Galilee Rising(79)

"Oh, thank God for that. From all I've uncovered in my research, she's something of a whore. Cheating on her boyfriend, an abortion at fifteen, sleeping with a married man. Oh, forgive me, that last one was total malarkey wasn't it? Or not. She does have a thing for superheroes. You do battle a little above your weight class a lot, don't you Jojo? I did warn you about that."

"Leave her alone," Jem says, walking beside me.

"I didn't bring her into this, big brother. You knew this would happen eventually. You're just selfish. Selfish, selfish, selfish. And weak. Always have been. Sad, pathetic, weak, in--"

"Wow, pot meet fucking kettle there, Jordan," I say with a sneer.

"Pardon me?"

"Joanna…" Jem warns.

"You heard me. He's the sad, selfish, pathetic one? You follow him around the country throwing hissy fits when you don't have his undivided attention. Sad. You killed his fiancée because he liked her better than you. Selfish. You have no real life outside him. Pathetic. But let's not forget to add coward to your list of more admirable traits. I mean, really. A car bomb? What, were you too afraid to be within ten miles of Tempest, is that it? Because you knew he'd kick your ass without breaking a sweat?"

"Jem, leash your bitch please," Jordan says, rolling his eyes. "Her yapping is grating."

"Not hearing a denial asshole."

"Joanna, stop," Jem orders.

"Yes, he can fight his own battles. He doesn't need your help."

"What do you want, Jordan?" Jem says before I can speak. "Really. What do you want?"

"Peace on earth and goodwill toward men?" he retorts with a smirk. "No, I suppose I don't really desire a thing. I'm quite content actually. I just found myself with some time on my hands. You know I've never handled boredom well."

"Then take up fucking fishing," I snap.

"Shut up, whore. You know, car bombs are cheap. One down, two more--"

"Enough!" Jem shouts. Both our mouths snap shut. The peacemaker takes a deep breath before looking back at his brother. "Scout, please, whatever you want me to do to stop this, I will. Whatever it is, I will do it, just don't hurt anyone else."

Jordan cocks an eyebrow at the prospect. "Really? If I told you to rob a bank, you would?"

"Yes."

"Give all your money away?"

"Yes."

"Jump off the highest building to your death to save them?" he asks, glimpsing at me.

"Absolutely," he says without hesitation.

It's only for a split second, and I don't know if Jem sees it as well, but like lightning a ripple of intense fury crosses his face, eyes blazing and nose twitching. Shit. Not what he wanted to hear. Jordan recovers with a smile. "I have no idea where this nobility comes from. Certainly not our sperm and ovum donors or those not-so-well-meaning morons who raised us."

"Guess he's just a better, stronger person than you," I say. "He didn't use his crappy childhood as an excuse to become a terrorist."

Jordan rolls his eyes again. "Yes, we get it, Joanna; you're madly in love with him. Won't have a harsh word spoken against him. So on and so forth. Hurrah for loyalty. But do shut up now."

For the first time in a long time I'm stunned speechless. "I'm not…I…"

"Finally," Jordan says. "If you ever do enter into a relationship with that thing I suggest investing in ear plugs or a muzzle. At least your last love interest had some class and knew when to keep her mouth shut. Even when I blew her head off, she managed to die silently."

"Don't talk about her," Jem warns.

"Why not? It was years ago, you must be over it by now. If you're not over a past lover then how can you ever move on?" He looks at me. "Really, Joanna, he is a loyal sort. He waited years after our sexual relationship ended before he entered into another with that Indian cow."

"Shut up," Jem says through gritted teeth.

"I never did ask. Was she better than me? Did she make you come as hard as I did? Do you still imagine it's my hand jerking you off on all those lonely nights--"

"SHUT UP!" Jem roars with insane ferocity. Even I shrink away, especially when he grabs the chair beside me and smashes it against the monitor. I leap out of my seat away from the onslaught. "Shut up!" He hits it again. "Shut up!" And again. "Shut up!" And again, until there's nothing left to demolish but shards of glass and plastic. He tosses the chair across the room and takes off running toward the ocean exit.

At first I'm too shocked to move. I just stare at the sparks shooting from the exposed wires. He actually did something I didn't think possible. He scared me. But I push it away and sprint after him. "Jem!" The passageway is dark with the only light from a bulb on the stone every ten feet. Jem has just reached the exit when I round the corner. He presses the button to open the cavern door onto to beach. "Jem, wait! Goddamn it, you wait for me Jonathan Ambrose!"