Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)

by Lucy Score

“Jesus,” I grumbled. “I didn’t want you to be beholden or whatever the fuck to me. We’re family. We’re brothers. One of us wins, we both win.” It also meant if one of us lost, we both did. And that was what the last few years had been. A loss. Fuck. I hated losing. “Didn’t want the money,” he said, his words slurring. “Wanted to build things on my own.” “You could’ve put it away for retirement or some shit,” I complained. The same old cocktail of feelings was trying to rise in me. Rejection. Failure. Righteous fury. “You deserved some good. After the shit we went through, then Liza J losing Pop. You deserved more than a cop salary from some shitty town.” “Our shitty town,” he corrected. “Made it ours. You in your way. Me in mine.” Maybe he was right. But that didn’t matter. What did matter was the fact that if he would have taken the cash, he wouldn’t be here in this hospital room. My little brother would be making a difference some other way. Without toeing the line. Without paying the price. “Should have kept the money. If you had, you wouldn’t be lying here like roadkill.” Nash shook his head slowly against the pillow. “I was always gonna be the good guy.” “Shut up and go to sleep,” I told him. “We went through some shit. But I always had my big brother. Always knew I could count on you. Didn’t need your money on top of that.” Nash’s shoulders sagged. Sleep took him under its spell, leaving me to sit in silent vigil.