over the edge of the dock, like my fingers were suddenly itching to do.
“I doubt you can smell cake from all the way over here.” But the kid had a point. The faster we got up the dock and to the crowd of people that no doubt included my parents and brother, the faster he wasn’t my responsibility anymore. “Let’s go.”
I picked him up, soaking wet and dripping lifejacket and all, and booked it up the hill.
“Are you alright?” My little sister, Bailey, called out when she saw the frazzled expression on my face. “You look like you’re dying.”
Sure, I was huffing and about ready to keel over, but she didn’t need to announce it to the world.
“Shut it,” I gasped as I tried to catch my breath. God, Everett weighed way more than I thought he did. “Where are Mom and Dad?” Looking around, I didn’t see them or Deacon, anywhere.
“Mom got a flat tire on her way here, so Dad and Deac went to save her.” Bailey stuffed a handful of chips into her mouth and munched loudly on them. “Why?” She barely managed to mumble.
“Because, I want to be done babysitting the birthday boy,” I snapped and nodded toward Everett, who I was still carrying on my shoulder.
Speaking of which, I dropped him noisily to the ground and watched as he scrambled to get his lifejacket off.
“Off,” he whined some more. “Get it off, Aunt Avery. I’m hungry.”
I did as he asked and in the next moment, he was on the other side of the yard. Leaving me standing with my sister, looking like something that’d washed ashore in a storm.
“You should probably change,” Bailey whispered loudly. “I’ll watch Rett while you head in and change.”
I flipped her the bird, discreetly of course, and headed into the house. Camp, as we called it, was actually our parents’ retirement plan. They’d bought a shitload of land on the pond and built a house. Taking my time, I wandered through the house and grabbed a beer out of the fridge before heading to the bathroom so I could shower in peace.
Bailey brought it on herself, honestly. Taking on our hellion of a nephew like that was a godsend, and one I full-on planned to take advantage of. Rett always wanted to spend the night at my house when his dad was out of town for work. Whenever he was there, I felt like I couldn’t even shower without him interrupting, or me freaking out about the silence. He was the best birth control ever. Well, him and the classroom full of sixth graders that I taught on a regular basis.
Yes, I took the beer I pulled from the kitchen into the shower with me, too. Nothing tasted better than an ice-cold beer in a steaming hot shower. At least, not after spending the day trying to keep Rett from killing himself.
“Are you almost done?”
I slipped and fell in the shower at the sudden intrusion.
“What the fuck, Bailey?” I screeched as I tried not to die in the water and find my footing.
“Mom and Dad are back, but Deac had to go get more beer I guess, so no more Everett duty for me.” She crooned. “Sometimes, it’s good to be the slacker in the family.”
“Whatever, asshole.” I grunted as I tried to get up but slipped on the conditioner that still coated the shower floor. “Help me out of here.” I pushed the shower curtain to the side and held out a soapcovered hand for Bailey to help me up.
“You’re lucky I love you.” Still, she helped just the same. Once I was standing up, she let go and shut the curtain for me. “I brought you another beer, too. And I snuck the vodka away from the bar, too.”
Getting out of the shower fast became my top priority, and I happily grabbed the towel Bailey was holding out with a smile on her face.
“I hate you,” I told her while taking the proffered beer she handed me after I wrapped the towel around my body. “But I love you too.”
“I mean, you should be happy I sent you inside.” Bailey chugged her own beer and then burped, loudly. “Nobody wants to see all that.” She motioned toward my body. “In a two-piece.”
Without even needing to look down, I stared her straight in the eyes and laughed. “Don’t be jealous that my boobs are bigger than yours.”
Bailey snorted, and then watched as I finished my beer with one hand while holding the towel around my body with the other. Bailey dutifully avoided looking at the scar that now took up most of my lower abdomen when I finished my beer and started to dry my body off.
Grateful didn’t even begin to describe my emotions at her acceptance of my injury. I didn’t even look at it in the mirror anymore. Not if I could help it. Ignoring it worked, but I hadn’t been able to let anyone else touch it. Not since Will broke my heart and made me feel like I was less than a woman.
“You’re such a bitch,” she muttered darkly. “You know that, right?”
I shoved her out of the way so I could get to my clothes, still sitting on the counter waiting. “You were insinuating that I’m fat. All’s fair in love and war, Little.” Little, the nickname I’d called her since the day our parents brought her home.
She cracked open the vodka bottle while I got dressed, and handed it over dutifully once I finally squeezed into my compression leggings and the oversized t-shirt that had become my standard outfit when I didn’t have to be at school. My brown hair, long and pin-straight even without being brushed, fell down my back since I didn’t like to put it up when it was damp.
“Think we could finish this beast off before Mom and Dad come looking for us?” I stared longingly at the clear depths, but Bailey’s snicker reminded me that I wasn’t alone.
“Not a chance in hell. It’s Everett’s birthday, and he’s their favorite grandchild.”
“He’s their onlygrandchild,” I corrected her. “I’m not having any crotch-goblins. So it’s not like they can get any from this side of the family.”
“Don’t look at me,” she countered as she stole the bottle and took a long slug. After a cough, she went on, handing it back to me. “I’m only twenty-one. I’ve got a life ahead of me before I start popping out little hellions for Mom and Dad to spoil. I know our sister isn’t, either.” Bailey tilted her head to the side and looked at me with a strange expression. “Did you just call kids crotch-goblins?”
Taking a drink, I nodded and laughed. She shook her head in response. “I don’t think you can call them that. You’re a teacher, for Christ’s sake. You’re supposed to be a good influence, Avery.”
