Page 60 of Chula
“You killed, Chula. Mine was worse!”
“What happened?”
“You called my brother?” He snaps at me when Damion steps into the room. Marco runs his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends before he looks at Damion and back to me. “We’re doing this as a group, then?”
“Doing what?” Damion asks him.
“Talking about what happened to me. You’ve both wanted to know since I got home, right?” he asks, looking between the two of us. Hurt lances my heart. I don’t know what he went through, but I can guess, judging by the nightmares and the way he reacts to things.
“We don’t need to talk about this right now, Marco.”
“Did you know?” he asks, looking at Damion and then me. I’m confused. I don’t know what it is he’s talking about.
“About what?”
“Rafe? Did you two know?”
“Know what, Marco?” I ask him now. I don’t know what it is he’s talking about right now.
“That he was our half-brother,” he says. My stomach cramps. There’s no way.
“How do you figure?” Damion asks him now. He turns to his brother and looks at me, really looks at him.
“One of the guards gave me paperwork. Turns out our dad got around a lot. Rafe was conceived here in New York before the bastard ran to wherever the hell he is now. Rafe’s mom moved to Chicago with her family.” I can’t listen to this. Tears fall down my cheeks as I rush to the bathroom and throw up. I expect Damion to come in, but it’s Marco instead. He reaches for my hair and pulls it back while I throw up.
“You couldn’t have known.”
“He raped me.” His hand tenses in my hair, tugging a little harder.
“That’s why he’s dead.”
“He was your brother,” I repeat.
“He wasn’t shit! Get that shit out of your head. That isn’t why I told you that. I needed you to know that I fucking killed my own goddamn brother for you, Chula. That’s how deep my love for you runs.” A shiver runs down my spine as he grabs a cloth and passes it to me.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper.
“There’s nothing to say. If that motherfucker were around now, I’d kill him again.” I wipe my face and stand as he releases my hair and steps back. Damion comes into the doorway and looks between us.
“I have people looking into it.”
“Why? I saw the paperwork,” Marco reminds him.
“Just to be sure. I don’t want you feeling some kind of way over this if it’s a lie.”
“It’s not a lie, Damion. I know it. I can feel it.”
“Is that what’s been bothering you?” Damion asks him. Marco shakes his head and motions for me to come out of thebathroom. We walk back out into the bedroom, and I sit on the edge of the bed while Damion takes the chair.
“This shit isn’t easy for me. In fact, I debated even telling you about it.”
“You don’t have to,” I remind him. He smiles over at me, but it’s a sad smile.
“Yeah, I do. I need you to know why I am the way I am now.”
“How are you now?” Damion asks as he looks between me and Marco.
“I’m …”
