Kissed Ridley.
“What the hell is going on here?” Jackson barked.
Nick jumped back and ran his fingers roughly through his hair. “Jack, I can explain. I should have just told you from the beginning.”
Ridley stayed in her position by the wall, her hands over her mouth. When she looked up at him, two tears slid down her cheeks.
Jackson hadn’t moved from his position at the head of the stairs. He descended the stairs slowly, taking each step individually.
One. Two. Three. Four.
He counted the steps, holding the numbers in his head. Anything was better than the image of Ridley pressed against the wall, fear in her eyes. While his own brother…
He looked at Ridley directly. “Can you go in the family room for a minute, please? I need to talk to my brother alone.”
She nodded mutely, her hands still over her mouth. She edged past them, giving Nick a wary look as she passed. As soon as she was out of striking range, Jackson flew across the room and tackled Nick.
“What the hell?” Nick held up his arms to ward off the blows but more than a few connected because Jackson felt the satisfying crunch as his knuckles hit bone.
Ridley screamed in the background but he barely heard her. All he could see was Nick, pushing himself against Ridley. Touching her. Kissing her.
He growled and threw another punch at his brother’s head.
“Jack, stop!” Nick wasn’t even trying to fight back at this point, just trying to protect his face from the raining blows.
The front door banged against the wall and the next thing he knew, he was being hauled backward. Matt grabbed Jackson and pulled his arms behind him. He managed to get an arm free and lunged forward again, dragging Matt with him.
Nick reared back and fell into the entryway table. It fell to the floor with a resounding crash. Ridley jumped back as pieces of the wood went flying.
“Are you okay?” Jackson asked her. Everything in him stilled, waiting for her answer. When she nodded shakily, his shoulders sagged. Matt used the opportunity to pull his arms behind him again, more securely this time. His hold felt like being encased in iron.
“Hold on, man. Just wait a second,” Matt muttered.
“I’m not waiting for anything.” Jackson strained against Matt’s hold. He glared at Nick, who stood in the opposite corner, wiping the blood from the edge of his mouth.
“What the hell is your problem, Jack?” Nick stared at his bloody hand and then at him. “You’ll fight your own brother for her?” He glared at Ridley as he said it, making Jackson strain against Matt again.
Jackson couldn’t even hear what his brother was saying. He was practically frothing at the mouth, just the image of Nick with his hands on Ridley, all over Ridley, making him see red.
“Yes, I would. If you ever touch her again, I will break you.”
Matt looked at Nick. “I have no idea what just happened but it’s probably better if you go.”
“Fine.” Nick sent a scathing glance at Ridley.
Jackson lunged forward again and Matt cursed as one of his arms almost slipped free.
“Don’t even look at her. I can’t believe I almost listened to you. Just stay away from her!”
“I’m not Raina!”
Everyone stopped moving at Ridley’s shriek.
“God, please stop fighting. Don’t fight over me. Not when I’ve been lying to you all.”
Jackson broke away from Matt. “It’s okay, Ridley. I already told them your real name and about what happened.”
“You don’t understand. Raina Winters is my twin sister. She’s currently overseas on a modeling job.”
Ridley shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I’ve been lying to you, too.”
* * *
Ridley gratefully accepted the glass of water Mara handed her. Her insides felt as dry as a desert after all the tears she’d shed.
Nick stood in the corner with his arms crossed. “Okay, so run this by me again. You aren’t Raina. You’re her sister.”
Ridley nodded. “Yes. I’m so sorry I lied. I just didn’t know what else to do.”
Jackson hadn’t looked at her since she’d blurted out the news. He sat on the floor with his knees drawn up and his head resting back against the wall. Mara handed him a pack of frozen vegetables, which he rested on his right hand. She handed another pack to Nick. He pressed it against his cheek and flinched.
Matt stood looking out the window. She could understand not wanting to get involved. This whole situation sounded like the plot of a movie. A bad one.
Mara took pity on her and sat next to her on the couch. “You were scared, so you decided to hide out at your sister’s house?”
“It seemed like the only option I had at the time. After the accident, weird things started happening. Things weren’t in the same place I left them. I’d find my car doors open when I knew I’d locked them. The final straw was when my apartment was trashed. Raina’s the only family I have. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Then when her security code didn’t work, I was so scared. That’s part of the reason I passed out.” She looked at her hands, willing herself not to start crying again.
“You really passed out? Before we found you on the ground?” Matt spoke up.
“Yes. I took a train and two buses to get here. I didn’t want to take a plane or anything. You can buy a bus ticket with cash. By the time I got here I was exhausted and had been living off vending-machine snacks and gas-station food. When I couldn’t get in the house, it all just kind of caught up to me at once.”