"I love her, Da."
The words come out before I can stop them.
I've said them to Dalla, but never to anyone else.
Never out loud to my father, the man who raised me to be a soldier first and everything else second.
"I know you do," Da says quietly. "That's what worries me. Love makes men stupid. Makes them take risks they shouldn't take, miss things they should see."
"I'm not going to miss anything."
"See that you don't. Because if you lose her because you were too busy feeling instead of thinking, you'll never forgive yourself." His voice softens, just slightly. "Trust me. I know."
He hangs up before I can ask what he means by that.
I stare at my phone for a moment, processing.
The Krajncs are done.
One threat eliminated.
But the other—Solveig, with her mother's knife and her decades of hatred—is still out there.
Closer than ever.
When I walk back into Runes' office, Dalla is sitting in a chair with her head between her knees, breathing slowly.
Runes is watching her with concern.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She straightens up, forcing a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Just got dizzy for a second. I'm fine."
She's not fine. I can see it in the pallor of her skin, the slight tremor in her hands.
Something is wrong—more than stress, more than fear.
But she's stubborn, and right now we have more pressing concerns.
"That was my father," I say to Runes. "The Krajncs have been dealt with. Their leadership is gone. We lost two men, but the threat from Dublin was eliminated."
Runes nods slowly. "One less thing to worry about."
"Now we can focus everything on Solveig."
"Agreed." He stands, and despite his exhaustion, there's steel in his spine. "I'll callkirkja. Get the club together. We end this."
Dalla stands too, and I'm at her side instantly when she sways slightly.
"I'm taking you back to the basement," I say. "You need to rest."
"I need to know what's happening?—"
"You need to rest." My voice leaves no room for argument. "You're pale, you're nauseous, you can barely stand. Whatever's going on with you, you're not going to be any help if you collapse."
She wants to argue.
I can see it in her eyes.
