Anna

38 - The Punchline

Early the next morning, after a sleepless night, Joe pounded his fist against the door for a third time. He'd bust the hinges to get inside if he had to.

"He's not gonna answer," Chase said over Joe's shoulder.

"Then I'll break the fucking window." Joe stepped back and scanned Ryan's front porch. He lived on another side of the city than Joe and Chase did, with less money. The covered concrete porch led to a sidewalk lined with other ranch-style brick homes packed together like sardines. If it weren't for Chase's funding of their freeloading childhood friend, Ryan would never have owned a home in the first place.

"Stop being dramatic," Chase said. "There's a key around here somewhere."

"A key? He never told me about a fucking key."

Chase raised his hands as if to say, what am I supposed to do?

Joe rolled his eyes at his brother and stepped aside to let him search for his alleged key. Joe pulled his hands through his hair and tightened his fists to tug at the roots as Chase pulled a small silver piece of metal from under the rim of a dying potted plant. Then, like the older sibling he was, Chase pointed at Joe and lectured his younger brother.

"You need to calm down. You have to go in with a level head. For Ellie."

Joe's tense shoulders dropped as he looked from his brother, to the door, and back again. Joe was not normally quick to anger... except when it came to Ellie. Ever since he read to her in the hospital, he knew he would do anything to protect her. The book was just the start—the book Ryan brought in the middle of the night.

Son of a fucking bitch.

"Just open the damn door," Joe said, throwing his arms up in defeat. Chase eyed him for half a second before turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open.

The lights inside were all on. Paper plates soggy from food and dirty clothes were strewn about the bachelor's living room. It was the same sight that greeted them every time they walked through the door. It used to not affect Joe, but this time, Ryan's filth infuriated him.

Joe and Chase knew exactly where to find Ryan. Without so much as a nod, they both paraded to the spare room in the back of the house where Ryan spent most of his time. Sure enough, they checked through the open door frame to find him facing the television, his back to the door with a game controller in his hands. Joe wanted to rip the noise-canceling headphones off his ears. Considering how early it was, he was probably at the tail end of another all-nighter.

Chase raised his eyebrows at Joe as a final reminder to chill out before they stepped between Ryan and his game. Ryan looked up at the two brick walls that blocked his view and lowered his headphones.

"This is a surprise," he said, oblivious to what they already knew. Chase crossed his arms and stepped forward.

"We know you're selling secrets and lies about Ellie."

Ryan plastered on a look of shock, but Joe saw through his facade.

"Chase, come on, you know me better than that."

"Do I?" Chase produced a folded piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it at Ryan. He fumbled to catch it and opened it up. "Care to explain why I'm on SNZ's front page tomorrow?"

Ryan scanned the letter-sized mockup Chase had printed at home from an image someone sent him. An unflattering photo of him graced the front page with a headline that read, Chase Holland dumped by wife of twelve years.

Ryan scoffed and raised to his feet so he towered over his friends. "This is ridiculous. For all you know, Robin's the one that told them."

"Just because my marriage has fallen apart doesn't mean I don't know my wife." Chase closed the gap between them, puffing out his chest. "You were the only other person who knew she left me. I trusted you. We both did."

Ryan hesitated and Joe could tell that he was trying to figure a way to weasel out of his current predicament. Joe knew Ryan as well as he knew himself... but perhaps not as well as he thought.

"Stop fucking with us," Joe said. The fact that Ryan could not own up to his actions infuriated him. They'd fought before, but someone always came clean. Ever since they were kids making music in a garage, they were honest with each other. It had always been Chase, Joe, and Ryan against the world. Now it was Chase and Joe against Ryan and the world.

"Ryan, please," Chase said in a softer tone, "just tell us the truth."

Ryan sucked on his teeth and huffed out a breath. "Fine," he said, then pointed an accusatory finger at Chase. "But I didn't do anything you haven't already done. They were already making up lies. I just told them the truth."

Even though he already knew, Joe's blood boiled at Ryan's confession.

"Why?" Chase asked. He tilted his head as if he were looking for any excuse to pardon his friend. To his own detriment, Ryan clammed up, which lit a fire under Joe. He managed to hold himself back and let his brother continue their negotiations. "Look, Joe wants to fuck you up right now, and I have half a mind to let him. Please, just tell us why."

Joe crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow. It felt strange to take Chase's side after dodging him for the last two weeks. But as brothers, they always pulled through in the end. He wasn't so sure he could say the same for Ryan anymore.

"You both stopped making music," Ryan said, his tone a little too sharp. He fumbled over his words, as if he needed to make up an excuse on the spot. "When you don't work, I don't work. I was about to lose my house."

"If you needed money, you could have come to us." Chase sounded desperate. He already lost Robin, and now he was about to lose his best friend.

"I tried. I tried pushing you back in the studio, but you rejected me. You've been so consumed with yourselves and your perfect little families. I didn't have a choice."

"You had every choice and you made the worst one," Joe said, closing the distance between them. His patience was wearing thin. "Do you even know what you've done? Selling Ellie's life, tipping off her location; she's never been more afraid to leave the house than she is right now because of you."

"I had no choice—"

"Bullshit." Joe was sick of the lies. He let Ryan into Ellie's isolated world, only for him to tear it to shreds right under their noses. He came to her birthday party, for fuck's sake. He gave her a present. Joe did not want to believe that the only reason he did so was to stay in his wealthy friends' good graces. He had vented to Ryan on more than one occasion about transgressions his brother did not actually commit. All the while, Ryan listened, knowing the truth, and said nothing.

A weight like an anchor sank in Joe's stomach at the thought that he himself played a part in all of it. For months, he kept everyone else at arm's length to protect Ellie, but that only made things worse. Instead of trusting Ellie's judgment, he laid the blame on her only friend. At that point, he'd be lucky if she ever forgave him.

Fueled by rage, Joe positioned himself inches from Ryan's face. Ryan held his ground and stared back. Their standoff was nothing more than a battle of stubbornness, but Joe wanted to yell, to fight, to hit something. He wanted Ryan to know how much he hurt their family.

Anger seeped through Joe's restless fingertips, but Chase's voice in the back of his head told him to stand down. More importantly, he knew Ellie would not want him to resort to what he wanted to do.

Joe reluctantly surrendered. He'd heard enough to know the sorry excuse of a person was not worth his wrath. Joe turned his back and forced himself forward, trying to focus his anger into a balled fist, but Ryan continued to push him.

"Why do you care so much? She's not even your fucking kid."

Something in Joe snapped. Now he really wanted to fuck him up. Ready to put up a fight, he whipped around just in time to see Chase's fist connect with Ryan's jaw. The six-foot-four tower of a man crumbled, splaying out in his chair and cupping his cheek where the blow landed.

Joe blinked incredulously at Chase with a gaped mouth, stunned and grateful that his brother threw the punch instead of him.

Before Ryan had a chance to collect himself, Chase stormed away, shaking out his knuckles and ushering Joe along with him. Together, they left their friend behind for the last time.