Chapter 1
The Texas Sun
The heat rose off the Texas desert in blinding waves. A sleek black Tesla sat idling on the gravel, its engine humming faintly against the vast, empty silence.
The door opened, and Kevin stepped out into the dust, his black suit crisp, holding a heavy briefcase in one hand. With his other hand, he dragged his younger brother, Rev, toward the center of the barren dirt path at gunpoint. Rev’s wrists were bound tight with rope, and a black blindfold covered his eyes.
"So, is it true?" Kevin asked, his voice cold and devoid of affection.
"W-What is happening?" Rev stammered, his voice cracking as panic set in.
"Answer the damn question, you bastard!" Kevin shouted, bringing his palm across Rev’s face with a violent crack.
"I don't—I don't know what y-you're talking about!" Rev gasped. Sweat dripped down his neck, soaking his shirt as his hands trembled behind his back.
Kevin reached forward and yanked the blindfold off.
Rev blinked against the sudden, blinding sunlight. As the desert blurred into focus, his eyes widened in sheer terror at the sight of the gun aimed directly between his brows.
"K-Kevin... but why?" he whispered, his chest heaving.
"You want to know why? You stole my money, you piece of shit!" Kevin screamed into the empty expanse.
"Wait... what are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
"Oh," Rev said, realization dawning through his dread. "You're talking about the money we made from the family business."
"You mean my money," Kevin spat.
"Kevin, what has gotten into you?" Rev pleaded. "That was family money! Not yours alone!"
"It was always about me!" Kevin pressed the barrel of the gun directly against Rev’s forehead. "The money was meant for me!"
"I thought we were brothers," Rev said, tears finally spilling over his dirt-streaks.
"Well, you thought wrong." Kevin’s finger tightened on the trigger. "Any last words, brother?"
The fear in Rev’s eyes suddenly hardened into something cold. The trembling stopped. His voice grew loud and resonant, his facial expression twisting with pure rage.
"You'll die a lonely man, Kevin."
Kevin smirked, unflinching. "What a joke. See you in Hell..."
Blackout.
A single gunshot echoed into the barren horizon.
