Chapter 13: Hello, Little Brother

Rhett crossed the study in three steps and took Perry by the collar.

He hauled him off the carpet and slammed him against the desk.

The papers went everywhere.

"Rhett, stop!" I said.

He did not look at me.

"Dad told you to stay out of this room," Rhett said. "He told you twice."

"Let go of me," Perry said.

Rhett hit him in the stomach.

Perry folded, and Rhett hit him again across the face with the back of his hand.

Blood ran from Perry's nose onto his shirt.

He did not hit back.

He raised his arms over his head and took it, the way he had taken my words at the window.

"Fight me!" Rhett shouted. "You fought her. I heard. You swung at your own sister, so swing at me!"

He drove a knee into Perry's ribs.

I heard something crack.

I stopped thinking.

I crossed the carpet, grabbed a fistful of Rhett's shirt from behind, and pulled him backward off his brother.

He spun around with his teeth showing.

"Oh, good," he said. "You came to watch."

"I came to put you down again."

"You got lucky in the garden. Nobody's looking now."

"Then it's a fair fight," I said.

Rhett smiled slowly.

"Fair? I've heard about your record, Mask. Thirty-one and zero. Perry bought every one of them."

The words landed harder than any punch.

His fist came at my face while I was still hearing them.

I slipped it by an inch and drove my elbow into his ribs.

He was twice my weight, and he did not even grunt.

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