Free My Steps Are Ordered by Michelle Lindo-Rice Page B

for a reply, he demanded, “Michael, pull over.”
    No more words were exchanged as the two men switched seats.
    Keith gripped the wheel hard. He was so angry with his brother he could strangle him. What would possess Michael to even touch alcohol? And, worse yet, get behind the wheel while intoxicated? The last time he’d been reckless, Michael had almost lost his life.
    â€œHow could you?” Keith bellowed. “Your wife is upstairs, half sick out of her mind with worry, and you are busy getting sloshed. She thinks something happened to you.”
    â€œDon’t talk to me about my wife,” Michael snarled and twisted his body to look out the window.
    Keith was taken aback by the bitterness in his brother’s voice. He had no idea where such venom was coming from, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “What about Trey, your son? Remember him?” The music blasted in the background. With gritted teeth, Keith punched the buttons to turn off the device.
    â€œHa!” Michael shouted. Then he stewed, saying nothing more.
    Keith could see that Michael was battling with something, but he needed answers. Not sure of where he was going, Keith finally decided to go to his place. It was obvious there was something amiss, and he knew they needed to hash it out without fear of interruption.
    Michael was out of the car and storming up the entry to the house before Keith had even put the gear in park. Sighing, Keith jogged to the other side of the car to close the door Michael had left open in his haste.
    As soon as Keith unlocked the front door, Michael rushed inside. Keith stood on the steps and pondered his brother’s odd behavior. Michael was in a sad condition. Keith activated the car alarm then went inside.
    Inside, he found Michael in the kitchen. By the looks of things, his brother was searching for something to drink. “I have only water,” Keith stated through clenched teeth. He placed the house keys on the table and watched his brother in silence. He didn’t have a drop of alcohol in the house, so he didn’t have to be concerned about Michael finding any.
    Disgusted, Michael curled his lips with disdain. On surprisingly steady feet, he stomped into the living room and dumped his huge frame on the chaise lounge. His long legs hung over. If it weren’t for the dire circumstances, Keith would have ribbed him about it.
    Seated on the couch across from him, Keith observed his brother with controlled patience. Michael appeared to be stone cold sober, despite the huge amount of alcohol he must have consumed. That was a minor consolation, Keith thought. “Look, Michael just spit it out. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that something is wrong.”
    â€œGina.” Michael said her name like it was something he picked off the bottom of his shoe. “Gina is not who I thought she was.” Michael stopped and shook his head. Then he placed his hand over his head and moaned. His dramatic antics tore away the last shreds of Keith’s patience.
    â€œWhere is all this coming from?” Keith shouted. In two strides, he marched over to his brother and snatched him to his feet. “You’d better start explaining yourself fast, or I won’t be responsible for my actions.” Keith realized he was overacting to the situation, but he could not stomach hearing the disgust in his brother’s tone.
    Even with Keith’s nostrils flaring in his face, Michael remained unaffected. He shrugged out of Keith’s grip and dug his hand into his pocket. Without saying a word, Michael extracted a crushed piece of paper and handed it to him.
    â€œWhat is this?” Keith asked while he undid the creases in the paper. He had a strange feeling he was not going to like what was on the paper. Keith read its contents. His brows furrowed with confusion, but within seconds, his eyes bulged with incredulity. Flabbergasted, Keith read and reread