RAGNAR
The whole Sunday I spend riding my bike. And I mean the whole day. I know each and every road in this district and don’t even need a GPS. I park near an untouched, wild beach and, leaning on my bike, stare at the sea.
My mind feels foggy, thoughts running aimlessly. I wish everything was easier: my mission, my life, my emotions. But even those wishes feel naive. That’s just not how life works.
I make an inner decision that if this all ends in a positive way, I’m not going back to the military.
Even though I probably should. The NFH isn’t going away anytime soon, but I feel burned out.
I just want to take a vacation, to forget about everything, just drive and stare at the sea, with my mind blank.
I hate the impossibility of my choices now. The horrible wrongness of what I have to do: take Summer and leave Sun in the fortress. I desperately need a new plan, but every option feels like a dead end.
My pocket buzzes; Hunter’s calling me. I pull the phone out and take the call.
His voice is rough. "Hey. I’ve got some news."
"Hit me."
"I finally talked to Zachary about your parents. Like I told you before, the witness protection program doesn’t cover ordinary civilians, only people who testify directly against criminal organizations.
But Zachary can arrange one thing: new identities for them.
The rest is on you. They’d have to sell the house and the business, move to a new location.
Not ideal, but it still could give them a real chance to throw off the trail. "
Sighing, I respond, "They are ready. My parents always wanted to retire to Iceland. My family comes from there. They love the place. How fast can you set this up? I can get Summer out in a few days."
Hunter goes quiet for a moment, then unexpectedly says,
"Name changes can be done fast. But… what about Moon? Don’t you want more time?"
"At least he’s safe from Anzo, so I can keep looking for him later.
Right now, Summer’s in real danger, Anzo’s getting closer to finding out more about him, and that could get bad fast. My parents are the only ones at risk of retaliation, so I need to handle their relocation now, in case I have to move quickly. "
Hunter is quiet again. When he finally speaks, it’s slow, as if there is no life in him anymore.
"This means cutting off all contact, changing phones, emails, socials, everything. Any login could expose their IP. Do you realize how serious this is?"
"I do. But it’s either that or, once I take Summer, Anzo will go after them. He won’t hesitate to butcher strangers. And even if I kill Anzo on my way out, Rocco, Ennio, Vincenzo, and the rest will make sure my family suffers. Revenge is the mafia way."
Hunter sighs quietly.
"Got it. Then start getting things ready." He stops for a second, then asks, his voice slightly changing, becoming more hesitant. "And what’s the situation with Sun?"
I’m surprised he’s even asking. Up until now, he hasn’t seemed to care much about his cousin.
"It’s way more complicated with him. Your family is huge, there’s no way to protect all of them if the mafia decides they want revenge. They’ll take them out one by one. I have no idea how to help him, and believe me, I want to."
Hunter mutters a curse under his breath.
"Fuck… and they’re such good people, his parents.
Uncle Aiden and Uncle Lake. Lake’s been through hell.
He was once sold at an illegal auction, ended up with some real monsters.
Then he met Aiden. They built something beautiful together.
Just thinking that it could all be ripped away makes me sick.
So maybe… maybe it’s better if only Sun pays the price for his decisions, and not the whole family. "
Feeling uneasy, I remain quiet for a moment. It's obvious that Hunter has thought this through, calculated risks, outcomes, who's expendable .
I guess he is still primarily a soldier, thinking like one. What about me? I should think like that too. Have I been blinded by the sun ? Pun intended.
"You know, Sun’s heart is in the right place," I say very quietly, almost shyly. "He doesn’t want his family to pay or be endangered. He’s taking responsibility. He’s suffering, you know? But still, Sun’s staying brave and willing to pay the price."
Hunter makes a strange sound, kinda like ‘hmmm’, so I clear my throat and add in a more neutral tone, "The only real way out for him is if Anzo falls. And that’s… not going to be easy."
Hunter coughs lightly. "Are you and S—" he suddenly stops, as if realizing it would not be good to ask me that question, so he just exhales heavily.
