pieces. I let Hunter take over putting our groceries, still in their bags, into the fridge.
“You moving?” I asked Sal, who had busied himself picking up some open containers in the living room.
“Not if I can help it.”
I waited for him to elaborate. When he didn't, I decided to push. “What's that mean?”
Sal made a dismissive gesture. “Divorce. All this crap is hers.”
“That the woman who was here earlier?” I asked.
He nodded. “I'd give her the shirt off my back to go the hell away but she insists it's difficult to move all this shit through customs. It's been almost a year. It's fucking Canada . How tough can a border patrol run by Mounties really be?” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Sorry. It's been a long day.”
“Sal, if you're going to ask me to help you out, I don't deal with family law.”
“No.” He dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand and went to the fridge, moving aside our bags to dig out a carton of organic milk. He dumped some into a cup without measuring it and then went about pulling down flour, salt and baking powder. Hunter came over and asked to use the bathroom so Sal gave him some directions before he went back to mixing up his recipe.
Sal was quiet for a while, until after he had a dough mixture made up and needed to go wash his hands. He stared at the doughy bits as they went down the drain. “What I want has nothing to do with my messed up life. It's about Chanter. I told you he called me. It wasn't just to give me an update on the situation with Elias. He told me to keep an eye on my neighbor's son with the full moon approaching.” He turned around, wiping his hands clean on a towel. “I know you're not one of us. Was his father?”
I really didn't want to talk about that and certainly not with him, but it didn't seem like these werewolves were just going to let it go. Of course, if they were right, they might have a good reason to be so upset. I'd moved another male werewolf into their territory. Even with what little I knew about werewolves, I knew that was bound to cause tension. “Hunter doesn't know,” I found myself blurting out. “He can't know.”
Sal pulled out a chair and plopped into it, throwing one arm over the back. “You're on a reservation. No one's going to think less of you if your son is one of us. In fact, I think it could help you. It's certainly not going to hurt him to get the help and guidance he needs. Pretty soon, it's going to be too late. He's going to change. No amount of denial on your part is going to prevent that.”
“I know,” I whispered and sank down into the chair across from him. “But he's my son. I can't lose him.” It felt like my heart was about to fall out of my mouth so I clenched my jaw tight and looked up. “Anyway, I don't see how this has any bearing on the info you wanted to give me.”
“Elias was a lone wolf,” he said. Then, he turned his head and stood quickly as Hunter strode back into the room.
“That bathroom is huge . I mean, for a trailer bathroom.” Hunter glanced around. “So, is it just you here? This is an awful lot of space for just one guy. It would creep me out to be in here all by myself at night.”
Sal smiled but, beneath the surface of the smile, I saw an old wound surface. It was there and gone in the blink of an eye and the smile turned genuine. “You play basketball, kid?”
“Never stayed in one place long enough to join a team or anything, but this one place in Pennsylvania had a big hoop outside. I got pretty good that summer.” Sal went back into a room on the opposite side of the house from where he'd sent Hunter for the bathroom. When he came back, it was with a basketball. He bounced it once on the kitchen floor and then passed it to Hunter. “There's a bit of blacktop and a hoop on the other side of the house. Just mind the motorcycle. You bump it, you buy it and it's one of a kind.”
Hunter's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “You have a
“You moving?” I asked Sal, who had busied himself picking up some open containers in the living room.
“Not if I can help it.”
I waited for him to elaborate. When he didn't, I decided to push. “What's that mean?”
Sal made a dismissive gesture. “Divorce. All this crap is hers.”
“That the woman who was here earlier?” I asked.
He nodded. “I'd give her the shirt off my back to go the hell away but she insists it's difficult to move all this shit through customs. It's been almost a year. It's fucking Canada . How tough can a border patrol run by Mounties really be?” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Sorry. It's been a long day.”
“Sal, if you're going to ask me to help you out, I don't deal with family law.”
“No.” He dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand and went to the fridge, moving aside our bags to dig out a carton of organic milk. He dumped some into a cup without measuring it and then went about pulling down flour, salt and baking powder. Hunter came over and asked to use the bathroom so Sal gave him some directions before he went back to mixing up his recipe.
Sal was quiet for a while, until after he had a dough mixture made up and needed to go wash his hands. He stared at the doughy bits as they went down the drain. “What I want has nothing to do with my messed up life. It's about Chanter. I told you he called me. It wasn't just to give me an update on the situation with Elias. He told me to keep an eye on my neighbor's son with the full moon approaching.” He turned around, wiping his hands clean on a towel. “I know you're not one of us. Was his father?”
I really didn't want to talk about that and certainly not with him, but it didn't seem like these werewolves were just going to let it go. Of course, if they were right, they might have a good reason to be so upset. I'd moved another male werewolf into their territory. Even with what little I knew about werewolves, I knew that was bound to cause tension. “Hunter doesn't know,” I found myself blurting out. “He can't know.”
Sal pulled out a chair and plopped into it, throwing one arm over the back. “You're on a reservation. No one's going to think less of you if your son is one of us. In fact, I think it could help you. It's certainly not going to hurt him to get the help and guidance he needs. Pretty soon, it's going to be too late. He's going to change. No amount of denial on your part is going to prevent that.”
“I know,” I whispered and sank down into the chair across from him. “But he's my son. I can't lose him.” It felt like my heart was about to fall out of my mouth so I clenched my jaw tight and looked up. “Anyway, I don't see how this has any bearing on the info you wanted to give me.”
“Elias was a lone wolf,” he said. Then, he turned his head and stood quickly as Hunter strode back into the room.
“That bathroom is huge . I mean, for a trailer bathroom.” Hunter glanced around. “So, is it just you here? This is an awful lot of space for just one guy. It would creep me out to be in here all by myself at night.”
Sal smiled but, beneath the surface of the smile, I saw an old wound surface. It was there and gone in the blink of an eye and the smile turned genuine. “You play basketball, kid?”
“Never stayed in one place long enough to join a team or anything, but this one place in Pennsylvania had a big hoop outside. I got pretty good that summer.” Sal went back into a room on the opposite side of the house from where he'd sent Hunter for the bathroom. When he came back, it was with a basketball. He bounced it once on the kitchen floor and then passed it to Hunter. “There's a bit of blacktop and a hoop on the other side of the house. Just mind the motorcycle. You bump it, you buy it and it's one of a kind.”
Hunter's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “You have a
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