Chapter 2

The taxi, a rattling old thing that smelled of stale cigarettes and regret, bumped its way down the dirt track to Gator’s Landing. The air thrummed with noise even before we got close – roaring engines, loud music, shouts and laughter. I paid the driver, my hand shaking as I handed over almost all my money.

The place was a chaotic swarm of people, lights strung between cypress trees, the smell of beer and fried food thick in the air. A makeshift track was lit up on the dark water of the bayou. And then I saw him.

Liam. Not in a wheelchair. Not leaning on crutches. He was standing on the deck of a sleek, powerful swamp boat, laughing, animated. He moved easily, confidently. My breath hitched. It couldn’t be.

A roar went up from the crowd. A race was finishing. Liam’s boat, emblazoned with a snarling gator, shot across the finish line, spray flying. He threw his arms up in victory. Agile. Strong. Triumphant.

Chloe Dubois was there, right beside him as he docked. She threw her arms around his neck, her blonde hair shining under the lights. She handed him a wad of cash, then a bouquet of gaudy plastic flowers. He kissed her, a deep, possessive kiss that made my stomach clench. My brother. The invalid. Kissing Chloe Dubois like a lover.

I felt cold, despite the oppressive heat. My legs were rooted to the muddy ground. He hadn’t seen me. I moved closer, hidden by a knot of cheering onlookers. I heard his voice, clear and strong, not the weak, pained tone he used with me. "Easy money, baby," he said to Chloe, stuffing the cash into his pocket. "Like taking candy from a very, very stupid baby." He laughed. Chloe laughed with him. One of his buddies, a rough-looking guy I didn’t recognize, slapped him on the back. "You sure got that sister of yours fooled, Liam. Five years, and she still thinks you’re a cripple." Liam’s smile was cruel. "She deserves it. Every damn bit of it. She killed Mom and Dad. This is just a small taste of what she owes."

Killed Mom and Dad? The words hit me like a physical blow. Hurricane Antoine. The chaos, the fear. Our parents, caught in the storm surge because… because I’d wanted to go to that stupid beach party. I was a reckless teenager. Liam had always said it wasn’t my fault. He’d comforted me, held me while I cried. "It was the storm, Maya," he’d said, his voice gentle. "No one could have stopped it." All lies. Every comforting word, a lie. His supposed sacrifice, a lie. His disability, a lie. His love for me, the biggest lie of all.

The world tilted. The snarky text, the narrator’s voice in my head – it was all true. I stumbled forward, pushing through the crowd. "Liam?" My voice was a hoarse whisper. But he heard it. He turned, his smile freezing on his face.