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Back Losers: Part I Save as PDF
Chapters (58)
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Content Note
  3. A Note From The Author
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. Acknowledgements
  57. Also By Harley Laroux
  58. About The Author

“You’re wrong there, boy.” Dad rolled back his shoulders and cracked his neck. My stomach twisted at the sound. “You know your mother wasn’t right toward the end. Wasn’t right throughout most of her life. Gave me plenty of reason to suspect you weren’t even mine.” He snickered. “Can’t deny genetics though. Spittin’ image of me.”

He didn’t need to fucking remind me.

“What do you want?” I said. “Stop bullshitting and tell me why you’re here.”

“Heard rumors you’re fixing the place up to sell it,” he said. “You’re thinking smart. Thinking like me.” Not like him. Never like him. “I want a cut of the sale. Fifty-fifty. I’d say that’s fair, since you’re selling the property I raised you on.”

I stared at him blankly, his words churning in that oceanic rage inside me. Then…

I laughed. I laughed so hard it hurt. As the laughter died, I stepped forward, until I was right in his ugly face with only the bars of the gate keeping us apart. I looked him right in those yellowed bloodshot eyes that used to make me cringe in fear whenever they’d land on me.

“I, and everyone who lives in this house, will be dead and buried before you see a goddamn penny out of this place,” I said, venom in every word.

We stood exactly eye-to-eye. Same height. Same build. The same blood in our veins that made me want to cut them open and bleed them out, if only to be rid of any trace of him.

“You be careful, boy,” he said softly. “It’s a big dangerous world. Death walks real close. Ain’t we all just one poor decision from dead and buried?”

I looked him up and down slowly. “Death walks closer to some than others.”

“You’re right there. Walks close to some…runs to catch up with others. But it always comes around, one way or another.” He took a step back, and I flinched as he reached into his jacket. He didn’t miss it. It made him smile.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and let the smoke waft over my face. Camel Crushes. I fucking hated the scent of menthol. He paused, narrowing his eyes for a moment over my shoulder before he finally said, “Vincent. That was your name. The boy from that big family. Four beautiful sisters...” He let the comment hang. “I’ll see y’all around.”

He took his sweet time strolling down the road. I waited, watching until he’d climbed into that familiar old truck and flipped a U-turn in the dirt, dust clouding up from his tires.

But the rage still sat inside me, shuddering like a beaten dog.

50

50

Jessica