Zach's gaze narrowed with suspicion, but was quickly eclipsed by a curiosity that got the best of him. "Go ahead," he said gruffly. "I'm listening."
"I talked with Jon, Ben, and Kevin, and we're willing to pay off your outstanding debt with this Lanny Mendoza guy, and anyone else you owe, in order for you to start off with a fresh, clean slate." Joel paused for a second to let that sink in before adding, "But, the new loan from us and our company, ESS, comes with a few stipulations."
"Of course it does." Zach replied drolly, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Let's hear it."
"In exchange for us paying off your debt and getting your sister's life insurance policy off the block for collateral, you need to agree to rehab for your gambling and alcohol addictions. Once you've completed that program, the guys and I want to offer you a job at ESS, which will pay you enough to make a decent living as well as pay back what you owe us."
Lora's mind reeled at Joel's generous proposal, and she had to resist the urge to jump up and shout "yes!" to the offer for Zach. But, it wasn't hers to accept, and she glanced anxiously at her brother. While Lora was thrilled and knew what a golden opportunity this was for Zach to start a new life for himself, as well as get the help he desperately needed, her brother clearly didn't share her enthusiasm.
In fact, Zach looked downright furious. "What the hell is this, some kind of fucking setup?" he demanded, staring hard at Joel. "I come here to see my sister, and you accuse me of having a gambling and drinking problem and want to lock me up in some kind of psychiatric facility? Nice way to show your gratitude for me saving your life, Wilde Man."
Joel didn't so much as flinch. "This is my way of showing gratitude, you ass. Quid pro quo. You saved my life, I'm trying to save yours, and you damn well know it, so don't start looking for someone else to blame for your problems."
"Well, I don't have any problems to fix," Zach sneered. "This one thing got a little out of control, and you both are making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be."
"Oh, really?" Joel leaned closer to Zach, his expression as ruthless and cutthroat as a man could get. "Look at your sister and tell her that, so when those thugs come looking for her again, she'll remember that you don't have a gambling addiction, and those men are going to kill her for no reason at all. How do you feel about that?"
Joel's deliberately brutal words had the desired affect on Zach, hitting him where he was most susceptible. Rage flared across her brother's features, and he stood up so fast his chair hit the back wall behind him. "Fuck you, Joel!"
"The truth hurts, doesn't it, Zach?" Joel's mouth flattened into a grim line.
"You don't know the first thing about my situation," Zach said through clenched teeth.
"I know enough, Zach." In a smooth, fluid motion, Joel stood, too, looking far stronger and more intimidating than Zach. "I know you're so far gone, and so desperate, that you really have no concept of what you're doing to your life, and your sister's. And if you go back to gambling and start losing and can't pay back your debt, those guys aren't going to kill you, Zach, because that doesn't do them any good at all. Instead, they're going to torture you, little by little, until you're barely hanging on and in so much pain you beg them to let you die, but they're not going to put you out of your misery. Then, they'll go and find your sister and kill her so you can collect on her insurance policy and pay them what you owe. And maybe, if you're really lucky, they'll finally leave you alone."
The picture that Joel painted with his harsh words was utterly morbid, and it chilled Lora to the bone. She understood what Joel was doing, that he was attempting to break Zach down and force him to face his demons. And, ultimately, to get him to admit that he did, indeed, have a problem and had dug himself into a hole so deep, there were only two ways out… Lanny Mendoza's way, or Joel's way.
"This is fucking bullshit!" Despite Zach's brave tirade, he was trembling, and panic flashed in his eyes, along with a stark fear he couldn't conceal no matter how hard he tried.
Her brother's denial was so painful to watch that Lora felt her chest tighten to the point that it became difficult to breathe. She wanted to yell at him for being so stubborn and stupid and too proud to accept help, but Joel had everything under control and didn't need her falling apart on him, too.
"What it is, is your reality," Joel told Zach. "I'm offering you a clear-cut way out. You've already lost everything. You have absolutely nothing to lose by accepting my proposition, and so much to gain."
"Forget it." Zach backed away from the table, scrambling to put distance between himself and Joel and the truth threatening to strangle him. "I'm out of here." He spun around and strode out of the kitchen to the front room.
"Oh, God," Lora said on a sob, and started after her brother, ready to do or say whatever it took to make him see reason. She was terrified that if he walked out that door she'd never, ever see him again.
Joel caught her arm before she could chase after him. "Let him go, Lora," he said gently. "He has to want to change, or else we'll all be wasting our time."
The front door slammed shut behind Zach, and Lora felt her heart pound just as hard. Tears stung the backs of her eyes and her throat grew raw. "What is it going to take to make him want to change?"
Joel didn't bother to disguise his own pain over the situation. "Hitting rock bottom."
A harsh, humorless laugh escaped her, and she cringed as she heard Zach's vehicle skid on the gravel drive as he left. "I thought he already had."
"Not quite." Joel pulled her into his arms, and she went willingly, needing his comfort and strength to get her through this agonizing experience. "I just hope he comes to his senses before it's too late."
So did Lora, because she knew that despite her brother's obstinance, she'd never be able to live with herself if anything bad happened to Zach.
AFTER Zach's abrupt departure, sleep was impossible. Lora tossed and turned in her bed and listened to the rain outside until six in the morning. She could hear Joel moving around in the living room, and she decided that there was nothing left for them to do at the cabin. It was time to get up and get dressed, pack their small bags, and head back to the city.
Within an hour, they were ready to go.
While Joel did one last check of the cabin and made sure that the fire in the hearth was completely extinguished, Lora stepped outside and came to an immediate stop when she saw a large figure huddled on the front porch. Instantly, she recognized the straggly, damp brown hair and dirty and stained coat covering the slumped form as Zach's.
"Oh, no," she breathed, her mind already thinking the absolute worst. She fell to her knees beside her brother and shook him, hard, and experienced a flood of relief when he lifted his head and opened his bloodshot eyes. "Zach, are you okay?"
"Yeah… just dandy." He tried to smile, but his expression was heartbreakingly bleak and desolate. He shifted on the cold wooden planks, and an empty pint of vodka rolled out from beneath his coat. He glanced from the bottle to Lora and murmured, "There's absolutely nothing left."
It was a bizarre statement, and she couldn't help but think that he was referring to more than just the empty bottle of booze that he'd undoubtedly consumed. She wondered if this is what Joel had meant when he'd said that Zach had to hit rock bottom, because her brother certainly appeared lost and bereft and she couldn't imagine him falling any further into his own personal hell.
Joel came out of the cabin and the screen door slammed shut behind him, the sound making Lora jump.
She glanced behind her, unsure what to do. "He came back," she said, praying that was a positive sign and a step toward Zach aiding in his own recovery.