“That doesn’t change what they are. I mean, I’ve got Karen Zucker’s kid in my class this year. Do you remember her? She was in Deacon’s class in school. An outright bitch, for sure. She literally always made a point of showing that I was just tagging along during their fun.” Bailey nodded while taking the bottle from my hand to get another drink. “And her little asshole of a son is seriously just as terrible. I caught him trying to cut off a girl’s ponytail last week. He even tried to say it was an accident.”
I took the bottle back and swallowed some of the burning liquor, relishing the way it felt as it flooded through my veins.
“But he had leaned forward, and the scissors in his hand were wrapped around her hair. That poor girl had a high pony, too. She would have been practically bald.”
With the warmth of the alcohol flowing through my system, all the stress and worries from earlier vanished and I was left feeling slightly tingly.
“Party’s started,” Bailey said a few minutes later. “And there’s a difference now, Big. You’re not tagging along on one of Deac’s adventures. You’re a force all on your own.”
I smiled, unable to help myself, but Bailey didn’t stop there.
“A ton of kids, adults, and people we generally want to avoid at all costs. Now that you’ve got your liquid courage, though, wanna go laugh at the single moms who try to get Deac’s attention?”
“That sounds like an amazing plan.” Watching all the women who were obsessed with getting a piece of Deacon’s attention was easily one of my favorite pastimes. Especially when we could spot them from a mile away. “When he finally finds someone, it’s not gonna be one of the wannabe groupies.”
Bailey snorted. “You’re not joking. If Deac hadn’t put his foot down about his kid’s birthday, I’m sure it would be almost X-rated out there.”
I took another longing look at the bottle, laughing when I saw that we hadn’t even made a dent, and decided enough was enough.
Anxiety was a bitch. Anxiety, mixed with a group of people I didn’t know, and a bunch of random kids would normally be enough to send me into my room for a week. In the classroom, I controlled the rules, the environment, all of it. But out here, in the middle of the woods, for Rett’s birthday party? Not a chance in hell. Bailey knew, no doubt, and had brought the alcohol as a mediocre coping mechanism. Usually, I’d just leave. That wasn’t really possible, though.
“Let’s get it over with.”
Bailey grabbed my arm, and that should have been my first clue to run in the opposite direction. Instead, I smiled and picked up the
still-mostly-full bottle of vodka and walked through the door with a smile on my face. A smile that promptly fell when I saw the very devil of a woman that I’d been dealing with since childhood hanging on my brother’s arm.
Karen Zucker, the woman who wouldn’t lift a finger to do anything about her son terrorizing other students. The woman who’d stolen my first boyfriend. And now, the one who had apparently turned her eyes on Deacon.
“What. The. Fuck.” I let go of my sister’s arm and handed her the bottle.
Rage didn’t even begin to convey the emotion pouring through my veins.
“She has no right,” I hissed. “None at all.”
“Too late to run,” Bailey snipped cheerfully. “You’ll just have to get rid of her.”
My smile turned feral, and I went to do just that. The crowd parted, albeit reluctantly, since there were children running around everywhere. That, and the fact that I only stood about five-feet tall on a good day.
“Move...” I demanded through clenched teeth as someone stepped into my path. “Now!”
My order fell on deaf ears, though, when I looked up and saw one of the club hangarounds.
“Your brother is busy,” he said cheerfully. “I don’t think he’d want you bothering him.”
I put one hand on my hip and looked up at him while biting my bottom lip while I thought about the best way to handle this ignorant brute. Finally settling on blunt, I let him have it. “That’s your first mistake.” I moved around him, but he stepped in front of me again.
“I’m serious, Avery. Your brother’s busy.”
Though I don’t even know how this guy knew my name, because I didn’t have a clue who he was. His short black hair and dark eyes might look intimidating to most anyone else… but not me. I dealt with children who could tear him apart without even thinking about it.
“Leroy,” he said when it was clear that I didn’t know him at all. “My name’s Leroy.”
“Look, Leroy.” I said with my tone overly saccharine-sweet. “You really don’t want to get in my way. Not today.”
When he put his arm around me, he made the biggest mistake he possibly ever could. He didn’t need to fear my brother, or any of the men who actually belonged in his club. He should have thought twice about touching me since I was a force to be reckoned with.
Too late, I heard someone call out my name in warning. Deacon was too far away, though, to stop what was going to happen next.
I grabbed the wrist that was currently digging into my shoulder and twisted it so hard an audible popping sound filled the air. “You made a mistake, Leroy.” He dropped to the ground, the pressure I applied to his wrist too much for him to keep standing.
Normally, I’d just drop his hand and walk away. I hated being touched. Literally, every person in my life knew it. My brother had told the members of his club not to touch me.
“You laid your hands on me.”
Leroy’s eyes darted in the direction that Deacon had been standing with Karen. Clearly, he wasn’t concerned with me, but with what Deacon would do to him for touching me.
“Not only that, Leroy. My brother isn’t the one you should be afraid of. I am.” I leaned down into his face, noting that he might actually be attractive if his eyes weren’t filling up with unshed tears. “You shouldn’t ever touch a woman without her permission.”
I dropped his wrist and turned away, ready to lay into my brother for bringing that hussy to his son’s birthday party.
Unfortunately, the brick wall I ran into wasn’t wearing a leather jacket. He was wearing a badge and the handcuffs in his hands weren’t fuzzy or fake-looking in the slightest. When I looked up into a pair of the most intense eyes I’d ever seen, I almost passed out.
I opened my mouth, ready to apologize to the god of a man standing in front of me, but that’s not what came out.
“The vodka made me do it.”
FOR THE SECOND TIME IN FIVE MINUTES, I WAS READY TO MURDER THE officer standing at my side as I shooed away another kid who asked about playing with my weapon.
