He’s training him.
“How’s the leg?” he asks.
“Still sore.”
Lance grimaces. “You’ll learn to fight through the pain.”
“Yeah.”
My throat closes. Percy looks different than when I saw him just a couple days ago. There’s a bruise under his right eye, and he’s leaning on his left leg, and I know with a sick certainty it’s not from an accident.
“I was barely eighteen, you know?” Lance says, and my breath catches. “First time I stepped into that cage, I thought I was about to die.”
Percy swallows. “What happened?”
“I didn’t die.” He taps Percy’s fists higher. “I’m not teaching you rules, Percy. There are no rules, no matter what location they take you to. I’m teaching you to survive. Don’t forget that.”
This is the same man who laughed in my face when I askedfor help. Who told me I wasn’t built for it. But here he is, careful and patient, trying to give this kid a chance.
The same kid Art just called “bait.”
I shift for a better angle, and my shoulder bumps the door.
It creaks.
Lance’s head snaps toward me, his body going rigid, and our eyes lock through the gap.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
His shoulders stiffen, but he doesn’t look away.
Seven.
The corner of his mouth twitches.
Then he turns back to Percy like nothing happened. “Again. Keep your chin tucked or someone’ll break your jaw.”
I slip away, heart hammering, and by the time I make it to the front of the tavern, Art’s waiting with a soft smile and his keys spinning around his finger.
“Hey, baby.” He crosses to me and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to calm my pulse.
“Thought I’d surprise you.”
Ten minutes ago, he was so cold and callous in his office. Now he’s looking at me like I’m the only thing that matters.
“Where’s Lance?” I ask.
“Busy downstairs.” He shrugs, already guiding me toward the door with a hand on my lower back. “I told him I’d take you back to the cabin tonight. Figured it’d give us some time.”
“So youdoknow I’m there.” Lance had already told me as much, but it still hurts he didn’t call. “You were here this whole night and didn’t come say hi?”
“I wanted to give you my full attention when I saw you, and then I got caught up with Benny. Business stuff.”
Business stuff. Right.
He pulls out of the lot and the dark road stretches ahead.
