Sebastian gritted his teeth. “You heard me.”

“No, no.” Logan pretended to clean his ear out and stepped forward again. “Seriously, I couldn’t hear you. What did you say?”

“I said,” a low growl emanated from Sebastian, “you’ve already taken enough from me.”

“What are you talking about? I think I have a wax problem.” Logan threw me a smirk over his shoulder. “Who knew a buildup of discharge could be such a problem?”

He was going to hit Sebastian. I saw the promise in Logan’s eyes and knew he was getting closer for a sucker punch. Sensing my tension, Nate glanced at me from the side of his eye. He knew something was going to happen.

I couldn’t fight.

Sebastian would use it against me.

That was what I was telling myself. Not here. Not now.

Logan edged forward one more step.

He was going to, no matter what. I looked up and around. If my little brother was going to hit Sebastian for me, I could help in some way. There was a camera in the corner of the doorway. It was rotating around the entrance and the other set of stairs that led to the top floor of the bookstore.

Logan and Sebastian were still talking, but I eased forward. Logan glanced at me, and I nodded to the camera.

He looked up and shifted backward an inch.

A sudden rush of air left Nate, and I knew he figured out what was going on.

He muttered under his breath, “We’re doing this?”

Sebastian couldn’t hear him. He was still fixated on Logan.

Nate added, “Okay. Tell me when.”

I threw him a side grin. He got it, grinning back at me.

This, right here, was what I’d been missing all last year—besides Sam, of course. She was the constant, but this camaraderie with Logan getting a person worked up and Nate ready to join in.

Sebastian got silent, looking between us.

Logan sent Nate and me a small glare. I flashed Logan a grin back. Relax. I moved forward and snuck a peek to the camera. It was rotating back, moving at a slow pace.

Logan caught the look and gazed up as well.

In ten.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this threesome dynamic,” Logan started.

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. Logan was too cocky, too sure of himself. Sebastian’s head lifted to the side as he kept skirting among all three of us.

Nine.

I was next to my brother. They came from the basement section of the bookstore, so Sebastian was blocking his friends from us. His three friends were down a few steps, too far but close enough where they could catch Sebastian.

Eight.

Logan continued, “But the three of us…” He gestured to all of us. “Well, technically, it’s the Fearsome Foursome with Sam, but she’s not here.” His tone lowered, growing more serious. “And she’s not a part of this, so I guess, right now, you can call us the Threesome Fearsome.”

Seven.

Sebastian was almost ignoring my brother. He was solely focused on me. Fine. I let him see the threat in me and murmured, “My brother’s not kidding, you know.”

Logan quieted, edging back so that I was now in the front.

“About what?” His tone was clipped.

Sebastian knew. He was remembering Logan’s threat.

I reminded him. “Your sister. Your girlfriend.”

Six.

“I don’t have either one of those,” Sebastian shot back.

Logan piped in, “But there’s someone.”

I added, “There’s always someone.”

Sebastian grew silent, looking between the two of us.

Five.

Nate spoke up, “They’re talking about who’s vulnerable to you, Sebastian.”

“You shut up,” Sebastian snapped at him. “You left the house. You don’t deserve the right to talk to us.”

His three friends got riled up at that. They moved forward, and I started eyeing the big one closest to Sebastian. He was a big motherfucker.

Four.

“Nate never should’ve been with you,” I said, commanding all of their attention. We were close. The camera would rotate back. I wanted their focus on me, not Logan. “That was a mistake he rectified.”

Three.

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed to slits. “I’m going to make both of you sorry that you came back here.”

“What about me?” Logan smirked at him.

No. I wanted Sebastian watching me.

He turned. “I already tried to get your acceptance revoked.”

Well, holy shit, I hadn’t expected that response.

Two.

Logan opened his mouth. His eyes flashed in anger, and he was going to say something to piss Sebastian off. I blocked him. I needed Sebastian and friends’ eyes on me.

“Time’s up,” I said calmly, quietly.

It worked. They all turned to me, and Sebastian’s eyes widened. He started to rear back—

One.

I rushed forward.

Sebastian lifted his arm to block my launch.

I soared past him.

He frowned.

It happened in the blink of an eye. I opened him up to Logan, and I checked the Big Motherfucker against the wall, holding him back.

I looked over my shoulder.

Logan threw the first punch. Sebastian was looking over his shoulder, following where I went, before he realized his mistake. Logan got him clear across the face, on top of the nose, and then it was game on.

Time slowed for that first hit but slammed back, and everything that happened afterward was so quick.

I had the bigger guy against the wall. He couldn’t move to help, and Nate rushed around me to stop the other two from going forward. Logan’s hit did the deed. Sebastian fell back, but he didn’t fall down the stairs. He fell into Nate’s back, and I clamped on Sebastian’s arm. One hit was fine, but having the guy getting more injuries or worse from falling down the stairs would be another thing entirely. His arm reached out and grabbed me. He didn’t know who was holding him. One of Sebastian’s friends slipped past Nate, but I maneuvered Sebastian, and shoved him so he fell into his friend’s arms.

Logan was at the door, waiting.

Nate reared his arm back, ready to deliver a hit of his own, but I caught his arm and ripped myself from the Big Motherfucker.

I dragged Nate behind me, and all three of us scrambled from the entrance. Once outside, I looked back. The camera was circling back to sweep where we’d left.