The Brothers (15 page)

“I need to be here,” I say, hunching down.

Harpy stops digging in his bag and looks at me. “Darlin’, I’m ‘bout to operate. When the Breeders operate, they get everyone out except the most important people, right?”

I wrinkle my brow. “Yes, but…”

“But nothing. Now get a breath of air and I’ll have her better in no time.” He winks at me. His face is kind, his hands steady.

Tommy takes my wrist and starts drawing me way.

“I’ll take her,” Gabe offers.

Tommy snorts. “Not on your life.”

When we get down the stairs and out into the night air, Tommy leads me over to a metal bench and nods at it. At first I refuse, standing with my arms crossed and my frown set, just to let him know I’m not having a nice evening stroll with him. But then the world spins and I’m forced to slump on the bench. Tommy stands in front of me, frowning.

“When’s the last meal you’ve had?” he asks.

I shrug, not meeting his gaze. The air is cool and fresh and does a lot to help clear my head. But he’s right; I’m probably dizzy from hunger.

Digging in his jacket pocket, he pulls out a plastic bag. He holds it out to me.

I turn my face away.

He digs inside and draws out a piece of beef jerky, tender and salty. The smell of meat makes my stomach lurch.

“I don’t want it,” I say through my teeth.

He holds it out. “How’s your aunt gonna feel when she wakes up and realizes you died from a hunger strike?”

Staring at him, I take it and shove it in my mouth. I chew angrily and don’t say thank you.

He sits beside me and takes a piece for himself. I stare up at the crescent moon. The campus is dark and quiet. Bugs buzz and an owl hoots in the distance.

“Harpy’s good at what he does,” Tommy says, handing me another piece.

I take the jerky and run it through my fingers. “Will he save her?”

“He’ll sure as hell try.” Tommy looks up at the window glowing with candlelight.

“Is he the local doctor?” I ask.

Tommy studies me, one blue eye squinted.

I throw his jerky at him. “Knock it off with the ‘you don’t need to know’ nonsense. You owe me.”

Tommy blows out a breath, picks the jerky off his coat, and offers me another piece. “Harpy is the local medicine man. He takes care of Prentice’s horses—”

“Horses!” I sit up. “He works on
horses
?”

“Calm down,” Tommy says. “He set my leg when I busted it. Diagnosed Gabe with his seizures a handful of years back. Saved his life.”

“Is Gabe awful sick?”

Tommy scratches his temple. “Sick in the head,” he says, smiling a little. Then his face grows serious. “Gabe can’t survive without medicine. Prentice is the only one who can get it. So we’re in Prentice’s pocket all the time. Not a great place to be.”

“And Prentice makes you pay,” I say quietly.

“Pay big,” Tommy says, his face tightening.

I chew my jerky for a moment. “So, that’s why you have to sell me.”

Tommy says nothing and drops his eyes.

“I know,” I say sarcastically. “Nothing personal, right?”

He shifts in his seat. “Gabe’s my brother. My twin.”

I look into his face. “Bell’s my only family.”

He stares at the moon. His face is stone and it hardens the longer he glares up at the sky. He might’ve been soft once, pliable, but he’s had years of practice to make himself granite. There’s nothing I can say in two days to change his mind.

“We should go back in,” he says, standing up. When I don’t get up, he clears his throat. “Now.”

I glare at him, but I do as I’m told. Following orders is all I seem to be good at.

When we get back to the apartment, the air is tangy with the smell of blood. I storm toward Bell, but Tommy grabs my arm. “Not so fast.”

I yank away from him. “Let me go!”

He holds my wrist, and I yank away so hard my shoulder twangs.

“It’s okay. I’m done,” Harpy says from the floor.

Tommy lets me go. I pull away and fall on my knees beside Bell. The knife is no longer buried in her stomach and a bandage has been wrapped around her waist. A thin, blood-filled tube snakes out of her arm. My eyes trace the tubing up to Gabe, who’s sitting in a chair beside her. A needle is buried in the crook of his elbow.

“You’re giving her your blood?” I ask.

Gabe smiles wanly. “I’m type O-negative.”

When I frown, he tries again. “I can give blood to anyone. It’s the perfect blood type.” He flashes a grin.

“Oh, I…don’t even know what type I am,” I say.

Harpy, who’s gone to the kitchen sink to clean off his tools, chimes in. “Most don’t, but Gabe’s had himself some extensive medical attention. Half the time, I think he’s just faking ‘cause he’s taken a shine to me.” Harpy smiles, showing off a gap-toothed grin.

