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Just like that, my panic vanished. Sunny promised to protect me. I believed him.
“You guys can spend the night here, Kenzie, Sienna,” said Bane. “I’ll give you my bed.”
“Glad that’s settled.” Genny hopped off the counter. “I’ve got to get back, and it’s a long walk.”
“You’ve got to go back and tell Bugsy you’re moving out of Harlow,” Sunny stated. “You too, Bane. Till we get this guy, you’re living in the compound.”
“Aww,” Genny cooed. “Look at you, worried about your big brother and sissy. Adorable, but we can take care of ourselves. I’m not ditching my girls.”
“I’d wager a bet this guy has a better chance of tracking me down at Fairfield where the whole city knows the Merchants live, compared to the cabin out in Nowhere, Elmshire Woods,” Bane said.
Sunny stood, expression smoothing into the one that threw me—grave. “I’m glad you’re both comfy, tucked up with your toys and bikers—the replacement family—but did you ever think maybe your niece, who was almost killed and knows it, would feel safer if her family was around her. Neither of you even fucking knew until I told you!
“If I had bled out in the trash and Liam and Tricky got in that car, you would’ve heard about our deaths on the news, and then called our mother to explain why you were the last to know.”
Genny looked away, jaw clenched.
“Both of you, get your heads out of your asses. We’re at war,” Sunny roared. “Pick a side. Either you’re a Cardinal and a Scourge, or you’re a Merchant.”
Sunny slammed out the door. Genny wasn’t far behind him. If she went to have it out with him, or if she took off, I couldn’t tell as the silence stretched between us.
I jumped when Bane clapped. “No point sitting around. Sienna, you’re up first.”
“Up first?” I repeated, standing with Sienna. “Up to do what?”
“I’m teaching you both to fight. The crash course.” Bane folded his arms, popping corded muscles up and down his body. I forced myself to stay on his eyes. Whatever was happening between me and Sunny, developing a crush on another brother was sure to complicate it.
“We know how to fight. Sienna and I... went through a hard time when we were kids. The people in our neighborhood weren’t compassionate about it. I came home bleeding three times. The fourth time, they went after Sienna. I made sure it was the last.”
He hummed. “Respect. That story turned me on even more than those soft, calloused hands. But what kind of training are we talking about here and what kind of bullies?”
Bane dropped the turned-on comment so casually in the conversation, I almost addressed that instead of the important question. “Self-defense classes with my gym teacher. She saw the kids from school corner me, so she taught Sienna and me how to bend a wrist till they thought twice about touching us again.”
“Good to know you have some of it down. I’m teaching Sienna basic self-defense. Throat punches, eye gouges, nose strikes, groin kicks. That sort of thing.”
“Cool,” Sienna said.
“Not cool.” I stepped in front of her as she made for Bane. “My sister won’t be gouging anyone’s eyes out.”
“We hope,” he finished. “But if it goes south and her life’s in danger, don’t you want her to know how to put them down and make them stay down?”
“Of course, but—”
“There’s nothing noble about dying or getting injured because you were too weak to win.”
“I’m not saying—”
“I’ll give you guys weapons—guns, knives, bazookas—whatever you want, but if your attacker gets it off you, you need to know how to fight them off.”
“I agree—”
“If you agree, why are we still talking? Let’s do it.”
“Agh,” I cried. “You’re an extremely frustrating man.”
Bane barked a laugh. “So I’ve been told. Seriously, if you want to take your chances, that’s up to you.” He backed away, arms out like what can I do? “I won’t force you. That said, when I leave you to the Sons of Saint, the two of you will have to watch the other’s back. You learned to fight to protect your sister once. Why wouldn’t you do it again?”
Folding my arms, I ate all the distance he put between us. “Not a runaway train, you’re a snake charmer. You also happen to be right,” I added grudgingly. “It can’t hurt to learn a few moves, but you get why I don’t like the thought that we’d need them. Because it means we failed.”
Sobering, Bane said, “You won’t. I get the impression that’s not something you do, Mackenzie.”
“Then Sunny didn’t tell you my history, or where he found me.”
“He did. I know what you survived the last eight months, and the point is, you survived. What you should be saying to yourself now is if you made it through that, you can make it through anything. Keep saying it, Kenzie, until you believe it.”
