Bram scowled. “Fine.”
“Fine,” Cassie said.
Bram tipped his head at us. “Enjoy your food.”
“You too,” Vigo said. “Get the bacon burger. And the onion rings. They’re battered not breaded.”
“I know.” Bram’s voice was wound tight as a clock.
He and Poe took the table farthest from us and Cassie exhaled her relief.
“We should invite them to sit with us,” Jagger said. “We’re talking about the phone. Maybe he has something new too.”
Cassie closed her eyes like she wanted to pretend he hadn’t said it, like she wished she could close her ears instead.
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask.”
“No.” I stood. “I’ll do it.”
“But— ”
“I’ve got it, Cass.”
She nodded, but she looked more than a little worried as I walked over to Bram’s table.
He looked up in guarded surprise when he saw me approach.
“Problem?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Cassie might have something new on the phone. Thought you might want in on it.”
“Is this what it looks like to let my little sister be a grown up?” Bram asked
“He’s not asking for a friend,” Poe said.
“This is what it looks like,” I said. “Your choice.”
He hesitated, then got to his feet. “Don’t make me regret this.”
30
CASSIE
I practically heldmy breath as Bram walked over with Poe and Hawk. It was one thing to say he was going to let me explore the situation with the Hawks, one thing to thank them for saving my life.
This was something else: hanging out with the Hawks like they were friends, sharing information over burgers and beers.
I couldn’t even imagine it and it was happening right in front of me.
Vigo dragged one of the empty tables next to ours, along with two chairs, and Bram and Poe sat down.
It hurt me to see Bram uncomfortable. Until recently, there was only one person in the world who’d been able to make Bram uncomfortable, and that had been Maeve before they got together (Bram literally hadn’t known how to talk to her like a real person).
Now I was the one making him uncomfortable, and I hated it, especially after everything I’d found in the storage unit.
I couldn’t look at my giant, tattooed brother without seeing him as a little boy smiling into the camera, laughing with me aswe jumped on the bed, holding my hand on the swings at the park.
“Hawk says you got something on the phone?” Bram asked.
