Darnell pushed out a heavy breath. "Well, shit. Yeah, he's definitely going to need some self-defense."
"I don't just want them to know self-defense," I insisted. "Crimson, you need to make sure that if those kids are ever jumped the same way Ash and I were up at the Grill, that they come out of it with nothing more than a few bruises. My daughter is not going to leave Zeke to deal with it by himself. Zeke is not going to leave Faith to do it either. So, if you have any idea how to train them without doing it the way I did -"
"How did you learn how to fight?" Darnell broke in.
"By doing it the hard way," I admitted. "Back when I was in school, they said that boys would be boys, and no one thought it was strange at all for us to beat the shit out of each other. Someone smiled at someone else's girlfriend, and fists would be thrown. Someone called someone else a name, and a nose would get broken. If we hadn't gotten into a fight with someone by high school, then we were called pussies."
"Yeah," Cessily said, looking up at the two of us. "That is some seriously fucked-up shit. Darnell, get Emily's permission and then make sure those kids can kick some serious ass."
Both of my eyebrows jumped up into my hairline. "You actually agree with me?"
"Luke, you won the custody case. You are currently her primary guardian. I am no longer trying to protect your image. Now, I'm thinking about the safety of our kids. So if Lilac thinks that she needs to learn how to not only defend herself, but also attack someone in order to defend her best friend? Yeah, we have the resources to make that happen."
Darnell just lifted his hands and spread them in an exaggerated shrug. "When the woman says to make the kids be badasses, then I make the kids be badasses. You have a problem with me convincing Billy to help?"
Yeah, that made my insides twist a little. "Billy?" I asked, just needing to make sure I'd heard him right.
"Yeah, maybe you know him?" Darnell teased. "The guy with the expensive suits and fast car, who makes his living putting people in their place? Him. Mostly because Billy can also teach those kids how to do more than just fight with their fists. He can show them how to fight with words, situations, and how to make sure that no one ever wants to fuck with them."
"Can we please teach them how to defend themselves without shooting people?" I begged.
Cessily laughed. "Luke, Billy doesn't usually shoot people. He contracts that out. What he does is collect favors."
"What kind of favors exactly?" I asked.
She hummed as she thought of her answer. "Almost every deal he does comes with one, and it varies. Billy makes someone's messy divorce go away and gets paid in cash, plus a favor. He hacks into the airport and deletes the security footage that shows a politician engaging in sex with a guy in a bathroom, and earns himself even more cash and another favor. So, when he ends up in a situation where he has to involve someone else, that man usually has a favor he's owed, and trying to back out means that everything he did for them suddenly becomes very, very public."
"Do you think he can teach those two kids how to do that?" I asked.
Cessily tipped her head in a gesture that was like a shrug. "I think it's worth asking. There aren't many things in this world that man cares about. Southwind is one, and he thinks of Violet as the embodiment of the one place he was finally happy. So, she basically represents Southwind to him. The other thing? Children. Believe it or not, that man will do everything in his power - and that's a lot of power - to give a kid the chance at happiness. So, ask him. The worst he'll do is say no, right?"
Which meant I was definitely going to ask him. I also had a very funny feeling that this meant I was going to owe him a favor. Strangely, I was okay with that.
Chapter Fifty
On Friday, Darnell and Billy began designing a "self-defense" program for the kids. Darnell handled the first lesson, showing both Faith and Zeke how to deal with getting punched. They worked out in the dog yard, but the puppies were kept inside so they wouldn't get stepped on. Both Emily and Luke hovered at the windows, watching like the overprotective parents they were. Cy was just as attentive, but his interest was in icing the bruise on Zeke's jaw.
I wasn't surprised at all when they took it up a notch on Saturday. Billy pilfered Cy's gym equipment for a punching bag, and Darnell came up with something that would work for protective mats. I went one step further, turning on my computer and ordering exactly what they needed. If these kids were serious about learning how to defend themselves, then the last thing I wanted was for them to get hurt in practice.
By the time Sunday morning rolled around, the only thing Faith wanted to talk about was her sore muscles. Somehow, I'd been convinced to drive half of us to church again, which meant I was clearly going. Once again, Berto decided to go with us, but this time he opted to ride with Emily and Zeke instead of driving. But when the Southwind crew pulled into the church parking lot, it seemed that everybody noticed.
Maybe it was something about having everybody's eyes on me. It could have been simply that I had a wild hair up my ass. After all, this was me. Regardless, when I met Cy at the back of the car, I didn't even think before leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips. Fuck anyone who didn't like it.
Behind me, Luke chuckled, which meant that both he and Violet had likely seen it. Glancing back, I added Faith to that list as well. The girl was grinning at me while making subtle gestures towards her dad. I was pretty sure she was trying to tell me to kiss him too, but I wasn't sure that Luke was ready for that big of a display of affection in public.
This time, Cy didn't simply grab my hand. The man wrapped his arm around my waist, walking with me like a lover. Yeah, people definitely looked, but I kinda liked it. I knew that Cy had to be relieved that he didn't need to pretend anymore. That man had no interest in putting himself back in the closet, so my kiss had made it clear he no longer had to restrain himself.
Like always, David greeted us at the door, then we took our regular seats in the pew where we always sat. Zeke and Faith claimed the end, giggling about something with their heads together. Berto and Emily sat behind us. Everything was completely and totally normal until Maisie slid down the row, leaving a space between herself and Berto.
"Maisie, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just didn't want to sit with all the gossips anymore," she explained. Then she leaned forward and tapped Violet's shoulder. "Hey, how are you doing after the ordeal on Thursday?"
"I'm okay," Violet promised. "Have a little bit of a bruise on my cheek, but the sore muscles are already better."
Maisie glanced at the rest of us to make sure we were listening. "Yeah, just know that a bunch of people are talking about it. Meredith and Jodi insist they weren't the ones who called. Not that it means much, but that's what they're saying."
So I had to ask, "How do you think this is going to affect us getting a business license at the city council meeting?"
