1 Chapter 1
“What was he like? I mean really,” Jack said, coming into Max’s office to stand by the desk.
Max looked up from the design he was working on, asking, “Who?”, although he was pretty certain he knew what the answer would be.
“Tony. I don’t remember much about him, except…except the arguments.”
“Not too surprising, since you were only six when I became your guardian. He was a nice man, when he was sober. A bastard when he drank, which was way too often after the first year we were together. If it hadn’t been for that, you and I wouldn’t have packed up and left right after you turned seven.”
“I know. But there must be more to it, or you wouldn’t have stayed with him for as long as you did, in the first place.”
“I put that down to inertia, I guess. It was easier to ignore what was going on with him than to get out. And I did love him at the beginning. The love began to die when he started losing jobs because of his drinking. He figured I’d support him, while he tried—and I use the word loosely—to find another one.”
Jack rested one hip on the edge of the desk, looking at his uncle. “And you did. Support him, I mean.”
Max nodded. “Yes. He’d look for work, but not too hard, unless there was something he wanted that we couldn’t afford.” He smiled dryly. “Then, miracle of miracles, he’d manage to find a job. Each time that happened, he became the man I fell in love with—for a month or three. That didn’t last. He’d quit, always having a legitimate sounding excuse for why he did. The boss gave him all the shit work. His knees couldn’t take kneeling all day, laying carpets. It was too hot to be tarring roofs. Or, he’d be fired for coming in late once too often because he’d gone out drinking the night before. His excuse to me for that? The guys he worked with insisted he join them when they went to a bar for a couple of beers after work, and of course he couldn’t refuse. Or stop at one or two,” Max added sourly.
“Jesus.”
“Yeah.” Max shook his head. “I should have left after the first couple of times that happened, but like I said, it was easier to stay and hope he’d change. Laziness on my part, and I knew it.” He shrugged. “Then you came into my life. It didn’t take long for me to see how you were being affected by the almost daily arguments Tony and I were having at that point.” He sighed. “After all you’d been through, losing your parents, and then being dropped into our situation. I finally realized it was time to get out, for your sake as much as mine.”
“You shouldhave walked away long before that, although I guess I understand now why you didn’t.”
Max nodded. “Why the sudden interest in him?”
“Because he’s getting out on parole in two weeks. That idea scares me. It should scare you, too, after what he did to you.” Jack touched the scar on his uncle’s arm.
“He was drunk and angry,” Max protested. “I survived.”
“Barely. Damn it, Max! If you think he was upset about you walking out on him, how do you think he feels now, after spending so much time in prison for attacking you?”
“He’s got to be clean and sober at this point,” Max replied, although he wasn’t certain that would make a difference once Tony got out.
Obviously Jack wasn’t either because he snorted derisively. “The first thing he’ll do when he’s released is go to the closest bar and get roaring drunk. Then he’ll come after you.” He gripped Max’s hand. “I don’t want to come home and find out he’s played slice-and-dice on you again—or worse.”
“I’m not too happy about that idea, either,” Max replied gravely. “I’ve already gotten a restraining order against him.”
“You have?” When Max nodded, Jack asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You have enough to worry about, with college and all.”
“And you figured I’d forgotten he was getting out soon?”
“Well…no.”
“Good, because obviously I haven’t.” Jack released Max’s hand, looking seriously at him. “Get better security on the house, please, for both our sakes.”
“Tony doesn’t know where we are now.”
“You think he can’t find out? Are you that na?ve?”
Max chuckled. “Don’t badmouth your elders, young man.” He sobered, saying, “I’m sure he can find me, if he wants to, so I willdo something about the security. I promise. At least I work from home, which is a good thing, I think.”
“Yeah, it is,” Jack agreed. “He can’t get to you as easily, the way he could if you had to commute to work, or while you were there. You’re safer here, I suppose.”
‘Here’ was a three-bedroom house on the near-south-side of the city. Max and Jack had moved into it when Jack was fourteen and Max had decided to open his own graphic design business. One of the reasons he’d chosen the house was the fact that it had a private entrance to what the realtor had said could be a master suite on the ground floor. Max had opted to make it his office, instead. The other reason was the fact that two of the bedrooms on the second floor were connected by an en suite bathroom. They had been turned into Jack’s private space, with one of the bedrooms becoming his study and recreation room. Max’s bedroom had its own bathroom as well, and a great view of the spacious, fenced-in backyard, with the downtown skyline beyond it.
