Sean shook his head. “Come on, Billy. Let’s go.”
They went out of the house in silence and stayed that way while walking over to Billy’s custom-rigged Denali.
“I didn’t want you to come here,” Sean said.
“Couldn’t stay away forever.”
“Yeah, you could have. And I’d have preferred that.”
Billy’s face tilted upward as he looked to the second-floor apartment. “What’s it like in there?”
“Same. Exactly the same.”
“Freak you out?”
“Yeah.”
“You need help packing?”
“No.” Not from his little brother, at any rate.
Billy rubbed his square jaw. “Did you see him dead?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he look like?”
“Older. But like that damned apartment, the same.”
There was a long period of quiet.
Down at the end of the street, a car turned onto the road. Its engine was a muted drone that got louder as it approached, then faded after it went by.
“You heard from Mac yet?” Billy asked.
“I left him another message a couple of days ago. Next time I’m just going to tell the voice mail.”
“Wish he’d call.”
“Me, too.”
Billy leaned back against the SUV and cleared his throat. As he crossed his arms, his thick chest flexed. “So Lizzie’s nice.”
“She is.”
“Not your usual type.”
“And not yours, either.” Which was a ridiculous thing to say but he couldn’t help it.
Billy laughed. “Oh, relax yourself. I know she’s off-limits. How long have you been together?”
“We’re not.”
“Bull.”
“Fine. Let’s just say…there are complications.”
“Only if you want to have them.”
“Please, no Dr. Phil, okay?”
Billy shrugged. “Just haven’t seen you look at a woman like that before.”
Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Don’t be an idiot and—“How do I look at her?”
Idiot.
“Like you’re actually seeing her.”
“Whatever.”
“Hey, I’m glad.” Billy shoved a hand into his jeans pocket and took out a set of keys. “At least one of us might have a shot at getting married.”
“I never said anything—”
“Touchy, touchy, touchy.” Billy grinned and hit the car remote. As the Denali’s lights flashed, the lock on the driver’s side door made a little punching sound. “So you really do like her, huh?”
“Look, Billy, there’s no—”
“You don’t have to get defensive about it.”
“I’m not being defensive!” As Billy laughed again, Sean cleared his throat. “I’m not.”
“Oh. Really. Well, lemme remind you that as a linebacker, defense is my profession. So I’m good at spotting it.”
“On the field, maybe.”
Billy pointed to the ground. “And you’re standing on grass as we speak.”
While Billy got into the car and put the window down, Sean cursed and stepped onto the sidewalk. “You going to be in town over the next couple of weeks?” he asked.
“I’ve got some away games, but other than that I’m here. You know, I’m sorry you missed today’s match-up. But maybe you could come and watch me play some other time?”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
“Bring Lizzie.”
“We’ll see.” It would have to depend on whether she was around. God…he hoped she’d be around.
Billy stretched his arm out the window and the two gripped palms. There was a long moment as their eyes met.
“No looking back,” Sean said. “We don’t look back, remember?”
It was the credo they’d hung on to as scared children…then had reaffirmed as reckless college guys…and now lived out as best they could as adult men.
Billy nodded. “No looking back.”
He put the car in gear and drove away.
As Sean watched the brake lights fade, he got pissed off that their father had been such a bastard. Billy might not have been hit as much, but he’d been ridden hard for being “stupid” because he was dyslexic and couldn’t read very well.
Which was why he’d only been partially joking when he’d said Lizzie was out of his league because she was so smart.#p#分页标题#e#
“Your brother is very nice.”