The Other Brother Page 24

  Gabriel could not believe he was hearing this from her. She almost never took a stance against his father. And when she did, she certainly did not share her disagreement with her children.

  "Yeah, I would say so," he said. "Pops has crammed Isaiah down our throats"

  "I've had an uneasy feeling about Isaiah from the start," Mom said.

  "You, too?"

  "Yes. For many reasons. But, like you, I worried that Isaiah's intentions were less than sincere. I shared your `gut feeling,' as you called it."

  "Why didn't you say anything, Mom?"

  She shifted to face him and her gaze was fierce. "Because I support my husband. I've always supported him ... even when it hurt me to do so. I believe in my marriage vows, which we took before God. I submitted to my husband's headship in the household, without question."

  Gabriel took his mother's hand, caressed it. She squeezed his fingers tightly.

  "You have no idea what I've had to endure over the years," she said. Sniffling, she shook her head. "You can't imagine the secrets I've kept hidden from our family. You can't imagine the secrets I've kept hidden from you, most of all."

  "Secrets?" His voice wavered. "What ... what secrets?"

  Mom covered her eyes but could not hide her tears.

  "Mom? What is it? Please tell me"

  Mom lowered her hand. Her eyes wet, she clasped both his hands in hers.

  "Gabriel," she said, slowly. "You---"

  Behind them, Nicole screamed.

  Chapter 44

  C n Saturday morning, Isaiah and his father hit the golf course. They played at Cascade Hills, a posh country club of which Pops was a long term member.

  Isaiah had never played golf in his life. Brothers in the hood didn't play golf. They played basketball. There weren't any putting greens in the state pen, but there were plenty of hoops.

  But Pops, a firm believer in the game of golf as a forum to lubricate business deals, had decided to teach Isaiah how to play. While the morning dew still clung to the grass, Pops drove their golf cart to the edge of the rolling driving range and they unloaded their clubs. Pops, wearing a black Kangol cap twisted backward on his head like a hip jazz cat, effortlessly whacked one ball after another into the hazy sky. He then tried to teach Isaiah how to grip the club and swing.

  It was a frustrating experience. After a half hour of fumbling with the club and missing the ball with embarrassing frequency, Isaiah was ready to quit. He didn't have the patience for this shit today.

  The truth was, he was worried about Nicole.

  He wasn't worried about her welfare; he could care less about her well-being. He worried that he shouldn't have left her in the ghetto. Her family was too connected, like the damn Kennedys. There was a chance that someone would recognize the princess and whisk her back to the palace, and, if she regained her bearings, what if she told them what he'd done? She had remembered, after all, how he'd first invaded her mind in the bedroom, even though he'd given her the command that she would forget the whole thing.

  What if she recovered and told everyone she'd seen him kill a man?

  He should have found a better way to punish her. He had acted impulsively, out of anger, and he couldn't get rid of the feeling that his actions were going to come back to bite him in the ass.

  It wasn't his fault, though. The bitch had had no business snooping through his things. She had forced him to do what he'd done. And then her boyfriend, wanting to be a hero like Action Jackson, had tried to tackle him, and Isaiah had been compelled to kill him in self-defense. None of what had happened was his fault.

  But as so often happened in his life, he had to pay for other people's mistakes. He bore the weight of other people's misdeeds on his shoulders. When all was said and done, accusatory fingers would be pointed at him.

  It was so damn unfair. But hadn't Mama taught him that life was never fair for poor folk?

  Isaiah's uneasiness made focusing on that stupid golf ball even more difficult. Imagining that the ball was actually a miniaturized version of his father's head didn't help either.

  Pops's cell phone rang and he took the call. Grateful for a break, Isaiah propped the club against the bag. He went to the golf cart, where they had stored drinks in a cooler, and popped the tab on a Coke.

  "Come again?" Pops said. "Nicole's in the hospital?"

  Isaiah nearly spat out his soda.

  Someone found Nicole and identified her. The lucky bitch!

  Pops listened on the phone, concern drawing his lips taut. Then he said, "We'll be there ASAP," and hung up.

  "We've gotta go," Pops said. "My baby girl is in the hospital."

