I’ve officially decided I like dogs. Specifically Lars.

Eli winks at me as he strolls into the room. Strolls. As if he, Oz and I are not in the nightmare they’ve described since Oz rammed into me outside the motel room.

Eli plops onto the couch across from the one my grandmother sits in. I’m in the chair in the middle experiencing a bad case of furniture tug-of-war.

I have an urge to hug Eli, to grab his hand and let him lead me away from this insanity, but I’m so terrified that I’m frozen. Literally. My hands are as cold as Olivia’s.

My stomach growls loudly and the entire silent room glances at me.

“You could have fed her.” Eli reclines on the couch and lays an arm along the back, reminding me of how Oz had done the same thing that night on the bench outside the room that became mine.

His thumbs hitched in his pockets, Oz watches me from the entryway between the kitchen and the living room. My uncle stands parallel to him a few feet away. Another guy hangs back toward the fridge. I swallow for the millionth time as my windpipe continually constricts.

“We offered,” says my grandmother. “But she declined. Would you like something, Eli? Coffee, juice, arsenic?”

“Naw, poison’s not my thing. Did Emily tell you that she has a flight to catch?”

“No. She hasn’t been talkative to be honest,” my grandmother says as my grandfather eases onto the couch next to her and rests his arms on his bent knees.

“She acts like she’s terrified of us,” he says in this mock lighthearted tone that gives me the chills.

A mock dismissive twitch of Eli’s wrist. “Can’t imagine why.”

“You’re the one with the felony record,” interjects my uncle.

Eli points at him. “Emily, if you’re going to watch TV to make an assumption on someone’s life then think of any tragic TV show that involves drugs. Ten bucks the horrible ending is what happens to him in five years.”

“You asshole.” My uncle is on the move, Oz steps forward, his hand reaching for his back and both Eli and my grandfather raise their hands while staring emotionlessly at each other.

Oz backs off and so does my uncle while I suck in air so I don’t puke.

“You okay, Emily?” asks Eli.

I slowly angle my head toward him. Is he kidding? I’m not even close to okay.

“I don’t want the deal,” my grandmother whispers.

“What does that mean?” I ask.

My grandfather laces his fingers with his wife’s. “Why did you come here, Emily?”

“It’s okay to answer them,” Eli says with a kindness that causes pain.

“I...” I clear my throat. “I wanted to know why Eli hurt...” I pathetically gesture to my uncle. “Him. I wanted to understand.”

Eli peers over at Oz and I swear Oz nods just slightly. Eli nods back and then focuses on my grandparents. “The deal we reached stands as it is. Emily’s going home to Florida and you’re going to leave Emily and Meg alone.”

The hair on the back of my neck sticks up. He told them we live in Florida.

“We weren’t at the motel to hurt Emily,” my uncle says. “We were there to protect her.”

“From what?” Oz demands.

“From you. Meg turned Eli in for what he did to me. She’s a snitch in your eyes and we sure as hell weren’t going to let Meg and Emily walk into your territory and hope you guys were in a forgiving mood. We called Meg at the motel and told her we knew she was there and that we were watching her back.”

The phone call Mom received that sparked her and Dad’s late-night conversation in the bathroom. But still, I’m very confused. I wipe my hands on my jeans and will away the fuzzy sensation that suggests fainting.

Eli’s shaking his head. “See, that’s where you’re fucked up in your thinking. The Terror doesn’t operate by the same rules you do. It’s not eye for an eye with us. We operate by our code while respecting the laws surrounding us.”

“The Terror are wannabes,” my uncle spits. “Men who can’t hack the real way of life.”

“No, they’re men of integrity.” Eli pats my knee. “You reminded me of that, Emily”

Eli stands. “Meg left you and she left me. Fifteen years ago we struck an agreement and I was under the impression we decided to uphold that agreement last week.” He digs into his pocket and tosses his keys to Oz. “Remember what we talked about?”

Every head turns to Oz and my heart bottoms out when Oz’s face hardens. No.

“Whatever this is,” I say, “I don’t want any part of it.”

Oz

EMILY SLOWLY RISES from her chair. Do I remember what Eli and I talked about? Not sure I could forget and I’m catching on that I made a promise too fast.

“Meg was right about me, Oz,” Eli says. “And I lost everything in my life that was important over it. Be more of a man than I was. You make the decisions that I didn’t. Do you understand me?”

My heart is picking up speed and resolve turns into steel in my veins.

Eli lifts his chin as he addresses the head of the Riot. “You’ve wanted an eye for an eye, we made an agreement, and I broke the rules. You can take what’s important to you now.”

I pop my neck to the side to stop from throwing myself in front of him. I don’t know what deal was reached fifteen years ago. I don’t know what agreement was struck last week. But I know that the deal he’s striking now involves his life in exchange for them staying away from Emily.