Page 105 of Tag

Her smile faltered. Brooke wasn’t cold or cruel, but everyone had limits, and I’d just stepped on one of hers.

She straightened beside me.

“I only wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I get that, but in no shape or form would I ever talk about a friend’s personal issues with you.”

Across the booth, I caught Roxxi watching us before shifting her attention to Ferret. She was at the booth next to ours, looking at Rook like he was a god. Nick was now trying and failing not to laugh at him. Rook ignored them both, focusingon his burger. Cloe clocked it too with a slight purse of her lips. She and Roxxi did some kind of girl-talk with Ari, none of them saying a word. It was a lot like what me and guys did when we had silent conversations.

It took me less than five minutes to take all of this in.

I scanned the room again, slow and measured. I found my girl at the exact moment Olivia Martinez, one of the few friends I was letting her keep, shot me a subtle glance and nodded her head toward the front window.

Deadweight was outside with his back to us. Sass was with him. I couldn’t see her face, but from his posture alone, I knew it wasn’t a good conversation. More people were taking notice now. Heads turned, and whispers started to stir. He stepped forward, and Sass moved away. One glimpse at her face and I knew that dumb fuck had said something to piss her off. Rook immediately started to stand, forgetting all about his food. Nick grabbed his arm before he could fully rise, holding him back from committing murder in public.

My brother caught my eye across the table, his message clear:Don’t move. Not yet.

I barely blinked, and Cloe was out of her seat and halfway across the diner.

“Ashton,” Roxxi spoke his name like a curse, standing up and following her.

Arianna climbed across Xander’s and Cade’s laps with a soft apology, quickly catching up to them.

“I’ll go.” Nick stood and walked away from our booth before any of us could protest or do it ourselves.

I remained seated, watching.

Cloe reached the door just as Ashton’s voice rose, and she stepped back.Again. There wasn’t enough restraint in the fucking world to keep me sitting there after that. I was on my feet, moving before I even registered my own actions. I reachedthe door right as Sanjana turned toward Nick and murmured a quiet, worn, “Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me for looking out for you,” he told her.

We watched as Cloe, Ari, and Roxxi led her toward Cici’s Range Rover. Ari climbed into the back seat beside her. The look on her face--fuck. That was Sanj with too many feelings bottled up. Stress wrapped in exhaustion beneath whatever bullshit Deadweight had said to make her react the way she had. I was doing my damndest to give her the illusion of choice, maintain some semblance of a line she could toe to feel like she was still in control. Seeing her like this made it hard. If she needed to yell or be pissed off, it should be at me for something stupid we’d end up joking about hours later with her wrapped up in my hoodie, in my bed, and in my fucking arms.

This piece of shit, who had barely scraped his way onto my team, was siphoning away all the patience I’d spent years learning to hold onto. Cloe pulled out of the lot, her windows too dark for me to see Sass now that the doors were closed. The important thing was that they were taking her home. The second the taillights vanished, Nick moved closer to Ashton. His hands were in his pockets, and he was grinning as if they were the best of friends.

“If I ever hear you raise your voice at her again, public or private, I’ll personally show you what a dental plan looks like when you’re drinking your food through a straw.”

Ashton’s jaw tensed, but Nick didn’t pause.

“And in case you missed this somehow, upsetting her pisses off all her friends. That’s never a smart thing to do.” Nick clapped a hand on his shoulder like he’d doled out actual friendly advice. “Anyway. Enjoy your night while you still can.”

Ashton turned to me instead of engaging Nick. “I saw the way you were looking at her.”

Nick sighed. “Damn, he’s slower than I thought.”

I grinned and stared him dead in the eye. “I’m always looking at her. I’ve been doing it longer than you even knew her name. Difference is... she looks back at me.”

I knew that struck when his posture stiffened.

“I don’t want problems with you,” he said tightly.

Cade stepped out of the diner, voice cold and even. “Then don’t make yourself one.”

To his credit, Ashton held his ground. I’ll give him that. Then he spoke again, and I found myself wondering how in the fuck he convinced my girl to give him a chance.

“She’s mine,” he stated loud enough to cut through the murmur of conversation outside The Nest. “No matter what fantasies you’ve got, I fucked her before you did.”

Every conversation around us slowed. Heads turned. A few of Nick’s hockey teammates came around from the rear patio, drawn by our voices. Cade stilled beside me. I wanted to break him for talking about her like that, reducing her to another body he’d had. I stepped in close, so my voice didn’t carry. “When she was with me, I told her I should thank you for that.”

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