Free Streamline by Jennifer Lane Page B

was, but he supposed his senses were heightened right now, since he had nothing to do but stand rigidly at attention.
    His father sat on the edge of the oak desk, glaring at him. It appeared CS was trying to determine the best tactic for this interrogation as his fingers tapped the desk.
    The waiting was almost worse than the beating Leo knew would come, and the pounding of his blood in his ears soon drowned out the clock.
    His father stood and meandered to Leo’s left. When he finally broke the silence, his silky voice was low and threatening. “You started using your mother’s pain medication.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “When?”
    “September, sir.”
    “Last September, as in five months ago?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Why?”
    Because of you . “No excuse, sir.”
    “Did Audrey Rose put you up to this?”
    “No, sir!” Leo was appalled. “She didn’t know anything about this, sir.”
    “I leave for five days, and you royally screw up. You obviously need more structure in your life. There’s no way you’l manage the freedom of a university. You’re going to the Academy. That’s all there is to it.”
    “No!” The disobedient word escaped before he thought twice.
    “It’s my choice!”
    His father narrowed his violet eyes and delivered a sharp blow to Leo’s midsection.
    Leo doubled over and cried out in pain. The waves of hurt coursing through his body were only intensified by the soreness lingering from withdrawal.
    “What’d you say to me?” CS yelled.
    Leo coughed violently and tried to stand at attention, panicked by the prospect of military rule for four years of school and five more years of duty. “That’s nine years of my life, sir. You can’t make me give you nine more years!”
    “Well, I’m certainly not paying for my drug addict son to go to college.” He smiled. “And you’re not giving me those years in the Navy, you’re giving them to yourself. They’ll be the best nine years of your life. Let’s try this again. Leo, you’ll attend the Naval Academy.” Leo felt something dying inside. Any hope that he’d ever escape his father’s dominion drained out like liquid onto the floor, and he stood in a puddle of despair. If it wasn’t his father, it’d be some commanding officer forcing him to follow orders. It would never change.
    The light in his eyes faded. “Yes, sir. I’m going to the Academy.” With a curt nod, his father moved on. “Your mother never complained to me about missing pills. Where’d you get them?” Failure to answer earned Leo a stunning blow to his face, which disoriented him. He felt a warm stickiness below his bottom lip.
    His father leaned in close. “Who gave you the pills, Leo?” CS moved to unleash another punch, and Leo blurted, “Tony, sir! Jason’s friend Tony.”
    “Unbelievable. Your brother’s been gone for years, and he’s still hurting this family.”
    “It wasn’t Jase’s fault, sir.”
    His father backhanded Leo’s head, snapping his neck to the left and radiating pain down his body. Leo felt tears forming.
    “I told you never to mention your brother’s name again!” Leo had no idea where Jason and his mother were, but he wished he could warn them. He couldn’t imagine what CS would do if Jason confronted him.
    “Your mother put you into that treatment center?”
    “Yes, sir.” Leo followed orders and didn’t mention Jason. He clenched his jaw as a tear rolled down his cheek.
    “Look at that.” His father snorted with disgust. “That treatment’s already weakened you. Crying like a baby. I’m going to have to toughen you up before Plebe Summer.”
    Great.
    “What was Mary thinking, believing she could go behind my back like that?” he mused. “She and I will have a little talk.”
    “Don’t hurt her,” Leo warned.
    “And what will you do about it?” His father swooped over, inches from Leo’s face. “Do you want to hit me, Leo? C’mon, give it your best shot. Let’s see what happens.”
    Leo’s eyes