The Brother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Chapter 02 - The Brother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Adrian crouched beside Noah, barely noticing the pedestrians moving around them.
"What's your mother's name?"
Noah hesitated.
"Rachel."
The name meant nothing to Adrian.
But the dog tag did.
Eighteen years earlier, Adrian and Ethan Cole had been twenty-four and twenty-one, two brothers who believed nothing could separate them.
Their father had died when they were teenagers.
Their mother followed three years later.
After that, the brothers had only each other.
Ethan eventually enlisted in the Army.
Before his first deployment, he bought two matching dog tags from a small tattoo shop outside Fort Campbell.
The tags were not official military identification.
They were something personal.
A ridiculous skull design Ethan loved.
"One for me," Ethan had said.
"And one for the brother who'll have to drag me home when I get stupid."
Adrian had laughed.
Then came the overseas accident.
A military vehicle went over a mountain road during a storm.
Several soldiers were killed.
Ethan's body was never formally recovered.
His family was told there was no realistic possibility of survival.
Adrian eventually held a funeral without a body.
For eighteen years, he believed his brother was dead.
Now an eight-year-old boy was wearing Ethan's necklace.
Adrian opened his wallet and removed several hundred-dollar bills.
Noah immediately shook his head.
"I don't need that much."
Adrian stared at him.
"When was the last time you ate?"
Noah said nothing.
That silence answered everything.
"Take me to your mother."
Noah stepped away.
"No."
Adrian was surprised.
"Why?"
"Mom said never go anywhere with strangers."
Despite everything, Adrian almost smiled.
"She's right."
He handed Noah a business card instead.
"My name is Adrian Cole. Show her this."
Noah examined the card suspiciously.
Then suddenly looked toward the intersection.
A city bus had stopped.
"I have to go."
He grabbed his speakers.
Adrian reached toward him.
"Wait."
But Noah was already running.
One speaker bounced against his knee as he crossed the street.
Adrian watched the child disappear onto the bus.
His driver approached quietly.
"Should I follow him?"
Adrian stared at the identical tag still resting in his palm.
"No."
He paused.
Then changed his mind.
"Actually..."
Adrian looked toward the departing bus.
"Yes."
May you like
Because for the first time in eighteen years, Adrian was no longer wondering how his brother had died.
He was wondering whether Ethan Cole had died at all.
