“Defense against animal or human attack. Do you think we plot your demise?”“You’re leading us into the woods.”“Not our first choice,” sh... reminds him. “And you wear superior blades and have superior weight over us. Have you training to wield those blades?”“Yes. We’re actually quite effective with them, despite our peaceable future.”“Oh? Why is that?”“My fault,” says Mayer. “Being Jewish amongst gentiles I got bullied. For some reason, Tony defends me.”“Because we have always been friends.”“And. My wife mentioned that to me and I immediately suggested that it may have been because of the change in home routine. That since her parents had not gone out together before this may have brought it back up. That suggestion drove my wife to the phone to call her sister, while they were talking I said that since it looked like she was getting over it, that maybe they should continue to go out so that Jackie doesnt grow up dependant on them being at home all the time. It might take longer for her. It was from Andrew and came in on the dead drop petunia address.'Looking forward to our meeting on the Sunday the 21, see you then. silver bear xx.'I remembered the keys very well. The meeting meant he was coming to me. So I hadn't hidden from him after all. The xx meant subtract two to the all numbers inside the message. He would be in town on the 19th. That was the next day. He didn't give me a time, so I just had to stay near the burner phone. The one I had used to call Silvia.I had a hard. "He gets so protective of new people," she says while stirring. She has her back to me, and I'm mesmerized by the way her muscles in her back flex as she stirs.I cross the room to stand behind her, the heat from the stove coming up in my face as I lean over her shoulder. My chest presses slightly against her back, but I try to keep a safe distance between the rest of our bodies."Taste test?" she asks me. Our faces are inches apart as she brings the spoon up toward my mouth, holding her other.