  "What happened to her?" Isaiah asked with as much ignorance as he could manage.

  "We don't know yet, but she's being kept at Grady." Pops hopped behind the steering wheel of the golf cart. "Let's move, son"

  Isaiah paused. How should he handle this? If he accompanied his father to the hospital, he ran the risk that Nicole would be in full possession of her faculties and would blab to everyone what had happened, if she hadn't already. He had killed a man. Although he had evaded the cops before, he was in an unfamiliar city with no friends. Hiding out would present a challenge.

  On the other hand, Nicole's brain might still be as scrambled as a platter of eggs at the Waffle House. She might not recall a damn thing. He might still have time to finish his plan.

  Pops snapped his fingers. "Let's go!"

  I've waited my entire life for this chance. I can't punk out now What would Mama think of me?

  He knew what she would think. She would be disappointed. He couldn't tolerate the idea of going back on his word.

  No matter what...

  Isaiah slid into the passenger seat.

  "Okay, Pops. Let's go see about my little sis."

  Chapter 45

  icole's shriek abruptly ended Gabriel's conversation with his mother. Leaving her revelation unspoken, Mom hurried to Nicole's side.

  Dana and the nurse on duty, a tall redheaded woman, rushed into the room, too.

  Nicole thrashed in the sheets, waving her limbs like a child terrified of water who was abandoned in an ocean. Her eyes were wide and frightened. Her lips peeled back from her teeth and a bloodcurdling, wordless keen rose from deep in her chest.

  Gabriel wanted to touch her, comfort her, but he was afraid. He'd never seen anything like this in his life.

  Mom, Dana, and the nurse grasped Nicole's arms and held her against the mattress. Mom spoke soft, soothing words.

  "Mama's here, baby. Everything's okay, you're safe, baby. Mama's here, Mama's not gonna let anything happen to you"

  Nicole gradually ceased struggling. She lay against the bed, perspiration glistening on her face. Her eyes slowly swam into focus.

  Gabriel wanted to ask her to say something, wanted to question her about how this had happened, but Nicole's eyes bugged out again as though her mind had turned inward to some hellish netherworld. Speaking to her while she was in this condition would be a waste of breath.

  Mom stroked Nicole's forehead, cooing to her. Dana and the nurse stepped away from the bed.

  "I'll go tell the doctor she's awake again," the nurse said and left the room.

  Dana came to Gabriel. She smiled wanly. "At least she's conscious."

  "Isaiah did this to her," he said. "He's screwed up her mind. I know it was him."

  "You're probably right, but we could never prove that. Nicole would have to tell us, and I don't think she's able to talk yet"

  "What's wrong with her? Give me your medical opinion."

  "I talked to the doctor who examined her. She thinks Nicole's suffering from dementia, induced by a traumatic event"

  "Yeah, Isaiah bum-rushing her mind." He mashed his fist into his other palm. "Next time I see him, Dana, I'm not holding back. He's gone way over the line now."

  Dana nodded tightly. She didn't try to talk him out of his anger or smooth over his feelings. She knew better, and she looked pissed o
ff herself, too.

  Mom had climbed next to Nicole on the bed. She cradled Nicole in her arms, as though she were a small child. Nicole clung to her, her eyes painfully innocent. She began to suck her thumb, something she hadn't done since she was a preschooler.

  Gabriel could not stand watching anymore. "I'll be back. I've got to get some fresh air."

  He crossed the room. As he reached for the door, it swung open, and it wasn't because he'd used his telekinesis. They had visitors.

  His father.

  And Isaiah.

  Nicole wandered through the strange, remote corridors of her mind.

  She was in her childhood bedroom, the room decorated in various shades of pink, her favorite color. She lay on the bed underneath a fluffy comforter. But she was cold-as cold as though an arctic gale gusted through the room. She looked and saw that a window across the room was open, wind tearing at the curtains. She had to close it. She pulled aside the comforter, swung her legs to the side of the mattress, and planted her feet on the floor.

  The soles of her feet pressed against something wet and sticky.

