Page 18 of Bend

I shrug. “Well, you’re the one who asked.”

He lets out a quiet breath through his nose, shaking his head once like he’s half amused, half impressed.

“Most people who say they know sport bikes,” he says, “mean they swapped a slip-on and watched a build series on YouTube.”

“I don’t bullshit,” I say. “Out there, you either know what you’re doing or you eat asphalt.”

He laughs at that.

“Yeah,” he says, nodding once. “You’re perfect for the job, plus it’s an excuse to actually leave this room,”

I squint at him. “You can’t be fucking serious?”

“Dead serious.”

The room shifts a little at that. The teasing edge fades. This is him, grounded.

I cross my arms. “Sayshen… two minutes ago you admitted this whole thing has been weird as hell, and that Talon needs space, which I said I’d give him, and now you want me to apply as your team’s mechanic and go have lunch with your girlfriend and her friends like we’re doing some kind of forced bonding exercise?”

He exhales, the sound almost a laugh.

“It’s not a bonding exercise,” he says. “It’s practical.”

“Practical,” I repeat, flat.

“Yeah.” He shrugs, but his voice doesn’t waver. “Look, if this works, it gives you a reason to stay. And it gives you something solid while we figure the rest of this out,” he continues, quieter now. “Look, I know this is messy. I know it’s awkward and fucking complicated. Shit, I don’t know what I’m doing, but you’re my sister, Echo.”

The word hits harder than I expect.

“And sitting in this motel room, alone, isn’t helping anybody,” he adds. “You’re good with bikes, you clearly enjoy working on them, and the team could use you. That part’s simple.”

I huff out a short laugh. “Wow. That’s your pitch?”

He lifts a shoulder. “Fuck off.” he smirks, “It wasn’t a horrible one,”

I drag a hand down my face, thinking.

“I really don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

He tilts his head slightly, studying me again, not challenging this time, just waiting.

“Why not?”

Everything about this is a terrible fucking idea.

Because I’ve been quietly keeping tabs on them for months like some unhinged background character who never meant to get attached, and I know more about their lives than I should. Not to mention I’ve been flirting with, and, okay, sometimes sexting, Draygon for weeks like I’m not fully aware of how catastrophic that's about to become when he finds out who I am.

Sayshen reads the silence on my face like he’s used to waiting people out.

“You don’t have to decide today,” he says evenly. “I’m just telling you it’s there.”

I swallow. “Okay.”

He nods once. His eyes flick to the guitar on the bed.

“You play.”

“Yeah.”