Page 47 of Thor
We walked toward the group of people standing together near the casket, with Thor protected between me and Jeanie in case someone had something horrible to say.
No one did.
Felix stood off the side with Dana, his body slumped forward and hands at his back, not a typical soldier stance. Thor had told me after our run-in with him that he’d left the marines after Andy’s death. If he did see Thor, he was either actively avoiding looking at him or he didn’t care enough to glance in his direction. Maybe he’d said what he needed to get off his chest, or he could be afraid of me, too. Either way, he wasn’t a problem right now and that was all that mattered.
Colonel stepped up to Jeanie’s side, but he kept his attention forward.
I bit my tongue so I didn’t say something to him I’d regret. As protective as I was of Thor, this was his family, and I didn’t know them like he did. He was perfectly capable of defending himself… usually. Family was different, I supposed, but I wouldn’t know. I’d had my parents, but I could barely remember my dad and didn’t get much time with Mom. Odin was as close to a parent as I had, and Hoor was my brother. They had their own issues, too. Odin’s inability to look at Damian being the main fucking problem. Maybe I was lucky not to have any living blood relatives.
A few people come over to say hello, and even though Thor stiffened at my side, he nodded at them and shook their hands when they held them out to him. I don’t know what Thor was expecting, but everyone was cordial and polite, and I finally understood the small town appeal. Everyone knew each other, and they wrapped themselves up in each other’s arms. A woman with children arrived, and it was as if the mourners were drawn to her, whispering in her ear as she dabbed a Kleenex under her eyes. The oldest child couldn’t have been more than ten with the other two no older than five or six, and there were three of them, sad and hunched over in grief.
Thor sucked in a deep breath. “They look just like him.”
Jeanie grabbed his hand and leaned closer, offering her support. “Yes, they do. They worshipped the ground their father walked on.”
“Why would she take them away from Daniel?” he asked.
I wondered the same. I might not understand the traditional family, but I’d never agree to taking a child purposely away from a parent unless there was a legitimate reason. Then again, the Danny I knew wasn’t the one I’d left behind. The silver fox at her side with his hand on her shoulder wasn’t a good reason, even if his appearance screamed money.
“She said he was verbally abusive. He drank a lot.” Jeanie sighed. “He was like that since you left, Toby. He was tormented by his own demons.”
He shook his head, his lips twitching and jaw clenched. “I should’ve stayed.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” She stroked her fingers over his cheekbone. “You leaving was for the best. You found a new family and a beautiful partner.” Her gaze slid to me and she smiled sweetly. “Thank you for taking care of him, Loki.”
I snorted. “More like he keeps me from blowing my head off with grenades.”
She winced but chuckled. It was a reminder that people in Wittstock—Thor’sfamily—didn’t live in our world. They weren’t surrounded by alcohol, guns, and bikes. This strange little place was a vacation, and as much as it was fantastic to learn more about the man I was in love with, this wasn’t home to me. It felt odd to be in a town so peaceful, where we didn’t have to look over our shoulders every moment of every day, waiting for the Souls to roll into the city to try blow our brains out.
As soon as the service was about to begin, Thor led me to the back, and I went with him. We stood behind a few tall men who didn’t acknowledge Thor. I think the last time I went to a funeral, it’d been my mother’s, but I couldn’t quite remember. I’d buried myself in Odin and Hoor’s arms, hoping the pain would go away, that it was all a bad nightmare, but I never woke up from it. I’d spent the next year in a haze, floating through life.
Until Thor. The moment I’d set eyes on him, I’d been obsessed. Whenever he’d come to the mansion, I’d followed him like a lost pup. Odin had noticed, of course, and thought it’d been amusing. He’d laughed about it with the other guys in front of me more than once. But as time went on, Thor proved himself to be an asset. He’d dominated the city, and he was one of the most important members we had, so Odin had made him vice president before even Vili and Vidar, two of Odin’s closest friends.
The service was dull and it took all my effort not to close my eyes and fall asleep standing up. I didn’t know this Daniel, and I’d only come for Thor. If I had my way, after I died my ashes would be thrown in the ocean like they did as a memorial in Hawaii. Tyr, a Hawaiian in our club, had told me all about it. It sounded nice. No graves or places where people could piss on the dirt you were buried under, only water and freedom.
We listened—or in my case, pretended to listen—until the service was finished and everyone started talking to each other again. Dana approached us, her hands clasped in front of her and a small, sad smile curving her cherry lips.
“I’m glad you came, Toby,” she whispered when she reached us, holding out a hand to him. He took her hand and held it in his as he returned her smile.
“Me too. I’m sorry I left so suddenly.”
Wind fluttered around us, and the bottom of her black dress danced with it. She was beautiful and soft, like a pixie in a world of giants. Compared to Thor, she was tiny.
“I’m sorry about Felix.” She darted a glance behind her at her husband, who was having a conversation with an elderly gentleman. “Daniel’s death brought up a lot of feelings.”
“I know.” Thor gripped her hand a little tighter. “Me too. I think it did for all of us. Did Daniel talk to you after I left?”
She shook her head, strands of her short blonde hair waving with the wind. “He kept to himself. Morgan and I tried, but he never wanted to see to us. We thought we reminded him of the accident and that’s why.”
Thor nodded and dropped her hand when Felix made his way over to us, his face pulled tightly as he reached her shoulder. He wore a formfitting suit that looked a little cheap, but I suspected he didn’t get paid well if he worked in this small town. I didn’t understand why people worked normal jobs for shitty pay when they could do illegal stuff like us and get paid good money. Other than the threat of being shot and killed, it had its positives. Like blowing people up with grenades.
That was fun.
Thor and Felix stared at each other for a long moment. My fingers twitched, missing the heavy presence of my gun under my jacket, where it usually was. If this bastard started something, I couldn’t reach in and grab it. Although, I knew a thing or two about how to fight with my hands as well, and I had my secret weapon.
“Is this finished?” Thor asked, his muscles clenched.
Felix laughed and the sound was sharp and startling in the somber atmosphere. “This will never be finished.”