“I’m going to murder you. And bury your body in the woods. And no one is going to miss you either.” I meant it, too. We were standing in a crowded camp driveway, but I think I could take him. Even if he had been in the military while I’d been playing football in college.
“Just give the kid your gun like he wants,” Remy snorted, stepping around a little girl who was trying to get his attention. “I’ll videotape it and we’ll be internet famous for about thirty seconds until we’re both fired. Better yet, we can say it was Keegan’s fault. No one would know the difference between the two of you.”
Jeremy Townsend, better known as Remy, was my training officer at the Birch Police Department. For another two hours, at least. Once this shift ended, I would no longer be on my two-week probationary period.
“Suck a dick, Remy,” I bit out with a grimace, and expertly distracted the child that wouldn’t leave me alone by pointing toward the cake and treats in the distance.
“Miss California and your cushy patrol job in Sunnyville yet, Malone?” He elbowed me and walked further into the crowd, looking for the reason we’d driven out to the border of our patrol area. “Just give me a minute. Once I make sure Parker’s all right, we can go.”
I rolled my eyes heavenward and tried to get a grip on my annoyance. Even being back in Birch County for the last month, I still didn’t understand the ins and outs of Remy’s relationship with Parker Hayes.
“It’s weird, right?” A redhead said next to me.
There was no stopping the huge smile that overtook my face. “Kennedy?”
She leaned into my shoulder, keeping her eyes locked on a kid in the crowd.
“If it isn’t Carter Malone, football star and all-around golden boy. I didn’t know you were back in town. I’m gonna have to murder Remy for that one.”
I laughed, unable to help it. Then, I scratched my chin and gave her my undivided attention. “I just told your brother the exact same thing. You’ve grown up, Kenny.”
She shot daggers in my direction before turning back to the child in the distance. With the cup in her hand she motioned to him. “Have you met Parker and Danny’s son? She named him Nox.” Kennedy snorted. “Bitch stole the name I wanted for my first kid.”
“I haven’t, yet. Remy wanted to check on her for some unknown reason.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes and finished her drink before turning away from the crowd of children. “He’s stalking her. Man won’t even talk to her at all. It’s pathetic.”
Chuckling because there wasn’t any other response to that, I agreed with her. “He’ll get over himself eventually.”
I watched Remy move through the crowd; he was doing a damn good job of staying off Parker’s radar. At least, in my opinion. The small brunette woman I’d watched break his heart in high school was staring at a little boy that looked exactly like his father had.
“Shit.” I groaned. “It’s like looking at a carbon copy of Danny and Lincoln.”
“Yep.” Kennedy popped her lips. “And it’s about as much of Linc as I’ll ever see again, I think.”
“I’m sorry, Kennedy.”
Kennedy Townsend and Lincoln Hayes were another couple who’d refused to work out their problems. Just like Parker and Remy, they were stubborn and filled with pride. When Danny died overseas, I’d been in college across the country in California. Though even there, we’d felt it. I couldn’t even imagine losing one of my brothers, even if they were giant pains in the asses.
“I’m so glad I’m not gonna end up like that.” Kennedy nodded toward her brother, who was still staring directly at Parker like someone had just kicked him in the gut.
I snorted and then found myself laughing at the woman standing by my side. “You’re shittin’ me, right? You’re worse off than any of them.”
Kennedy stiffened and then elbowed me in the sternum, even though it probably hurt her more than me. Bulletproof vests were part of the uniform, which she should have known because her brother was a cop.
“Take that back, Malone.” She practically growled. “I’m nothing like them.”
“Two words,” I glanced at her. “Lincoln Hayes.”
The way her eyes clouded over told me I hit my intended mark.
“Low blow, Golden Boy.”
I shrugged, watching a growing commotion on the other side of the yard. Deacon James, President of the local Motorcycle Club, was standing with Karen Zucker, and it looked like another woman wasn’t too happy about it.
Small and curvy, with a mop of brown hair on her head, she was trying to get by a bigger man. One that wasn’t wearing the leather jacket signifying he was in the club. Except my attention wasn’t on him. The woman had my sole focus. Even with only a partial look at her, I could tell she was beautiful. With a fierce expression on her face and her hands on her hips, she didn’t look like she was going to take shit from anyone.
Kennedy snickered at my side, but I chose to ignore her while I watched the woman who now glared at the man above her.
“She’d chew you up and spit you out without even trying.” Kennedy’s voice tittered through my head. “I wouldn’t go there,
Golden Boy. Not if your life means anything to you.”
When I finally tore my eyes off the woman long enough to ask Kennedy what in the hell she was talking about, she was gone.
The little spitfire appeared to be arguing with the man in front of her. The sudden knife to my gut at the prospect of her already having a partner hit me harder than it should. I didn’t know anything about this woman. Not her likes, dislikes, or even if she snored. Although, the passion in her eyes and the way she held herself as she argued quietly with the man who stood over her far too threateningly for my taste was enough. Even when he put his arm around her, she didn’t just go along with whatever he wanted either.
I should have been paying closer attention to their interaction and body language, though. Rather than thinking about the way she’d look naked in my bed. One moment everything between them seemed fine, and in the next she had him by the wrist and the burly man clearly needed assistance.
Gone was the moon-eyed way I stared at her before. In its place was the hardened expression I’d developed over years in law enforcement training. The crowd parted easily, not wanting to interfere with a cop on a mission.
“You shouldn’t ever touch a woman without her permission.”
Her voice hit me like a fuckin’ freight train, and I was glad there were a pair of sunglasses on my face. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and I couldn’t particularly find a reason to either. She dropped him easily and stepped away, directly into my chest.