  Allen, her boyfriend, lay on the floor beside her bed, gazing sightlessly at the ceiling. Blood bubbled from a gaping wound in his neck; gore covered her feet.

  She shrieked. She tried to pull her feet out of the blood, but it was like trying to escape a tar pit. The blood, clotted and gluey, clung to her soles. She finally tore away and landed on her knees on the carpet.

  She was hyperventilating. Cold air poured into her lungs, spreading a deep, numbing chill throughout her body.

  Gasping, she stumbled to the window. Wind buffeted her face like fists. She managed to grasp the edge of the window. As she prepared to slam it shut, she looked outdoors.

  Isaiah was outside. He stood on the lawn, looking up at her. A smile twisted across his face.

  You invaded my privacy, little sis. It's only fair that I invade yours.

  She tried to close the window, but it would not budge.

  Isaiah began to float upward as though drawn into the air by invisible wires.

  No running from me.

  She had to get away from him. He would violate her, force her to do terrible, perverted things.

  But she couldn't close the window. He would get in and she would belong to him.

  She ran to the bedroom door and flung it open.

  Isaiah stood in the hallway.

  Gotcha.

  She opened her mouth in a silent scream....

  Chapter 46

  hen Pops and Isaiah entered the room, Nicole gave a t / strangled yip, like a frightened puppy.

  Gabriel swung around to face Nicole. Her attention was riveted on Isaiah. Fear dilated her pupils.

  He was right. Isaiah had done this to her.

  Pops brushed past Gabriel with a perfunctory greeting and went to Nicole's bedside. But Isaiah hesitated on the room's threshold. His eyes had narrowed to challenging slits.

  Although the room behind them was full of people, Gabriel was so focused on Isaiah that they might have been the only men in the universe.

  The tingly psychic energy enveloped Gabriel's hands.

  "You did this to Nicole," Gabriel said. "I know everything."

  "You don't know jack shit," Isaiah said. "Sit your ass down, boy."

  Gabriel noticed a prominent vein throbbing in the center of Isaiah's forehead-and suddenly a needle of pain punctured Gabriel's skull and stabbed into the core of his brain. He opened his mouth to scream but couldn't make a noise. His tongue was like a heavy, sodden sock.

  What the hell is he doing to me ...

  He felt his eyes swelling like balloons. His arms and legs grew leaden ... but they began to flex involuntarily. He was powerless to control his own limbs.

  Isaiah 's doing this to me. He's hijacked my brain.

  Moving sluggishly, Gabriel staggered toward a chair beside the door.

  Isaiah winked at him. He strolled triumphantly into the room.

  Gabriel's body moved to obediently drop into the chair. But he gripped the armrests and straightened his arms, fighting against sitting.

  "No," he whispered, sweat dripping from his brow. "No."

  Tremors rattled through his arms. Staying on his feet was like trying to resist a tremendous tide of water.

  Across the room, Isaiah approached Nicole's bed. She squirmed in the sheets, whimpering. Dana had stepped away from the bed, her wary gaze on Isaiah, but Mom and Pops crowded around Nicole, trying to soothe her.

  I have to tell them the truth.

  But the powerful force pressed down on Gabriel, commanding him to sit.

  He closed his eyes and concentrated every molecule in his body on fighting back, throwing off Isaiah's iron yoke. His tendons ached. His heart hammered. His head seemed to be pulsating like a bass drum.

  No!

  Gabriel spilled forward, face first, onto the tile floor. The fall knocked the breath out of him. Dazed, he lifted his head, moved his arms.

  He was in control of his body again.

  "Are you okay?" Dana came to him. She took him by the elbow and helped him to stand. "What happened?"

  "I'm fine now." He brushed dust off the front of his shirt and jeans. Near the bed, Isaiah had his arm around Pops as though comforting him. Mom held Nicole to her bosom, instinctively turning her head away from Isaiah. Yet Nicole continued to whine softly.

  Enough. I've seen enough of this shit.

  Dana must have sensed the imminent explosion. She took her hand off Gabriel's arm and slowly stepped away.

  Isaiah whispered something in Pops's ear. Pops nodded.

