The Other Brother Page 15

  "It's time for me to go back to my hotel," he said. He faked a yawn. "It's been quite a day."

  Pops looked at his wife and she nodded, almost imperceptibly. Clearing his throat, Pops turned to Isaiah.

  "We'd like for you to stay with us, son," he said. "It wouldn't be right for you to stay in a hotel."

  Isaiah wanted to laugh. These people were a trip.

  But he said, "I appreciate the offer, but I can't do that. You weren't expecting a houseguest. The hotel is fine"

  "What hotel are you staying in?" Marge asked.

  "It's a Days Inn, in Marietta," he said.

  "No son of mine is staying in a Days Inn when he could be staying at my estate" Pops said. "You're staying here with us, Isaiah, and that's the end of it." He softened his words with a smile.

  "He could stay in Gabe's old room," Nicole said. She glanced at her parents. "Right?"

  "That's exactly what I was thinking, dear," Marge said.

  "Well, well." Isaiah gave them his best aw, shucks grin. "I guess I'd better go get my stuff."

  A few minutes later, Isaiah returned inside the house with his suitcases. Nicole met him in the gigantic, soaring foyer; the area was nearly as big as the project apartment he and Mama had used to live in.

  "You had your luggage in your car?" Nicole asked, head cocked.

  "I don't believe in leaving personal belongings behind," he said. "A habit I picked up from living in places where your stuff could be stolen. I keep my things close at hand."

  "Oh," Nicole said. Her look of surprise was so genuine that Isaiah had to choke back a laugh. This girl, a bona-fide black American princess, probably would only have consented to roll through Isaiah's old hood in a police-escorted, armored truck. She had no street smarts whatsoever, no idea of how people lived in the real world.

  But to her credit, she was cute, so he could cut her some slack. Short and slender with a gymnast's firm figure, she was a redbone, with auburn hair and hazel eyes. She wore dainty glasses and had the manner of an intellectual-or a nerd, even. She was the kind of girl who'd want to visit a science museum on a first date.

  But in Isaiah's experience, girls like Nicole, the geeky girls, often were the biggest freaks. All that bottled-up brainpower found its truest expression in the bedroom.

  "I'll take you to Gabe's room," she said. "Follow me ""

  "Lead the way," he said.

  As she ascended the curving staircase, he admired how her tight ass worked in the khaki shorts she wore. He wetted his lips. He'd like to get his hands on that booty.

  A stern voice in Isaiah's mind admonished: She's your half sister, man. You shouldn't be looking at her like this. But Isaiah smothered the voice. He didn't know this girl. If he'd met her on the street before today, he'd have had no idea that they were related, and neither would she. So who cared?

  "This is a beautiful house," Isaiah said.

  She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm glad I don't live here anymore. It's too old."

  "Too old?"

  "Yeah, thirty years old or something like that. I keep telling Daddy he needs to buy something more contemporary, but he's settled here, looks like."

  Isaiah was perplexed. This girl had grown up in an ele gantly appointed mansion, and all she could say was that it was too old?

  If she'd been his mama's daughter, Mama would've slapped the shit out of her for saying something stupid like that.

  He followed her down a hallway so wide he could've driven his Chevelle across it. African-American art in gold frames hung on the walls, each of them expressing a familial theme. Isaiah would've bet his right testicle that they were originals, not replicas.

  They arrived at a door. Nicole went inside first and switched on the light.

  "Wow," Isaiah said.

  The bedroom was probably the size of the entire first floor of Grandma's home. A Chinese sleigh bed dominated one area; large windows offered views of the dark woods beyond the house; a big television and stereo system took up space on another side; a bookcase packed with titles stood near the bed. A computer and printer sat on an oak desk.

  "Will this be okay?" Nicole asked.

  Are you serious? This is the nicest room I've ever stayed in in my life!

  "This will be great, thanks," he said.

