Page 22 of The Moment They Can't Forget

“You’ll make me puke if you keep that up.”

“Like I said, grumpy,” Sawyer added.

JD’s cell phone rang, and usually he ignored it when he was with a client, but seeing as it was Sawyer, he picked it up to see who it was. No caller ID.

“Answer it,” Sawyer said. “Whoever it is may sweeten you up so you don’t fuck up my artwork.”

“Even fucked up, my artwork is the best,” JD muttered, putting down his tools to answer the call. “Hopper,” he snapped, making Sawyer tsk.

“Julian, it’s me, Henry.”

The shock of hearing his little brother’s voice had him juggling the phone before he pressed it back to his ear. They hadn’t spoken in years.

“What do you want, Henry?”

“Not even a hello, big brother?”

He walked away from Sawyer, who he knew was trying to hear the conversation.

“I tried to ring you many times. You didn’t answer, Henry. So why are you calling me now?”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I wanted to,” his brother said. “Dad’s sick,” he added.

He’d locked away all the feelings he’d ever had for his father after he’d learned the sort of man he was, but there was obviously a small crack because he felt a tug of pain at his brother’s words.

“How sick?”

“His kidneys are failing, and he needs a transplant.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s got enough money to get one,” JD said in a hard voice as all his emotions resurfaced from the time he’d realized just what his father was capable of.

“We are looking for a donor,” Henry added.

JD looked out the window to the water and mountains that usually calmed him. It wasn’t working today.

“None of us are compatible. We’ve been tested, Julian. You’re the last family member.”

His family were the only ones who called him Julian. Hearing it was a shock after so many years.

“Absolutely not. I’m not doing anything for that man. He’ll find a donor. Tell him to throw around a few of those millions he stole.”

“He’ll die if he doesn’t get a kidney, Julian.” Henry was rarely serious, but he could hear it in his tone.

This was the Hopper who was always fooling around and laughing. The brother he’d loved when he’d been in his life. Also, the brother who had sided with their father after JD had found out what a low-life scumbag the man he’d always held on a pedestal actually was.

“Mom’s distraught,” Henry added. “He’s your father, Julian, and he’s dying.”

“I’m not giving him a fucking kidney!” The words had come out too loud. “I have to go. I have a client to tattoo.” His brother was still talking as he cut the call.

He wished now he’d changed his phone number, but he hadn’t, because deep inside he wanted his brother to reach him if he needed to.

Looking out the window again, he watched Beck Slatter row by with a boat full of tourists.

His father was dying. He rubbed the deep burning pain in his chest. He’d thought that man could no longer pull any emotion out of him; seems he was wrong.

“Would you like a coffee, JD? I’m making Sawyer one!” Birdie called.

“Yes.”

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