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Nick didn’t even remember moving. He had a hold of Gabriel’s arm and he was driving him back, until his twin hit the cinder block wall of the shopping center.
“Don’t you touch him,” he said fiercely. He might have been yelling. He gave Gabriel a shove against the wall for good measure. “You hear me? You keep your hands off him.”
Gabriel’s eyes were wide. Their breathing was loud, putting twin puffs of steam between them. Time seemed to hold still.
Nick kept seeing Gabriel’s fist drawn back, ready to smash into Adam’s jaw. Nick wanted to slam him into the wall again.
For the first time in his life, he wouldn’t back down from his brother for anything.
Gabriel’s eyes went from Nick to Adam and back.
Then he coiled all his strength to throw Nick off.
Nick had leverage—and while he couldn’t fight like Gabriel, he was every bit as strong. He slammed him back into the wall.
Harder this time. Gabriel’s head hit the cinder block.
“Hey. Hey.” Adam put a hand on Nick’s arm. “Take it easy,”
he said quietly. “Let him go. It’s a misunderstanding.”
Nick looked across into his brother’s eyes. He saw the exact moment when Gabriel put two and two together.
And Nick waited for his brother to swallow the aggression, to be decent, to take this horrible moment and make everything okay.
But Gabriel’s expression turned dark and furious. “So is this part of your big secret, Nicky?”
If he’d just said the words, Nick wouldn’t have cared.
But Gabriel said it in a high-pitched mocking lisp.
Nick couldn’t see through the rage. He lifted a fist to swing.
And that was all Gabriel needed. He twisted free of Nick’s grip and ducked under the flying fist.
Nick’s hand cracked into the cinder block wall.
Then Gabriel’s hand cracked into his face.
For the second time in one night, Nick went down.
And suddenly, they had a crowd. An older man was in front of Gabriel, blocking him, his hands up. “Take a walk, son. Take a walk. Cool off.”
Nick saw stars and tasted blood. He couldn’t feel his fingers yet. He started to get to his feet, but Adam grabbed his arm and held him there.
“Don’t get up,” he said. “Let him walk away.”
Gabriel watched this, clear derision in his expression. “You don’t have to hold him,” he snapped. “Nick will stay down.”
“Walk,” ordered the older man. “Or we’re calling the cops.”
He paused. “Now.”
For an instant, Nick thought Gabriel would shove past the guy. The air held so much violent potential.
But then his twin brother turned and walked away. No part-ing words, no final epithets. Just measured steps along the sidewalk, across the stretch of road, before giving way to a car door slamming.
And then the rumble of an engine. He was leaving.
