应该是第八本的预告，放上来解解馋啊（其实越看越想看下去－－），如果我2楼没更新说明我又断网了。。。

“Up here,” Nick called.
Zane craned his head, peering two stories up to the top floor balcony where Nick stood, leaning over and looking at him.
“How the fuck did you get past me?” Zane asked, chuckling at the memory of Nick and Kelly scaling a balcony in New Orleans.
“I have skills,” Nick said, his voice just low enough to travel down. He waved the cigar held between two long fingers. “Come share this thing with me.”
He disappeared over the railing, and Zane headed back inside to join him. He climbed past the bedrooms on the second floor and into the large attic room, where the door to the balcony was propped open and the curtains were flowing in a light breeze. Zane stood in the doorway, watching Nick for a moment. He was reclining in a rusty old lawn chair, his feet propped on the railing. He’d changed into jeansand a black T-shirt, and he was barefoot.
He held up the Cuban for Zane to take, and Zane moved to sit beside him, putting the cigar in his mouth. He watched Nick for several more seconds, studying him.
Zane had never paid a lot of attention to Nick, other than briefly deciding he was going to try to like him instead of hit him. He didn’t know him well, even though he was so much like Ty on the surface. He didn’t know his moods, and he couldn’t read him. But even Zane could see Nick wasn’t the same person he’d been in New Orleans.
“Got a response?” Nick asked when he finally looked over at Zane and smiled.
Zane handed him the envelope. “Are you okay?” he asked impulsively.
Nick looked up from folding the letter, his eyebrows jumping. “Why?”
“Well, I mean … you’re here. You’re not in Boston. I know I wasn’t the top person on your list to see, so … are you okay?”
Nick smiled, looking away from Zane to peer out over the city stretching beyond the balcony. Zane had sat up here with Ty many times. It was where Ty liked to come to think, to ponder their cases, to decompress after a stressful day. Nick had obviously been up here enough times to know that if he hadn’t propped the door open, he would have been locked out here by the faulty door.
“I’m not okay,” he finally said, his voice so soft and hoarse that Zane had to lean closer to hear.
Zane held his breath, waiting for Nick to elaborate. Nick remained silent, though.
“O’Flaherty,” Zane finally whispered.
Nick looked down, licking his lips. “I never thanked you for what you did.”
“What?”
“Ty is my best friend,” Nick said. “He’s been the most constant thing I’ve had in my life. I know if you had forced him to choose between us, he would have chosen you. And he should have,” Nick added quickly with a glance at Zane. “Thank you for not making him choose.”
Zane had to take a few seconds to gather his thoughts as Nick met his gaze with striking green eyes. He finally found his voice. “I’m glad I didn’t. It would have killed him.”
They sat in silence, staring at each other for several more moments. Zane didn’t feel awkward about it, and the moment didn’t feel especially heavy or fraught. Nick had a way of making him feel at ease despite their rocky start, and Zane had to wonder if that was why he and Ty had remained so close for so long. Nick was the rock to Ty’s hurricane. He was impervious to Ty’s moods. It was like his superpower.
Nick plucked the cigar from Zane’s fingers and took a long drag on it. When he spoke again, smoke accompanied his words. “Doc’s flying in to meet up with me. He should be here soon. We’ll probably get some dinner. You’re welcome to come.”
“I’d like that. Thank you.”
Nick smiled and took another drag.
Zane began to laugh at the devious look in Nick’s eyes. “Oh my God. Ty told you to take me out to dinner, didn’t he?”
“That’s classified,” Nick drawled. He tilted his head back and blew a smoke ring toward the sunset.
“Great,” Zane grumbled. His eyes followed the ring as it wavered off on the breeze. He’d have to get Ty to teach him how to do that when he returned. “Now I’m a charity case.”
“Aren’t we all, Garrett?”
Zane nodded, smiling wryly. He propped his feet up on the railing. “I’ve alwaysbeen a little jealous of you and Ty,” he admitted.
Nick glanced at him.
“I never had a friend like that. Someone I knew would be there no matter what. I can’t imagine what that’s like.”
Nick pursed his lips and gave a slow a nod. “Garrett, you have at least one friend like that now.”
Zane found his throat tightening at the sentiment. He didn’t fool himself into thinking Nick was offering any kind of loyalty that wasn’t attached to Ty, but itwas more than he could remember having in years. “Thank you.”
Nick began to smile, and his words took on a sly hint. “So, dinner. You like Italian?”
Zane burst out laughing. “I know a place nearby.”
They were both still snickering when they heard a car door shut on the street below. “I see your smoke rings!” Kelly called from below. “I hear your evil cackling.”
Nick sat up and peered over the railing. He pushed out of his seat and left Zane sitting on the balcony without another word. He didn’t make a sound going down the stairs. Zane waved down to Kelly, who had a bag slung over his shoulder and was craning his neck to look up at him.
“Where’d Irish go?”
Before Zane could answer, Nick burst out of the front door and hopped the three steps to the sidewalk. His body hit Kelly hard and he picked him up off the ground. Kelly made a sound like a bird being hit by a car, but then he wrapped his armsand legs around Nick and held on so he wouldn’t fall as he was hugged.
Zane began to laugh even as a melancholy ache settled in his chest. He was glad to see the two friends reunited, but he couldn’t help but wish that was him and T
y down there.
“Not too long now,” he whispered to himself. “Keep it together, Garrett.”

abi roux tumblr: abiroux.tumblr.com/post/57891462053/bait-switch

飘过~
——来自 诺基亚 Luima 920