Practically biting my lip to keep from smiling as her wide eyes took in my uniform, I struggled more than I’d ever admit to keep the scowl on my face.
I expected tears, maybe even excuses, or apologies to the man I could see recovering behind her. Instead, she propped one hand on her hip and almost brought me to my knees.
“The vodka made me do it.”
She slapped her other hand on her mouth, her face turning bright red with embarrassment or maybe shame. All she managed to do was turn me on, though, which made what I was about to do even harder than it should be.
“Ma’am.” My voice grated, even to me.
She shrunk back immediately, and almost ran into the man behind her in the process.
Reaching out before I could stop myself, I grabbed her arm as gently as possible. She gasped as I kept her from falling over him, and turned even brighter when I practically lifted her into the air to get her away from him.
“Drop her,” a malicious voice said from behind me.
Rather than drop the woman, I set her down gently while still keeping my hand around her arm, and turned to see Deacon James standing there with a glare the size of Texas on his face.
“Wha—” his jaw dropped. “Holy shit. Carter Malone. I didn’t realize you were back in town.”
His dark brown eyes crinkled into a smile that looked out of place on his face, and I chuckled at the swift change.
Deacon James had been one of my best friends in school, at least until we graduated. I went to college. He’d joined the Twisted Kings, an outlaw motorcycle club. From the patch that now declared him ‘President,’ he’d done well for himself.
I was built, no doubt about it. Hours upon hours in the gym, mixed with good genetics, guaranteed it. But Deacon? He put me to shame without even trying.
I might be taller by maybe an inch, but there wasn’t a chance in hell that I could take him. At least not easily. I might be 6’2” and 200 pounds of muscle, but Deacon? He had a good 20 pounds on me, none of it fat. The man was intimidating, even by my own standards. The tattoos on his head merely added to the untouchable aura he was exuding.
“Deacon James.” I nodded, trying not to skip a beat. “It’s good to see you.”
“Good to see you too,” he replied and then shot a glance down to the woman I was still holding in my grip. “But can you let go of my sister before I have to hurt you?”
“Oh shit.” I dropped her arm like flames were licking up my skin, only to receive one of the darkest looks from the woman in question. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
For the life of me, I couldn’t remember Deacon’s little sister’s name. She had to be at least five years younger than us, and I couldn’t even picture her face from back then.
As soon as she was free, the woman at my side stepped forward and shoved her finger into her brother’s chest, silently rebuking him. Honestly, I felt a little bad for the man, because her rage was almost palpable. There wasn’t a chance in hell of me taking my eyes off the woman in front of me. At least until I felt, rather than saw, Remy step up next to me.
“What are you doing, Avery?”
That was her name. Filing it away for later, I crossed my arms and prepared for what I could see brewing in front of us.
Avery didn’t seem to care that she was surrounded not only by the police, but also by most of the members of her brother’s club. Even when she should. Remy stiffened at my side, and we both took a silent count of the men in front of us. Both of us could handle ourselves, that wasn’t in question. I was more concerned with the women and kids who might be caught in the crossfire.
Avery didn’t flinch. She didn’t even blink. Instead, she poked her brother rather ferociously and stood on her tip-toes.
“This is all your fault.” She practically snarled at her older brother. “You just hadto bring her, didn’t you.”
“This isn’t our business,” Remy whispered. “Let’s go.”
“Not a chance,” I hissed back. “She might need help.”
One man stepped forward. One. He barely even broke the invisible circle that surrounded Avery and Deacon before the impossible happened.
I prepared for Deacon to snap. For a fight. For something to happen to Avery. For her to need help.
Instead, Avery, with all of her five-foot height, took command of the entire crowd.
“Back off, Mason.” Her words were quiet yet firm, holding enough censure that even my gut tightened. And I wasn’t even the one she was talking to. “This is between Deacon and me.”
Shocked didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. The man, who stood almost as tall as I did, with just as much muscle, immediately
paused.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he stuttered.
Dumbfounded, I looked between him and Avery, trying to figure out what power she had over him. Over all of them, because none of the others stepped forward. Ten bikers, at least, stood there watching Deacon get his ass handed to him by his sister. Even though they had created quite a scene between the adults, none of the children were paying them any attention.
“You brought the woman who tortured me in school, Deacon. Fucking tortured me.” Avery shoved her brother, hard, and I took a step forward before I knew what I was doing.
“Hey,” my voice came out garbled. “Why don’t you come with us? We’re headed to town. We can drop you off. Get you out of here.”
Avery blinked, like she was coming out of a haze, and sighed so deeply my heart ached for her.
“Yeah.” Her shoulders slumped. “I gotta get out of here.”
We all watched her walk away, cutting through a sea of children to get to a dark-haired boy that had to be a relative.
“My son,” Deacon explained when he saw my curiosity. “Everett.”
She leaned down, gave the boy a hug, and then she was walking back toward us with a grim expression.
“Let’s go.” Avery shot a glare at her brother. “Tell Mom and Dad that I said goodbye when they get here.” She walked on without looking back, and I turned around to see Deacon rubbing a hand through his hair.
“Ugh. I fucked up,” he murmured.
“Yeah you did,” Remy supplied. “Karen? Man, even I wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“No,” Deacon snapped irately. “You’ll just show up at a party where you know the woman you love is gonna be, just to try and get her to talk to you.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Even though we all know she isn’t gonna give you the time of day.”
Parker was watching them from across the yard. She was sitting with a group of boys, distracting them from the adult drama.
We were distracted—a mistake. None of us were watching Avery. Until her scream filled the air.
Instantly, my hand was on my gun and Remy was at my side. We moved in the direction Avery had gone, but we weren’t alone. Deacon and his men were there, too. Smartly, they waited for us to go first, guns drawn.
