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proposing?”
    “I’m proposing that you lie low. Don’t draw attention to yourselves. They’ll send another Guide if I don’t check in with progress but I can hold them off for a while. Let them know I’m still investigating. If there aren’t continued reports of problems in this area, they’ll stay away.”
    “What about Seth and Tyler?” said Nick. “You know it’s not usually us causing the problems.”
    “I don’t think we need to worry too much about them for the time being,” said Chris, and for the first time, his voice carried a little satisfaction.
    “Yeah,” said Becca. “We just came from the police station.
    Turns out assault and attempted rape are pretty serious charges.”
    Now Bill looked at her. “Attempted rape?”
    Becca’s eyes were hard. “Don’t even look at me like that. I don’t want your concern. You don’t get to care. Do you understand me? As far as I’m concerned, you’re ”
    “Easy,” said Chris, his voice soft. “Take it easy.”
    “I want to help you,” said Bill, his voice gentler. “You need to let me ”
    “We need to lie low,” said Becca. “Got it.”
    Gabriel kept his mouth shut, but this guy was crazy if he thought he had a shot in hell at her trust. Not to mention the rest of them.
    “And while we’re waiting around,” said Nick, “what are you going to be doing?”
    Bill glanced at his daughter. “I’ll be showing Becca how to protect herself.”
    Becca sat up straight. “No. No way.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “You’d rather run on sheer adrenaline and luck? As much as you don’t want to believe it, I am doing this with the end goal of keeping you safe. You don’t even have a clue what you’re dealing with.”
    “I do,” said Hunter.
    Chris glared at him, but Becca smiled. “Good. Hunter can tell me everything I need to know.” She gave her father a dismissive look. “You can go back to ignoring me since it’s worked so great for the last five years.”
    “I haven’t been ignoring you, Becca.” He glanced at Hunter.
    “And regardless of who you learn from, I definitely won’t be ignoring you now.”
    “So that’s it,” said Michael. “You don’t turn us in, we don’t turn you in.”
    Bill spread his hands. “For now, that’s it.”
    Gabriel waited for his brothers to scoff, to refuse, to flip this frigging table and start the fight of the century. The Guide was right here, like a sitting duck. They could take him down in a heartbeat.
    Probably.
    Unfortunately, everyone else was nodding, acting like it was a good idea to wait and see.
    Gabriel wanted to punch his twin in the shoulder and ask what was wrong with him.
    Why the hell are you nodding? he wanted to say. Don’t you remember the way your leg shattered when he attacked us?
    He’d thought they were coming here to finish things, to fight.
    Not to be placated and reassured.
    Gabriel wound his fingers around his lighter again. The potential for fire was right there, pulsing under his fingertips.
    Mocking him.
    “And what about you, Gabe?”
    He snapped his head up, the lighter slick against his palm. He hated being called Gabe, but correcting this guy for something like that seemed like criticizing a mass murderer for littering.
    “What about me?” he said.
    Becca’s father spread his hands, looking far too patient. Gabriel wanted to hit him.
    Unfortunately, everyone else looked like they were on his side.
    Her father was still looking at him. “Any thoughts?”
    Oh, he had plenty.
    “Yeah,” he said, leaning in, putting a hand against the table.
    “I don’t buy it. What if we just save time and take you out to the parking lot to kill you.”
    “Jesus, Gabriel,” said Michael, rubbing at his eyes. “We don’t have a lot of choice ”
    “I’m in,” said Becca.
    “No.” Nick put both hands flat on the table. “Bill’s plan makes sense. For now. Just ”
    “It doesn’t make sense.” Gabriel kept his eyes firmly locked on Becca’s father.
    Bill