by Niles, Naomi
“Was it… all right for you?” I asked cautiously.
“It was pretty great for me, too,” she replied. “I didn’t think I liked blowjobs very much before now. Now I know I do.”
I smiled as I leaned in and kissed her softly on the mouth. “Thank you for that present. It may have been the best one I’ve ever received from a girl.”
Jessica laughed as she handed me a couple of tissues to clean myself up. Ten minutes later, we were heading back to my hometown for the carnival and my body had never felt quite so good.
“Jessica?” I said when we were halfway there.
“Yes?”
“I should tell you a little bit about my brothers… seeing as how you might meet them all today,” I explained.
She sat up a little straighter and nodded. “I’d love to know about your brothers.”
“They can be a bit much sometimes,” I warned her. “I mean, John and Peter are pretty mellow, but Sam and Talen are… a little out there. Talen’s the youngest and he’s… well, he’s the real wild card in the family. You should know that he and Peter have… sort of a rough relationship. After Dad’s death, Peter sort of took on the role as man of the house and Talen always resented him for it. He started rebelling soon after… smoking, drinking, drugs… the works. Peter never got off his back. He was adamant to save Talen from himself. Then one day… it all came to a head.”
“How?”
“Peter arrested him,” I said.
“What?”
“Talen was running with a bad group and things were getting out of hand,” I explained. “He was eighteen, and he was already out of the house. Peter was desperate, and I think he felt that was the only way to get through to Talen.”
“And did it?” Jessica asked.
I sighed. “Talen just felt betrayed. It made him angrier than he already was, and it’s strained his relationship with Pete further. But at least it got him out of the group he was hanging around with. That was Peter’s main goal, and it worked.”
“Peter sounds… like an impressive man,” Jessica said thoughtfully.
“He is,” I said fervently. “He is the best man.”
“You really do look up to him, don’t you?” Jessica asked.
“He was only eighteen when our father died. He stepped up and took on the responsibility of someone twice his age. He’s the reason the five of us got to stay together. He’s the reason we managed to keep our house. He’s the reason we all managed to find respected fields of work to go into.”
“And Talen?”
“Talen is a different story,” I sighed. “Like I said, he’s the wild card. Peter tried his best, and I don’t think he’s ever stopped trying with Talen. We just have to have faith that one day Talen will understand on his own.”
We pulled up to the lights of the carnival, and Jessica leaned into the windshield in awe. “This is amazing,” she cried. “It’s huge.”
“They go all out every year.” I smiled at her excitement. “Are you ready?”
“Uh-huh,” she said enthusiastically as we got out of the car.
I got us tickets and then we entered the electric atmosphere of the gigantic carnival spread over ten acres of land. The lights sparkling off the giant wheel in the distance were dazzling. There were games in every corner, food stalls between each game station, and an assortment of miscellaneous entertainment, some of which was light and fun and some of which was strange and out there.
“They have a fortune teller,” Jessica said, pointing to the small, black tent and the starry blue sign on the front.
“Madam Montenegro,” I laughed. “She’s pretty decent actually… maybe we could visit her at the end of the night?”
“I’d love that,” Jessica replied with wide eyes.
We walked leisurely through the park, and every now and again we would stop at a game stall and try our hand at winning a prize. I managed to win a charm bracelet for Jessica and a tiny, white bear that she could fit into her purse. I offered it to her with shame.
“I love it,” she assured me.
“It’s the smallest one in the lineup,” I complained.
“It’s travel-sized for my convenience,” she said, as she reached up on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss on my cheek. “Trust me, I love it as much as the bracelet.”
We continued on around the carnival until I spotted John and Peter near the dynamite hot dog stand. I grabbed Jessica’s hand and we walked over to them.
“Hey, boys,” I said. “This is Jessica.”
“Jessica,” Peter said, extending his hand out to her. “I’m Peter. It’s wonderful to finally meet you. Alan’s been going on about you since the moment he got home.”
I punched Peter lightly in the arm as Jessica laughed at his candidness. “Then you must be John,” Jessica said, taking his hand.
“I am,” John replied. “It’s a pleasure.”
“Where’s Sam?” I asked, glancing around.
“There’s a makeshift dancefloor,” Peter said. “Last we saw, he was dancing like a moron in the middle of it.”
“Now that’s worth seeing,” I said. “Shall we walk over and say hello?”
John and Peter laughed. “Sounds like a plan,” John said.
“Just remember, Jessica,” Peter added. “He’s not as stupid as he looks.”
Jessica laughed as I noticed that no one had mentioned Talen yet. “Hey, Pete?” I asked, lowering my voice slightly.
“Yeah?”
“Where’s Talen?”
“I haven’t seen him,” Peter sighed, his expression changing instantly, a note of worry in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked instantly.
“Nothing,” Peter said. “It’s just… I saw Maddow and his group walking around the carnival earlier.”
“Maddow?” I asked, my voice lifting with concern. “Are you sure?”
“A hundred percent.”
I felt myself tense a little at that news and Jessica noticed. She looked up at me questioningly.
“Maddow is the ring leader of the group that Talen used to hang out with,” I whispered to her.
