Chapter Eleven
Wren
Iyelped,stunned,as Atlas’s fist collided with Ty’s jaw. Ty stumbled backward, letting out a low oomph as his hand cradled his cheek.
There was a beat of utter silence as none of us moved. Ty stared at Atlas, his eyes so wide I thought they might pop out of his pretty head.
Atlas’s chest heaved, his face blotchy and red. His hand was still in a fist at his side.
“Are you okay?” he asked Ty, voice calm, but anger blazed in his eyes.
A small drop of blood welled on the corner of Ty’s lip as he nodded slowly.
Atlas let out a shaky huff of air. “Good.”
He didn’t say anything else as he turned, marching toward the front door of the house and disappearing through it. He slammed it behind him. The floor beneath my feet shuddered with the force.
The blood pulsed behind my temples as Ty and I stared after him, too shocked to speak.
I had no idea what had just happened. I hadn’t known Atlas long, but he never seemed violent. My face paled as I met Ty’s eye. His lip was swelling fast as blood ran down his chin.
The sight snapped me out of my shock. “Oh my God,” I said, for probably the thousandth time that morning, and immediately ran toward the refrigerator. I flung open the freezer, digging through it until I found an ice pack. Grabbing a clean towel, I rushed back to Ty. He was still staring at the front door, hues of red and purple blossoming on his jaw.
“Oh, Ty.” I held out the ice pack wrapped in a towel. “Are you all right?”
Ty glanced down at me, hesitating before reaching for the ice pack. “My brother has never hit me.” He pressed the ice to his jaw, wincing. “Ever.”
Guilt dropped like a weight into my stomach, but I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t my fault Atlas hit Ty…was it? I pressed a hand to my chest, massaging the tender skin.
Ty continued to stare at me, his gaze almost assessing.
I shifted. “What?”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Just…be careful with him, Chickie.”
I bristled at the nickname. I hated it. “Don’t call me that,” I snapped, all guilt disappearing. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s not mine to do or be anything with.”
Ty wiped the blood from his chin. Worry pinched his face as he eyed the front door again. “Do you know anything about us? About where we came from?”
The change in topic confused me for a moment. I thought back to the picture in the thick gold frame on the mantel. The one with the sweet-looking older couple and two smiling little boys. Atlas had looked so unapologetically happy.
“I know you were adopted,” I confessed.
The crease deepened between Ty’s brows. “That’s all?”
That’s all? What else was there to tell?
“That’s all Atlas shared with me.”
Ty nodded. “My brother is probably the best person I have ever known in my entire life. He has more integrity and selflessness in his little finger than I will ever hope for in my entire life.” His stare locked onto me, dead serious and nothing like his usual demeanor. “But he’s also a little broken. We all are in our own ways, but Atlas has dealt with shit he never deserved.”
My heart twisted. What happened to you, Atlas?
“What I’m trying to say is be careful. Don’t start something you’re not willing to commit to.”
My face flushed. “We aren’t—”
Ty rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. You guys aren’t together.” He rubbed his jaw, wincing. “I’m just saying that I annoy the shit out of my brother on a daily basis, and all it takes is him hearing that I left you alone once and he was willing to punch my lights out. That means something, whether you want it to or not.”