The Other Brother

by Brandon Massey

  Isaiah returned to the dining room. His arms were heaped with brightly colored gift bags.

  "I've got presents for everyone," he said. "It's the least I can do to express my gratitude for your hospitality."

  The women melted, and Pops smiled that goofy, proud grin again.

  Damn him, Gabriel thought. He's got everyone fooled.

  But not me.

  After dinner, Gabriel stood outside on the covered flagstone patio, leaning against a pillar and watching moonlight glimmer on the swimming pool. He was nursing his second Heineken, and because he hadn't eaten dinner, the alcohol had gone straight to his head; a warm buzz had settled over him.

  Gabriel wanted to stand out there alone for the remainder of the evening. The family was in the grand salon, going gaga over everything Isaiah said and exclaiming about how wonderful his gifts to them were. Isaiah had bought gaudy trinkets for the women, Crown Royal for Pops, and, for Gabriel, a wooden statue of a snake winding around a man's body.

  A snake statue, for God's sake.

  Although, thankfully, no one told Isaiah about Gabriel's recent experience finding the snake in his house, Isaiah already knew Gabriel despised snakes. When they had first met in Gabriel's office, Gabriel had told him about his loathing for the reptile.

  Isaiah's flagrant disregard for his feelings only proved to him that the guy was up to no good.

  But how could he convince his family that Isaiah had devious motives? He lacked any hard evidence. He mostly had, as he'd told them, a gut feeling. But he couldn't reasonably expect them to take his intuition seriously-especially since, thus far, Isaiah had been the perfect gentleman.

  Gabriel was ruminating on those thoughts when he heard footsteps behind him.

  He looked over his shoulder. It was Isaiah.

  "What's up, little brother?" Isaiah said. "Okay if I chill out here with you for a few?"

  "It's up to you"

  Why had Isaiah come out there? If Isaiah thought he was going to win him over like he'd charmed everyone else, he was wasting his time.

  Sipping a beer, Isaiah strolled across the patio. He motioned for Gabriel to follow.

  Grudgingly, Gabriel shuffled forward. Isaiah wandered toward the koi pond, which was nestled in a grotto on the other side of the immense patio. A small waterfall cascaded into the pond, water sparkling like silver in the moonlight.

  "What kinda fish are in there?" Isaiah asked, pointing with his beer bottle.

  "Koi," Gabriel said. "Japanese fish"

  Isaiah chuckled. "You've gotta be kidding me. So now black folks got Japanese fish?"

  "It was my mom's idea," Gabriel said. "Gives the landscaping a touch of class. But you probably don't know anything about that"

  Isaiah only smiled at Gabriel's jibe.

  "I love your family, man," Isaiah said. "They're great people. You were blessed to grow up in a place like this, around folks like them"

  "Yeah, it was nice," Gabriel said. "I feel very protective toward my family, you know."

  "You should. What good son wouldn't?"

  "Even if that means I sometimes have to do things my father doesn't want to do. It's only to keep my family safe. That's what matters most to me"

  "Sounds fair."

  "Look" Gabriel tossed his beer into a nearby trash can. "Let's cut the bullshit, okay? I know why you're here"

  "Really? So why am I here, Gabe?" Isaiah appeared to be amused.

  "Come on, man. Do I need to say it? My dad's a millionaire; we've got a booming business-a business I've worked in my entire life. You think you're going to pop up on the scene and get your piece of the pie. That fifty grand he paid you made you greedy for more"

  "So it's all about the Benjamins, you think?"

  "I'm not gonna stand back and let you do it," Gabriel said. "I want you to stay the hell away from my family. My dad is feeling too guilty to do the right thing, but I'll be damned if I let you come in here and fuck up everything we've built together."

  "You've got me all wrong. It's not like that, little brother."

  "I'm not your little brother, asshole. This conversation is over. Remember what I said. You've been warned"

  Gabriel spun to leave. Isaiah clapped his hand on his shoulder. He squeezed, stabbing his finger into one of Gabriel's nerves.

  Gabriel let out a soft cry. His legs turned mushy.

