First

He doesn’t agree, but he doesn’t shoot me down right away. Progress.

‘I can at least fix the zipper.’

Finally his shoulders drop. ‘Thanks,’ he mutters.

He follows me into the kitchen and drops the bag on the island, putting his armful of loose items next to it.

‘Wow,’ I say. ‘That’s a lot of … stuff.’ Clothes, some shoes, bath supplies. An unopened box of condoms. I ignore the pang ripping through me. ‘You going on a trip or something?’

‘Just finishing the last of my packing.’

Arizona.

I focus on the zipper, trying to hide the way my fingers tremble as I reset the teeth. ‘I thought you still had a few days.’

‘This seemed easier,’ he says, shifting his weight as he leans against the counter.

My whisper escapes before I can stop myself. ‘For who?’

He sighs. ‘Cat, we can be adults about this. We’ve been friends for too long to let this fuck us up. Let’s have a nice goodbye and leave it at that.’

I’ve fixed it. ‘Does Jake know about this?’

‘I do now.’

We look up when Jake speaks. He’s standing in the doorway with a strange expression on his face and it’s directed at Dally. I’m about to ask Jake to try to talk some sense into Dally when his eyes move toward the bag on the island.

And the box of condoms in the loose pile of clothes. Jake’s face becomes murderous.

Dally takes a step away from me, gaze never leaving my brother. He holds up his hands. ‘Jake—’

‘You son of a bitch!’

Jake and my brother have never fought before. Ever. So when Jake hurls himself at Dally, I’m really unprepared. And when Dally takes Jake’s punch, staggering a little, but staying upright, I’m pretty sure the shriek echoing through the kitchen is mine.

Jake is between me and Dally, fists clenched. Dally shakes his head, red mark on his cheek extending down into his beard. And yet he raises his hands again.

I don’t recognise my brother’s voice. The rage is something I’ve never heard, especially never directed at Dally. ‘You have one chance. And you’d better not lie.’

Dally’s watching him warily. I put my hand on Jake’s arm, babbling something about him needing to calm down, but he rips his arm away from me, not acknowledging my presence. His next words help me understand why that is. ‘Why did Jeff see you and Cat walking out of Bangz Adult Boutique together when he was driving back from a fire the other day?’

Oh holy virgin in a sex shop, Batman, what have I done?

The resignation on Dally’s face sets in about the same time Jake roars and goes for him again. This time, Dally doesn’t let Jake get another free hit. They careen out of the kitchen into the hall, slamming into the wall with so much force the sheetrock cracks. Fists fly, arms block, feet scrabble for purchase against the hardwood floors.

The house shudders from the impact of another body slamming against a wall. I run for the hallway when they move out of sight and make it to the kitchen doorway just as a fist punches through the sheetrock by my head.

Cue another shriek.

The fist disappears and they pass the doorway. Dally’s gotten underneath my brother, grabbing him below the ribs and lifting him

up with a shoulder to the sternum. For a second, I’m proud of Dally for defending himself. Until I realise this isn’t a defensive move.

Dally ploughs my brother into the coatrack near the front door. The wood structure crunches, Jake lets out a lungful of air, and what remains of the coatrack falls apart as Jake and Dally fight in the corner. They focus on using each other’s abdomens as heavy bags, grunts and groans and the dull sound of flesh pounding flesh echoing through the house. Jake throws an elbow to Dally’s face, knocking him off balance.

Jake surges forward and they go flying into the living room. I run back through the kitchen in time to witness them both going over the sofa. The coffee table is dead on impact. They wrestle and Jake claws his way on top. Dally’s covering up, blocking most of Jake’s punches. But I know he could stop my brother if he wanted to.

The fact that he doesn’t even try doesn’t bode well.