Page 128 of Sacrifice
"Sorry, need to handle something. Rio's on his way to pick me up." He kisses my temple. "Shouldn't be long."
I want to ask what's wrong, but not in front of my parents.
So I just nod, trust him to tell me later.
"Club business on a Sunday?" Mom asks.
"Sometimes things don't wait for business hours," Emil says simply.
“Dad, do you need to go too?” I ask, looking right at my father.
Emil shakes his head and Dad smiles, “Looks like I have the night off,”
He's gone within minutes, Rio's bike loud in the driveway.
The dogs are restless without him, Odin especially pacing to the window and back.
We continue the evening, but there's a shadow now.
Elfe feels it too, I can tell.
We've gotten good at pretending everything's fine while staying alert for danger.
Then again, since our apartment was broken into, we’ve been on guard.
My parents leave around seven, after many hugs and promises to be careful.
Soren lingers, helping with dishes.
"So, level with me," he says once we're alone in the kitchen. "How worried should I be?"
"About?"
"Don't play dumb. Emil doesn't leave family dinner unless it's serious. And you've both been tense all day."
I consider lying, but he's not a kid anymore. "Los Coyotes are still out there. We handled one crew, but the cartel itself... they don't forgive, and they don't forget."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
"But you're prepared?"
"As prepared as we can be. The security here is top-notch. I can defend myself now. We have the dogs. And the whole club's on alert."
"Good." He pulls me into a hug. "I worry about you."
"I know. But I'm good, Soren. Really. This life, it's dangerous, but it's mine. And I've got Emil, Elfe, the club. I'm not alone. I have a question for you—are you ever going to prospect, or… what is it you’re doing at college?"
"I’m still unsure," he sighs. "I can be like Vanir, but better if I keep at this tech shit. Then I can help the club, but I don’t know if I want to be part of it yet. I just don’t feel very, welcomed I guess. I don’t know."
I’m about to ask him what he means like that when he makes up an excuse to head out, promising to visit next weekend.
Elfe and I settle in to wait for Emil, the dogs distributed between us.
"Think it's bad?" she asks.
"Don't know. Maybe. He wouldn't have left otherwise."
