car. Someone on foot. He eased back around the corner of the house, and recognized Brian’s shape, sneaking along the side. As much as Brian could sneak. He wasn’t clumsy the way some big men were, not unless he was deep into being Bry with the unconcern that made his Bry persona trip over all aspects of the real world. But he had no training and he was trying too hard to be quiet.
Since there was no one around, Nick waited for Brian to get close, then called softly, “Hey. Here.”
Brian’s head jerked up visibly, and he changed course to join Nick against the wall. “Hi. Um.”
“You got bored?”
“Worried. It was so quiet.”
“Quiet’s a good thing.” He led the way to the bushes beyond the shed. There was room to crouch and be out of sight, even if the house lights suddenly went on. He bent and touched the ground. After days of spring-like warmth it was almost dry. He gestured. “Have a seat on the couch, sir.”
Brian turned to him, hesitated, then sat down carefully. “We’re staying here?”
“For now, yeah. If Sam comes back, I want to see who’s with him. Get the plate number on whatever vehicle. Figure out who he met here.”
“Couldn’t you break in and find out?”
“Pushing me to go criminal?”
“No!” Brian was probably blushing. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“I could do that, yeah.” Nick settled himself behind Brian, close enough to get an arm around him. “But it seems too soon to go fully dark-side on this. Especially if I’m reporting to Gannet.”
“Of course. I was being dumb.”
“Nah. Both Damon and Nok Nick would break in.”
“You’re not Nok Nick anymore. Thank goodness.”
Nick hugged Brian against him, thinking that most of the guys he knew would have said “thank fuck,” and that it kind of defined the difference between Brian and most anyone else. Simple goodness.
Brian sighed as he leaned back onto Nick’s chest. Brian was the bigger guy, but he felt smaller tonight. Almost fragile, as though he might crack if Nick held him too tightly. There was a brittle edginess in him and had been for days, not just here, hiding behind a bush waiting for an arsonist to come home.
Of course, the reason wasn’t a mystery. Nick murmured, “Penny for your thoughts, Uncle Brian.”
He felt the flinch that Brian covered with, “I’m not that cheap.”
“Dollar then. You saw Joshie today. How’d it go?”
“Okay. I guess. There’s still a pull from him, but if I stay on guard, I can resist it.”
“Is it getting weaker?”
“Yes? Maybe. Yes.” Brian’s tone firmed up. “He’s a cute little guy. I can’t wish he didn’t exist.”
I can. Life would be so much simpler. And yet, there was a strange comfort in knowing Brian had a son. That there was a piece of this man he was holding, out there, separate, alive, and maybe there’d be generations of little Brians long after his own Brian was gone. And Josh was a damned cute baby. “How’s Lori doing?”
“Okay. She still can’t touch him without gloves, but… they’re doing okay.”
“Must be driving her crazy.” The best thing about Lori recently had been her fierce mothering of her unborn child. Life was so fucking unfair, sometimes.
“Mm. I do wonder…”
When Brian didn’t continue, Nick prompted, “What?”
“Whether it hurt Mom, to touch us. Me. Whether part of taking drugs when we were kids was because it hurt to be around us.”
Nick squeezed Brian rhythmically, trying to force the stiffness out of his muscles. “Even if it’s true, you were no more to blame than Joshie is.”
“No, I know, but it might explain why she let Damon do so much of the parenting when he was really way too young.”
Nick had seen plenty of parents ditch their kids on other people without any excuse at all, but if it made Brian feel better about his mom? “Could be.”
“I don’t know what Lori will do if touching Joshie doesn’t get better for her.” Brian’s voice rose high and thin, out of their careful murmur. “I can’t take him. I wish I could be his dad, but it won’t work out.”
“Lori probably wouldn’t let you anyway.” Nick angled his head so he could rasp his jaw up and down Brian’s neck without letting go of the hug, trying to calm him. “She acts like you’re gonna drop him.” Last time they were over, she’d gone back to treating Brian like he was twelve. Or maybe seven. “She’s smart. She’ll figure it out, and she has Charlie, and Doc goes