“Oh,” she said, her eyes going wide. “The bad crowd?”
“Yes,” I said before turning to Peter and raising my voice. “Talen wasn’t with them, was he?”
“Not that I saw,” Peter replied. “I don’t know if he’ll even show up.”
“He’ll show up,” I said, hoping I was right. “He always does.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jessica
The atmosphere in the carnival was electric. There were fireworks going off every half an hour and they lit up the sky in a blaze of eccentric designs. A thousand different lights glittered off the giant wheel downward onto the dancefloor that Peter had mentioned.
A small crowd danced and swirled around in the giant wheel’s shadow and in the midst of them all danced a good-looking young man who shared features with Peter, John, and Alan.
“That’s Sam, isn’t it?” I asked Alan.
Alan laughed. “That’s him,” he said, shaking his head.
“He’s dancing all by himself,” I said.
“It’s a ploy,” Peter said, rolling his eyes affectionately. “He’ll find himself a partner in a minute. But first, let’s interrupt the mayhem.” Then he lifted up his hands and signaled to catch his brother’s attention. “Hey, Sam!””
Sam swirled around and caught sight of our small group. His face broke out into a wide smile and he left the dancefloor and headed toward us. It seemed all the brothers had the same coloring and the same dark hair. As Sam approached, I noticed he had hazel eyes, like his two eldest brothers. He still had a boyish face, complete with dimples, and an infectious smile.
“Alan, you’re back!” he greeted me as he hugged all his brothers as though he hadn’t seen them in years. “Awesome carnival, huh? I think it may even be better than last year’s.”
“Stop jumping around like a kangaroo,” Peter said st
ernly. “So that Alan can introduce you to his lady friend.”
Sam turned his hazel eyes on me, and I received the full force of his dimpled smile. “This is Jessica?”
“I am,” I replied, extending my hand to shake his.
He shook my hand but didn’t seem in a hurry to let go. “Dude,” Sam said, turning his gaze on Alan. “She’s way to pretty for you.”
“I agree,” Peter said and John nodded along. “We’re thinking she agreed to go out with him on a dare.”
I laughed as Alan shot his brothers a look. “Fuck you guys. You all are just jealous that I’m the only one who managed to get a date to this thing.”
Sam ignored him and turned to me. “Seriously, Jessica,” he said as though we were close friends. “You’re way too beautiful to be with someone as ugly as Alan. I think you should dump him and go for the good-looking brother.”
“He’s talking about me,” Peter said promptly.
Sam rolled his eyes. “I’m talking about myself actually.”
“Ha!” John laughed. “You? With that mountain you call a nose? I don’t think so.”
Alan glanced at me and gave me a small wink as his brothers playfully bickered with one another. “Excuse me, boys,” he said, cutting into the conversation. “While you settle this amongst yourselves, I am going to be out there on the dancefloor with my lady friend.”
He offered me his hand, and I slipped it in so that he could lead me to the dancefloor. The music was more upbeat but Alan pulled me in close for a slow dance.
“I don’t think this is the right kind of dancing for this music,” I pointed out in amusement.
Alan pulled me in a little closer. “This is the only kind of dancing I’m interested in doing with you.” His eyes were fixed on me, but every so often he would lift his gaze and look around as though he were scanning the place.
“You’re worried about Talen, aren’t you?” I asked.
Alan looked down at me. “How did you know?”
“I can tell.” I shrugged.
“You shouldn’t be able to tell… not this soon,” he pointed out.
I smiled. “I’m observant.”
“I can see that.” He grazed his fingers against my cheek.
“I like your brothers,” I said honestly. “You all seem so close.”
“We are,” Alan agreed. “That’s part of what got us through losing both our parents.”
I glanced around and noticed that Sam was back on the dancefloor and he was shaking about vigorously as though no one was watching. “He’s so uninhibited,” I said. “I’m jealous.”
Alan laughed. “I think you might be the only one who’s jealous of Sam. He’s got a motive though. Trust me, before long, some girl is going to approach him.”
Sure enough, minutes later, a tall willowy girl with dark hair and seductive eyes came up to Sam and started dancing with him without invitation.
“His complete lack of consciousness is attractive to quite a few women,” Alan told me. “Not only does he have women come onto him without any effort on his part, but he can weed out the confident ones who are willing to make the first move.”
I laughed. “He’s thought ahead.”
“We’ve heard the steps a dozen times over,” Alan said, rolling his eyes. “He thinks of himself as the modern-day Casanova.”
“He might very well be,” I laughed. “He’s confident, uninhibited and attractive. It’s a killer combination.”
“Is it now?” Alan asked pointedly. “If you were here alone, would you go up to him?”
I smiled mysteriously. “I might.”
Alan’s eyes went wide with mock hurt. I laughed and shook my head. “I lack the confidence to approach any guy,” I admitted. “And in any case, despite how good looking Sam is, he’s not my type.”
“Huh,” Alan said with interest. “And what exactly is your type?”
“I like swimmers,” I said simply, making Alan smile.
We were still on the dancefloor when I saw Alan’s expression change and I followed the direction of his gaze. He was staring at a tall young man who had just appeared. He was lean and well-muscled with a shaved head and a tattoo sleeve that made me nervous. Dark stubble lined his jaw and his stance was stiff and somewhat defensive. He was handsome, but there was something distinctly dangerous about him.
