Badd Motherf*cker(9)

I choked up. “Minor reward…shit.” I blinked hard, went around behind the bar and poured more Johnny, slugged it down facing the grimy mirror behind the rows of bottles on the back wall. “Minor reward for my faithfulness. A fucking lifetime I’ve spent back here, and I get ten fuckin’ grand.” I had to laugh. “Jesus, Dad.”

I leaned against the back counter, took another long hit of scotch, and cackled. To be honest, I felt a little unhinged. Ten thousand bucks?

I mean, thanks Dad, that’s awesome. It’d keep the bar afloat for a while longer. But…shit. I kinda felt like maybe I deserved a little more by way of thanks. I was pissed, now. At Dad, for dying, and then for giving me a measly ten grand after all the hours I’d put into this place. Ten grand? Fuck. Felt like an insult. I’d have rathered it just go back into the pot to split up.

My brothers were going to flip the fuck out, though, that was a given—though whether they’d be more pissed that I got extra money or that they were being forced back here was anyone’s guess. Zane hadn’t been back in years, and I wasn’t honestly sure he was even still alive. The twins were in Germany or something, last I heard, on that crazy world tour opening for some big name act.

I glanced at Richard. “Did the will say where Lucian is?”

He flipped through the papers. “Um…no. It says Lucian’s last verified location was…Udon Thani, Thailand. That was as of six months ago, when your father created his will.”

“Thailand? What’s the little shit doing in Thailand?” I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a tension headache coming on.

“I’m sure I have no idea, Sebastian. That wasn’t my business to ask.”

“Any idea how you’re going to get hold of the rest of my brothers, then?” I asked. “Good luck with Lucian, by the way.”

Richard closed the file, looking prim and satisfied. “Actually, I hired a private investigator to find your mysterious brother and, as of last month, my investigator was able to make contact with Lucian and inform him of the will. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing, but he’s been contacted and informed of the situation. I’ve already been in contact with the rest of your brothers. I’ve spoken on the phone with Xavier, Baxter, and Brock, and I exchanged emails with Zane and the twins, Canaan and Corin, all of this within the last month or so, and they all save Lucian have indicated that they will be returning as soon as their respective situations allow. Most of them should be arriving in Ketchikan within the next few days, I do believe.”

I frowned. “You have Zane’s email address?”

Richard seemed perplexed. “Well, yes, of course. It was included with your father’s will.”

“Didn’t even know the bastard had email. Woulda been nice to know.” I took a long sip of my drink. “’Course, it wouldn’t do any good even if I did since I don’t have one.”

Richard coughed, which I suspected was meant to cover a laugh. “You were, honestly, the hardest to contact of all your brothers, with the exception of Lucian. There is no phone for the bar, you yourself do not have a cell phone, and this isn’t the kind of scenario I could arrange via mail, thus necessitating my trip here from Anchorage.”

“Yeah, I’m a caveman like that. I like to beat my prey over the head with a club before I eat it. Women too, as a matter of fact.” I could tell Richard wasn’t sure I was joking. “So. My asshole brothers are all coming back, then?”

“Zane is, I can say that for certain. He’s making his way here from his most recent duty station, although I’m not sure where that is. The others said they would return as their respective schedules allowed. The twins are committed to the duration of their overseas tour last I heard, but they said they’ll be back when it’s over, or sooner if they could work it out. And, as I said, I was only recently able to locate Lucian, so his intentions are anyone’s guess.”

I rubbed my face with both hands. “My brothers all hate this place.” I looked up at the lawyer. “Why would Dad do this, Dick? I don’t get it.”

“I would only be speculating, of course, since he didn’t explain his reasoning to me. But if I were to venture a guess, I would say it was his final attempt to force you to reconcile with your brothers.”

“There’s nothing to reconcile. We’ve never had any beef between any of us…they just hate it here. All this bullshit does is saddle with me seven pissed off brothers who hate this bar and this city.”