  She went to another door off the bedroom. "Here's the bathroom"

  It was a full bathroom with a shower stall, double sinks, and whirlpool tub. He'd never been in a whirlpool tub. He might be drawing a bath tonight.

  He went back to the bed and, out of habit, slid his luggage underneath, drawing a strange look from Nicole.

  "I'll go get some fresh towels for you," she said. "Be right back"

  He sat on the bed and ran his hand across the duvet. It was as silky as a dream.

  Nicole returned, her arms laden with fluffy towels. "Here they are," she said. She headed to the bathroom. "I'll put them in here for you"

  Isaiah went to the bedroom door and closed it. Locked it.

  He was about to do something dangerous. He didn't want any interruptions.

  Nicole strolled out of the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair. She didn't notice that he'd shut the door.

  "Anything else you need?" she asked.

  He sat on the bed.

  Attempting to do what he planned was risky, but he thrived on risk, danger.

  He inhaled a deep breath.

  Focus.

  Psychic energy flickered at the base of his spine, developed into a current of power that surged up his back and burst into his brain. A vein pulsed like a small heart in the center of his sweat-filmed forehead.

  Command.

  He fixed his gaze on Nicole, who watched him expectantly.

  "Actually, I do need something else," he said. He made a come-hither gesture with his index finger. "Get over here"

  She did as he ordered, walking in front of him. Her eyes settled on something behind him, a vacant look to which he was accustomed when exercising his talent on people.

  She wore a pink halter top, the fabric outlining her round, perky breasts.

  He licked his lips. He put his hands on her breasts. He squeezed.

  She sighed softly.

  "Feel good?" he asked. "Tell me it feels good."

  "It feels good," she whispered. Her eyelids fluttered behind her lenses.

  Isaiah's erection throbbed against his slacks. Although Nicole's shapely body was a turn-on, what titillated him even more was exercising power over her. This woman was his. She would do anything he wanted. Anything.

  He slid his hands to her hips, kneaded them between his fingers.

  "Hot body like yours, I know you're a freak," he said. "But you hide it behind those glasses and your little geekprincess attitude. You can't fool your big brother."

  She only stood there, blinking slowly, allowing him to feel her up.

  He loved, loved, loved this.

  He rose off the bed.

  "Get on your knees," he said.

  She hesitated, as though some small part of her consciousness was alert, resisting him.

  He concentrated, drilled his gaze into her eyes.

  "On your knees," he said firmly.

  She knelt in front of him. His rock-hard dick was only inches away from her face.

  He cupped the back of her head in his hand. He pulled her head forward against his groin.

  "Feel that?" he said. "It's going to be in that sweet pouty mouth of yours in a minute."

  She whimpered. A sound of anticipation or fear? He didn't know. Didn't care.

  "Unzip my pants," he said.

  Hands shaking slightly, she grasped his zipper, tugged it down. His dick strained against the confines of his boxer shorts.

  Isaiah was about to command her to open her mouthwhen he heard footsteps creaking along the hallway outside the bedroom.

  A knock tapped against the door.

  "Are you kids in there?" It was Marge.

  Isaiah quickly zipped his slack
s. He focused on Nicole. She gazed up at him, face placid as a pond, awaiting instruction.

  "Stand up," he said. And she did.

  "Once I snap my fingers," he said, "you'll remember none of this. You'll be feeling just fine again. Okay?"

  She nodded. He hurried to the door. Looked back at Nicole and snapped his fingers.

  Nicole blinked.

  "What happened?" she said.

  "You were showing me around" Isaiah opened the door. Marge stood outside with an inquisitive expression and Isaiah reasoned that motherly intuition had brought her there.

  "Nicole was about to give me a tour of the rest of the house," Isaiah said. "Ready, Nicole?"

  "Sure" Shrugging, Nicole came out of the bedroom. "Follow me"

  Isaiah smiled at Marge, who hesitated, and then returned the smile. He followed his little sister on a tour throughout the rest of the estate.

  It was so wonderful to be a member of the family.

