"I don't think your necklace will scare him, Grammy."
"You'd be surprised. And if it doesn't, then he deserves what he gets." Her grandmother patted her on the shoulder and turned to Selena. "Have you been practicing those exercises I showed you, Ms. Laurens?"
"Yes, ma'am. I can feel my powers growing every day."
"Good. Now I better get back to Starla's. If that rank bastard comes near my baby-"
"Grandma!" Sunshine gasped. She'd never in her life heard her grandmother use such a word.
"Well, he is. Messing with my granddaughter. I'll boil his warts in oil and feed his head to the wolves."
Vane choked on that one. "You know, wolves don't really like to eat heads. Meat, yes, but heads are really hard on the jaws. Not to mention, the cranium gets caught between your teeth."
Her grandmother gave him a withering stare. "Are you being smart with me, boy?"
"Yes."
"Young man," her grandmother said in a haughty tone, "didn't your mother teach you any manners?"
"My mother only taught me one thing and, I promise you, it wasn't manners."
Her grandmother nodded. "I can see that. But you still have a very important lesson to learn in life."
"And that is?"
"One day you're going to have to let someone other than your brother and sister get close to you."
His face turned to stone and the look in his eyes was feral and fierce. "What do you know about my siblings?"
"More than you would care for. You have a hard road ahead of you, Vane Kattalakis. I wish I could ease it for you, but it's yours alone to travel. Just remember, you're a lot stronger than you think you are."
"Believe me, lady, my strength is the one thing I never doubt."
Her grandmother smiled at that. "It's amazing the lies we tell other people, isn't it?"
Her grandmother turned her back on him. "Selena, Sunshine. You two take care. And Sunshine, when tonight comes, follow your heart. Do as it commands, and it won't fail you."
"Okay, Grandma, I will."
Her grandmother kissed her cheek, then headed off toward St. Anne.
After she was out of sight, Sunshine turned back to see Vane looking agitated. "I'm sorry. She does that a lot to people. She tends to just say whatever pops into her head."
Vane didn't speak. Instead, he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the black iron fence that surrounded the square.
Sunshine finished setting up her stand, then checked her watch.
It was still a little while before Cameron was due, so she pulled out her sketchbook and started doodling.
Before she realized it, she'd drawn a picture of the man who had kidnapped her.
Vane looked at the sketch. "Damn good likeness."
Sunshine went cold. "You know this guy?"
"Well, yeah. Of course I do. So does Talon. Selena probably knows him too."
"Selena," Sunshine said, heading to her friend. "Do you know who this is?"