“This is my father, Marj. There were extenuating circumstances.”
He knew both Tom and Francine better than I did, so I didn’t argue the point further. I stood and kissed his cheek. “I have to get home and see to the boys. Call me later.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
As soon as I got into my car, I pulled out my phone to make a call.
“Colin,” I said to his voicemail. “We need to talk.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Bryce
“I’ve never shot a gun before,” Justin said to me.
“You don’t have to. You can just watch Joe and me. We’re both really good at it, but my dad’s the best. He never misses the bull’s-eye.”
Justin’s skin was an olive tan, but I swore he went pale when I showed him the guns at the cabin. Dad had gone outside to do some stuff. Joe and I liked to look at the guns when he was gone. He never let us touch them without him being around.
“Thanks for bringing me here,” Justin said.
“No problem,” Joe said. “Why do you let those jerks bother you, anyway?”
“It’s hard. I’m always the new kid.”
“How come?”
“We move a lot. I don’t really know why.”
“Taylor Johns is an asshole,” I said. “I’d love to crush his skull.”
If possible, Justin went a little bit whiter.
“He’ll get what’s coming to him one way or another,” Joe said.
I’d heard Joe’s father utter those same words many times. Given enough rope, he’ll eventually hang himself. Joe’s dad said that a
lot too. I didn’t really understand what it meant. More rope meant more slack, which made hanging yourself impossible.
But I didn’t worry about what it meant. I was just raring to get outside and start shooting. I loved the feeling of holding a gun, of pulling the trigger and shooting it. It gave me power over those empty soda cans. Power over the bull’s-eye in the middle of the paper target.
Power.
I liked power.
My father tramped through the front door of the cabin. “All right, boys. Ready for some target practice?”
“Yes!” Joe and I both shouted.
Justin said nothing.
“Come on, Justin,” Dad said. “There’s nothing to it.”
“I’m not sure I want to, Mr. Simpson.”
“You don’t have to, son. You can just watch.” My father clamped his arm around Justin’s shoulder. “But learning how to shoot is part of becoming a man. Just watch Bryce and Joe. You’ll see.”