Once we moved around a large truck in the drive, the scene became very clear.
“Get this crazy bitch off me!” Leroy screamed.
Remy chortled. Deacon and his men all stopped, laughing outright. None of them stepped forward to help the man currently lying on his back, cradling an obviously broken arm, with blood pouring out of his nose.
I’d likely never forget the image in front of me, either.
Avery, straddling him with one hand wrapped in his hair and the other slamming into his face. Over and over again.
“She’s a fuckin’ psycho!” Leroy roared in pain as her fist connected with his cheek.
“He shouldn’t have fucked with her.” The same man that had stuttered before said, crossing his arms over his chest, but none of them moved. “She’s the scariest person I’ve ever met in my life.”
Everyone stood there watching, but I couldn’t. The uniform demanded that I do something. Even if Avery made me want to walk away and I didn’t even know anything about her.
“Avery James, you’re under arrest for assault.”
The cuffs on my belt unsnapped, and I lifted her off him easily enough. Once I had her up, she collapsed in my arms. Completely out of steam, silent sobs tearing through her body. With nothing else to do, I carried her away from the crowd of men to the cruiser. I hadn’t even been able to get the cuffs on her wrists yet.
“He attacked me.” She whispered quietly once we were out of earshot of her brother. “He grabbed me by the throat, and he said that he was going to kill me for ruining his chance to join Twisted Kings.”
Her admission changed everything. Already, I was thinking about how I could apologize for making an assumption, but explain that I had seen it so I had to act. My mouth was open, ready to speak, ready to tell her that I’d be arresting the man she defended herself
from, when I saw the tears in her eyes. Rarely did I hate my job as a police officer, but in that moment, I did.
Before I could respond in any way, the radio on my shoulder crackled and a call broke through.
“10-74, I repeat 10-74.” My brother Keegan’s voice sounded garbled, and a gunshot rang out through the open mic. “Corner of Main and State.” Then, nothing but silence.
I froze, unable to process what was happening. Remy came running a moment later, and I left Avery standing there staring at us confused. “Cut her loose, we’ll handle it later if the guy wants to press charges. I doubt it, though. Deacon keeps a tight lid on anything relating to the club or his family.” All business, Remy jumped behind the wheel of the cruiser.
“Units 6 and 21 responding,” I called in, immediately hearing every other officer in Birch responding the same way.
10-74. An officer needed assistance. Not just any officer, either. My little brother, fighting for his life and sounding scared for the first time since he’d joined the force.
“Hurry,” I told Remy needlessly as he sped down the road with the siren flashing and horns blaring around us.
All thoughts of the fiery brunette were left behind as we raced to my brother’s last known location. Panic, the likes of which I’d never experienced before, filled my soul and made it almost impossible to breathe. With every second that passed, thoughts of Keegan’s panicfilled voice filled my mind.
We arrived to chaos.
Two bodies were on the ground, face down.
I knew the brightly colored tattoo on the officer’s arm, even from thirty feet away. I’d gone with Keegan to get it the day he’d turned eighteen. Every step I took toward the fallen officer left a hollow piece in my soul.
By the time I made it to my brother’s lifeless body, my heart felt like it would never beat again.
HIDING OUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I FOUND MYSELF DOING AFTER REMY LEFT with Carter Malone, leaving me to deal with the mess I’d been trying to run from. I snuck around the camp and down to the dock when the people left had been distracted.
Damn, I hadn’t recognized Carter at first. He used to be cute, yeah. Except now, I wanted to throw my underwear at him even when he tried to arrest me. Then again, he’d always been the town’s golden boy. Football ran through his veins, and he’d always been in great shape. More than once, I’d stared at his ass in uniform while watching the team play during games.
Now though, he really was panty-melting. Even in the middle of the chaos and destruction I’d caused, I wanted to throw myself at him. Idly, I thought about him and the crush I’d had on him even way back then. Last I heard, he’d been drafted into the NFL; as I avoided all my problems, I wondered what would bring him back to Birch County. Not just that, but what would have him putting on the blue uniform of a police officer.
I heard Karen yelling at Deacon from my hiding spot on the far end of the dock, dragging me out of my thoughts and back to reality. She sounded beyond pissed, making me feel better. At least something good had come from my scene. The smile on my face in the reflection of the pond couldn’t be more out of place mixed with the desolation coursing through my bones. When everything else fell
away, the only strains of noise that reached my ears were the faded sounds of music in the distance.
While I sat there, knees pulled up to my chest and my forehead pressed against them, I finally let the tears fall. Even after the chaos and destruction faded, my heart still raced against my chest. My head throbbed with the feeling of needles stabbing themselves into my skin with every passing second. The small breeze picking up off the pond didn’t do much to ease the turmoil raging through my veins.
I’d fucked up. Again. As the tears continued to trickle down my cheeks, the aches and pains from my encounter with Leroy grew until I couldn’t ignore them. My knuckles stung; they’d be a constant reminder of my stupidity over the next week. The adrenaline that kept me from breaking down before vanished, and, in its place, regret flourished. Regret that I’d most likely ruined my career as a teacher.
That wasn’t even the worst part about the whole thing. Nope, that honor belonged to the fact that I lost control. Yes, Leroy grabbed me, threatened to kill me, and I’d completely lost it. One hit to his throat is all it’d taken to get him on his knees. From there, all I had to do was use my momentum and the badass right hook my brother made sure I grew up with. After that, everything became a blur. The unmistakable crack of his nose breaking hadn’t even been enough to drag me out of my rage-filled stupor.
“You really screwed the pooch on this one.”
