I gulped down the rest of the coffee and knew I was going to be up all night between the high-powered octane I’d just drank and my excitement, but I didn’t care. If this meant a step toward gaining a bit of real independence from my mom, it was all worth it.

It was times like this I really missed Dad. He would’ve been happy for me and helped me celebrate. I picked up my phone to call him and stopped as I figured out the time zone difference to London. It was like one in the morning there, and I put my phone back in my jacket pocket. It had been hard when he stopped calling every day, but it became even harder when he remarried and moved halfway around the world. Dad always said he loved me the same and that nothing had changed, but I felt the strain between us. He looked at me and saw another man’s child. I was the product of his wife stepping out on him and the constant reminder of her infidelity.

I waved to Jorge as I left and marched down the street with my head held high. Was this a step back from becoming an FBI agent? Maybe, but it wasn’t like I’d dropped out. Besides, I wanted to do something I was passionate about and not forced to do. The question was, what was going to make me happy?

Chapter 8

CAIN

Abel’s house was on the other side of the property from the original farmhouse that I occupied. Although I could just make out his house through the trees and walk the path we created between the two homes, I chose to drive around and found Abel in the basement of his play area. He called it his ‘games room,’ which I admit was amusing. The muffled sound of screams and thumping music reached my ears as I placed my hand on the heavy basement door.

Having two houses was a much better fit for us. This way, we weren’t tripping over each other, and my annoyance with his slobbish habits and irregular schedule didn’t start fights. Unlocking the door, I winced as the song “Blame It On The Rain” blared so loudly that my eardrums wept and wanted to bleed.

I was going to need a stiff drink to deal with that shit. Closing the door again, I went to the kitchen to get a drink. I preferred a strong drink when I helped work over Abel’s trophies but liked to remain stone-cold sober for my own.

“Disgusting,” I mumbled as I grabbed a garbage bag, swiped all the empty take-out containers into the black plastic, and then tied it shut.