  Chapter 26

  abriel tried to get comfortable on the sofa and close his eyes to fall asleep. That didn't work, so he tried to watch TV until his eyelids grew tired and slid shut. That didn't work either. An awful fact boomeranged through his mind, keeping him awake.

  Dana didn't trust him anymore.

  Realizing her doubt in him was like being slugged in the face. He was tempted to leave, without warning, and go home, a passive-aggressive way of letting her know how deeply she'd hurt him. But he didn't do that; it seemed cowardly, equivalent to giving up on their relationship. He loved her too much to leave and let this problem ruin what they had together.

  They would work this out, somehow, just as he would work out this issue with Isaiah. He had to believe it. At this point, faith in a better future was all he had.

  Mandy cuddled on Gabriel's lap. She looked up at him with adoring eyes.

  "You haven't given up on me, have you, girl?" Gabriel said. "You know I'm telling the truth "

  Mandy licked his fingers.

  Gabriel rested his head against the pillow. He watched the spinning ceiling fan and began to count the revolutions....

  Sometime later he jerked awake with a crook in his neck. The room was dark except for bands of coppery streetlight that filtered through the blinds. Mandy snored softly at the opposite end of the sofa, her body a white bundle in the darkness.

  The TV was off. Dana must have switched it off while he'd been sleeping. The digital clock on the fireplace mantel read one fifty-three.

  Gabriel rubbed his aching neck. He started to stretch his legs into a more comfortable position and then noticed something moving on the floor barely five feet away. A dark, serpentine shape.

  Terror clawed up his throat.

  It was a snake.

  Logic wanted to deny what his eyes told him. He was in Dana's condo, in the middle of the city. There were no snakes there. It was impossible. He was imagining this. He was dreaming.

  Then he heard a soft hiss.

  That evil hiss pressed a panic button in his brain. He began to tremble.

  This was really happening. Again. It wasn't a dream.

  He reached toward the lamp on the end table. He turned the power knob.

  It was a water moccasin. It was identical to the snake that had terrorized him at his house.

  The snake lay coiled on the hardwood floor between the fireplace and the glass coffee table. The table was the only object separating them, and it was no protection at all because the snake could slither beneath it.

  The snake watched him, muscles taut, challenging him to move.

  How could this be the same snake? Had it hidden in a bag or something he'd brought there?

  No, that couldn't be. He hadn't brought anything from his house other than the clothes on his back and he sure as hell would've known if a two-foot-long pit viper hitched a ride with him.

  He didn't know where it had come from, but he had to get away from it, or, failing that, contain it somehow until someone else could take care of it.

  He looked around the room, frantic.

  At the end of the sofa, Mandy continued to slumber, dead to the world. It seemed weird that the dog didn't smell or hear the water moccasin, so close by, but, then again, Mandy was a house dog whose hunting instincts had been dulled by years of pampering. If she'd been awake she would only have barked and perhaps driven the snake into a deadly rage. Better for her to stay asleep.

  He grabbed his pillow. He held it in front of him. Rising slowly, he edged away from the sofa, toward the kitchen.

  He wanted to get his hands on a weapon of some kind. Like a knife. Even a broom would do. Anything that would keep this creature away from him.

  The water moccasin shifted, watching him. Light glimmered dully on its green-black scales.

  This was far too detailed to be a dream. His heart felt as if it were at the back of his mouth. His clammy hands dampened the pillow so much he could've wrung sweat from it.

  A chest-high, granite counter separated the kitchen from the living room area. He reached the counter, looked around the kitchen, saw the trash can, got an idea.

  The snake charged forward in a liquid blur.

  Gabriel scrambled around the counter. He dropped the pillow on the floor, grabbed the edge of the trash can and flipped up the lid. The can, lined with a white bag, had recently been emptied. Good.

  He raised the can.

  As the snake slithered around the corner, Gabriel slammed the can downward, aiming to trap the reptile underneath.

