A God's Last Death

Welcome to the Family

"—so, I tried to calm your sister down. I told her she didn't have to worry about forgetting to pick Sam from school, and instead she should embrace her mistakes. And you know what she did next?"

I shake my head.

"She went ahead and hugged me!" Noah bungs his fist on the table for emphasis, and my glass rattles from the impact. "I mean, who on earth would do that to their husband?"

"That's my girl!" I tell my sister and raise my hand for a high five. She cracks a smile and collides her palm on mine.

In moments like this I can forget the crumbling world around us and focus on the good stuff, this family dinner that has become our constant when the math doesn't seem to lead us anywhere. Beans on toast, laugh at a joke, sprayed crumbs over the carpet, drinks perched precariously on the edge of the table, piled plates on the counter next to the kitchen sink. Food is one of the ways we've come to love one another, another kind of hug, another way to bring out that inner sunshine.

"This show is boring," Kai matters to himself, loud enough for me to hear.

I rub my face tiredly. I should have know this wasn't going to last for long with him in our midst.

"Again, this is a family dinner," Noah glares at him across the table, and for the first time I'm glad for his constantly uptight attitude.

An awkward silence falls around the table, like the calm between the storms. I can already feel dark thick clouds gathering around us, ready to bring rain.

"So, how long have you known Andrew?" Sophia asks kindly, as if she's a neighbor who just happened to bump into him at the supermarket.

"Just a couple of months, right Andrew?" he leans closer to me and rests his hand on my shoulder. I almost cringe when I feel his fingers digging into my skin.

"Really? He has never mentioned anything about a friend lately."

I can literally hear the suspicion in her voice, a warning sign that tells me this interrogation has only begun. I open my mouth to speak, but Kai's grip on my shoulder tightens again.

"He knows I'm not that open to people, so he must have omitted that part."

"Is that so?" she raises an eyebrow. "And what do you do, Kai?"

I rub my clammy palms against my jeans nervously, all the while preparing myself for the moment my sister will finally see through the cracks. I observe her unchanging expression, a sign that for now we're clear. I steal a glance at Noah and catch him threatening me with his eyes. Great.

Kai doesn't seem to be phased by my sister's probing questions, though. "I help around at the station. Nothing important, really. Cleaning, throwing files. Ι don't want to bore you with that uninteresting stuff," he replies with ease.

"I've been at the station many times and I have never seen you there."

"I work nights. I get there when most of the officers have gone."

While he's speaking, I watch him closely, searching for a crack on his calm expression, a flaw in his demeanour, but I find none. That son of a bitch is a damn good liar. Even I could be fooled by his ease.

"But the—"

"Mom!"

Sophia glances at the corridor and sighs, probably because she knows all too well that she can't avoid her any longer. "When duty calls, you have to answer, I guess," she says and stands up. She gives Noah a peck on the lips before quickly disappearing down the corridor, and we wait for a few seconds before speaking again.

"What the hell is he doing here, Andrew?" Noah whispers to me angrily, and I instantly know he's referring to Kai. "Have you lost your mind? Feeding a criminal under our roof?"

"You have dragged me into this crappy situation! It's time you too bore the consequences!" I whisper-yell back.

"Will you cut it off already?" Kai's rude tone makes us both turn and glare at him. Okay, usually we're not that immature, but today is a challenging day.

"If we sit down and plan something for this case, you should be present," I tell Noah, trying to reason with him and finally get somewhere.

"Okay," he nods in all seriousness. "Have you come up with anything?"

"Yes," I answer, and Kai immediately frowns at me. "We will wire him and then let him go fishing for some intel. Easy-peasy."

"When are you to meet them?" Noah asks him.

"The day after tomorrow."

He nods skeptically. "Okay. Sounds good so far. We'll have to discuss the details at the station tomorrow. We'll need a permit, and I'll also request technical support."

"Am I supposed to just accept whatever plans you make at my own expense?" Kai complains, but we both ignore him.

The moment I turn to give him a warning look, my gaze falls to the window behind him, and I see the sun already disappearing behind the buildings, marking the end of the day. I grab my radio and press the button to speak.

"T. S. do you copy?"

"Copy. Go ahead," a woman's voice replies after a few seconds.

"Code 19, 40-49 north, 73-55 west."

"Copy that. You are clear to proceed."

I put the radio in my jacket's inside pocket and nudge Kai to come.

"Try not to take his head off, okay? You'd better not compromise this mission," Noah jokes when he sees us rise from our chairs, and the thought of me punching his pretty mouth becomes even more appealing.