“Except for the fact I like to do what?”Will asked.
Grant was still glowering at Taylor asthough this was where the real battle lay.
Will repeated quietly, “Except for the factthat I like to do what, Grant?”
Taylor gazed back at Grant calmly. He puthis cards face down on the table. “Why don’t you and I go on a beerrun, Grant?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t go anywhere with you,”Grant shot back.
“You’re over the limit. You’re sure as hellnot driving yourself,” Bill said.
“Can I take your car?” Taylor askedWill.
“Anything I have is yours,” Will said.Including his jerk-ass brother, and if that sounded like adeclaration, everybody could just get used to it. He got up, gothis keys from his jacket hanging on the rack near the front door.He tossed his keys to Taylor.
Grant looked from Will to Taylor. “I saidI’m not going!”
“Yeah, you are,” Will said. “You drank thelast beer, you need to replace it.”
“I don’t need to replace it tonight. And Idon’t need you tel —”
“Yeah. You do,” Bill said with finality.
Grant stared at his father. Heswallowed.
“Don’t worry,” Taylor said. “I won’tbite.”
Will knew that sardonic curve of Taylor’smouth, that not-quite-smile, and as furious as he was, he felt aflicker of sympathy for his brother.
Possibly he wasn’t the only one, because asTaylor gestured politely for Grant to precede him, Cousin Dennissaid, “Uh oh.”
Chapter Eight
Grant buckledhimself in with the air of someone about to take a trip to outerspace.
“I think I remember the way,” Taylor said.“But if I miss the turnoff, tell me.”
Nothing.
Not that Taylor expected anything. He wasonly one of a number of things Grant was mad about, but he providedthe focus for all that resentment and frustration. He understoodthat. But in order to move forward…well, they had to moveforward.
He put the Land Cruiser into drive, thetires crunched over sand and stone and they bumped their way ontothe dirt driveway.
The moon over the mountains and pine treeswas ridiculously large and bright. He could practically see everycrater and dry lake in its silver face. The stars glittered likeglass shards in the cold, black night.
“You don’t see stars like this in the city,”Taylor commented.
“I know. I went to college in Portland. I’mnot some dumb hick.”
“I don’t think you’re a dumb hick. I grew upin Los Angeles where there’s too much light even at nighttime toreally see the stars.”
Grant folded his arms across his chest.
Taylor chewed the inside of his cheek,thinking it over. He had to handle this right.
How old was Grant? Twenty-four? Twenty-five?Not exactly a boy. But not exactly a man either. Younger thaneither Taylor or Will had been at that age. At twenty-five Will hadalready graduated from college and was in the Marine Corps. WhereasGrant, from what Taylor knew, was a little bit of a goof-off, alittle bit of a screw-up. He had waited a couple of years to enrollin college, hadn’t done so hot, and was only now finally followingfamily tradition and joining the Marines. The Marines would be goodfor him.
In the meantime…Grant had always looked upto Will, always admired him, and had always fallen short of theexample Will set. What a pain in the ass to spend your life beingcompared to Hometown Hero William Brandt.
That was the first point of resentment.
The second point would be…your idolizedolder brother, the aforementioned Hometown Hero William Brandt,whom you haven’t seen in a year, finally returns for a visit anddrags along his new significant other. So instead of getting tospend undisturbed quality time, the last chance you’ll have tospend this time for — maybe — ever, you have to watch your brothercatering to this stranger who also happens to be…
Point three. A cocksucker. Or words to thateffect.
There were a couple of ways Taylor could dothis. If they had more time, he’d have opted for diplomacy. Hehadn’t joined the DSS for nothing. But the Brandt brothers did nothave time. They had less than forty-eight hours to sort it out.
Taylor yanked the wheel, pulling over to theside of the road. The car bumped over rough ground onto the narrowshoulder, and rolled to a stop. He cut the engine and turned toGrant who, even in the enveloping woodland darkness, he could feelwatching him warily.
Taylor said, “You have something you want tosay to me?”
“No, sir.” Funny how disrespectful “sir”could sound, depending on the tone and the expression.
“Sure you do,” Taylor said easily. “Let’shear it.”
Grant unsnapped his seatbelt, shoved openhis door and got out. “I’ll walk back,” he said, and slammed shutthe door with all his force.
“Shit.” Taylor undid his seatbelt and openedthe driver’s door. The night air was very cold and rich with thespicy scent of pine and earth.
He followed Grant who was moving fast,fueled by rage, and already several yards away. Grant’s compactsilhouette stomped up the steep incline. Taylor loped afterhim.
“Do I really scare you that much?”
Grant rounded on him. “You don’tscare me at all.”
“Then why are you running away?”
“Because Will won’t like it when I kick yourskinny ass from here to Portland.”
Taylor chuckled.
“You think that’s funny?”
He did, yeah. And the offended note inGrant’s voice struck him as even funnier, but Taylor didn’t want toescalate this any higher than necessary.
“Kind of. Don’t you? What are we reallyfighting about?”
“We’re not fighting. And we won’t fight solong as you stay the fuck away from me.”
“Only the problem is, we’re family now. So Ican only stay so far the fuck away from you.”
“You’re not family! You’re justWill’s…friend. He’s not going to — you’re not going to be hereforever.”
Ouch. Would it have been different for DavidBradley? Taylor had to wonder. Bradley’s military background, evenhis size and looks, would probably have been more palatable toGrant.
“I wouldn’t bet on that. Why don’t you justtell me what the problem is.”
He could feel anger and frustration comingoff Grant in waves. “You know what the problem is.”
“Sure. I have a pretty good idea, but whydon’t we get it out in the open.” Taylor gestured at the toweringtrees and moonlit mountains. “It doesn’t get more open than this,right?”
He could feel Grant’s inward struggle. Atlast, Grant spat out, “You’re a queer.”
“I don’t like that