“Is that Talen?” I asked.
Alan nodded wordlessly. Then he took my hand and we walked off the dancefloor toward Talen. Peter and John had spotted him, too, and we converged around him. I could sense the tension in the air as the brothers greeted each other. There wasn’t the same sense of familiarity or warmth.
“Talen,” John greeted him as he moved forward. They exchanged a stiff hug that lasted a second and then John backed away. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Alan dropped my hand and gave Talen another stiff hug, but Peter stood where he was. He and Talen stood opposite each other and I got the feeling that each one was waiting for the other to make the first move.
“Talen,” Peter said.
“Peter,” Talen replied.
“You shaved off your beard,” Peter said after a moment’s awkward silence.
“Yeah.” Talen ran a hand through his stubble. “Where’s Sam?”
“Out there dancing,” Alan told him. “By the way… this is Jessica.”
Talen turned his eyes on me, and I realized that they were blue, just like Alan’s. Except Talen’s eyes were slightly lighter and paler than Alan’s bright, fiery blue. I also noticed several scratches snaking up his neck. A few were raw and obviously recent.
“Jessica.” Talen repeated my name without offering me his hand. “You his girlfriend?”
“Umm… I don’t know,” I said because I honestly didn’t.
In any other situation, the brothers would have probably laughed at my answer, but everyone seemed a little uneasy. Alan put an arm around my shoulder as though he wanted to assure me that everything was all right.
“Talen?” Peter said.
“Yeah?”
“Can we talk for a second?”
A veil fluttered over Talen’s eyes, but he nodded and followed Peter to a quieter corner. Alan and John exchanged a glance. “He looks different,” John said in a concerned voice. “He looks… harsher somehow.”
At that moment, Sam materialized between Alan and John. “Hey, guys,” he said brightly. “Was that Talen I just saw?”
“Yeah,” John replied, glancing at Peter and Talen in the distance. “He finally showed up.”
“Has he shaved off the beard?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see the bruises on his arm?” Alan asked.
I had missed the bruises on his arm, probably because I’d been caught up staring at the violent tattoos spread across his right arm.
“I saw,” John said. “I think Pete’s worried that Talen’s got himself back in a bad situation. Especially after seeing Maddow skulking around here.”
The smile slid off Sam’s face, and I knew immediately he was not the kind of guy who liked tense, hostile situations. He seemed to know instinctively how everything had gone down because he didn’t ask any questions.
“Is that what he wants to talk to Peter about?” Alan asked.
“Seems that way,” John replied.
“He wouldn’t,” Sam said. “Talen wouldn’t be stupid enough to get back into that situation.”
“Fuck!” Alan said as his eyes went wide.
“What is it?” I asked, grabbing his hand.
“I think that’s Maddow walking toward Peter and Talen now.”
Our heads turned in that general immediately, and I saw the small group of guys walking toward Talen and Peter. The guy at the head of the group seemed to have a tattooed scalp. He was tall and beefy and looked terrifying. He approached Talen and Peter, and Peter stiffened as words were exchanged.
“Fuck,” Sam said. “We better get over there.”
The conversation seemed
to get more heated, and Talen put his hand on Maddow and pushed him away. A moment later, I heard Peter’s voice, raised in anger. “Get the fuck out of here,” Peter said to Maddow and his gang as the tension rose palpably.
“Fucking hell,” Sam said, as he started to move toward his brothers.
I could tell that Alan desperately wanted to follow Sam, but he didn’t want to leave me alone. I was about to tell Alan that I would be fine when a sound blasted through the air, an explosion that stilled my heart before it started beating with resounding fear.
The world fell into slow motion. The sound felt suspiciously like a gunshot and a few people ducked down, faces filled with panic and screams filled the air. Then I felt Alan’s arms around my body, and I was forced down into a crouching position simply by the weight of him. I couldn’t breathe. After that initial, earth-shattering explosion, the sound had drained from the world and there was nothing left to hear. After a moment, I realized my ears were ringing.
After what seemed like an eternity, Alan pulled me to my feet. His hands were on either side of my face and his eyes bored into mine. He was saying something, but I couldn’t quite hear him. The ringing was so loud. I concentrated on his mouth and after a moment I realized he was saying my name.
Slowly I started hearing sound again. The ringing subsided, and I became aware of chaos around us. People were running, screaming, pushing, and shoving. I could hear an ambulance off in the distance, and I could hear Alan saying my name over and over again.
“Jessica,” he said. “Jessica.”
“What happened?” I asked when I found my voice.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure,” Alan said, fear rampant in his eyes. “I looked at you and then…”
“Alan!” Sam’s voice sounded almost hysterical and when I glanced at John, I saw that his face was white. I followed his gaze, and my heart stopped in its tracks.
“No,” I breathed.
Talen was on the ground, cradling Peter in his arms. Blood was pouring onto the ground from Peter’s stomach. His eyes were closed and his skin looked chalky pale.
“No, no, no, no,” Alan yelled as he ran toward his brothers.