Gabe lifts one corner of his mouth. “You’re just my type, Harp.”

Harpy laughs as he washes his hands. “And I do make a mean omelet.”

Gabe snorts. “Don’t tempt me.”

Tommy strides to Gabe and points to the tube of blood. “Do you think you should?”

Gabe looks at me. “I couldn’t let the poor woman die.”

And my heart flutters as his eyes meet mine. It’s stupid and girlish, but I can’t help it. “Thank you.”

Gabe smiles. “Don’t thank me, beautiful Ophelia,” he whispers. “She’s Hamlet’s love interest.”

Tommy rolls his eyes and helps Harpy finish up, but I can’t stop looking at Gabe and the sacrifice he’s making to save Bell.

The room is quiet and dim. Many of the candles have winked out, and the few that remain throw dancing shadows on the walls. I’m so tired. My body slumps down until Gabe draws me over and lets me rest my head on his leg. When sleep comes, it’s so welcome.

I wake in a room I don’t recognize. Bolting upright, I bang my head on something. It falls and clatters to the floor. Rubbing the tender spot on my skull, I scan the room. The ten-by-eight room is chock full of more make-believe items: masks, street signs, plastic swords, half a dollhouse, and a giant stuffed cat with glass eyes. It takes me a moment, but I realize I’m in one of Gabe’s collection rooms. As I slow my pounding heart, I get up and look for him.

I follow the sound of snoring, finding him under a velvet cape and tucked under an archway covered in plastic ivy. Toes stick out of a hole in his sock.

I reach a hand out to wake him and stop. What if Bell’s better? What if this is our chance to escape?

I tiptoe through the apartment, unlock the front door, and let myself out. They haven’t done much to keep me locked in, and I wonder if they think me so feeble that I won’t even try escape. Determination drums in my chest. I’m not feeble. I’ll get Bell and get the hell—

“Up I see,” says the voice behind me. Tommy sits in a chair in the hallway, his cap on his knee. A steaming mug rests in his lap.

“Don’t you ever sleep?” I ask.

He lifts the barest of smiles. “I slept.”

“How’s my aunt?”

His expression doesn’t change. “Recovering.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“It means I don’t know,” he says quietly.

“I want to see her.”

He nods, stands up, winces, and stretches out his back with a couple of pops. Then he leads me to his apartment.

Bell is where I left her, on her back, eyes closed. Someone, probably Tommy, has tied her ankles together, but at least the rest of her is free. A pillow rests under her head. The needle is gone from her arm and the spot is wrapped in a bandage.

I touch her face and hands. She doesn’t look as pale, but her breathing seems shallow. “Get well,” I whisper. “Fast.”

In the kitchen, Tommy is clanking around. When I get up and walk over, I watch him fill a large, metal jug with water from the sink. He gets out a canvas bag and scoops black powder into a metal basket. Once the basket is inside the jug, he puts the jug onto a gas burner. The hiss of gas fills the room.

Tommy leans against the counter and sips his coffee. “It’ll be a few minutes.”

I lean back against the counter, trying to think of the right words to say.

Tommy shifts the jug around on the lit burner.

“I think it was very brave of you to get Harpy to help her. What did you pay him, anyway?”

“Harpy’s a good guy,” he says, not looking at me.

I swallow. “I think deep down, you’re a good guy, too.”

He eyes me.

“And that’s why…” I sigh deep. “And that’s why I don’t think you should sell us.”

Tommy’s eyes drop from my face. He lifts the hot jug off the burner and sets it on the useless stove to cool.

“I know you’re in a desperate situation with Prentice, but isn’t there some other way to get the medication?”

“There isn’t another way.”

“Are you sure?” I ask.

He slams his mug onto the counter so hard the brown liquid sloshes out. “You think I
like
selling girls to traders? Is that what you think?”

I shake my head. “No. I just think maybe you haven’t thought of all the possibilities.”

He clenches his jaw. “I’ve given Prentice everything I’ve ever had and then some. I’ve been doing things I wish to God I never had to do for
years
, and you think I haven’t thought of every possibility?” A vein pulses on his neck. He looks at me and then away. He seems to collect himself. “Let the coffee percolate for two minutes. I’ll be in the hallway.”

That went well.

