Read Cold Fusion for Free Online Page B

“We showed up at her new place of work and scared the shit out of her supervisor.”
    He whistles. “You know that guy is a killer, right?”
    I nod again. I’d like to tell him that that’s all a legend, but I can’t. I trust Brian enough to put my life in his hands, but Slider’s life isn’t mine to play with. I cannot blow the cover of another police officer.
    “As long as you know,” he says.
    We paddle for a while in silence.
    When we turn toward the beach, waiting for a perfect wave, he says, “You didn’t get her fired just because you wanted her to get back to work there.” He gives me a smirk.
    The man knows me so well. Some days, I think he’s just as gifted as his brother at reading people’s minds. Well, at least at reading my mind.
    “You got her fired because you want to keep an eye on her, and as long as you’re undercover, there’s no other way for you to force her to remain under your watch.”  
    I laugh and feel as though we’re fifteen again. I splash him, and I don’t need to tell him how much I miss him. He knows.
    “How’s your father?” I ask.
    “He goes through phases. Sometimes I think we’re close to the end, and he’s going to shrivel up and die while puking over the closest receptacle he can find, and some other days he’s so full of energy, I think nothing can get to him and he’ll live forever.”
    “Chemo’s a bitch,” I say.
    “He gets into fits of rage.” Brian searches for words. “He’s angry because just as he was making peace with the idea that his body’s betraying him, he became aware that he’s also losing his mind.”
    “Is he?” That’s a scary thought. The man always had a temper, a violent one, but he also had control. If the control snaps, there’s no telling what he can do.
    “That’s why I had to take over,” Brian confesses. “Someone has to supervise him. It couldn’t be Everest because they’re just too similar. It can’t be Juliya because… Well, she’s a girl, and anyway, she’s got another year before she finishes college and comes back home. It had to be me.”
    “I’m sorry, bro.”  
    “It’s not that bad, really,” he says. “I actually love the MC, and I’m happy to turn it around to more legit activity.”
    We let a few good waves pass us by. Neither of us is in a hurry to get back to dry land and harsh reality. We savor our little bubble of freedom, floating around in the ocean as if we don’t have a care in the world.
    “I spoke to Lisa this morning,” I say and wait for him to prompt me to continue. I know talking about her is painful for him, and if he’d rather not know more, I won’t volunteer any more information.
    “I can’t believe it’s been two years already,” he says. “She must be getting ready for her finals, no?”
    “Yes, she’s almost done. Since she’s not happy with some of her papers, I’m ready to bet that if worse comes to worst, she’ll have As instead of A pluses.”
    We both shrug. My sister’s always been an overachiever, and we’ve never seen her walk out of an examination room without wishing she could have done better.
    “Did you tell her?” he asks.
    “That you quit the police academy? Yes.”  
    “That’s it?”  
    I nod.  
    “She didn’t ask you why or what I was doing?”  
    I can’t tell whether he’s relieved or disappointed by the fact that I didn’t tell Lisa more about his situation. “She didn’t have a chance to ask. She was at the restaurant. I caught her just before the beginning of her shift, and by the time we started talking about you, she had to start work.”
    “So she doesn’t know that I’ve become the V. P. of the club.”
    “No, but she will eventually…” I leave my sentence unfinished because we both know that’s when he’ll find out what’s more important to her: her wish to be a D. A. or her love for him.  
    My sister has been in love with Brian all her life, and I have no doubt that Brian loves her too. No