Read Always Be True for Free Online

“And if you didn’t have that as an excuse?”
    Tino gave his brother the look he’d perfected during his years in the military police, the one that warned troublemakers to back off or there would be hell to pay. He should’ve known Jack would be immune. It was almost funny when they both let loose with identical sighs.
    Almost.
    “You know Mom worries. She means well.”
    “I know that. And since Dad’s gone, she’s focusing all of her attention on us.” He took another sip of his coffee. “With you settled and married, I’m the only one handy for her to fuss over. Too bad Mikhail isn’t around to get his fair share of this stuff.”
    An evil thought crossed his mind. “Hey, since he’s back stateside again, maybe I should spring for a plane ticket for Mom to go visit him. Say, for a month or so.”
    Jack laughed. “Our baby brother would kick your ass for even suggesting such a thing.”
    That was probably true, but Tino’s pride had him sneering. “He could try. He’d also kick yours for calling him baby brother all the time.”
    “I calls them as I sees them. He is the youngest even if it’s only by a matter of months.” Jack signaled for a right turn and pulled into the supply store’s parking lot. “He’s also smart enough not to tangle with me. We both know how that would turn out.”
    Yeah, they did. Jack was built like a tank. A fast-moving, no-holds-barred tank. One who was still talking. “On the other hand, you wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Do I need to remind you that he has about four inches in height and thirty pounds of pure muscle over you?”
    No, he didn’t need a reminder. If Mikhail was the baby, Tino was the runt, at least by their family’s standards. At a shade under six one and weighing in at a solid one ninety-five, he wasn’t exactly small. Even so, he’d be hard put to win a fight against either of his brothers. That didn’t mean he’d go down easy. They might end up victorious, but they’d be bruised and bleeding in the process.
    At least Jack dropped the discussion when they walked into the store. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t bring it all up again the first chance he got. It was obvious Tino needed to come up with some better answers if he wanted to have a little peace in his life. The trouble was he’d been asking himself the exact same questions since before he left the army behind. Whenever he tried to imagine what form his future should take, the picture refused to come into focus.
    Tino grabbed a cart and let Jack lead the way. As he followed in his brother’s footsteps, his mind wandered down the same old frustrating paths. Who would have thought at age twenty-eight he’d still be wondering what he wanted to be when he grew up?
    At this rate, in the not-too-distant future, he’d reach age twenty-nine and still be no closer to an answer. Yeah, he could take on a full-time role in the family business, but he couldn’t quite see himself swinging a hammer for the next forty years. Even if they built up the company enough to support Tino as well as Jack’s growing family, he didn’t enjoy working on his own like his brother did. With the types of jobs they took on, it would be unlikely that they’d ever need to run a crew of more than four or five employees.
    One of the things Tino missed most about life in the army was being part of a team that worked toward a common goal. He wanted that feeling back but had yet to find it in the civilian world.
    “Hey, watch it.”
    Tino had been so lost in thought that he didn’t see Jack stop and rammed him with the cart. “Next time you might want to signal.”
    Jack dropped several boxes of nails and screws into the cart and glared at Tino. “How about next time you keep your head out of your ass long enough to do what you’re supposed to? Damn it, Tino, that kind of inattention could get us both killed.”
    Tino winced. Guess he wasn’t the only one who had trouble remembering their lives were