Footsteps in the hallway. I turn, thinking Tommy is back to apologize, but Gabe stands in the doorway. Sleepy-eyed and tousle-haired, he’s more adorable than ever.

“Hey,” he says, grinning. “Was Tommy yelling at you?”

I pour the coffee in the mug Tommy sat out for me, and it steams. “I said something aggravating.”

Gabe runs a hand through his hair. “Everything is aggravating to him. Pour me a cup?”

I try two cupboards before I find the mugs and then pour Gabe a cup of coffee. He sniffs it and sighs. “If only we had some sugar.”

“The hospital had sugar on special occasions. Not lately, though.” I blow on my mug.

“Listen, we need to get an early start. I’ve got a lot to show you.”

I sip my mug to avoid answering.

He keeps talking. “What do you want to see? The sound stage is amazing. There’s still half a set built in there from a western they were filming. Or the art gallery with the pieces that were too big to transport. Or the gym!” He raises his eyebrows, his voice getting more animated the more he talks.

“I think I’ll just stay with Bell today,” I say quietly.

Gabe’s smile fades. “But this is the chance of a lifetime.” He steps in front of me and dips his chin. “Come on, Janine, the dynamo queen. I wanna show you the world according to Gabe.” He sticks out his bottom lip.

I shake my head. “No thanks.”

His face darkens. “Did I do something wrong last night?”

I shake my head. “No, I appreciate all you’ve done.”

“Then what?”

I set my mug down and sigh. “I just don’t want to get too attached. You know, if I’m just going to be sold in a few days.” I look up at him through my eyelashes. Am I milking it? Yes, I think I am.

Gabe leans forward, a big smile breaking out across his face. “No, Janine, that’s not going to happen,” he whispers. “I’m not going to let Tommy sell you.”

Hope blooms in my heart, but I put a lid on it. “And Bell?”

He grips my hand. “Not her, either. What do you think we are—monsters?”

“But Tommy said you need your medicine or you’ll die.”

“He’s such a worry wart. I’m much better than I used to be. I don’t need that medicine.”

None of this is making sense. I rub my hand over my forehead. “I don’t understand.”

“The medicine is only a precaution. I haven’t had a seizure in months. And the last time I had one, I only needed half of what I used to need to stop it.” Gabe searches my face with excited eyes. “I just thought of something. Someone, actually, to help us with our situation.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Is he dangerous?”

Gabe waggles his eyebrows boyishly. “Very.”

I can’t help but crack a smile. It’s impossible to take life too seriously with him.

He leans even closer. He smells like coffee and some sort of spice. “Tommy can’t know about it. Not yet. It’ll be our little secret.”

I pinky swear with him. Keeping a secret from Tommy is no problem.

Gabe takes my hand and sneaks me out of the apartment. But as we turn to glance down the hall, there’s Tommy in front of us with his arms across his chest. “Where now?”

Gabe shrugs. “I was just taking her to see the sound stage.”

Tommy shakes his head. “You and I have work to do.”

Gabe gives a coy smile. “But you work
so
much better without me around mucking it up.”

Tommy frowns, but he doesn’t disagree. “What if the other one wakes up?”

“We won’t be long,” Gabe says.

Worry blooms in my heart. “Someone should stay with Bell.”

Tommy looks between Gabe and me. “Harpy’s coming today to check on her, but I really want you to stay here.” He gives Gabe a narrow glance.

Gabe pats his brother on the cheek. “Brother, when have I ever done what you wanted?”

Tommy is immovable. “Why does she need to see the sound stage?”

His words make me boil. “Right, because why would a stupid girl need to see anything?”

He shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Come on, Gabe,” I say, pulling him along if for no other reason than to make Tommy mad.

“You heard the lady,” he says to Tommy. He turns and follows me.

When we get outside, Gabe laughs. “You were saucy back there. I like it. I hope there’s more where that came from.”

I chuckle. “Your brother has a special way of making me furious.”

Gabe nods. “I know the exact feeling.”

He leads me at his breakneck clip through the campus, giving me the narrated tour again, even repeating things he told me yesterday. It’s almost like a recording. But I listen, content to be outside and away from Tommy. Who knows how many days like this I have? Though I feel more at ease now that Gabe’s said he won’t let Tommy sell me.

When we come to several fenced-in areas, painted with white rectangles, Gabe stops and points. “These used to be tennis courts. You play with a yellow ball and a racquet. The nets are long gone. Did you have tennis at the hospital?”