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Now, Quinn was ready for Tyler to come home with Chinese food, to sit across from him and have a real conversation.
She’d mocked him about honor, but really, he’d been incredi-bly honorable toward her. He’d never lied. He’d never taken her up on her offer to “repay” him.
She was ready to stop pushing him away.
Nick, too. Quinn reassessed the way she’d treated him. He’d been trying to protect her from Tyler, and she’d all but told him to f**k off.
Not all but. She had. She still had the text in her phone history.
She’d pushed Adam away, too, that night she’d blown him off, the night she’d jumped on a bus and texted Tyler.
When she really thought about it, she had a lot of people looking out for her, and she’d treated them all like crap.
Then Tyler strolled through the door looking like he’d been in a fight. His jacket was filthy, his jeans looking somewhat charred around the seams. He dropped a leaking bag of Chinese food on the table.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said flatly. “The place was packed. I had to wait.”
Quinn stared at him. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Your boyfriend happened,” he said flatly. “He and his brother just renewed my desire to kill them.”
Nick needed to call home.
He didn’t want to, but if he didn’t show up, Michael would worry.
He sat on the end of Adam’s bed, staring at Adam’s cell phone, while his host banged around in the kitchen, making something he claimed would be better than coffee.
Nick almost hoped it would be something better than hard liquor, because he wouldn’t mind turning off his thoughts for a while.
It was close to ten. He only knew two numbers by heart: the house phone and Gabriel’s cell.
No contest.
The house phone rang four times. With each ring, Nick’s heart staggered as he prepared for Gabriel to pick up.
Fate smiled on him this time. Chris answered.
“It’s me,” said Nick. “Is Mike around?”
“He’s out with Hannah.” Chris hesitated. “Where are you calling from? Are you okay?”
“Did Gabriel get home yet?”
“No, why? Where are you?”
Nick absolutely hated that his twin brother had been such a dick, but he still felt a flicker of worry about where Gabriel had gone—or what he was doing. “Look—Chris, it’s nothing. Can you tell Michael something for me?”
“Sure. Whatever you need.” Chris hesitated. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
No. Nick rubbed at his eyes. He wanted to crawl into a bed and sleep for a month. “Will you tell him—” Tell him what?
That his twin brother had broken his heart? That he couldn’t come home for . . . ever? Nick cleared his throat. “Tell him I’m spending the night with a friend. I accidentally left my phone in the car.”
Another pause. A weighted one. Chris’s voice was low.
“Would this friend be Adam?”
Nick froze.