  Gabriel thundered toward Isaiah. Isaiah glanced over his shoulder. Gabriel drew back his fist and caught Isaiah in the jaw with a vicious right hook. Isaiah's head snapped backward. He stumbled into the wall and slid to the floor on his butt. His head lolled, drunkenly, and he groaned. If they were in a boxing match, the referee would have started the knockout count.

  Gabriel rubbed his knuckles. His hand hurt like hell, but that had been the most gratifying pain he'd felt in a long time.

  Pops turned on Gabriel. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

  "Isaiah did this to Nicole," Gabriel said. He pointed to Nicole, who stared at Isaiah in the corner with something approaching satisfaction. "Look at her, Pops! She was afraid of him. She's glad I knocked his ass out"

  "Have you lost your mind?" Pops said. "Your brother has nothing to do with your sister's condition. I want you to apologize to him. Matter of fact, as your father, I'm ordering you to apologize to him."

  "No disrespect intended, but I'm not apologizing. You should be apologizing to us for bringing Isaiah around in the first place."

  Dana came to stand beside Gabriel. Mom, nodding encouragement at Gabriel, cradled Nicole closer to her.

  Pops, observing all this, crossed his arms over his chest. "What's going on here?"

  "Isaiah's been planning to tear our family apart from the beginning," Gabriel said. "He told me that, the first night he came to our house. He's been ruining my life and he's planning to fuck up yours, too. Our whole family."

  "I'm not listening to any more of this nonsense," Pops said.

  "No, you're gonna listen, Pops. You've been making it too easy for him to do all this. Bringing Isaiah into the house and showing him off, trying to make up for your mistakes with him. It wasn't our fault you neglected him for his entire life. But how do you think Mom feels about you bragging about Isaiah and carrying on? How do you think Nicole feels? How do you think I feel?"

  "You don't know what you're talking about," Pops said. "You don't understand"

  "I understand enough. Isaiah hates you. He hates all of us. Because of what you did to him and his mother. He's not here because he wants to be a part of the family. He's here for revenge."

  Pops had beaten Gabriel with a belt only once in his life. Gabriel couldn't even remember what he'd done to enrage his father. But right now Pops looked angry enough to rip his belt
out of his slacks and pop it against Gabriel's backside again.

  Massaging his jaw, Isaiah slowly got to his feet.

  Pops glared at Gabriel and then looked to Isaiah.

  "So, Isaiah?" Pops said. "What do you think of these accusations? I think they're ludicrous, but what do you think?"

  Eyes lowered, Isaiah stroked his chin, as though deep in thought.

  "I think .. "' Isaiah said, raising his head to show his gleaming, excited eyes, "that Gabriel is telling the truth"

  Isaiah flicked his hand forward. Gabriel glimpsed a sharp, metallic object leaving his fingers.

  A knife.

  The blade hurtled through the air toward his father, who stood as still as a paper dummy on a firing range.

  By reflex, Gabriel raised his hand, invoking his telekinesis against the murderous blade.

  The knife spun off course and twanged harmlessly against the opposite wall.

  His eyes as huge as saucers, Pops touched his throat, feeling the flesh the blade would have ripped open.

  Isaiah swiveled to Gabriel.

  "You did that," Isaiah said. It was a statement, not a question. "Like in my dream .. °"

  Gabriel waded forward. He swung a fist at Isaiah.

  Isaiah blocked the punch and drove a cat-quick jab into Gabriel's solar plexus. Pain exploded through Gabriel's body. He dropped to his knees.

  Isaiah took off running.

  "Allen," Nicole said softly, her gaze resting on the knife on the floor. Her voice escalated into a shriek. "Allen ... Allen ... Allen!"

  Allen was Nicole's sometime boyfriend, Gabriel thought. Why would the knife make her scream his name?

  Unless ...

  Isaiah was near the door.

  "Call Security!" Gabriel shouted at his family. They huddled together, their faces confused and frightened. "Do it now!"

  Then he chased after Isaiah.

  Chapter 47

  r saiah raced out of the room and plunged into the corridor. He crashed into a orderly carrying a tray of food. Dishes and silverware clanged to the floor.