“Well, shit, no. It’s not. You're about to bring a tear to my eye, you big old sap.” Ender chuckled with a sniff.
He shoved him. “Oh, fuck off, you bastard. I’m being serious.”
“I know you are. I suppose that’s reason enough. But can’t you stay here with him? We have all the protection he could need.”
“You know I can’t. As much as the Grimms, especially Cyrus, lets you get away with in terms of what your organization gets up to…they want your ass in a sling. How long would it take them to track me down once they know I’m with you? Or Seri and Skya, for that matter?”
“That brat of Cyrus’ could probably track me down now, if he was motivated enough.”
Severo would really like to see someone call Killian a brat to his face. It would be highly entertaining…as long as he wasn’t the one to say it. He liked the amount of holes he currently had in his body, and didn’t need more.
“Yes, but he isn’t. And Cyrus, unlike most of his family, knows that you and your group are necessary. So, he ignores you, mostly, unless you are shoved right into his face.”
“Which I would be, if you and the cute Nymphs stayed here.” Ender sighed. “Fine, fine, let’s make some plans, so we can get you and your adorable companions out of here and someplace snug and safe, shall we? Though…what about your parents? While I said there is no place Preston can’t get to…unless he has a death wish, he is unlikely to even attempt to do anything against them.”
Severo blanched. “I don’t want my family anywhere near Preston. They…they have money, sure, but they aren’t like him. I just want to protect Seri without anyone else getting hurt.”
Ender scoffed. “You are so naïve when it comes to them.”
“I am not!”
“You are, but, whatever. Let’s plan.” His friend’s head tilted, a frown forming on his face as he stared down the hallway behind Severo. “But perhaps, some sleep first.”
Severo glanced back. Seri was standing up and swaying a bit on his feet. “He can sleep, we can plan.”
“Quill, you take that man and his youngin’ somewhere they can lay down for a while, you hear me!” Ender bellowed.
“Roger!” the young man yelled back.
Seri sat there with Skya in his lap, at the same table as he had the night before, holding the bottom of a bottle while she drank happily away. He had to say…last night had honestly been the best sleep he’d had in years.
Being surrounded by armed men again, for the first time since fleeing, had somehow made him feel protected. Which was…odd. Considering it had only made him feel trapped before.
It was just the four of them in the room—Ender, Severo, Skya, and himself.
He eyed Severo, who was sitting next to him. The Dweller had finished eating long before him, and was just chatting with Ender about mundane things, like what game was on, or…the weather. Based on the few meals they had shared together, it seemed the man ate fast, no matter what he was eating.
Seri finished the last bite of his fried cod with his free hand, and eyed the two as they continued to talk. He had been very reluctant to enter the room on waking up when he’d noticed them both eating steak. After putting up with Preston’s disregard for so long, the relief and gratitude he felt on finding out that they had a different meal he could actually eat waiting for him had been unreal.
“Well…now that you three have slept and filled your bellies, I suppose it’s time to plan,” Ender suddenly said.
Severo nodded. “Yeah, it wouldn’t be good to stay here too long. Best to plan and get going.”
“Going?” he asked with a frown. “Why… Why aren’t we just staying here?”
Ender smiled. “Afraid Severo’s boss is not that fond of me. So, staying here would make things more complicated than they already are.”
Seri grimaced. “So…his boss can’t be trusted?”
The Gorgon laughed. “I didn’t say that. I don’t imagine he’d do anything to you, yet…there is no denying he’s a pain in my butt. Too stuck on the laws, even if those laws are wrong.
“Cyrus doesn’t approve of my methods, and neither do the other Grimms, but then again, I don’t much approve of their methods either. We are sort of frenemies, in a sense. We can acknowledge the good, but harp on the bad. Anyway, it’s best for him to not know where I am at. Least not know exactly, or what’s close by.”
“I see,” Seri said, slightly disappointed that he couldn’t just stay here. It seemed the simplest solution.
That being said, he’d feel awful if his presence here ended with the group getting arrested. Especially after how much they had helped him already.
“Anyway, we got a location. Utqiagvik, Alaska. Place is always cold, which will make it easier for you all to hide, for sure. Though you shouldn’t do it often, it means that if you need to, you can go out in public. My group also has an encampment nearby. So, we can help out with groceries and all that. To add on, if something goes wrong, we also have a greater chance of noticing, and then being able to do something about it.”
