Page 65 of Unbearable
“Fuck,” I curse, wiping blood off the repair order on my toolbox.
It’s Tuesday afternoon and we’re swamped, my hands bleeding from the cuts on my knuckles and fingers. You’d be amazed how many sharp parts are under the dashboards of cars and seats. I just fixed a seat where the wiring control went out so it was stuck in the recline position. I had to laugh when I was fixing it because there’s only one reason why cars come in with the passenger seat reclined all the way and it’s a teenage boy who’s brought it in hoping his dad doesn’t find out he took his Mustang for a ride with his girlfriend.
Cars are lined up down the street and we’re running our asses off trying to catch up. Being the second week in December, it snowed last night leaving the town in about two inches of fresh white powder, which means everyone wants studded tires and their brakes checked.
This morning would have gone easier if Rawley was actually here like he’s supposed to be but no, like usual, he shows up at noon. After Red was shot, he improved for a while but something happened lately and he’s fallen off the moral wagon again.
“So man, think Lyric would be proud of the way you’re acting these days?” I ask after Rawley throws up in a garbage can next to my toolbox. It fucking stinks and I’m pissed he usedmygarbage can.
Rawley glares, his eyes on the car in front of us and I step away from my garbage can. “Don’t fucking act like you’re better than me and don’t talk about my dad like you’d know if he was proud or not.”
We’re about ten feet away from one another, a car separating us when I ask, “Why? Does it bother you to know you’re a fuckin’ disappointment?”
“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you, how’s my sister?” He looks up at me, smiling. “Break her heart again yet?” Rawley asks. There’s laughter behind Rawley’s words and it makes me see red. I’m not in the mood for this shit.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I drop the impact gun in my hand on my tool cart, the thud echoing through the shop causing both Red and Lenny to turn toward us.
“Yeah, sure.” Rawley laughs; it’s condescending.
“You sure you want to do this right now, Rawley?” I ask, stepping around the car and toward him. “You sure you want to have this conversation, here, right now in front of your brother?”
There’s certainly no hesitation in his stare but his words are so far wrong he has no idea anymore. “He doesn’t give a shit about me so what does it matter?”
Red does care about him and it pisses me off that he can’t see it. I shove him roughly against the wall. “Stop blaming him for your problems.”
“Why don’t we talk about your problems,Tyler.” His arms catch him against the toolbox, metal rattling as he eyes me carefully. The smile’s finally gone. “You used my sister. Admit it.”
I admire his bluntness and fight off a smile. There’s nothing funny about it but I smile. Maybe that’s why he smiled. I’m shaking my head as he watches me—testing and provoking—because he knows I’m going to defend myself. It’s only natural. “I love your sister.”
Forget the fact that I said I love Raven to him, or everyone else standing around, what I’m focused on is his reaction,whyhe really hates me so much.
“Sure you do. You love her sucking your dick and spreading her legs for you,” he taunts.
“That’s enough!” Red shouts, his hands on both of our chests. Sure, Red’s bigger than I am but I don’t even acknowledge him then and lean into his hold, unwilling to let this go.
Rawley’s eyes scan my face as if he’s studying me. I don’t like where this is going and he doesn’t either. “I see you’ve moved back onto Berkley now too. I can’t say I blame you, she’s a pretty good piece of ass.”
“Listen to me, you stupid little shit!” I reach around Red and grab him by his shirt, slamming him up against my toolbox, tools and parts rattling with the motion. “You knownothingabout what happened between Raven and me.Nothing. Or with Berkley. Just because she’s sucking your dick behind the stage after your concerts in a fuckin’ bar doesn’t meant shit. Iguaranteeyou she doesn’t remember your dick from any other guy and she’ll move on like she did with me, so keep your fucking mouth shut!”
“Her mouth is all I need. It’s all she’s good for.” And he’s laughing.
The motherfucker is laughing.
I shouldn’t care because Berkley doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. It’s done between us but the fact that he’s standing here provoking me, making me think he’s a piece of shit using women, yeah, that bothers me because he seems to have the same mentality as Holden. It’s pussy and nothing else matters. Immediately I think of Raven and the fucking shit she’s around in college and I see nothing but the anger and resentment for my situation.
Shoving Red aside, I slam my shoulder into Rawley, connecting with his stomach. Our bodies slam against the ground, his head knocking back against the lift when I do so.
Both Lenny and Red are yelling at us to stop but I’m so pissed I can’t even think straight. I want to kill him for the things he’s saying. He’s been like my little brother for years but I want to teach him a goddamn lesson.
Rawley throws his body weight into his punches, a few landing on my jaw, a couple on my cheek with such force blood pools in my mouth. Pain erupts on impact, my own hits landing when I get him off me. There’s a blunt crack when I break his nose, crimson leaking from both his nostrils and his nose twisted to the right. He draws his fist back again and nails me in the stomach. It takes my breath for a moment only to have Red yanking at my shoulders.
Neither one of us stop until I can barely put any weight into my punches and everyone is screaming at us.
Red ends up tackling me when blood is pouring from the side of Rawley’s head.
“Colt! Help me!” he screams when he’s struggling to hold me down.
Colt rolls his eyes, tossing a twenty on the floor where he’s standing with Daniel, both smiling. “Nah, twenty says Tyler pulls this one off.”