Luckily, there wasn’t anyone around to hear me talking to myself. Although, with the way my life had been going lately, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
I unfolded myself and laid back, closing my eyes and silently absorbing the warmth from the fading sun. Fresh air blew across my skin, giving me goosebumps, and, with my eyes still closed, I ran my hands up and down my arms before putting them behind my head. Peace seeped into every single one of my pores, until all the tension from earlier vanished in the same way the adrenaline had.
Occasionally, the creaking of the dock as it shifted in the water disturbed my silence, but as I started to drift off, even that faded
until I couldn’t hear it.
“Dad told her to leave.” Rett plopped down next to me out of nowhere.
My heart jumped, and it took every muscle in my body to keep from jumping up and falling off the dock in surprise.
“Go away ...” I muttered despondently with my eyes closed. “I’m hiding.”
For a six year old, Rett was way too observant for my liking. I almost told him that, too. Instead I kept it to myself.
“No,” he answered before laying down next to me and curling into my side. “Mrs. Zucker didn’t like it, and called him a bad word.” He rolled his eyes and leaned against my shoulder. “But Dad said she had to go. That no one ever got away with treating you like that in his world. She yelled a lot, though. It was funny”
I wrapped my arms around the boy that had grown into too much a little man for my comfort. Silently, I sent a prayer to whoever was listening to keep him young, just a little longer. Someday, the world would chew him up and spit him out, and my heart ached with the thought that he’d lose any of his innocence.
“I’m sorry I ruined your birthday, buddy. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.” Apologizing to him hit me in the gut. Of course, during the moment, I hadn’t thought about ruining Rett’s birthday. After, though, I felt like a complete jackass.
Rett sighed, a lot like the world hung around his neck, reminding me of the way his dad looked when something bothered him. He pressed a soft kiss to my cheek and then punched me in the arm.
“A kiss because you’re sad. And a punch because you’re acting like a baby.”
I opened one eye and glared at him with my best teacher look, but he wasn’t even watching me. Rett was staring at my hands with the strangest expression on his face.
“You didn’t ruin his party.” I turned and rolled my eyes when I saw Deacon standing there, looking like the world’s least-scary biker. “He’s gonna have a legendary reputation by the time he goes back to school tomorrow.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me pointedly. “I can’t say the same for you, though.”
Rett moved over so that his dad could sit on the dock with me, his leather vest stretched taut across his shoulders when he pushed between me and his son.
“You don’t know that.” I sat up and leaned against my big brother’s shoulder. “I’m probably gonna get fired.”
“So what?” Deacon laughed shortly. “You were defending yourself. If they fire you over something ridiculous like that, they don’t deserve you. That school’s bullshit anyways. Do you remember the time Mr. Rosen tried to fail you in fifth grade, because you forgot your homework? I thought Mom was gonna beat his ass.”
“Mr. Rosen sucked,” I sniffled.
“I’m gonna go clean up.” Deacon shoved off the dock a moment later, unable to take the quiet. “Stay around. I’ll have one of the guys take you home.”
When he was gone, I smiled at Rett. “Wanna cause a distraction so I can sneak away?” The smile on his face told me he’d be thrilled, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Figured you would.”
I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want to get a ride from one of Deacon’s men, and I sure as hell didn’t want to hear anyone tell me that I’d fucked up. Besides, even if Deacon didn’t want to say it, I knew I had and the damage I’d done wouldn’t just be swept under the rug.
Idly, I ran a hand along the scar on my stomach, and wondered when my life would get back to normal. It’d already been two years since the accident, and there were still times, like earlier, when I felt like everything was out of control.
I didn’t have long to think about it, though, because Rett’s highpitched scream filled the air a few seconds later.
“BEAR!” He screeched at the top of his lungs from the trees in the distance. “There’s a bear!”
I don’t even know how he got all the way across camp and into the woods in mere minutes since I’d asked him to cause a distraction. I wasn’t sticking around to ask, either.
While literally every single adult left milling about ran in Rett’s direction, I snuck away. My car wasn’t blocked in, thankfully, or I’d be shit out of luck.
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És alighogy leültem mellé, ez az alak nyugodt hangon megszólított:
– Hogy vagy? Jól?
Megrezzenve fordultam felé és az arcába néztem. Újra megszólalt:
– Nem ismersz rám?
– Nem!
– Des Barrets vagyok.
Elképedtem. Csakugyan ő volt, Jean des Barrets gróf, egykori gimnázista-társam.
Megszorítottam a kezét, de olyan zavartan, hogy meg sem tudtam szólalni.
Végre kinyögtem:
– No, és te, te hogy vagy?
Nyugodtan válaszolt:
– Hát megvagyok, ahogy lehet.
Elhallgatott. Szeretetreméltó akartam lenni, erőlködtem: mit mondhatnék valami rendeset?
– És… és mit csinálsz?…
Rezignáltan felelte:
– Láthatod.
Éreztem, hogy elpirulok. Arrább feszegettem a kérdést:
– De amúgy,… állandóan… mit szoktál csinálni?
Barátom nagy füstfelhőket fújt maga elé:
– Mindig csak ezt.
Azzal az asztalon heverő rézpénzzel megkocogtatta a márványlapot és elkiáltotta magát:
– Pincér, két pohár sört!
Távol egy hang ismételte: Két pohár a négyeshez! Még távolabbi hang felelt rá szinte sivítva: Itt van! Aztán egy fehérkötényes ember tűnt föl, amint hozta a két poharat, amelyből futtában kilötyögtette a sárga italt a homokozott padlóra.
Des Barrets egy hajtásra kiitta a poharát s már vissza is tette az asztalra, miközben beszürcsölte a bajuszára tapadt habot.
– Na, és egyébként, mi ujság? – kérdezte azután.
