Page 52 of Bend

“Depends. Are you asking as my newly discovered older brother or as a narc?”

He winces. “Christ. That answer alone is concerning.”

I smile and take a sip, happily indulging in the caffeine my body so desperately craves.

“So what’s the overall vibe for this little garage debut?” I ask, trying for casual and not quite sticking the landing. “And before you lie to me, yes, I’m specifically asking about Talon.”

Sayshen snorts. “Yeah, he knows I’m bringing you in.”

I look at him over the lid. “And?”

“And he was absolutely not happy about it.”

I let out a slow breath. “Cool. Great. Love that for me.”

His mouth twitches. “Echo.”

“So like, give it to me straight, am I walking into a garage or an execution?”

“You’re walking into a garage,” he says. Then, because he catches the concern anyway, his tone shifts a little. Softer. More grounded. “He’s pissed, yeah. He’ll probably be cold. Maybe testy. Definitely fucking dramatic.”

“Comforting.”

“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be there,” he says. “And it sure as hell doesn’t mean I’m not bringing you.”

I stare down into my coffee for a second. “I just don’t want to make this worse.”

He goes quiet for half a beat.

Then, “You showing up didn’t make it worse, Echo. It just made it real.”

That lands harder than I want it to.

I glance away. “That’s a very poetic way to say my existence is inconvenient.”

He laughs under his breath. “Only to Talon because he’s emotionally constipated.”

That gets a snort out of me.

Sayshen nudges my shoulder lightly. “Look, I’m serious, family drama aside, you’re perfect for the job. Andre will see that. The team will see that. Talon too, eventually, even if he acts like a dick first.”

“Honestly, I figured he wouldn’t be happy about it. I kinda expected him to test me.”

“He tests everybody.”

“Yeah, but I get the feeling he’s gonna put a little extra seasoning on mine.”

Sayshen grins. “Probably.”

“Awesome.”

“But you can handle it.”

The way he says it makes me look at him.

There's no teasing in his tone. No pity. Just certainty, and annoyingly, it actually helps.

I lift a brow. “Well look at you, Sayshen Shaw, mastering the big brother role,”