Page 117 of Tag

I stared at the screen, and a laugh broke from my chest involuntarily.

I could never be mad at her. There were times I wished I could. Might’ve made things easier.

You’re welcome for the food.

She sent another message, but I didn’t respond or read it right away. I finally climbed out of the truck and went inside.

The house was filled with the layered sounds of distant laughter and game fire echoing from the living room surround sound system. Cade hadn’t come down yet, but Nick and Zoewere posted up in front of the TV, already locked in a new game ofCall of Dutylike there was a championship on the line. Xander’s gamertag lit up alongside theirs, his calm voice cutting through the gunfire over the headset, playing from his dorm apartment, most likely with our text thread still open like the multitasking genius he was.

Rook was kicked back in the corner, feet propped on the coffee table, and comfortable. He might as well give up his place and move in. None of us was bothered by his peculiar hobbies. He looked up when I entered. “She was asking about Sophie.”

I didn’t need to ask whoshewas.

“What about her?”

Nick, lounging with his controller in one hand and a half-eaten granola bar in the other, chimed in like he’d been waiting for this exact moment. “You know the Wolfe family’s crazy, right?”

Rook went back to his phone. “And we’re sane?”

Cade came down the stairs, drying his hair with a towel. “Define sane.”

“So, what about Sophie?” I pressed, curious my damn self.

“She asked if we were dating.”

Nick started laughing, nearly dropping his controller, and Xander’s laugh echoed through the headset.

“If dating means—.” Xander began, only to interrupt himself with a sharp “Ah, I’m down,” as someone sniped him in-game.

Rook lifted a brow, completely unbothered. “Apparently, Kellan Rivers told her they have a thing.”

Cade leaned against the living room archway. “They do. I assume you knew that.”

Rook shrugged one shoulder. “Not my problem. She messaged me first.”

Xander’s voice came back through the speakers, picking up on Rook’s voice through Nick’s mic. “Tell us why you really fucked her.”

“Because he was rude to Cloe.”

“So you…?” Nick prompted him to finish.

“Destroyed his girl,” Rook finished.

Zoe, doing her damnedest to keep a straight face, lowered her controller just long enough to let out a chuckle, then casually took out two players back-to-back with dead aim.

“Damn, you’re good,” Xander complimented her.

My brother shook his head. “Rook, destroyed is crazy.”

“So is telling Cloe she’s got a stick up her ass because he can’t process words longer than four letters,” Rook shot back. “Actions have consequences.” He glanced up. “And I’m not done yet. Sophie was simply to hurt his ego.”

I stared at him for a second, proud. We’d all done worse for less. It was nice watching Rook come out of his shell, even if it meant wrecking someone’s relationship without a trickle of shame. He’d joined our ragtag family with bruises no one spoke about and silences that stretched for days. His past was fucked in the worst way, but he never used it as an excuse to mope or gain pity. Never once played the victim.

Sanj had been the first person he gravitated toward. She didn’t know it, but through her, he started trusting the rest of us. Me, Cade, then eventually Nick and Xander. The girls were a natural extension of Sanj by then. What he’d lived through made his older brother and us borderline unhinged when it came to protecting him. So much so that Damon took a gap year to finish out Rook’s last two with us. That was going to be fun. He made our crew look like devoted saints.

Rook’s family still thanked us quietly every time we got together, as if letting Rook in had been some kind of grand gesture. He’d always belonged. It simply took time for him tobelieve it. Cade went over and held out his hand so they bumped fists.

“Destroy away, Rook.”

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