  He missed.

  The snake evaded the trap, smoothly flowing out of the way. Hissing, it came at him again.

  Gabriel backpedaled so frantically he almost fell down. He banged against a door, realized it was the pantry, reached behind him, and twisted the knob. He moved aside and flung the door open as the water moccasin writhed toward him.

  The door thwacked into the snake's head. The reptile collided against a cabinet and lay still, momentarily dazed.

  Gabriel snatched a broom out of the pantry. Like a hockey player whacking a puck, he swung at the snake. The bristled edges whooshed across the tile and swept the twisting snake into the depths of the pantry against a large bag of Purina dog food.

  "Gotcha!"

  Gabriel closed the door.

  Then he noticed the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. It was less than an inch high, but he didn't want to take any chances. He hurried to the pillow he'd dropped on the other side of the kitchen. Kneeling, he stuffed the pillow in the gap, imprisoning the snake inside the pantry.

  The reptile thumped against the door, hissed angrily.

  Gabriel moved away. Cold sweat drenched his face and back. He couldn't stop shaking.

  It's over, man. You're safe.

  He turned to the sink to get some water and calm his nerves.

  Dressed in her pajamas, Dana stood at the edge of the kitchen. He was so startled to see her that he almost screamed.

  Dana regarded the upended trash can on the floor.

  "What are you doing in here?" she asked.

  "There's a snake in here," he said, his voice quivering. He hooked a thumb behind him. "But I trapped it in the pantry."

  "What? A snake?" She stared at the pantry door. "Are you serious?"

  "It was a water moccasin like the one I saw in my house. Looked like the same one, matter of fact. But I caught that joker this time. I need to find an emergency number for that wildlife control company." He grabbed for the Yellow Pages directory stored in a niche near the wall phone.

  "Hold up" She raised her hand. "I can't believe you found a snake in my condo, Gabe"

  Gabriel flipped through the phone book. "Believe it or not, it's in there. It was trying to get out a minute ago, but it's quieted down now."

  "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

  "You don't believe me?" He dropped the phone book on the counter. "Do you think everything I say now is a lie?"

  She flinched as though he'd slapped her.

 
"That's not what I meant," she said. "But I think the episode at your house today frightened you, and maybe you had a nightmare."

  "It wasn't a nightmare! The damn snake is in there. You wanna look for yourself?"

  "And remember those visions you were seeing in the mirror? Those hallucinations?"

  "This isn't the same thing. This is real."

  "As real as the other snake that was at your house-but that the wildlife control guy couldn't find?"

  "It got away, hid somewhere"

  She walked toward the pantry. He caught her arm.

  "Don't open that door," he said. "You'll let it out. It's a poisonous snake, Dana."

  "Stand back, then" She shrugged off his hand, knelt, and yanked away the pillow from the door.

  Gabriel went to the far side of the kitchen.

  Dana opened the pantry door.

  The pantry was full of canned goods, dog food, and other nonperishable items.

  No snake.

  Chapter 27

  "-'m not imagining things," Gabriel said to Dana for the Itenth time. "A snake was in here, and it did attack me. I know that for a fact"

  They sat at the dinette table. Dana sat on the other side of the table, watching Gabriel with what he recognized as her "MD look"-an intense yet detached gaze, as though he were one of her patients at the hospital-and he hated that. The way she looked at him, it was as though she'd already made up her mind that he was a nutcase who needed psychiatric care. He couldn't make her understand that there was nothing wrong with him.

  "We searched the entire pantry," Dana said. With a wave of her hand, she indicated the pantry's bare shelves and the items they'd pulled out and stacked on the floor. "There was no snake in there"

  "It got away. Slipped through a crack in the walls or something."

  "That's stretching it, don't you think?"

  "Then you think I hallucinated seeing the snake at my house, too. Don't you?"

  Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair, looked away from him.

  "Dana, come on. This is your man talking here. You know me better than that. You know I've always got it together."