Page 84 of The Best Trick

I exchanged glances with Odin who could also usually read Thor. All I saw were his soft golden eyes full of sadness.

Everything began to feel ominous. Panic welled up inside me.

Here we were, hopes dashed. And now we were at odds again.

Doris snoozed in the corner. Waves crashed faintly in the distance. A small plane droned overhead.

I looked at my guys, one and then another. Zeus’s hard, concerned frown. Odin’s somber brooding. Thor so lost and alone.

I felt like my heart might be breaking.

Also, since when did we run out of things to say to one another? How was everything suddenly so pained and awkward?

I said, “Enough to make a person want to taste-test butthole spurge.”

Zeus groaned.

Thor snorted. I felt such relief at that, I can’t even say.

“Still not explaining it to you, goddess,” Odin said.

I pouted. “Pleeeeeeeeeease?”

“Nope.”

Joking was how we always repaired things. Together, we could get through anything. We were the God Pack, dammit!

Zeus sighed. “Here is what we're going to do. Odin is going to season those steaks for grilling and make his amazing salmon cakes. I’m guessing Ice is going to probably read her book in the hammock, and, Thor, you and I are going to drink some beer and throw the ball for Doris. And Denko can go to hell.”

“And we are brilliant fucking-g outlaws, and we’ll get that evidence another way,” Odin said.

“We’re keeping Doris?” I asked.

“Doris can hang with us until we decide different,” Zeus said.

I grinned at Thor, wishing he could feel the love we had for him. He smiled back, but it looked a little fake. I got up and kissed the top of his head, wanting to infuse him with my love.

“We’re cool. It’s fine,” he said.

Odin got busy in the kitchen. Thor grabbed beers for him and Zeus. I staked out the hammock with my book and watched Thor and Zeus and Doris. From the outside, we looked like the happiest family ever. Maybe this was how we got it back—by acting as if.

Eventually, Odin emerged from the kitchen with a platter of food.

“Finally.” Thor grabbed the food and grilling implements and went over to work at the grill, arranging the grates or whatever guys do at the grill.

I told myself that food would help. That things would be fine, though I'm sure we were all thinking about that tackle bag. Right about now, Denko was probably packing it up to bring to that sketchy meeting place. Or maybe he was overseeing the trap, and ZOX guys were climbing up onto building rooftops to wait.

We’d never know, I suppose.

Thor threw a Frisbee with Doris, who sadly couldn't catch Frisbees that well. Odin made me a Pink Barbie cocktail, and I went back to my book.

Minutes later, a deafeningbangcrashed the silence.

On instinct, I spun out of the hammock and dove behind a bush, ears ringing. Odin came over and dragged me behind a boulder. There were more loud pops—pop-pop-poplike gunfire.

I peeked around to see the grill blazing like an inferno. “Did somebody shoot the grill?” I asked.

Odin was surveying the area. We waited while the grill blazed. “That wasn’t gunfire,” Odin said, rising.

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