  Isaiah pulled Gabriel beside him in what would have appeared to be a brotherly gesture to onlookers-but fury bunched his features.

  Fear swelled like a balloon in Gabriel's chest. He wanted to fight back, but the agony in his shoulder had immobilized him.

  "I've had enough of your smart mouth, motherfucker," Isaiah said. "You don't know who you're talking to. Do you know what I could do to you?"

  His forefinger dug deeper into Gabriel's nerves. Gabriel bit his tongue to keep from howling.

  "You're wrong-I don't give a fuck about your family's money," Isaiah said. "If I wanted to, I could go into the house right now and tell your daddy to write a check out for me for a hundred grand, and he would do it. Believe that"

  He drew Gabriel closer. Their faces were only a few inches apart. Gabriel smelled the beer on Isaiah's hot breath.

  "But I don't want money," Isaiah said. "Know what I want?"

  Trembling, pain shrieking in his shoulder, Gabriel shook his head.

  "I want to tear your family apart," Isaiah whispered. "Starting with you, you spoiled fuckin' brat. Daddy's given you everything you've wanted for your entire life. What did he ever do for me? You don't deserve anything you have. And I'm here to take it all away including that fine piece of ass in there you call your fiancee"

  "No," Gabriel said weakly.

  "When I'm through with you, I'm going to take care of your daddy," Isaiah said. "I want him more than I want you.

  I'm going to get him for what he did to Mama and me. I swore on her grave that I would get him, no matter what. I'm keeping my word."

  "Leave us alone," Gabriel said.

  "Oh, I'll leave your mama and your sister alone," Isaiah said. "The way to destroy a family is to take away the men. That's been happening to our people for generations, you know."

  "I'm not gonna let you get away with this."

  "You can't stop me," Isaiah said. "They won't believe a word you say. Want to try it?" He released Gabriel's shoulder and pushed him aside. "Run in there and tell them everything I just said. Go ahead"

  Gabriel moved away, massaging his aching shoulder. But he didn't run inside the house and share Isaiah's evil machinations.

  Because Isaiah was right.

  His family wouldn't believe him. Isaiah's plan was too bold, too malicious to be believed. His family, already aware that he didn't trust Isaiah, would suspect that he was spreading lies to turn them against him.

  Isaiah smiled. He sipped his beer and belched.

  "Taking it all away, little brother," Isaiah said. "Piece by piece."

  "I'm going to stop you"

  "How're you gonna do that? Daddy's not gonna help you this time."

  Gabriel turned away.

  "Daddy's on my side." Isaiah laughed.

  His laughter followed Gabriel all the way inside the house.

  Chapter 24

  (I oon after his encounter with Isaiah, Gabriel announced to U everyone that he was leaving. He claimed that he had a stomachache, which was true. Isaiah's threats had induced a sickening dread in his gut.

  From the moment he'd first met Isaiah, he'd known the guy was trouble. First impressions were never wrong.

  But what was he going to do about it? He still had no answer. Isaiah, who'd masterfully charmed his family, held the upper hand.

  As Gabriel walked out of the grand salon to a scattered chorus of good-byes, Isaiah winked at him.

  Dana left with Gabriel. Although they had not resolved last night's argument, seeing him so obviously ill at ease had likely summoned her mothering instincts.

  "I'm sorry you don't feel well," she said
as they walked to their cars. "Want me to sleep over so I can keep an eye on you?"

  Gabriel thought about the snake, possibly roaming loose somewhere within his house.

  "You mind if I stay at your place?" he asked.

  "Worried about the snake?"

  "Honestly? Yeah"

  "I don't blame you. Sure, you can stay with me tonight."

  They got in their cars. As Gabriel backed the Corvette out of the driveway, Isaiah and Pops stepped outside the front door. Pops put his arm around Isaiah's shoulder. They held drinks in their hands, like hard-partying frat boys.

  Daddy's on my side.

  They grinned and waved at him.

  For his father's benefit, Gabriel returned the wave-albeit, halfheartedly-and then drove away.

