“I said it’s dumb!” Tai snapped.

Before I could get across the room from the kitchen doorway, Tai reached down with both hands and seized the top edge of the laptop.

He jerked the heavy machine up, swung it over his shoulder and smashed it facedown onto the sharp brick corner of the hearth.

The crash hit the living room like a gunshot.

The plastic case twisted sideways, the metal hinge snapped with a loud pop, and loose parts rattled around inside the shattered shell.

Sage sat totally frozen on the rug, her right hand diving straight into her hoodie pocket to clutch the wooden queen.