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pictured the worst coming from him.
    “You were shot. Your girlfriend is dead,” Nuke began for him. “Her husband may or may not be the culprit and you claim you didn’t steal money from him. Am I missing something?”
    “No, no you’re not. Can I at least sit down?” Holden grabbed his side and looked to where Nuke’s feet were placed in the other chair.
    “Sure,” Nuke said but he didn’t move his feet.
    Holden stood there for a few awkward moments, waiting on Nuke to budge from his comfortable position. That wasn’t going to happen.
    Finally, he tottered over and sat down on a chair at the next table.
    In the direct sunlight, he looked like hell, Nuke thought. Holden had been the perfect son. Athletic, prom king, honor roll student. He was a hollow version of that kid now. Holden began to shift nervously on the chair so much so that it started to make Nuke uncomfortable. He didn’t do well when he started to feel edgy; he’d end up lashing out. That was not something he wanted to do. When he released his anger, things could go bad quickly.
    “Can I have a smoke?” Holden asked.
    “I got menthols.”
    “Yeah, that’s fine.”
    Nuke took a cigarette from the packet, lit it and handed it to Holden.
    He took several long drags before he spoke again. “I want to start by saying again that I’m sorry, Nuke.”
    “Okay,” Nuke said dryly.
    “I’d like to know that we’re alright just in case something happens to me. I don’t want to die with you hating me. It would mean the world to me if we could settle our differences.”
    Nuke glared at him. “Can we stop with the bullshit? You lied to me and about me, and that’s something I’ll never forgive. It’s also not just about you and me. It’s all of you against me. It’s why I stayed here. It’s why I don’t visit and vice-versa. All of you passed your judgment on me a long time ago.”
    “If I make it through this, I’d like to have some kind of a relationship with you. It’s never too late to start over. Even if it’s just the occasional text or phone call, you’re my brother, Nuke.”
    Nuke stared at him for a moment. “I’m going to try and fix your problem for you. Then I want you gone and I never want to hear from you again.” Nuke’s voice deepened an octave and he notice that Holden scooted back in his seat.
    They were quiet for several minutes. Holden was the first to speak again. “I’m sorry I lied to Mom, Dad and Megan about you.” Holden paused hoping that Nuke would say something, but he didn’t.  He decided to try another tactic. “Do you remember when we camped down at Mosey Creek? Nothing scared you. It was too dark for me. The woods and all of the weird noises. You let me have the tent and you slept outside with no flashlight or anything.  You said you’d protect me from anything that would come near the tent. It didn’t bother you one bit to be out there alone. I was scared to death.” Holden laughed. He wanted Nuke to laugh, too. All he got was a stone-cold glare.
    Nuke got up from the patio table. He put his pack of cigarettes in his front pocket. He tugged at his T-shirt. It was sticking to him even though there was a slight chill in the air.
    “Who did that tattoo on your temple, the bullet wound? It looks real,” Holden called out before Nuke could retreat inside the clubhouse.
    “I did,” Nuke responded.
    “You do most of your tattoos, don’t you?”
    “Yeah, I do.”
    “You were always a good artist. You should have gone to art school. It’s not too late.”
    Nuke’s head turned towards a noise coming from one of the storage buildings. That idiot Rocket was tripping over a trash can.
    “Do you go to Sturgis? I watch that show about one of the bars in Sturgis, the Full Throttle Saloon. That place looks amazing. I’d love to go sometime. Maybe we could go together. Have a brother vacation, get to know one another again.”
    At first Nuke didn’t reply. He was debating whether he should