Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
Vinny and Ethan have a moment alone before heading to the store, but they're rudely interrupted. More danger? Seriously? See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Ethan and I both jumped up, weapons already drawn,
looking for the source of the disturbance. Expecting to see a bullet hole of
some kind in the step, I was surprised to find a rock lying there instead.
Ethan saw it as well. His face flushed with anger as he holstered his gun and
called out into the darkness, “Okay Joey. You can stop that shit right now and
come on out where we can see you.”
Joey? Was he kidding? The next moment, Ethan’s
brother slouched into view, wearing a smirk. That was the happiest I’d seen him
since we’d arrived.
“Did I scare you two great big secret agents?” he
taunted us.
My first impulse was to leap off the porch, grab the
little bastard and beat the shit out of him. I went so far as to get to my
feet, but of course Ethan, being the voice of reason, wouldn’t allow that. “Please don’t, Vinny.”
I wasn’t surprised by that, although I was a little
disappointed at not being able to punch Joey again. I did understand that this
was Ethan’s brother, and I didn’t want to do anything to upset him, and I was
certain Ethan was worried about peace within the family.
But that theory went right out the window the next
second. “My brother, my problem,” he continued as jumped down the stairs of the
porch, straight toward his brother. Joey froze in place, obviously not
expecting any retaliation on Ethan’s part.
Ethan grabbed and twisted Joey’s shirt in one fist
and lifted him straight from the ground, to my amazement. I mean, I knew he was
strong, but damn… Granted, it was just a few inches, but still, very
impressive, Mr. Thorne. Very impressive.
“You could have gotten yourself killed,” Ethan said.
“Are you really that stupid?”
“K-killed,” Joey stuttered. “W-what do you mean? All
I did was throw a rock at you two. Not like I tried to shoot you or anything.”
I could see he was trying to maintain some semblance of dignity… and failing
miserably. He squirmed in Ethan’s grasp until Ethan released his hold and
allowed him to drop back to the ground.
“Well, there are federal agents watching the house
for our protection, and they might have interpreted your actions as
threatening. Lethal, even. They might have shot first and asked questions
afterward. That would have been a little late for you, don’t you think?”
I suspected Ethan was exaggerating that last part to
scare his brother all the more. Even so, I wouldn’t have wanted to put that
theory to the test.
I closed the distance between Ethan and me and
slipped my arm around his waist. My intention was to show our solidarity, but
also to provide back-up, if needed. He wouldn’t dare attack us together,
although I suspected he wouldn’t really try to hurt Ethan alone. He was too
cowardly for that.
Joey glanced at us suspiciously. He pivoted slowly,
looking around as if he might actually see the agents Ethan had been talking
about. I could have told him that was a waste of time. Good agents would not
allow themselves to be seen. Not finding what he was looking for, he must have
decided to take another tack.
“Things were better before you decided to come
around more often,” he sneered. The way his gaze bounced back and forth between
Ethan and me, I could easily figure out what he was alluding to. Now that Ethan
was out of the closet, he felt more at ease with seeing his family with me by
his side. But that didn’t have to mean anything had changed with Joey’s
relationship with them.
“You’ve brainwashed Mom and Dad into think what you
two are is… is normal,” he almost spat out. I felt Ethan tense, and I tightened
my grip on his waist, just to be safe. “And now you bring Uncle Benny back.
Jailbird and fa—” He caught himself just in time and amended his slur. “Fairy.”
Not much better.
“Oh? Do tell me what you consider normal, Joey.”
Ethan’s voice was deceptively calm. Only I could feel the storm brewing inside.
At least he was keeping it contained… for now. “You mean like you and Heather
normal? Is that your idea of normal? Or maybe I should ask Dad that question.
What do you think, Joey?”
I know I didn’t hear what I just heard. And if I was
shocked, color Joey downright stunned. His mouth opened and closed without
making a sound, like one of the fish in Shedd Aquarium, in Chicago. My mother
and I had been there a couple of times when I was a kid. I remember thinking
Chicago was a noisy busy place, but the aquarium was like an oasis in the
middle of the madness.
“I don’t know what you think you know,” he finally
said. His tone had gone from belligerent to pitiful in a moment.
“Know about? Heather and Dad? You’re right, I don’t
know. I don’t think I even want to know, to be honest. But I do know that you
need to figure out your problems yourself and not take them out on everyone
else. We’re not responsible for your unhappiness, no matter what you think.”
“Dad’s never seen me because of you,” Joey said.
“You’ve always had it all. Good grades, lots of friends. A brilliant future.
And now you have your happy ever after ending. Well, dammit, I deserve that
too. I deserve happiness, don’t I?”
I noticed he’d clenched his fists as he spoke, and
now he rubbed at one eye, then the other.
“You do,” Ethan agreed. “I’m sorry if you’re hurt. I
only want to help, honestly. Both of us.”
I nodded but said nothing.
“Would you like to talk? We’ll be back in just a
few, and we can listen—”
For a moment, I thought he’d agree. But then he
turned and ran off once more.
to be continued
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