Page 22 of Sacrifice
He's solid, reliable, doesn't start shit but always finishes it.
The kind of man you want at your back in a fight.
Been the club's enforcer for over thirty years, and there's a reason he's lasted that long in a position that usually burns men out.
"Just like riling her up," I say, keeping it light. "You know how she gets."
Instead of the protective father routine I expect, Rati laughs. "That I do. Girl's been stubborn since birth. Gwen says she came out arguing with the doctor."
"I believe it," Rio mutters into his beer.
"Remember when she was sixteen?" Rati continues, settling against the bar like we're old friends sharing stories. "Decided she was gonna learn to ride. I told her to start with something small, maybe a Honda 250. What's she do?"
"Bought a Harley?" I guess.
"Tried to. Marched into the dealership with her babysitting money, all three hundred dollars of it, demanding they sell her a Sportster." He shakes his head, grinning. "When they laughed, she staged a sit-in right there in the showroom. Took me and Gwen two hours to talk her out."
"Please tell me there are pictures," Tor says, joining our group.
"Gwen might have a few." Rati's eyes crinkle with humor. "Point is, once Saga sets her mind on something, might as well try moving a mountain. But..." He looks at me, more serious now. "Sometimes she sets her mind on the wrong thing out of pure stubbornness. Cuts off her nose to spite her face, that one."
"Good to know," I say carefully.
"Is it?" He takes a long pull of his beer. "Because from where I'm standing, looks like you're both being stubborn. Her pretending she doesn't want you, you pretending you're content to wait her out."
"I'm not pretending anything."
"No?" Rati sets down his empty bottle. "So you're really okay with her dating other men? Testing the waters? Maybe finding someone who doesn't make her run scared?"
The thought makes my jaw clench, and from Rati's knowing look, he sees it.
"That's what I thought." He claps my shoulder, the gesture surprisingly friendly. "Word of advice? Saga responds better to action than words. Always has. Girl needs to see what you're about, not hear it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"You do that." He starts to walk away, then turns back. "Oh, and Emil? You hurt my daughter, they'll never find your body, and that is very much intended as a threat, not a promise."
"Understood."
He nods and disappears into the crowd, leaving me with Rio and Tor's amused faces.
"Well," Tor says. "That was either a blessing or a death threat."
"Both," Rio suggests. "Definitely both."
"At least he didn't break your nose," Tor adds. "Remember when that prospect tried to ask Saga out last year? Kid's still got the scar."
"That was different," I say. "Kid was being disrespectful."
"And you're not?" Rio challenges.
"I'm being persistent. There's a difference."
"Sure, there is." Tor flags down the bartender for another round. "So what's your next move, strategist?"
I'm saved from responding by Magnus appearing at my elbow. "Kirkjain twenty. Runes wants a quick briefing on the Doran meeting before everyone gets too drunk."
"Copy that."
