“I had a brother once,” Mike went on. “We had a falling out a couple decades ago. Never spoke again. Mort died a month after Melanie. She always wanted me to make up with him, but I was too stubborn. I’ll always regret that. We were really close as kids.”
“I’m sorry.” My heart went out to the guy.
“Thing is, we weren’t even brothers in the biological sense. He was my stepbrother. My real father died in the war when my mother was pregnant with me. I wasn’t yet two when she married my father. My true father. The man who raised me. Mort was his son. His first wife had died in childbirth. Mort and I were nearly the same age, and people always thought we were twins.” He gazed wistfully at the ketchup bottle in front of him. “I miss him.”
A brick hit my gut. “You considered him your brother?”
“Well, he was. My father adopted me, and my mother adopted Mort. We were brothers in the legal sense.”
“But you didn’t share a bloodline.”
“Hell, what’s blood got to do with it? I don’t have any childhood memories that don’t include my father and Mort. We were brothers. I wish…” He stared into space again.
“Mike, I don’t want to pry, but what was the fight about? When you and Mort stopped speaking?”
“I can’t talk about it. I’m sorry. It just hurts too much.”
My phone buzzed. Talon was waiting outside. I laid two hundreds on the bar and pushed them toward Mike. “That’s all right. Thanks, Mike. Eat my breakfast, will you? Give the waitress a nice tip, and keep the rest.”
“You Steels are generous,” he said. “God bless.”
“Back at you.” I left the bar and spied Talon’s truck across the street. I ambled over and got in the passenger side.
I looked at my brother. Same old Tal. Wavy dark hair that he wore too long, a slight crook in his nose from where he had broken it long ago. Talon was my hero.
I closed my eyes.
* * *
Talon and I had been walking for about an hour, looking for clues. Talon wanted to find out what had happened to his friend Luke Walker, Bryce’s cousin. I wasn’t that concerned about Luke. I just wanted to tag along with Talon. I always followed him. Joe thought I was a pest and didn’t want me around much. But Talon… Talon always made time for me.
Our tummies were full. Mrs. Walker had given us oatmeal cookies and watermelon when we showed up at her door. “Y’all can look around if you want to,” she’d said. Her eyes were recessed and sad. “Just come back before dark. Do your mom and dad know you’re here?”
Talon had nodded and nudged me so I wouldn’t talk. It was a lie. Mom and Dad didn’t know where we were, but Joe did. He’d tell them when he got home from school.
“This is where they found the mask,” Talon said, looking around.
I wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was a lot older than I was. I was only seven, but Talon was ten. Almost a grown-up.
Nothing was visible. Even the Walkers’ house had faded from view this far out. The cattle must not have grazed in this area, because the grass was tall. It brushed our knees.
In the distance stood a little shack.
“Let’s go check out that building,” Talon said.
I nodded. I’d do whatever he said. We traipsed forward.
The wood was gray and splintered, old. Talon reached out to touch the knotty surface, when—
Something grabbed me. “Talon! Auuuughh!” A large gloved hand clamped over my mouth.
A man dressed all in black, even his face, stood between me and Talon. My heart tried to pound out of my chest. I had to pee so bad.
But Talon was there. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt me.
“You leave my brother alone!” Talon shouted.
The other pair of hands lunged toward Talon, but before they could grab him, Talon ran into the man holding me, kicking at his shins. “Let go! Let go! Let go!”