CHAPTER SIX

Duke Sinatra was going hard on that video game. He was playing with the party's host, and was beating the crap out of him over and over again. And he wasn't letting up. A small group had surrounded them, egging both young men on, but Duke kept the upper hand. Until his twin sister Jackie came over and tapped him on the shoulder.

He leaned toward her, but he kept his eyes and fingers on the game.

"Time to go," Jackie whispered in his ear.

Duke glanced at her, upset by what she'd said. "On whose orders?"

"Daddy's," Jackie said.

Although Duke was disappointed, he knew there was no getting out of a direct order from their father. "I'm out," he said as tossed the controller aside.

"Then you lose by default, Sinatra," said the party's host.

"Everybody knows I was beating your ass. But you wanna live in that make-believe land of default, help yourself," he added, and everybody laughed.

But when the two teenagers began walking out, two bodyguards who had been inside the house followed them. But when they made it outside and two additional bodyguards surrounded them and put them in an SUV, Duke was concerned. "What about my car?"

"One of our men will drive it home," said the detail chief, who was seated on the front passenger seat, as Duke and Jackie got in.

Duke and Jackie glanced at each other. Something was wrong. "What happened?" Duke asked him.

"A shooting."

"Involving?"

"Your mother."

" What ?" both twins said in unison.

"But she's fine," the bodyguard said just as quickly.

Duke and Jackie were still terrified. Jackie leaned forward. "What does fine mean? Was she shot?"

"No. She wasn't harmed. Your father is taking extra precautions, that's all."

"Oh," Jackie said, and leaned back.

But Duke took his sister's hand as they rode away from the party. They felt different just because they had to leave a wonderful get-together. But it was times like these, with security cars in front and back of their SUV and many of their schoolmates looking on as if it was the strangest thing they'd ever seen, that reminded them both of just how different they really were.