Thorn in My Side Read Online Free PDF

clenched. His voice became strained. “How many times, Wayne? How many times was I with somebody, but she was secretly with you?”
    “You’ve got it all wrong.”
    “Do I?” he demanded. “Is that what you’re really telling me? All those women, and you never felt anything?”
    “Now is not the time to discuss—”
    “Because I felt something just now, Wayne. I felt it when you were looking at Willie.”
    My head snapped around.
    His lips were twisted in a nasty grin. “You think I don’t know what you feel when you stare at Willie’s tits?”
    “I would prefer you didn’t use such coarse—”
    “That time she sneezed and her whole rack shook, I thought your ball was gonna shoot out enough sperm to—”
    “Stop it,” I hissed. “Just stop it, all right? I’m sick of this. I’m sick and tired of covering for your mistakes. I’m sick of the way you treat people. I’m sick of the way you treat me .”
    “You?” He looked shocked. “What the hell does that mean, Wayne? I treat you better than I treat myself. Hell, half of everything that goes into me gets shared with you.”
    “And all of what you’re finished with comes out of me .”
    “Oh, we’re gonna have that conversation again? You’re gonna whine to me about getting the asshole?” He threw up his hand in disgust. “Do you know what it feels like when you have to piss and someone doesn’t want to get up because they’re going to miss the last two minutes of Dancing with the Stars ?”
    “I’m just a lump to you. That’s all I am. A lump. An appendage. A-a-a…”
    He stared at me. “Parasite?”
    I shook my head and looked down at my desk. The blotter was lined up parallel to the back of the cubicle wall. My pen and paper were equidistant from the edge. I liked to keep things neat, tidy. Unlike Kirk, who’d already stuck a wadded-up piece of chewing gum on a crinkled work order. I shuddered to think what our prison cell would look like.
    “I’m not going to prison,” Kirk hissed. “I swear to God, I’ll swallow a bottle of pills first.”
    “Great. So I won’t get into heaven because you committed suicide?”
    He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why you believe in a God who’d give two grown men one asshole.”
    “Don’t you dare blaspheme right now. I’m warning you, Kirk. I have very little patience today.”
    He took a deep breath and let it go.
    I tried to be reasonable. “Look, we’re in this together. As long as we stick by each other—”
    “Do I have a choice?” he snapped. “I’ve been stuck by you all of my life, whether I wanted to be or not.”
    And there it was, the unspoken truth. Or maybe the passive-aggressively hinted at truth. Kirk wanted to live without me. Kirk could live without me.
    I said what I knew he was thinking. “You should’ve killed me if you were going to kill someone. Wouldn’t that solve all your problems?”
    His voice turned serious. “We need to get our story straight right now.”
    “I have work to do.” I tried to put the jack back into the telephone, but he grabbed my hand. “What is wrong with you?”
    He was looking over my shoulder. “The police are here.”
    “Don’t joke with me.”
    I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. It wasn’t Wayne’s. I looked at the hairy, knobby knuckles and let my eyes trace up a dark blue sleeve to the man standing behind me.
    “Mr. Edgerton?”
    I felt my throat work. Both Kirk and I said, “Yes?” at the same time.
    The man looked confused. He scratched his square jaw. His beard was coming in even though it was early in the morning. His shoulders were broad, though they only contained one head. “I’m Detective Peter Jensen with the Atlanta Police Department. I need to talk to you about a case.”
    “The police?” Kirk gasped. “What do the police want with my brother?”
    I shot Kirk a look. “Which one of us do you need to speak with?”
    He looked from me to Kirk, then back again.
    Kirk asked, “Which is it? Are you