DEATH (The Justice Cycle Book 1) J Kiefer (ebook reader .txt) 📖

a few days to tie up some loose ends. Honestly, if it wasn’t for our illustrious sister not being able to keep her big mouth shut, then I could have avoided Mom and Dad altogether.”

Jared’s eyes bored into his brother. “It would have been better if you had. You were quite the jerk the other night. What the heck has gotten into you? I know Mom and Dad aren’t perfect, but what the hell, man?”

“Whoa, an actual adult swear word. I guess I’m in real trouble now.”

“Don’t think I won’t whip your butt like I did when we were kids, Steve. You were way out of line. The smoking and the alcohol I can overlook as a phase, but how you acted the other night, that was just asinine.”

Steve’s careless facade cracked. “Asinine? Me? How about how they act? My whole life they have chastised me and judged me for not being like them and their God. Well, news flash, big brother, I don’t believe, and I never will. And we both know that they will never accept that, and that means they will never accept me.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, they accept you. They love you. They are Mom and Dad; they will always love you.”

“Love and acceptance are two completely different things, man, and you know it.”

Jared shook his head and groaned. “Perhaps Mom and Dad aren’t the intolerant ones here. Maybe it’s you. Since you were fourteen years old, you did literally everything within your power to hurt and disappoint them.”

“No, Jared, they have simply not been able to accept who I am and who I was becoming, and they’re unable to accept me now. I can’t help it if who I am does not fit into their world, and that ‘hurts and disappoints’ them.”

Jared rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just because you don’t agree with Dad and Mom’s philosophy doesn’t mean you have to run recklessly in the opposite direction. Do you ever think that, maybe, you being so extreme is what they don’t accept and it’s not you yourself?”

Steve cocked his head and chuckled. “Extreme? Honestly, Jared, maybe I am not the problem here. Maybe it’s all of you. You claim to be believers, but you don’t even practice what you preach, and I am not talking about your antiquated moral code. You see me as being extreme because you don’t truly understand what it means to believe. If you really believe something, it dictates every area of your life, from your thoughts to your actions, and there is no compromising that. Something is either true or it is not. There is no in-between. You all only see me as extreme because I live the way I believe I should, and not the way you all believe I should.”

Jared slouched lower in the chair and closed his eyes. He was tired. No, weary was a better term. Weary of the endless conflict between his brother and his parents. Of having the same argument over and over again, never getting anywhere with either party. He was weary of Jasmine and weary of his job. He was just… weary.

Jarrod noticed his brother watching him, most likely anticipating an argument. Usually Jared would have scolded his brother for his earlier behavior, but he didn’t have the energy. Instead, he simply sighed and got up from his chair and made his way back into the small kitchen.

He poured himself another cup of coffee. “You want a refill?”

“No, I still have half a cup.”

Jared returned from the kitchen but didn’t retake his seat in the big comfy chair. “I don’t know where you planned on staying tonight, but you are welcome to crash on the couch. I know you won’t go to Mom and Dad’s, and there’s no reason for you to shell out the money for a hotel when you are leaving tomorrow. Either way, there are clean sheets and a blanket in the linen closet if you’re sticking around.”

Jared started down the small hallway to his room. He was too tired to argue with Steve tonight, and with all the death he had witnessed over the last few days, he did not want to, anyway. He loved his brother and was just happy that he’d gotten a chance to see him while he was up visiting.

“Oh, and I forgot to mention,” he said, looking back at his brother. “I’m going to NYC tomorrow, as well. I would say let’s carpool together, but it’s a work thing and I can’t. It would have been fun, though. We could have listened to audiobooks the whole way like we did when we were kids going on vacation.”

Steve smiled. “Yeah, those were good times. Remember the vacation when we drove out to the Grand Canyon? I think you threw up the entire way from here to Kansas. I never saw so much puke.”

Jared leaned against his bedroom door. “Too bad we had to grow up. Life was so much simpler back then. So much more… happy.”

Steve did not respond right away but smiled slightly at whatever he was thinking about. He sighed and looked up at his brother. “Hey Jar, you want to come hang out while you’re down in the city? I know the style of music I play is not your thing, but I’d love it if you’d come check us out. If you have the time, that is.”

Jared thought about it. “You know what, I would actually love to hear your band play. I hope they are better than that band you used to play with when you were fifteen. God, they sucked. Seriously, man, you guys were awful.”

Steve laughed. “Yeah. Yeah, we were. No, we are much better than that, although the lead singer is still the same. You think you can handle that?”

Jared grinned and decided not to throw another verbal jab at his younger brother. “I will ask Dana tomorrow if she wants to go and we will see. Most likely she’ll say