Wreckers: A Denver Boyd Novel by George Ellis (ebook reader ink .TXT) 📕

on my brother’s bunk with his hands behind his head. “Pro tip. Next time you sneak off the ship when we’re docked, turn off your handhelds. It’s a little thing called a tracking beacon.”

I looked at my brother, pissed. He wasn’t worried, but he didn’t have as much at stake as I did. He shrugged.

“Good to know, Rick,” Avery said, playing it off as if he wasn’t worried we were caught. Like everyone else on the crew (besides me), Avery called my dad by his first name. Formal titles like captain were rarely used on the Sheffield.

My dad hopped up off the bunk and cracked Avery on the side of the head. I flinched and waited for my turn, but it never came. Avery’s eyes were red as he fought back the tears, not wanting to give our old man the satisfaction.

“I expect it from you,” he told Avery, before glaring at me, disappointed. “But your mom told me you were a good kid. I guess that’s one more thing she was wrong about…”

My dad’s words trailed off as he studied me. He twitched his nose.

“Either one of you is wearing perfume, or you had some fun in town tonight. Maybe at Red Desert?” he asked. He looked back at Avery, who glanced ever so briefly at me, but that was enough.

“I guess some exceptions can be made if this was the night you got laid for the first time,” he said.

I didn’t know what to say, so I just kept my mouth shut. That must have been the right thing to do, because my dad simply mussed up my hair and headed to the door. Before leaving, he turned back.

“One-time pass,” he warned.

Once he was gone, I punched my brother as hard as I could in the arm. It stung him and he jumped back, surprised. He wanted to tackle me. Something held him back.

“That’s how you thank me for getting you some tail?” he asked.

“Why were you talking to the Silver Star guy?” I accused.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell dad? So he wouldn’t worry about it, either?”

Avery lunged at me and caught me by the shoulders. He slammed a fist into my cheek. “One word about this gets to the old man and you’re dead, Denny. Got it?”

It wasn’t the first time I’d been punched in the face by Avery, and it hadn’t even been the hardest (it barely hurt), but I’d never seen him so angry. I knew he’d been doing something dad would’ve been really pissed about. I quickly nodded and wriggled out of his grasp.

“You’re just a kid,” he said. “You wouldn’t get it. But someday you’ll know what dad’s really like. In this verse, there’s only one person that’s always looking out for you, Denny, and that’s you. Not dad. Not me. Not even mom. Don’t you ever forget it.”

And with that, he flipped off the light and plunked down onto his cot. I stood there in the dark, shaking with anger and nerves. Deep down, I knew he was right about looking out for ourselves. It didn’t make me feel any better, though.

The next day, I sat at my normal spot in the galley. It was a table off in the corner. Normally I would eat alone, or with Avery if he was feeling charitable. It wasn’t so much that the rest of the crew avoided me. I just didn’t feel like one of them. On my first day aboard the ship, my dad had warned me it would take time, and I shouldn’t force it, or they would sense my desperation.

About half of the crew was in the galley eating, my dad among them. When he saw me sit down in the corner, he grabbed what was left of his meal and walked over.

“This seat taken?” he asked.

It was the first time he’d offered to sit with me. I was more surprised than anything, but I tried to play it cool and kicked out the seat for him. He smiled as he sat down.

“So, tell me about it.”

I could feel my face getting hot. I hadn’t slept much the night before. I’d spent much of the night conflicted about how I’d lost my virginity. I could tell my father wanted me to be proud and macho about it, so I did my best to tell him it wasn’t bad and that the woman said I was a natural. In other words, I lied.

I’ll never know if my dad realized I was stretching the truth, because the real reason he came over wasn’t to share in the moment (as twisted as that was). He wanted intel.

“What were you guys doing there, anyway?” he asked between bites, trying to be innocent about it. “I mean, did you see Avery talking to anyone?”

I was angry. I also felt stupid. I’d thought, for a fleeting moment, that my dad had taken an actual interest in me. When it turned out he was just trying to squeeze information out of me, I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him Avery was, in fact, meeting with his rival, just to see his face when he knew he’d been betrayed by his favorite son.

But I knew if I did that, I’d be playing right into his hands. I didn’t even know why Avery was talking with the guy. Maybe it was just a little side hustle or he was selling him uppers or something.

“Mostly just the bartender,” I said.

My dad frowned. In that moment, I could see his interest in me disappear. Either I didn’t know or I wouldn’t tell him, he must have figured. He abruptly got up from his chair and started to walk away. Then he stopped and turned.

“I hope you wore a jimmy,” he joked. “Those New Chicago companions have a lot of mileage on them.”

I’d never told him the woman was a companion. I guess he just assumed.

* * *

Before I had time to fully process the anger