Before Evangeline could answer, the young man sneered, as if reading her mind. "Don''t tell me you''re going to help us find jobs. Not with our records."


    He pointed to the man with blond hair. "His father was a gambling drunk. Beat his mother for money. He killed him to save her. Did five years." He then gestured to another. "He was abandoned as a kid, found a good foster family. When he was fifteen, his birth parents showed up and tried to take him back. When he refused, they kidnapped him. He killed one of them by ident. Did three years."


    He went down the line, matter-of-factly recounting their stories, his eyes filled with scorn. "Every single one of us has a body on our record. What do you think we can do? Who would ever hire us?"


    Evangeline was stunned into silence by their tragic histories. She nced at the despairing owner, then back at the young man. "But giving up like this will only trap you further. By robbing this man, you''re taking away his hope. How does that make you any different from the people who wronged you?"


    Her words seemed to catch them off guard. The leader stared at her for a moment before he and his men burst into another round of derisiveughter.


    Evangeline clenched her jaw, trying to appear calm as she anxiously scanned the street. Where were the police?


    Suddenly, a cry of pain cut through the air. She turned to see that Finn had somehow circled around behind the group. He moved with swift, brutal efficiency, taking them down one by one with precise, powerful punches. She watched, mesmerized. The Lockridges, it seemed, were full of surprises. Finn, who always appeared so elegant and refined, fought with a raw, visceral force.


    Just then, she saw one of the men grab a metal pipe and sneak up behind him. "Finn, behind you!" she screamed.


    It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He ducked under the swing of the pipe, then shot out a leg, kicking the man squarely in the chest. In one fluid motion, he grabbed the man''s throat and mmed him to the ground.


    Within moments, all the men were subdued. The other customers, emboldened, rushed in to help hold them down. Finn calmly dusted off his clothes and handed the envelope back to the owner. "Count it."


    The owner thanked him profusely. Soon after, the police arrived and took the men into custody.


    Evangeline and Finn went to the


    station to give their statements. As they were leaving, she saw the bruised and beaten young men in the lobby. Their stories echoed in her mind, leaving her with a beavyplicated feeling. She couldn''t help but believe they had been telling


    the truth. No one would invent a


    past that tragic.


    "When they''re released, someone from the Lockridge family will contact them,"


    Finn said quietly, as if sensing her thoughts.


    She looked at him, surprised.


    "The Lockridges need a few debt


    collectors," he exined with a casual shrug. "They seem like a good fit. We have plenty of people with simr backgrounds. A few more won''t make a difference."


    He said it nonchntly, but she knew he was doing it for her. She wanted to thank him, but she knew that wasn''t what he wanted to hear. Some things didn''t need to be said.


    Instead, she changed the subject. "Those moves you used back there were impressive. Can you teach me?"


    He shook his head. "I can''t."


    His refusal was so blunt it caught her off guard. "Why not?" she asked, a little annoyed.


    He stopped walking and met her gaze. "Evangeline, you''re not


    ruthless enough. To win a fight, you have to be prepared to end it. You have to hit your opponent so hard they''re too scared to evere after you again. That''s true in a fight, and it''s true in life. Can you do that?"


    His expression was serious, and his intensity made her straighten up. She lowered her gaze for a moment, took a deep breath, and looked back at him. "Yes, I can."


    "Even if your opponent is Soren?" he asked.