Igazán nem tudtam mondani neki semmi különöset. Dadogtam:
– Semmi, öregem, semmi a világon. Én kereskedő lettem.
Des Barrets ugyanazzal az egyforma hanggal kérdezte:
– Na… és az olyan mulatságos?
– Dehogy! Mért volna az? De elvégre csak kell valamit csinálni!
– Mi a csudának?
– Hát… az embernek kell valami foglalkozás.
– Ugyan! mire jó az? Lásd, én nem csinálok semmit; soha, semmit. Azt még értem, ha valaki azért dolgozik, mert nincs pénze. De ha az embernek van miből élnie, haszontalanság a munka. Mert mit is érsz vele? Magadért csinálod, vagy másokért? Ha magadért, és jól esik, még hagyján, jól van; de ha másokért, marha vagy.
Des Barrets letette a pipáját a márványlapra és újra elkiáltotta magát:
– Pincér, még egy pohárral!
Azzal folytatta:
– Szomjas leszek a beszédtől. Nem vagyok hozzászokva. Hát, mondom, én nem csinálok semmit, csak élek a világba, öregszem. Ha meghalok, nem sajnálok majd semmit. Nem lesz semmi emlékem, csak ez a sörház. Se asszony, se gyerek, se bú, se baj, semmi. Sokkal jobb így.
Felhajtotta a poharat, amelyet közben odahoztak, nyelvével végigszántotta a szájaszélét és újra fölvette a pipáját.
Bambán néztem rá. Megkérdeztem:
– Nem voltál te mindig ilyen, úgy-e?
– Pardon, mindig ilyen voltam, már gimnázista-korom óta.
– Pedig ez így mégse élet, pajtás. Borzasztó ez! Nézzük csak, biztosan foglalkozol mégis csak valamivel; van, amit szeress, vannak barátaid…
– Dehogyis. Délben kelek fel. Akkor idejövök, eszem, megiszom a söreimet. Itt ülök estig, akkor vacsorázom, – további sörök. Aztán, hajnali félkettő tájban hazamegyek lefeküdni, mert itt zárnak. Ez a legbutább a dologban. Tíz év óta legalább hat esztendőre valót töltöttem el ezen a széken, ebben a sarokban; a többit az ágyamban, – és soha egyebütt. Néha diskurálok a vendégekkel.
– De annak idején, mikor felkerültél Párizsba, eleinte mégis csak csináltál valamit?
– Jogászkodtam… a Médicis-kávéházban.
– De azután?
– Azután?… átkeltem a Szajnán és idejöttem.
– És erre miért szántad el magad?
– Na hallod, az ember nem maradhat egész életére a Quartier Latin-ben. A diákok nagyon zajosak. Innen azonban már nem mozdulok. Pincér, egy pohárral!
Azt hittem, hogy csúfolódik velem. Tovább faggattam:
– Nézd csak, beszélj őszintén. Valami nagy bánatod van?
Boldogtalan szerelem, mi? Persze hogy úgy lesz, utólért a balsors. Hány éves vagy?
– Harmincöt. De legalább is negyvenötnek látszom.
Jól az arcába néztem. Ráncos, ápolatlan arca majdnem olyan volt, mint egy aggastyáné. A fejebúbján néhány hosszú szál szőr lengett a kétes tisztaságú bőr fölött. Hatalmas szemöldökei voltak, nagy bajusza, sűrű szakálla. Hirtelen, magam sem tudom hogyan, egy mosdótál víziója jelent meg előttem, – a tál teli volt feketés vízzel, amivel ezt a sok szőrt mosná ki valaki tisztára.
Azt mondtam a barátomnak:
– Csakugyan, idősebbnek látszol, mint amennyi vagy. Egész biztosan sok bánat ért.
Felelt:
– De ha mondom, hogy nem! Ilyen öreg azért vagyok, mert nem járok ki a levegőre. Semmitől se romlik úgy le az ember, mint a kávéházi élettől.
Sehogyse tudtam hinni Des Barrets-nek:
– Biztosan a szoknyákat is kergetted. Az ember nem kopaszodik így meg, – csak ha sokat szeretkezett.
Nyugodtan rázta meg a fejét, telehullatva a vállát az apró, fehér korpával, amely maradékhajából leporzott:
– Nincs igazad, mindig jól viseltem magam.
Tekintetét a lámpakar felé emelte, amely a fejünk felett lobogott:
– Ha megkopaszodtam, a gáz az oka. A gázláng árt a hajnak. –Pincér, egy pohár sört! – Te nem iszol?
– Köszönöm, nem. Hanem a te dolgod igazán érdekel. Mióta hagytad így el magad? Sehogyse normális eset ez, nem természetes. Okvetlenül van mögötte valami.
– Hát jó, gyerekkorom óta vagyok így Akkor mellbevágott valami, – még egész apró kölyök voltam, – és azóta fuccs a számomra az egész élet.
– És mi volt az?
– Tudni akarod? Hát ide figyelj! Jól emlékezhetsz a kastélyra, ahol nevelkedtem, hiszen te is jártál ott ötször vagy hatszor vakációk idején. Emlékszel, micsoda nagy szürke épület volt, nagy park közepén, a hosszú tölgy-sétányok közt, amelyek a négy égtáj felé nyíltak! Emlékszel atyámra és anyámra is, mind a ketten milyen szertartásosak, ünnepélyesek és szigorúak voltak.
Én az anyámat imádtam, az apámtól rettegtem, – egyebekben pedig mindkettőjüket nagyon tiszteltem, hiszen hozzá voltam szokva, hogy mindenki fejet hajt előttük. Ott, a vidéken, csak »a gróf úr« és »a méltóságos grófné« volt a nevük, és még szomszédaink is, a Tannemare-ok, a Ravelet-k, a Brenneville-ek, megkülönböztetett tiszteletet mutattak szüleim iránt.