  Dana lived in a sixth-floor condo in Atlantic Station, a trendy live-work-play community just north of downtown. Formerly the site of a steel mill, the district was touted as a city within a city, with an abundance of retail and entertainment venues, wide sidewalks, narrow streets, and vast underground parking areas. The in-town condo market had been booming of late, as well-heeled residents migrated from the suburbs to the city. Using money bequeathed to her by her deceased parents, Dana had snagged the property before prices had rocketed into deep space.

  Dana's dog greeted them at the door. It was a lively Bichon named Mandy. Mandy scampered around Dana and Gabriel, yapping happily.

  "Hey, pretty girl," Gabriel said.

  Dana scooped up the dog in her arms. "I'm taking her out to potty. Why don't you lie down and relax?"

  Dana talked to him so sweetly that he could almost believe she'd forgotten about last night. He sat on the sofa and stretched out his legs.

  Dana had decorated the two-bedroom unit with cranberrycolored draperies, earth tone accent rugs, cherry-wood furniture, and numerous Annie Lee figurines, many of them depicting children at play. Reflections of the happy child hood Dana had lost. Nevertheless, it was a tranquil place, and as Gabriel rested his head against the cushions and gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the dazzling Atlanta skyline, he felt some of the day's stress drain out of his body.

  Then Isaiah's leering face invaded his thoughts.

  I want to tear your family apart.

  Gabriel switched on the television and channel surfed, trying to find something that would distract him from his worries. He settled on a rerun of Law & Order; he liked the show. The good guys usually prevailed in the end.

  Dana returned. Mandy bounded across the floor and hopped on Gabriel's stomach.

  "Ouch," Gabriel said, sitting up. He scratched Mandy behind the ears and the dog whined with pleasure.

  "Careful, Mandy, you're going to hurt Daddy," Dana said. She sat next to Gabriel and removed Mandy from his lap. "You want something for that stomachache?"

  "Nah, I'll try to sleep it off"

  "I knew you'd say that" She looked at him closer. "What's really wrong?"

  "A stomachache, like I said."

  "It's your brother, isn't it?"

  "He's not my brother."

  "Biologically speaking, that's what he is," she said. "I don't know why you don't like him. He seems like a really nice guy to me, so down-to-earth and humble."

  Isaiah had fooled Dana, too. This was as bad as Gabriel had feared.

  "Dana, that guy is bad news, trust me"

  "Trust your gut feeling, like you said earlier?" She looked doubtful. "But I like him, and so does the rest of your family. So why are you the only one with this `gut feeling' that he's so terrible?"

  Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. He wanted to tell her what had happened. But he kept his mouth shut. It might start another argument.

  "Are you jealous of him, like Nicole said?" Dana asked.

  "What?"

  "Are you upset that you aren't the only son anymore?"

  "That's bullshit," he said. "Do you really believe that about me?"

  Dana leaned against the sofa cushions, Mandy on her lap, wagging her tail.

  "When it comes to your relationship with your family, I don't know what to believe about you anymore," she said. "We still haven't talked about this hero-worship thing you have with your father."

  "I don't want to get into that tonight."

  "And I can't help thinking that you're threatened by the idea of another son stealing your father's attention away from you."

  "Damn it, it has nothing to do with that, all right? Do you know what Isaiah told me? He said he wants to tear my family apart. Starting with me. He wants to take away everything I have including you. Yes, you." He pointed at her.

  She stared at his finger, skepticism forming in her eyes.

  "And when he's through with me, he wants to take care of Pops"

  "Take care of him?" Dana asked.

  "I don't know what the hell he meant. Kill him? I don't know. But Isaiah told me that tonight, and I know he was serious."

  "Why would he say something horrible like that?"

  "Revenge," Gabriel said. "He wants revenge for Pops abandoning him and his mother, leaving them to have a rough life. He vowed on his mother's grave that he'd get revenge."

  Dana pursed her lips, her face troubled. Gabriel got an awful plummeting feeling in his stomach.

  "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" she said. "He wants revenge? How about he just wants to know his family? Do you have any idea how it feels to grow up without your family? Do you?"

  Shit, Gabriel thought. He'd unknowingly touched a raw nerve. He'd momentarily forgotten that Dana's parents had died when she was a kid.