"You know, it’s not that I don’t care. I feel bad for the kid. Even though I don’t know him well, I was in the army while he was growing up, but from what Nathaniel told me, he got a little lost after he broke up with his first boyfriend. It sucks that he’s paying this high a price."
I don’t respond. It feels wrong discussing Sun’s situation with someone who doesn’t know the full extent of what he’s been through.
And I don’t want to tell Hunter everything.
Sooner or later, he might have to speak to his uncle, and I don’t want him passing along the gruesome truth.
That kind of news would break the man’s heart.
At the end of the call, I ask how Hunter’s doing, but he shuts it down fast and hangs up, like he doesn’t even want to skim over the subject. But I already know: nothing’s really changed for him.
***
The next morning, while I'm working in the inner garden, something new happens. Two figures step out of the building: Sun and Summer.
It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Summer out here, aside from the banquet.
I crouch low behind the planters, trying to stay hidden. They walk over to the pool and sit on the lounge chairs.
A servant brings them drinks and snacks. Something must be going on. Maybe their situation is shifting?
I want nothing more than to go to them, so Summer can see me, to let him know I’m here for him, that I will get him back.
But I hesitate. If Sun realizes I'm here for Summer… my cover will immediately fall apart.
I keep my distance, circling around far enough to avoid being seen. They sit there for a good hour. I can’t tell if they’re talking, and if they are, they’re whispering so quietly I can’t hear a thing.
And then, they get up and start walking deeper into the garden, taking the paths framed by blooming flowers, like they’re out for a stroll.
My heart leaps. I start moving with them, keeping pace from behind the hedges. I’m dying for Summer to see me… but it keeps troubling me—what would happen if Sun figures out we’re connected?
If Anzo tortures Sun for answers, he will have to tell what he knows.
It's a simple rule in the Army: Tell civilians as few details as possible. If you do, you'll endanger them even more.
I have to think this through. If Sun knows, he’ll have massive leverage. He could use it to cut a deal with Anzo. Then Summer and I would be killed in an instant. I’m a mole here, a spy… and the mafia doesn’t forgive these types of things.
I don’t want to believe Sun would do that under normal circumstances, but he’s trapped here, beaten and raped. And I wouldn’t even blame him for doing everything possible to make his situation better.
I feel like absolute shit about all of this, but nobody can really be trusted in a situation like this, no matter their morals.
There’s a tight, painful feeling in my chest as I observe them strolling. I remember the moment Sun held me and begged me to say I loved him. I want him to be saved, I want him to have a chance…
Lost in my thoughts, I make a mistake.
I step past the line of bushes and pause just behind them, pretending to check the leaves for disease.
Then I hear footsteps behind me, the soldati are approaching the entrance to the training hall in Sector H.
If they see me crouched here, behind the same bushes Sun and Summer are walking past, it’s going to look really bad.
Panicking, I try to slip in between the shrubs, hoping they’ll just walk past, but I overestimate how thick the shrubs are.
My back sticks out the other side, and that’s when I hear footsteps behind me and Sun’s voice calling out,
"Hey."
Jaw clenched, furious with myself for such a rookie mistake, I step out from the bushes and walk straight into them. I can’t just stand here like some creep.
Sun and Summer stop walking.
Summer looks at me, and our eyes meet.
His face goes pale, then flushes bright red. I can feel the surge of emotion hit him just as hard as it hits me.
I tip my cap in a polite nod, then keep walking calmly past them, pretending I was just heading the other way down the path. But I glance briefly at Sun. His cheeks are flushed, and he quickly looks away.
In my head, I’m cursing the whole time.
Fuck. I really ain’t cut out for this mole shit. I was good at charging NFH militants head-on, but I’m a joke of a spy.
Maybe gardening is my true calling, after all?
At least I managed to get rid of all the spider mites and armored scale bugs. Haven’t taken down a single Ferro, though.