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“Yes,” I say.
“That’s good, that’s actually good,” Cash says. “You’ve been teaching women self-defense. That’s great. You can teach her, and keep her safe while you’re doing it.”
“Whoa, whoa, what the fuck are you talking about?”
Cash clicks his fingers. “I’ve got it. June and Hannah can come out to the ranch and try out a trial run of your self-defense class. You can look out for Hannah, be her bodyguard while she’s there in case this psycho shows up, and I’ll do what I can to hunt this guy down.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I hunt the guy down and you keep her safe?” I ask, because there is no fucking chance I want Hannah on my property for an extended period of time. Even a few minutes is torture.
“No,” Cash says. “I want to find him myself, and Dad, he can help me. Leo’s heads so far up his ass, he can’t do shit, but whatever.”
“What’s he got to do with it?” I haven’t seen Cash’s other brother in years.
“He called yesterday and said he’s coming back to town,” Cash says, and waves away the question like it’s unimportant. “This is it, Savage.”
“What exactly are you going to do?” I ask. “It’s not like you can hurt the guy. That’s going to make headline news. In case you’ve forgotten, Taylor, you’re kind of a big deal.” I could picture the headlines. Cash’s face splashed across the front of the tabloids. Country Music Star, Cash Taylor, Loses Control.
“Just let me handle that,” Cash says. “You take care of Hannah. She won’t listen to me, but she will listen to you.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because she wants to learn to fight,” Cash says. “She likes that kind of thing.”
My pulse notches upward. “She does?”
“Yeah,” Cash says. “I think this might be the one thing I could convince her to do.”
“So, you’re asking me to train her,” I say.
“And be her bodyguard while you’re training her. Keep her with you until I get back,” Cash says.
“This is fucking crazy, Cash. You have no idea where this guy lives or what he’s capable of,” I say. “It’s a bad idea.”
“I’m gonna do it anyway,” he says. “She’s my sister, man. There’s nothing more important to me than family.”
The sensation of a knife twisting in my gut follows his words, and I keep my features blank.
“Fuck. Sorry.” Cash squeezes my shoulder.
I stare down at him. He’s a little shorter than me, but not by much. I inhale through my nose and brace myself for what I’m about to say, because I hate this. Hate that I will have to be around her, whether June is there or not. I hate that my solitude on the ranch will be broken. Hate that I won’t be left alone, and that when I am, it’s with thoughts that torture me.
“Please?” Cash prompts.
“Fine.”
Five
HANNAH
I sit in a booth in Longhorn’s with a glass of sweet rosé, my nerves shot. Each sip helps me feel a little better, and June’s company does too. Our table flanks the dancefloor, which is surprisingly full for a Sunday night. Lights flash, the warm thump of bass moves through the back of my seat, and I exhale through my nose.
At least I told them. And nobody threw a tantrum. Unless you counted Cash’s man tantrum, or mantrum as I like to call it.
“It’s going to be fun,” June says, leaning in and catching my attention, her smile bright. “I can’t wait.” She swivels her wine glass slowly by the stem then drinks from it.
“I can,” I mumble. “I can’t believe I let you guys talk me into this.”
Cash and Savage are over at the bar, and I glare at the back of my brother’s head. Mostly because it keeps me from looking at Savage, or thinking about how embarrassed I am on so many levels.