Akkoriban tizenhárom éves voltam, víg kölyök, elégedett mindennel, ahogy már ebben a korban szokás, teli azzal a boldogsággal, hogy milyen jó élni.
Egyszer aztán, szeptember vége felé, amikor már csak néhány nap választott el attól, hogy visszatérjek a gimnáziumba, az történt, hogy éppen farkast játszottam a park bokrai közt, mindenütt az ágak és lombok közt loholva, mikor az egyik sétányon átvágtomban apát és anyát pillantottam meg, amint arra sétáltak.
Úgy emlékszem, mintha tegnap történt volna. Nagy szél fútt aznap. Az egész fasor meghajolt a szélrohamok alatt, nyögött, szinte fel-feljajdulva, süket és mély üvöltéssel, ahogy a rengeteg szokott a viharban.
A leszakadt levelek – sárgák voltak már – madarak módjára röpdöstek, forogtak, hulltak alá, majd végignyargaltak a sétányon, mint holmi gyors vadak.
Esteledett. A bozótban már sötét volt. A szélnek és a lombnak a nyugtalansága engem is felizgatott, nyargaltam, mint egy őrült és ordítoztam, – a farkasüvöltést akartam utánozni.
Amint szüleimet észrevettem, óvatos léptekkel indultam feléjük, a lombok mögött, hogy meglepjem őket, mintha igazi kóbor vad volnék.
De pár lépésnyire tőlük félelem dermesztett meg. Apám, valami rettenetes düh kitörésében, ezt kiáltotta anyámnak:
– Anyádnak nincs esze, – és különben is, nem is az anyádról van szó, hanem rólad. Mondom, hogy nekem kell az a pénz és te alá fogod írni!
Anyám szilárd hangon válaszolta:
– Nem írok alá semmit. Az a pénz a Jean vagyona, meg fogom őrízni az ő számára és nem akarom, hogy ezt is elverd a hölgyikékkel, meg a cselédlányokkal, ahogy a te örökségeddel tetted.
Ekkor az apám, remegve dühében, megfordult és torkonragadta anyámat, – a másik keze teljes erővel belesujtott az anyám arcába.
Anyám kalapja leesett, kibomló haja szétszóródott; –megpróbálta kivédeni az ütéseket, de nem sikerült neki. És apám, mint az őrült, újra és újra sujtott. Anyám már a földön vonaglott, két karja mögé bújva az ütések elől. Akkor apám visszafordította a hátára, hogy tovább üthesse, és lefeszítette anyám kezeit, amikkel eltakarta az arcát.
Én pedig? Kedvesem, én akkor úgy éreztem, hogy vége van a világnak és minden örök törvénynek. Azt a lelki fölfordulást éltem át, amilyent természetfeletti dolgok keltenek, a szörnyű méretű katasztrófák, a jóvátehetetlen szerencsétlenségek. Gyerekfejem megzavarodott, az őrület csapott belé. Teljes erőmből ordítani kezdtem, azt se tudva, miért teszem, – a rémülettől, a fájdalomtól, az iszonyú megriadástól. Apám meghallotta, felém fordult, észrevett és
felkelve, arrafelé indult. Azt hittem, hogy most mingyárt megöl és elfutottam, mint az űzött vad, egyenesen neki az erdőnek.
Mentem egy órát, mentem két órát, nem is tudom, mennyit? Mikor éjszaka lett, eldőltem a füvön, kimerülve, – és ott maradtam, feldultan, gyötrő félelemben, emésztő bánattal, amely örökre meg tud törni egy szegény gyermeki szívet. Fáztam, talán éhes is voltam. Kivirradt. De én nem mertem fölkelni, elindulni, se azért, hogy visszatérjek, se azért, hogy tovább meneküljek, – rettegtem, hogy találkozhatom az apámmal, akit pedig nem akartam látni többé.
Talán ott haltam volna meg nyomorultan és éhen az alatt a fa alatt, ha az őr rám nem akad és erővel haza nem visz.
Szüleimet úgy találtam, amilyenek rendesen voltak. Anyám csak annyit mondott, hogy: – »Csúnya fiú, hogy megrémítettél, egész éjszaka nem aludtam.« Én nem feleltem, csak sírva fakadtam. Apám nem szólt egy szót sem.
Egy héttel később visszamentem a gimnáziumba.
Hát, kedvesem, ezzel aztán végem is lett örökre. Megpillantottam a dolgok másik oldalát, a rosszabbikat; – és azóta nem tudom észrevenni a jót. Mi ment végbe a lelkemben? Micsoda különös tünemény, ami megfordítja az elme járását? Nem tudom. De többé nem kívántam és nem áhitottam semmit, nem szerettem senkit, fuccs minden vágynak és ambíciónak és reménynek. Egyre csak szegény anyámat látom, ott a fasorban, a földön, ahogy az apám üti és veri. – Anyus már meghalt, jó egypár éve. Apám még él. De nem láttam viszont többé. – Pincér, még egy pohárral!
Hozták a poharat és egy kortyra fölhajtotta. Amint azonban újra felvette a pipáját, a keze reszketett és a pipa eltört. Kétségbeesett mozdulattal mondta:
– Tessék! ez aztán igazi csapás, mondhatom. Most megint szíhatok egyet vagy egy hónapig, amíg jó fekete lesz.
És végigsüvítette a termen, amely most már tele volt dohányzó és söröző emberekkel, az örökös kiáltást:
– Pincér, egy pohár sört, – és egy új pipát!
