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Eli shook his head

“What set hi away fro about?”

“Caleb”

“Your stepbrother?”

Eli nodded “Caleb called e The connection was really bad because I couldn’t understandI tried calling hi to voicemail So I called Jack and asked hi so hiive Caleb some space”

Eli lifted his eyes to look atabout hi some work at the military hospital over there She couldn’t tellwith it I called Caleb back and left hi hi of the attack”

“Jack confronted you in the stairwell,” I ventured

Eli nodded “He aiting for me by the door that led to the flooratto hirabbed my arm and twisted it Said he didn’t want his son around someone like me Then he hit ain after we heard you call out and then he left”

Even now the ie of a battered Eli huddled in that stairwell had er

“What about your other stepbrother? Nick”

Eli dropped his eyes again “Nick overdosed a feeeks ago”

“I’h they hadn’t been close, Eli wasn’t unaffected by the young man’s death

“I thought that hy Caleb was calling me He took Nick’s death pretty hard He was the one who found him”

“How old is Caleb?”

“Seventeen Nick was nineteen”

“Do you still have Caleb’s e?”

Eli nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket He pressed several buttons and then handed me the phone I put the phone on speaker and then hit the play button The voice that ca

“Eli? Eli…Nick, it wasn’t…I don’t know…”

Several long seconds of pure static follohere there was no other audible noise before the young ain “Eli, I’m sorry Please”