Page 2 of Nothing to Lose: Lost Trilogy: Part 1
My mother broke the news to my father, then went and married her intended. Around that time, she also found out she was pregnant. Kenneth’s name went on my birth certificate, but Blake Adams knew as soon as he saw me that I was his son. He changed his will, making sure to leave me enough money for a posh education worthy of the family I came from, and also to have a separate cushiony trust fund.
It would all be in my name once I turned twenty-one years old. That’s in six months. My mother is the trustee until then, but I am nervous. I know Kenneth is putting pressure on her to make him a trustee.
“Kenny,” my mother gasped for air when he wrapped both hands around her neck.
“Hey!” I stood up from my chair, the movement so abrupt, it propelled the chair into the table with a bang. “Let the fuck go of her!”
Kenny did the opposite. His fingers started squeezing harder and harder, and I watched in fascination as my mother’s face started changing color. Then, with no warning, he let go of her. The momentum pushed her into the wall where she slid all the way to the floor.
“What do you care what I do to her?” he growled at me with murder in his eyes, spit flying all over the place.
“Well,” I didn’t show him any reaction. Instead, I flicked at an invisible spot on my shirt and raised an eyebrow at him. “Say it, don’t spray it, Kenny.”
“You’re dead,” he pointed at me. “A dead man.”
“Hmmm, interesting,” I tapped a finger to my lips. “I hope you know that I just got you on camera saying that, and that the recording will be not only going to the police in case anything happens to me, but to all the news outlets as well.”
I was full of shit. I had nothing. But I did enjoy the feral look on his face when he started looking around at the ceiling, trying to figure out where a camera could’ve been hidden. He then managed to surprise me.
“I have this place checked every single day,” he smirked at me. “There is no way you would’ve had time to do anything since last night,” he called my bluff.
I just shrugged and gave it back to him. “You know I’m good with computers.”
I am very good with computers, but yeah, he’s right, not good enough to mess with anything overnight like this. I’m still a rookie when it comes down to it.
Kenny just huffed in annoyance, turned around and left. I remained standing in the spacious dining room, staring at his retreating back while listening to my mother still whimpering on the floor.
“Lucas,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“If you sign the papers to make him a trustee of my money,” I looked at her with cold eyes, “I will never forgive you. Do you think you can remember that?”
Alcohol and whatever pills she had taken that morning were mudding her thoughts, I could tell.
Now, it is hours later. The sun is setting over the lake, the glare off the water almost painful in its brightness.
My mother is lying on one of the lounge chairs behind me, completely wasted and still crying. I told her I’d find a permanent place to stay at school until I graduated, and I’d never come back to this house again.
“Don’t go, Lucas,” she whimpers once again, making me roll my yes toward the sky. I have no idea why she thinks she has any power to persuade me one way or another.
I choose to ignore her and continue staring at the water. But her next words chill me to the bone.
“If you leave for good, I’ll sign the papers to him now,” she threatens in her slurry voice, one of her mood swings hitting out of nowhere. She always does that, almost like she has some personality disorder.
My shoulders tense up, an instant stress headache taking over. I force myself not to react, knowing that’s what she’s looking for.
“Did you hear me, Lucas? Don’t think that I won’t.”
I still don’t answer. Instead, I pray like I never have before, hoping that the gods will listen, and that she will have forgotten all this by the time she wakes up tomorrow morning.
“You think Blake would’ve been a better father to you than Kenny?” she snickers behind me.
“I guess we’ll never know that, won’t we?” I reply, then hate myself for it. Now she knows I’m listening, so she’ll continue talking for a while. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before though.
“Blake was a bad man,” she slurs. “What kind of a man sleeps with the woman betrothed to his brother?”
“What kind of a woman cheats on her fiancé? With his brother, no less?” She really is getting to me tonight. And now I got her mad.
“You know nothing, Lucas!” she starts screaming like a banshee. “Nothing!”
