Page 37 of Misery

"Emil," Runes redirects. "Are you willing to house them both?"

Emil looks between me and Ivar. Weighing options. "Yeah. We've got room. Elfe's already staying with us anyway. Adding Oskar makes sense for protection."

"I don't like it," Ivar says.

"Noted." Runes' tone says the discussion's over. "But Emil's place is the most secure location we have. And Oskar's..." he pauses, choosing words carefully, "skillsetmakes him ideal for being the one closely assigned to her."

Ivar has no idea Runes has had me watching Elfe for months, but then again, no one does.

"His skillset," Ivar repeats. "You mean his body count."

"I mean his proven ability to eliminate threats," Runes says simply. "Which is what Elfe needs right now."

"What about the rest of us?" Rio asks. "If they're targeting families?—"

"We’ll follow our general lockdown procedures," My father interrupts. "No one travels alone. Women and kids have armed escorts at all times. Businesses stay open but with increased security."

"Can't let them think they've got us scared," Rati adds. "That's weakness."

"But we are scared," Tor points out. "Or at least concerned. They're threatening our kids."

"Which is why we end this fast," Runes says. "Oskar, how many Los Coyotes are currently in our territory?"

"Unknown. The two I eliminated were scouts. But there'll be more. They always travel in waves."

"Best guess?"

I think about what I've observed. Patterns. "Fifteen. Maybe twenty. Enough to be dangerous but not enough to hold any territory."

"So we hunt," Rio says. "Find them before they move on to other families."

"Already started," I tell them. "But someone else is hunting too. Those six bodies. We need to know who and why."

"Could be an ally," Dag suggests.

"Or someone wanting Los Coyotes weakened so they can move in," Magnus counters. "The enemy of our enemy isn't always our friend."

It could be the Irish or the Russians, but if it was, we would have heard about it by now.

I have a feeling this is a new player, and one we need to identify quickly.

"I'll reach out to some contacts," Fenrir offers. "See what the street knows."

"Do it," Runes agrees. "In the meantime, we prepare for war. But smart war. Calculated. We don't give them easy targets."

"What about the threats to Elfe specifically?" I ask. "They want her. They'll keep coming."

"Then we use that," Magnus says. Everyone looks at him. "Not as bait. But as a misdirection. They're focused on her, so they're not watching other things."

"Other things like what?"

"Like us hunting them." Magnus' smile is cold. "They think they're predators. Let's remind them they're in our territory now."

"I want every available man armed and ready," Runes orders. "Prospects included. This is all-hands."

"What about the businesses?" someone asks. "If we're all hunting?—"

"Businesses stay operational with skeleton crews. Can't look weak." Runes stands, signaling the meeting's end. "Forty-eight hours. We find them all and end this."