We’d been in Gabriel’s room maybe ten minutes after the conversation when the door swung open without a knock. Nathan stood there, phone still in hand, wearing that smirk that said he’d been looking for trouble.
“Hey, Gabe,” he drawled. “Dad wants you to help him in the garage.”
Gabriel didn’t look up from restringing his guitar. “Tell him I’ll be down in a bit.”
Nathan ignored that. He sauntered in, leaning against the bunk bed frame. “So this is the big new friend, huh? Doesn’t say much for a guy who takes up that much space.”
I kept my eyes on him, expression neutral. “You always this charming?”
He snorted. “You should hear what people say about you in the neighborhood.” He glanced at Gabriel, smirking wider. “Bet he doesn’t even know half of it.”
“Knock it off, Nathan,” Gabriel said, his tone sharp.
But Nathan wasn’t done. He reached over and plucked one of Gabriel’s guitar picks right off the desk, twirling it between his fingers. “You still playing that stupid band stuff? Nobody’s ever gonna care. You should just—”
I was standing before he could finish, the chair legs scraping across the floor. Nathan froze mid-sentence as I closed the distance in two slow steps.
I didn’t touch him. I didn’t need to.
I leaned in just enough for him to see the change in my eyes — that subtle sharpening, the predatory focus. My voice stayed calm, almost quiet, but there was no mistaking the edge under it.
“You’re gonna put that back where you found it,” I said, “and you’re going to leave your brother alone.”
Nathan’s smirk faltered. “Or what?”
“Or you’re going to find out why the wildlife doesn’t come near me.”
He blinked, the color draining from his face. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he set the pick back on the desk. Then he stepped backward toward the door, hands slightly raised in mock surrender — but his eyes stayed wide, calculating.
“Whatever,” he muttered, disappearing into the hall.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Gabriel was watching me carefully. “You didn’t even touch him.”
“Didn’t have to.” I sat back down. “Some people learn faster when they scare themselves.”
He didn’t argue, but I could feel his curiosity sharpen again — like he’d just seen another piece of the puzzle and had no idea where it fit.