Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
"Or we could stay here."
"Not as interesting," Neil said.
"Appealing to my nonexistent attention span is a cheap trick," Andrew said.
"But is it effective?"
"You wish it was."
"Please?"
"I hate that word."
"Does your shrink know you have a grudge against half of the English language?" Neil asked, but Andrew only grinned. "I know you can't understand this because you've never had a real family, but Nicky has to give his parents another try. If you're lucky this dinner will be the breaking point. Nicky's got his hopes up thinking his mother's come around. If she lets him down again he might be ready to walk away for good."
Andrew hummed tunelessly as he thought. The longer he was silent, the surer Neil was that he'd failed. Finally Andrew reached for him again. This time he hooked his fingers in Neil's shirt collar instead of going for his throat.
"One last chance," he said. "That's all I'm going to give Nicky. But I won't spend Thanksgiving with them, and I won't play nice. Get Nicky to change the date and get your invitation. Okay?"
"Okay," Neil said.
"We're all going to regret this." Andrew let go of Neil with a smile. "Nicky most of all if his father winds up dead."
Neil hesitated, knowing he shouldn't ask, knowing he'd asked too much already. In the end he couldn't help it. "Did you really kill Aaron's mother?"
"That was a tragic accident. Didn't you read the police reports?" Andrew affected innocence but the twitch at the corner of his mouth gave him away. Andrew gave up the farce a couple seconds later and laughed. "Guess she hit him one time too many. I warned her not to lay a hand on him, but she didn't listen to me. She got what was coming to her. Does that frighten you, Neil?"
"My first memories are of people dying," Neil said. "I'm not afraid of you."
"That's why you're so interesting," Andrew said. "How aggravating."
He sounded amused, not annoyed, so Neil said, "I'll try to be more boring in the future."
"How considerate." Andrew motioned between their faces. "This is a secret given on credit, Neil. Remember it, okay? I'll ask you for something later. We're done talking today, so goodbye. Send my cowardly cousin back soon."
Andrew didn't follow when Neil left the bedroom. Neil expected to find Nicky lurking in the hall waiting for the results, but Nicky had gone into Neil's room to wait for his return. He was perched on the far end of the couch from Matt. Nicky smiled when Neil walked in but the expression didn't reach his eyes. He looked almost ill with nervous hope.
"Two questions," Neil said, crossing the room to stand in front of Nicky. "If Kevin and I promise to stay out of the way of your family business, can we tag along?" It wasn't the question Nicky expected. Surprise and confusion startled a little of the fear out of him. Neil waited for Nicky's uncertain nod before continuing. "Also, do you think your mother can change the date? Andrew refuses to see them on a major holiday."
"I guess so," Nicky said. "I'd have to call Mom back and ask but—wait. Andrew said yes? You're not serious."
Neil looked from him to Matt and back again. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"
Nicky scrambled to his feet. "That's what I wanted, but I didn't really think you'd get it, especially not on the first try. I just knew you were my best shot at getting Andrew to listen. You're amazing, you know that?" He yanked Neil into a fierce hug before Neil thought to dodge. "Oh, you just might be the best thing to happen to the Foxes."
"I doubt that."
"I don't." Nicky beamed as he let go of Neil. "How did you do it?"
Neil neatly excised ninety percent of the truth and said, "I asked."
"Yeah, right. Do you know what would have happened to me if I asked? Violence, Neil. Extreme and uncalled-for violence."
Neil shrugged. Nicky let it slide, maybe too happy to care how Neil won his cousin over. He dug his phone out of his pocket and gestured toward the door. "I'll call her back. Maybe we can head down next weekend. Sunday, I guess, since we'll be on a bus coming back from Florida all day Saturday. Sooner's better than later, right? I don't want to risk Andrew changing his mind."
"Good luck," Neil said.
Nicky's ear-to-ear smile was answer enough, and Nicky sailed out to make the call. Neil watched the door close behind him, then sent a questioning look at Matt. Matt was studying him with a curious intensity.
"Why are you so special?" Matt asked.
"I'm not," Neil said, confused.
"Andrew doesn't give ground to anybody. Why does he keep saying yes to you?"
"He's high," Neil said, twirling a finger near his temple. "He thinks it's funny."
Matt eyed him a bit longer, then shook his head and relaxed against the back of the couch again. Neil took the seat he'd given up earlier, and Matt turned the movie back on. They weren't much further into it when Neil's phone buzzed with a text from Nicky. Maria had agreed to the date and the extra guests. Half of the message was smiley faces and exclamation points.
Satisfaction was a quiet heat in Neil's chest, uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Neil brushed it aside, but in its wake was the cooler edge of unease. Neil was glad for Nicky, but he wasn't stupid. He was really only going so he could keep an eye on Andrew. Andrew's drugs kept him happy, but they didn't make him harmless. If Luther stepped out of line this weekend Andrew might hurt him. The courts would lock Andrew up and throw away the key, and the Foxes' season would screech to a sudden halt. Neil couldn't let that happen.
He just hoped he'd be fast enough if worse came to worst.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kevin was not at all interested in meeting Nicky's parents, but he was smart enough to know he didn't have a say in the matter. Kevin couldn't handle being alone, in part because he'd grown up attached to Riko's side and swarmed by the Ravens, and in part because he was scared to death of getting caught without protection. Luckily for all of them Kevin stopped sniping about the road trip when he realized he could get something out of it.