Bad Things (Tristan & Danika, #1)(86)

“She’s not worth it, sis,” Jared said near my ear.

He’d taken to calling me that lately, and I secretly loved it.

As soon as Tristan and I had officially become a couple, the brothers’ tension had seemed to ease where I was concerned, as though putting a name to it gave them such clear rules on how to act that it became a non-issue.

I adored Jared. He was the sweetest guy, and we’d spend hours talking on the phone some days. We could talk about nothing and everything, just how I could with Tristan, but the vibe with Jared had turned very brotherly, which I loved. He was one of those people that I couldn’t sing enough praises about.

And yet, he worried me. It was a persistent but elusive sort of worry. Frankie and I discussed it often, how he was just a little too careless with life. He didn’t take anything seriously, nothing at all. For instance, he was a horrible mess of a driver, and there was no drug he hadn’t tried. I didn’t see it first-hand, but Frankie had described his days long binges, where he’d reappear glassy-eyed and a little less himself.

He seemed to be completely himself tonight, and he always made good company like this, though I could have wished he wasn’t quite so quick to hold me back from slapping a bitch.

I fought his hold like a maniac, especially when Rosette just smirked at me, her arms folded across her chest.

I’d never done it before, never even thought about, but my go-to move was to reach for a heel, throwing it at her stupid face.

Unfortunately, I missed.

“Come on, sis, we’re taking a walk,” Jared said, having to lift my feet off the ground to get me to move.

He had me out of the club and in the casino before I’d calmed enough to be set down.

“You can let go of me. I’ve got it under control now.” I told him, when he just kept an arm around my shoulder.

I had to pull off my other shoe to walk, carrying it in my hand.

He patted my shoulder. “Let’s walk. Talk about it.”

“What is there to talk about?” I asked. I could hear the sullen tone to the question, and just hearing how whiny I sounded, helped me put it in check.

“Are you mad at him? That night she was talking about…I know that’s the night you guys got back together.”

I hitched up my shoulder in a shrug, finally giving in to his hold on me and leaning into him. It felt good to lean on him. He was just that kind of guy.

“I don’t know. I’m…hurt, though that night was when we got together, not back together. Before that, things were…casual.”

“Casual? Now that I don’t believe. I didn’t see it at first, but he’s been crazy about you from the beginning. I’ve never seen him like this, Danika. You’re special to him. He’s fallen for you.”

“I doubt that, but thanks for trying to make me feel better. You’re a good brother.”

Whatever Jared tried to say in response was interrupted by his big brother approaching from behind, and grabbing him around the neck, wrenching him away from me. Tristan took merciless knuckles to a squirming Jared’s head.

“What was that all about, little brother? Why’d you take off with my girl?”

“You know why!” Jared choked out, finally wresting free of the bigger man. “Damage control. You should be thanking me.”

Tristan had my other heel, and he handed it to me. I took it, backing away from him.

He followed me and tried to put an arm around me, but I was in no mood.

I jerked away, glaring.

“What, boo? You mad at me?”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now. How about you give me some space?”

I could see he didn’t like that by the storm gathering in his eyes.

“I don’t like space. We can go home if you want, but I’m not doing space. If you have beef, that’s no way to squash it.”

“It is for me. Go hang out with Cory and Frankie. Jared and I want to take a walk.”

His jaw clenched, and he looked like he wanted to argue with me, but he seemed to think better of it. He pointed at his brother. “Take care of her.”

“Of course.”

Tristan started to turn away, but suddenly turned back, and I saw a playful twinkle in his eyes as he looked at me again.

I saw his tactic. He was fond of using charm to get his way.

“He’s my brother, so don’t go getting him to take your side,” he told me with a small smile.

In a way, his tactic worked. I’d gone from wanting to get a voodoo doll of him and stick pins into it, to wanting to tease him back.

“He’s my brother now, too. Just ask him. He’s started calling me sis.” As I said the words, I realized how bad I wanted that, to be part of this family. It was an acute sort of yearning, and one I hadn’t realized I sought with such desperation until I was staring directly at it. I’d always wanted a family, and I loved everything about having Jared as an adopted brother.

He seemed to agree, smiling at me, and moving close to take my arm. “Well, if I have to choose, I choose Danika. She doesn’t pick on me.”

Tristan waved us off, but his smile was big now, his dimples taunting me. “Fine. Go have your walk and talk about me. I’m going to go complain to Frankie about how crazy women are.”

“Good luck with that,” I called to him, Jared already tugging me away. “She’ll take my side, too.”