“I’m not their responsibility. The only reason they tried to help me was because of Grace,” Penni argued.

Razer shook his head. “King told them to watch out for you. You were under their protection.”

“I don’t need anyone to watch out for me.”

“Obviously, you do.” Razer turned to face the front again.

Penni gritted her teeth. Arrogant males were the bane of her existence. Then again, why should she care? Jackal had been a pain in her ass for years. Hell, he had left her stranded at a rest area when he had kidnapped her; not to mention, he had kidnapped her in the first place.

Penni rubbed her hands down the front of her jeans. This time was different, though. She had seen behind the domineering attitude he showed everyone.

He was the exact opposite of Train. Train treated women respectfully. The only time she had seen him lose his temper was when she had been fifteen, and Shade and Train had taken her to a movie while they were on leave.

Penni winced as she remembered staring up at him adoringly, proud of how both the men had walked by her side. A young woman not much older than her had been crying, her hand to her cheek. Three women had been arguing as a man had sheepishly stood next to the woman who had struck the girl.

When his girlfriend had attempted to strike her again, Train had reached out, snatching her hand back. He had been so fast Penni hadn’t seen him move.

“Hey!” the woman had screeched, furious at being unable to hit her target.

“Keep your fucking hands to yourself.” His quiet voice had drawn the small crowd’s gaze from the fight they had been enjoying.

Shade, with his imposing tattoos, had stuck out like a sore thumb in the affluent suburbs where her parents had lived.

The young woman hadn’t been used to being challenged. Her expensive summer dress and heels contrasted with the other woman’s off the rack clothes.

She had waved her cell phone in Train’s face. “I’ll call the police.”

Train hadn’t replied, taking out his own cell phone. Unlike the blustering woman, he had actually seemed to dial a phone number.

“I’d like to report an assault.” He hadn’t been bluffing.

The woman’s mouth had dropped open as Train had given the address of the movie theater. She and her friends had started to move away, but Train had stopped them before they could flee.

“Don’t waste your time. I’m sure their camera will show that you all were ganging up on her.”

“Do something, Ethan.”

The whipping boy couldn’t lose face in front of his girlfriend, so he had decided to confront Train. He had been outmatched, though.

Striking out, he had tried to land a punch on his jaw, but Train had grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. The worm had wiggled, unable to break his hold. His girlfriend and her friends had begun hitting Train, trying to get him free.

Train had grabbed the hair of the man’s girlfriend, turning her around so she couldn’t hit him.

Meanwhile, Shade had grabbed each of her friends as they’d kicked and screamed to be let go.

“You need some help?” Penni had unwisely steeped closer to the one Train was holding. The woman had grabbed her, pulling her off balance so that she crashed into her.

“Shit.” Train had tried to catch them, but the women had been kicking and hitting as they’d fallen to the ground.

Penni had found herself eating concrete as the woman lashed out at her. She had taken off one her heels and begun beating her with it. The woman might have been from the affluent neighborhoods, but she had fought dirty.

“Shit.” Train tried to pull Penni out of the fray yet couldn’t separate her from the tangle of legs, arms, and hair swirling around them.

“Fuck. Mom’s going to kick my ass if she gets hurt …” Her brother had tried to grab her while Train had attempted to separate the other woman from her. Neither had been successful.

Penni had felt the pain of her blows. Unfazed, she had hit back. Rage had poured out her like never before, but it hadn’t frightened her. She had raked her nails down the arms that tried to pin her to the ground. When she’d heard the squeal of pain, Penni had felt a rush of pleasure that she hadn’t experienced before. Even when she had felt the teeth clamped onto her own arms, she hadn’t cared. She had punched her in the face over and over until she had released her and fallen to the ground.

Penni had hopped up, tossing a leg over her until she had been sitting on her belly, continuing to beat her until blood poured out of the corner of her mouth and covered her chin.

“Stop!” Pleas and hard hands had lifted her, bringing Penni to awareness to what she done.

“Calm down, Penni.” Train’s low voice had soothed the rage that had nowhere to go. “Go sit on the bench.”

She had sat down on the bench as Shade had helped the beaten woman to her feet. Her friends had been too afraid to move when he had ordered them not to.

Penni had buried her face in her hands, horrified at her behavior. She had not hurt so much as an ant before, yet not only had she beaten the woman; she had enjoyed it. What if Shade and Train hadn’t been there to stop her?

Penni’s stomach had begun to heave, disgusted by the violence she had been capable of.

At that point, the police had arrived, and Penni had started to stand to turn herself over to them.

“Sit still and be quiet,” Shade ordered as the two police officers approached.

She had expected to be arrested. Only when the women and man had left an hour later had she realized the police were leaving.

Shade had sat down on the bench next to her, tossing Train the keys to their mother’s car they had borrowed. “Get the car.”

Train had nodded, laying a hand on her shoulder before leaving.

“You okay?”

“I’m a monster.” Penni had stared up at his hooded blue eyes.

“No, you’re not.” His ironic smile hadn’t made her feel better. She’d felt like a disappointment. Their mother had always been so proud of Shade. She had told her friends that he was in the service and told Penni that she should be good or Shade wouldn’t come visit her anymore.

“I won’t do it again. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I will.” She had reached out to take his hand, but Shade had pulled back. He had never touched her.

When she had been little, she would reach out to him, but he would pull back or briefly hold her then move away. He had never held their mother, and Penni had grown used to seeing the look of pain when Shade visited, assuming it had been because he harbored ill-feelings toward her for breaking up with Shade’s father.

As Penni matured, though, she had sensed it was part of Shade’s personality. Remaining aloof didn’t mean he didn’t care. He had visited their mother and her whenever he’d had leave. Each time he had come, he’d brought his friends, which had kept him from spending time alone with her, but she hadn’t cared. She had cherished any time she spent with him, but she hadn’t cried when he’d left. It was just the way it was.

“You were trying to protect someone you love.”

Penni had blushed bright red, embarrassed that he had been voicing her feelings for Train out loud.