Read Fused (Lost in Oblivion #4.5) for Free Online Page A

behind her fortress, and if anyone could lure her out, it sure as hell wasn’t Nick.
    She hated him too. Or if not hated, didn’t like. Perhaps some days that feeling elevated to mild distaste.
    Tonight wasn’t one of them.
    “You blame me too.” His voice came out sharper than he’d intended, and she glanced at him in surprise. “Somehow you think what happened tonight with Simon was my fault. Let me guess. All of it is. I probably sneaked into his bedroom and sliced open his vocal cords when he was asleep too, right?”
    She tipped back her head, her long, pale neck illuminated in white light from the window. “It would be easier if I could blame you.”
    “You can. Everyone else is.” Nick lifted his arms and held them out at his sides. “Free shot. Go ahead and take it.”
    “This isn’t about you, Nick.”
    It wasn’t her words but the utter fatigue in her voice that had him crossing the room to sit beside her. He didn’t gaze out the window as she did. The beach and the lights of LA in the distance didn’t interest him now.
    “What happened?”
    She pressed her cheek to the glass. “He’s still healing.”
    “Bullshit. There was more there than that. He was on for the entire show—”
    “His throat bothers him sometimes. It’s to be expected. You all keep pushing him.”
    “Yeah, so I’ve heard. I always pushed him. He always pushed me. We’re best friends, not roommates in a rubber room. We used to bloody each other’s mouths and give each other black eyes on a regular basis. I cracked one of his ribs once, and he sprained my little pinkie so badly that it still looks cockeyed.” He held out his left hand for Margo’s inspection, but she never looked away from the glass. “Do you honestly think he can’t take a nudge from me now and then?”
    “It’s not what I think he can take. It’s what’s not good for him. He’s been under so much pressure.”
    Nick didn’t mean to laugh. Truly didn’t mean to. But the events of the night stacked up end to end like dominos and it was either laugh or put his fist through Simon’s way too fucking expensive wall.
    And yeah, he did stuff like that. Because he was an uncivilized bastard who hadn’t been through therapy and thought Zen was the feeling that you got from tossing out a magazine with Bieber on the cover.
    “Oh, right, Simon’s under pressure. Last I checked, he has a fallback career unlike the rest of us.”
    “You’re not hurting for money. Don’t try to make it about that. And the others have fallbacks too. Deacon’s been producing, Gray’s writing for other bands. Jazz is writing with him now too. I have the symphony…” She trailed off.
    “You’re right. Thanks for reminding me I’m the only one who’s fucked that way too.”
    Naturally, Margo chose that moment to tune fully into the conversation. “What do you mean too? What other way are you fucked?”
    “Actually, pretty sure I’ve seen my last fucking for a good long while.”
    “You are so insanely crude. Why am I even sitting here talking to you?”
    He pretended to think about her question. “Because I have the key code to your apartment and you don’t own a firearm?”
    She surprised him by laughing. She wiped her eyes and sighed, leaning her head back against the window casing. “I needed that. Sorely. So thank you.”
    “I could use a laugh or two as well.” He rubbed his gritty eyes and tried like hell to keep his face impassive. “Not sure that’s going to happen either.”
    “What happened?”
    “I think you know what happened. Epic drama with your sort-of husband, lots of photos and video taken, a metric ton of gossip—”
    “Not what I mean, and you know it.” She leaned forward and shocked the hell out of him by placing her hand on his arm. “Did something happen with Lila?”
    He appreciated her attempt at comfort, but he didn’t want it. The last thing he wanted was any kind of pity.
    It was bad enough he was pitying himself pretty