Page 58 of The MC's Little Brother

We ended up skipping whatever Mel had planned. None of us felt up for anything that night. We camped out on the couch and watched movies until Xander fell asleep between us. Mel suggested moving him to his room, but I couldn’t make myself do it. I might’ve been in front of him, but he was in the line of fire today. I just needed to see my little brother and know he was okay. So I slept on the couch, shoulder to shoulder with him, while Mel got some sleep in my room. Her vacation was up and tomorrow she had the night shift, so she needed as much sleep as she could get.

I woke up to whispers and the smell of food. It took me a minute to come back online, and when I looked around, I was alone on the couch, covered in a throw blanket. Twisting, I looked over my shoulder to findXander in front of the stove, sneaking Thor little bites of whatever he was cooking. Looked like scrambled eggs.

“You’re going to make him gassy,” I grumbled.

I heard Xander’s snicker, but I wasn’t fully awake enough to join in. Pushing to my feet, I stretched and worked out the sore muscles from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. I checked on Xander first, since I didn’t know if he actually knew how to cook or if he was just trying something new. He seemed to know what he was doing, so I left him to it, ducking into the bathroom to do my morning ritual. I hoped Mel would sleep in since she had a late shift, so I was as quiet as possible and when I joined Xander, I helped him wrap up a plate for her and stick it in the oven so she could eat it later.

“Did she not sleep well?” he whispered. We sat next to each other at the table while Thor ate his dinner by our feet.

“No, it’s not that. She’s got the night shift tonight. She needs extra sleep.”

Understanding washed over his face and he nodded, turning his focus to his food. It wasn’t anything complicated, scrambled eggs and toast, but it was good. The eggs weren’t rubbery, and the toast wasn’t burnt. He probably did a lot better than most twelve-year-olds.

“You’re a good cook.”

He looked a little uneasy when he admitted, “I’ve been cooking for a few years. Since my abuela died. Jorge doesn’t cook.”

I nodded. “I’m aware. How do you think I learned?”

I wasn’t entirely sure what age I learned to cook, but I knew I was young. Wyatt and Mel thought it was amazing that I could cook us some decent snacks after school. Mel still didn’t know how to cook, but that didn’t bother me. I’d take care of her.

The last time I tried to talk to Xander about before he came here, he lashed out and shut down. I wanted to ask about his abuela and if he was better taken care of than I was. I also still needed to know how he got here. But as I watched him wolf down his food and head to the stove to get more, I decided against it. We were going to a therapist soon. Maybe they’d have better insight on how to ask him without pissing him off. He’d been through enough after yesterday. I didn't want to upset him more.

“Can you teach me to cook like you?” he asked quietly.

I hummed, finishing my food and taking his plate when he was finished. “Sure. I started with recipe books and then moved on to experimenting. We’ll get you one of those so you can try whatever you want.”

My phone rang while I was washing the dishes, and I jerked my chin at it when Xander looked over curiously.

“Answer that. It’s my boss.”

He frowned but did as I asked, putting the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

He was standing close enough that I could hear Salinger on the other end.

“Hello. You must be Mattias’s little brother.”

Xander looked up at me, surprised. “He told you about me?”

Salinger chuckled. “Of course he did. Is he around? I’ve got news for him.”

“Put him on speaker,” I directed, since my hands were all soapy. Xander did as I asked, holding the phone up between us. “Salinger,” I prompted.

“Ruiz. I’ve got good news. The paperwork went through for your brother. He’s on your insurance and assigned as your next of kin. Thought you’d want to know.”

“Next of kin…” Xander repeated in a whisper. He looked up at me, eyes wide and terrified. “Is your job dangerous? Are you going to die too?”

Surprised, I didn't answer him right away. I was reeling from the look on his face. My lack of answer must’ve been answer enough for him, because he practically threw my phone onto the counter and took off, heading straight out the front door.

“Shit! Salinger, I’ll call you back!” I raced for the door, hoping I could catch up with him before he got very far, but Xander was faster than I anticipated. In the few seconds it took me to realize what was happening and go after him, Xander made it halfway down the block. When I came around the corner he’d turned down, the next street was empty.

“Xander!” I shouted, scanning the area for any signs of which way he would’ve gone. But there was an alley behind my house and several yards without fences he could’ve ducked into to get out of sight. Knowing the way he was raised, he was probably good at hiding. I knew I was at that age.

My phone rang in my hand. I hadn’t even realized I grabbed it. When Mel’s name popped up, I answered automatically, jogging ahead to look for signs of Xander.

“Mattias? What happened? I heard a shout, and the door was wide open.”

“Xander took off. I don’t know which way he went. Do me a favor and grab Thor. He can find him faster than I can.”

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