  "I can't believe you'd make up some shit like this," Dana said. She got to her feet. She was shaking; Mandy spilled out of her arms and scrambled across the floor, seeking cover.

  "I didn't make it up," he said. "Do you think I'm lying?"

  Her upper lip quivered. She wouldn't look at him.

  "Look at me, Dana. Do you think I'm lying to you?"

  Reluctantly, she looked at him. Tears shone in her eyes.

  "I don't know what to think," she said. "The weird way you've been acting ... I don't know anymore. I'm sorry."

  If their relationship had been represented by a stone sculpture, a jagged fracture would have cracked down the middle at that moment.

  Gabriel could not think of anything to say. He wished he hadn't said anything. Why hadn't he kept his damn mouth shut?

  Dana marched past him and out of the living room.

  "Dana, come back," he said. "Let's talk about this."

  He heard her opening a door, grabbing something, closing the door.

  I've really screwed up, he thought. He wanted to repair the situation, but didn't know how; everything he said seemed to be the wrong thing. He and Dana had never been so out of sync with each other.

  Dana came back, carrying a pillow and a blanket. She dumped them on the sofa beside him.

  "What's this?" Gabriel said.

  "You're sleeping out here tonight," she said, and went back to her bedroom and slammed the door.

  Chapter 2 5

  he evening had gone even better than Isaiah had planned. While he had expected his charm, humor, intelligence, charisma-and dashing good looks-to eventually win over the Reid clan, his reception was warmer than he had anticipated. The Reids were so determined to present themselves as a charitable, Christian family that they made his task immeasurably easier. He was quite certain that the mother, Marge, was outraged over his very existence; and he figured that the daughter was shocked; and he understood that his father was ashamed. But they were willing to set aside their private pains in order to do the right thing and welcome him into their circle.

  He couldn't help but admire them. They were, indeed, a picture-perfect family, so remarkable that it seemed unreal-a living, breathing cast of characters from a TV show, like Father Knows Best or some other outdated program that espoused moral values that no one cared about anymore.

  But Gabriel ... now, he was something else. His little broth
er was fast becoming the black sheep of the clan.

  Isaiah sat in the Reids' enormous, sumptuously decorated grand salon, sipping cognac just like his father, who sat beside him. His stepmother, or whatever she was to him, was drinking chamomile tea, and Nicole nursed a Coke. They were filling him in on their lives and asking him questions about his background and his plans.

  They asked: Are you moving to Atlanta?

  To which he responded: Maybe. I'll stay here for a few weeks and see how I like it.

  The real answer, which he kept to himself: I'm here to stay, folks. You aren't getting rid of me.

  They asked: What kind of work do you do?

  His answer: When I was incarcerated, I learned how to work in a print shop, so that's what I've been doing. I love to work.

  Real answer: Please. I'm a hustler. I haven't worked a legit gig in years and I'm not starting now.

  They asked: Do you have any children?

  His answer: No, I haven't been blessed with any kids yet. I'm waiting to meet the right woman to marry first.

  Real answer: I've got several kids, so I've heard, but I've never seen them, and don't care if I ever do. Those women were having babies to try to trap me.

  And on it went. Sometimes he gave them the unvarnished truth; sometimes he gave them the truth, with embellishment, for the sake of dramatic effect.

  But most times, he lied shamelessly.

  Throughout, they listened as if he were a soothsayer, smiling and nodding.

  Life was so funny. Last year he'd been sharing a prison cell with a serial rapist, facing a murky future. Now, look: his rich father's family was entertaining him at their multimillion-dollar estate, listening raptly to every word he spoke.

  If only Mama could have lived to see this.

  He could imagine what Mama would say, in her raspy, smoker's voice: `Ask that rich-ass daddy of yours to give us some money. Shit, he ain't never done nothing for you. He owes us."

  Isaiah sipped his Remy Martin and smiled at his new family.

  I'll get something better than money, Mania. I'll get justice.

  When the tall, ornate grandfather clock in the cornerthe damn thing probably had cost several thousand dollars, Isaiah thought struck eleven, Isaiah drained his cognac, placed the snifter on a nearby marble table, and stood.