And Tyler was standing in the doorway, a gun in his hand.

“There,” he said, sounding like he was panting. “Now I don’t owe you anything anymore.”

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 33

For the second time that day, Nick sat with Adam on the concrete step of his patio.

Now, the sun was nearing the horizon, and Quinn was in Adam’s bathroom, taking a shower.

Six inches of space separated Nick from Adam.

It felt like a mile. They’d been sitting in silence for a while.

“Are you okay with everything?” Nick finally asked.

“I’m not sure okay is the right word.” He rubbed at his jaw. “It’s a lot. I watched someone die today.” He paused. “More than once. And very . . .” He shook his head. “Very violently.”

Nick nodded.

“Your brothers. They’ll all heal?” Adam said. “Just like—like you did?”

Another nod.

Adam’s eyes flicked over, dark and shadowed in the moonlight. “Your brother Michael can . . . get rid of the bodies?”

“Yeah.” Nick didn’t correct him to body, singular. He hadn’t told Adam exactly what had happened to the Guide in the woods. He wasn’t quite ready to deal with that himself. Nick still had no idea who she was or where she’d come from.

Or if there were more out there.

Hunter and Becca had brought her dad, Bill Chandler, back to the house when they’d called to tell them what had happened.

Bill had looked at Gareth’s body and had said to Michael, “You all killed Gareth Brody. You might not have wanted a war, kid, but I think you just started one.”

Adam studied Nick in the darkness, his eyes full of wary uncertainty. Nick wondered if this was the wtf coming home to set up shop.

Adam frowned. “And the studio . . . if the police come knocking, you expect me to tell them we left before anything happened? That we had no idea?” His voice was level, even.

Nick shifted on the step to look at him. “I don’t expect you to do anything, Adam. You don’t need to keep my secrets.” He sighed, resigned. “I know what I am. I know what happened. If you want to tell the cops everything, I can’t stop you.”

Adam nodded.

And that could mean anything.

“Okay,” Nick said softly. “I don’t want—” He hesitated. “I’ll leave.”

He waited for Adam to protest. Adam didn’t.

Nick stood and opened the sliding door. His voice was rough now. This was a thousand times worse than when they’d been caught by Hunter. “Thanks for taking care of Quinn,” he said.

Then he didn’t wait for a response. He slid the door closed and walked through the apartment to the front door.

Follow me. Please. Follow me.

Adam didn’t. Nick made it up the steps of the apartment building, through the locked front door, and across the parking lot.