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

CHAPTER 23

Gabriel caught up to her in Heather’s front yard. Layne was stumbling, her hands at her face, her sobbing almost uncontrollable.