Excerpt of Included!

DOWN RIVERHe backed off, but the third jab opened a cut over his eye, blinded him,and I hammered the ribs. It was like hitting the heavy bag.I just hit harder.He was backpedaling, saying something, but I’d moved beyond that. I sawGrace, shattered, felt the heat of this fire that was gutting four years of my father’slife. And for what? Because Jamie was a gambler and a coward. A weakassson of a bitch that put himself first. Well, fuck that.The blows ran together. Any other man and he’d be done. But he wasn’t.He tucked his head, charged, and this time, I wasn’t fast enough. He got thosearms around me, bore me down. Our faces were inches apart. Pressure cameon my ribs. His voice rose to a scream. My name. He kept yelling my name.Then something else.“Zebulon Faith!” he yelled. “Damn it, Adam. It was Zebulon Faith! I almosthad him!”I felt like I was coming out of tunnel. “What did you say?”“Are you going to hit me?”“No. We’re done.”He rolled off me and climbed to his feet, wiping blood out of his eye.“Faith was heading for the river.” He looked off, into the darkness. “But he’sgone now. We’ll never find him.”“Don’t try to confuse me, Jamie. I know about your gambling.”“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”“You’re in the hole for three hundred thousand dollars.”He opened his mouth to argue, then he lowered his head, condemned bythe truth of it.“Did you think that burning the vines would force Dad to sell? Was that theplan?”His head snapped up. “Of course not. I would never do that. The vineyardwas my idea.” He pointed at the flames. “Those are my babies burning.”“Don’t bullshit me, brother. You lied about your gambling. You sent me ona wild-goose chase to keep me from finding out about it, but I did. Three hundredthousand dollars and Danny was beaten half to death by the same peoplefor a debt one-tenth that size. Who knows what else you’re involved in. You’re259