What an idiot.
Despite the music, the air was quiet here by the pool. Gabriel could feel people looking at him, talking about him, but it was easier to ignore them when he wasn’t standing directly in their midst.
And not everyone was talking about him. Some kids by the back door were playing cards. The people in the hot tub had a lively interaction going on—the kind that didn’t exactly involve a lot of talking. Hunter was still talking to Calla, following her into the house now. Interesting. And another couple was going at it hot and heavy at the opposite end of the pool deck. Probably drunk, or they’d never be out here in the open.
He wondered what Layne would do if he walked to her house and started throwing stones at her window.
Gabriel polished off his food and set the plate below his chair, dropping back to stare up at the stars.
A breeze caught the flames and made them flicker.
Play?
He shook his head. Not now.
Then a stronger gust of wind whipped across the pool to sprinkle him with water and blow out the three torches surrounding him.
Nick.
Gabriel flung a surge of power into the torch by his twin, making flames shoot high and spray sparks. Girls shrieked and scattered, including Quinn.
Gabriel smiled.
“That wasn’t very nice.”
He craned his head back. Becca stood there in the darkness. He couldn’t make out her expression, but the displeasure in her voice said enough.
Gabriel looked back at the pool. “Maybe I’m not very nice.”
“Can I sit down?”
He shrugged. “Go ahead. I already lost my wingman.”
She moved forward between the lounges, and he expected her to drop onto the one next to him, but she sat on his. She faced him, her hip against his, the warmth in her body carrying through the gauzy skirt she wore.
His eyes flicked up to hers. “Trying to make Chris jealous?”
“No. I’m trying to figure out what’s up with you.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Nick doesn’t know what he did wrong. You know, he’s beating himself up trying to figure it—”
“Becca, stop.” He glared out at the pool. “Nick did nothing wrong.”
That was the whole problem. Nick never did anything wrong.
“He misses you.”
Gabriel snorted and gestured to the dark tiki torches. “Yeah, he’s got a funny way of showing it.” He fished the lighter out of his pocket and stood to relight them.
Really, he couldn’t take her closeness right now.
He pulled down the first torch and flicked his lighter. Becca stood next to him, and he watched the firelight dance across her cheeks. She looked worried.
He sighed. “Please stop looking at me like that.”
“Are you really starting these fires?” she whispered.
He pulled down the next torch. If he said no, would it make a difference? He could already hear the plea in her tone, the fear behind her whisper.
But then he flicked his lighter, and something beyond Becca caught his eye.
Taylor and Heather had cell phones in their hands, and they were taking pictures—or maybe video—of the couple writhing on the lounge. The girls were giggling, but he couldn’t make out everything they were saying.
He let the flame die and nodded in their direction. “What do you think is going on over there?”
Becca turned and her whole body stiffened. “Hey!” she called. She started storming across the pool deck. “Hey!”
God, she was a ballsy chick. Gabriel followed her.
Taylor and Heather were making wolf whistles, egging the couple on. Some big kid was on top of a much smaller girl in boots and a miniskirt. He couldn’t see her face behind the guy, but he’d worked her skirt up to her waist and her shirt up to her chest, revealing the edge of a bra. Thank god she had tights on, or she’d be giving quite a show.
The guy’s arm was on her shoulder, pinning her there, his hand over her mouth.
The other hand was trying to force the shirt higher. The girl squealed and struggled.
Becca walked right up and punched him in the kidney. “Get off of her, you asshole!”
He barely grunted. Becca was tiny.
Gabriel was not. He slammed the guy into the concrete pool deck.
Ryan Stacey.
“Jesus,” said Gabriel. “You really are an asshole.”
Chris was suddenly there beside him. He must have seen Becca go flying across the pool deck. “Yeah. He is.”
“Ohmigod,” said Taylor, almost breathless with laughter. “I got all of that. Hey, Ryan, that was the best hundred dollars I ever spent. Who’s the prostitute now, bitch?”
Gabriel snapped his head up. The girl was curled against Becca now, and he couldn’t see her face.
Ryan was laughing—he didn’t even seem to care that his head had cracked on the pavement. Obviously hammered. “No wonder her brother is a deaf retard. She’s all deformed under there.”
Layne. Gabriel grabbed the front of Ryan Stacey’s shirt and punched him in the face. And again. And—
“Gabriel. Gabriel.” Someone had his arms. Nick. And Chris. The torches were blazing now, pouring smoke into the sky, illuminating the pool deck like a bonfire. Ryan Stacey’s face was a mess. Gabriel wasn’t even sure he was still conscious. They’d drawn a small crowd, but Gabriel had his eyes locked on the trembling figure in Becca’s arms.
Layne, definitely Layne.
God, he’d been sitting right over there.
Gabriel was frozen, torn between going to Layne or breaking every bone in Ryan’s body. Followed by Taylor’s. Fire was whipping higher into the air, fed by his temper, looking for something more to burn.
“Take their phones,” said Becca. “Break them.”
“Please,” scoffed Taylor. “Like it’s not already online.”
But Chris snatched them anyway, snapping the cases and throwing the pieces into the pool. The girls didn’t look concerned. They looked satisfied.
“And, Gabriel,” said Taylor, “your part in this was too perfect. I didn’t think you’d show up.”
Layne made a choked noise and lifted her head. Her cheeks were red and tear streaked.
Gabriel wanted to break every bone in his own body. He could have stopped this. He’d been right here.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
She made that strangled noise again and pushed free of Becca. And then she was running, shoving past people, fighting her way toward the road.
Gabriel went after her.
But a hand caught his arm and pulled him back. Nick.
Gabriel shoved him, hard. “What?” he yelled, hearing his voice break. “What the fuck, Nick, what?”
“Here.” Nick was staring back at him, his hand out, his eyes almost haunted. “Here. Take the car. Get her out of here.”
There was too much to say. Gabriel couldn’t speak past the emotion in his throat.
So he closed his fingers around the keys and ran after Layne.
CHAPTER 23
Gabriel caught up to her in Heather’s front yard. Layne was stumbling, her hands at her face, her sobbing almost uncontrollable.
He caught her by the arms. Christ, his voice was still breaking. “Layne. Layne, please. Let me—”
She spun, her fists slamming into his chest. For her size, she hit with surprising force, driving her rage into him.
“How could you?” she yelled, her voice thick with tears. “How could you do this?”
“Please. I didn’t know—”
She hit him again. “How could you hate me so much—”