Page 52 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

There's some truth to his words. I drop onto the couch, running my hands through my hair. "I just... after everything with Garrett..."

"I know." Zane sits beside me. "But she's not asking to learn MMA or join fight club. She wants basic self-defense. The kind of stuff that might have helped her that night. Might help her in the future."

My chest tightens at the reminder. The image of scooping her off that bed, broken and drugged flashes through my mind. If she'd known how to break a hold or throw an elbow…

"She trusts us to keep her safe," I say quietly. "Isn't that enough?"

"No." Zane's answer is immediate. "Because we failed her once. Both of us. As much as I want to believe it would never happen again..." He trails off, but I feel the weight of that night hanging between us.

"And what happens when she gets overwhelmed. When the training messes with her head? She's come a long way Z." I voice my real fear. "What happens when one of them grab her from behind and she panics? When she has a flashback in the middle of a lesson?"

"Then Chase and Ty will handle it exactly like they handle everything with her." Zane sighs. "They're good men, Levi. They care about her and she trusts them."

I know he's right. I've seen how protective the whole team is of Sunny. How they include her in all the joking and horseplay but never push too far. How they notice when she needs space or support.

"Besides," Zane continues, "do you really think either of them would risk hurting her? Do you think they don't know what we'd do to them? Even if it was an accident?"

That pulls a reluctant laugh from me. It's true—the entire team has seen what we're capable of when it comes to protecting Sunny.

"Fine. She needs this," I admit finally. "Needs to feel stronger. Less helpless."

"Exactly. And we need to let her do it her way." Zane stands, offering me his hand. "Come on. Let's go find her before she thinks we're plotting something."

I stand and smile. "We are kind of plotting something."

"Yeah, but it's for her benefit. She can't expect us to just let go completely. Baby steps, right?"

I nod, following him toward the kitchen where I can hear Sunny laughing with Chase about something. The sound eases some of the tension in my chest. She deserves to feel safe, to feel strong. Even if that means I have to step back and let someone else help her get there.

My Angel has always been braver than me. Maybe it's time I learned from her example.

The kitchen falls quiet as we enter. Sunny's eyes find mine immediately, the concern obvious.

"Chase," I say without looking away from Sunny, "you and Ty can start training her. But if you hurt her..."

"We know, we know." Chase raises his hands. "They'll never find the bodies."

Sunny crosses the kitchen an smacks my chest lightly, smiling. "That's a little excessive."

I catch her hand, kissing her knuckles. "It's part of my charm."

Her smile is worth every bit of anxiety churning in my gut. Worth learning to loosen my grip on control. Worth everything.

IsettlenexttoZane, my knee bouncing with nervous energy as I stare at the security feed. The gym we set up in the basement looks different on the grainy monitor—more threatening somehow. It fits the mood

"Stop fidgeting," Zane mutters, not taking his eyes off the screen. "You're making me twitchy."

"I'm not fidgeting." But I force my knee still anyway. "Just... watching."

"Right. Because that sounds so much better than 'spying on my girlfriend against her explicit wishes.'"

"Our girlfriend," I correct automatically. "And we're not spying. We're... being cautious."

Zane snorts but doesn't argue. We both know this is crossing a line, but neither of us can help it. She's asked us to turn the cameras off, but neither of us could do it. All these years of believing I'd failed to protect her, followed by nearly losing her to Garrett again— it's left scars on both of us.

The feed shows Chase leaning against the stair railing and talking with Sunny while Ty sets up practice mats. She's wearing a short t-shirt and sweatpants, and her hair's pulled back in a messy bun. Even on the grainy screen, I can see the determination in her stance.

"She's going to kill us when she finds out," Zane says conversationally.

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