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She’d taken Tyler at his word when he’d said Nick had picked a fight Friday night, but now, watching them, it made her wonder. Tyler had compared Nick’s abilities to a rogue lion.
Had he poked the lion with a stick, just to watch it break out the fangs?
With a flash of guilt, she remembered Nick’s fear in his driveway. He’d hidden it under a layer of self-defense and aggression, but she’d seen it.
She was seeing it now.
Adam glanced over. “Nick said their families are fighting.”
“He told you that?”
A nod. “That’s why he didn’t want you seeing Tyler.”
“That’s not all of it,” she said. “I think Tyler used to beat the shit out of him when he was younger.”
Adam froze. “He didn’t tell me that.”
“He barely told me. I had to drag it out of him. I almost didn’t believe him. I mean, you look at Nick and you’d think anyone would be an idiot to pick a fight with him, but—”
“It doesn’t matter what it looks like,” Adam snapped. “All that matters is what it really is.”
“I know,” she said quietly. She hesitated. “Tyler isn’t a bad guy, either, Adam.”
Adam glanced at where Nick and Tyler were sitting. “I hope you’re right, Quinn. I really hope you’re right.”
Nick wondered if he could suffocate Tyler right here and get away with it.
At least it would make this douche bag shut up.
“Your boyfriend looks pissed,” Tyler whispered, his voice so low that Nick wouldn’t have heard him if the air weren’t so willing to carry the words to his ears. “Think he’s jealous?”
Nick didn’t respond. The rest of the studio had cleared out, and they had the risers to themselves. Adam and Quinn were dancing now, their movements full of passion and strength. But Tyler was right: Adam did look pissed every time he glanced at where they were sitting.
He couldn’t possibly be jealous of Tyler. Right?
But why else would he be pissed off? Had Quinn said something? What?
Nick hated that this dickhead was sitting here putting thoughts in his head.
Part of him wanted to leave. He could sit outside, or even take the bus back to Adam’s. Hell, he could take the bus home if he needed to—Adam had explained the line and given him a bus schedule, telling him which spot would drop him off closest to Chautauga if he really needed to help his brothers with a job.
But he’d finally broken and called home before coming here, hoping he’d get someone other than Gabriel.
By luck—or his twin’s calculated avoidance, he wasn’t sure which—Michael had answered the phone. Chris had agreed to work for Nick today. Hunter had already been planning on going with Becca to visit her father. Gabriel would be home alone with a pile of textbooks.
Pretty much a guarantee that Nick wouldn’t be getting on a bus anytime soon.
Then again, sitting next to Tyler was quite possibly the only thing worse than facing his twin again.
Tyler shifted closer. “No wonder you could never fight back.
I didn’t realize Gabriel Merrick had a twin sister—”
“Shut up,” Nick said.
“Or what? You’ll huff and you’ll puff and you’ll blow this place down? Or do you only know how to blow—”
“Shut up.” Nick glared at him and didn’t bother keeping his voice down. “Fuck you, Tyler. You might have Quinn fooled, but I know what you’ve done. Michael might give you a free pass because you lost your sister and he feels some shred of re-sponsibility for it, but—”
