Page 14 of Fury
Though Slash wanted to be there for Elsa, she wouldn’t go anywhere near that celebration. Slash had a hard line she wouldnotcross, not even for Elsa.
She stayed silent as they went inside. It was only four-thirty, but after washing her hands, Slash started prepping for dinner.
Elsa picked up the mail in her foyer, sat at the kitchen table sorting through everything. Forty-five minutes later, they were seated at Elsa’s kitchen table. After Elsa said grace, Slash lifted her wine glass. Elsa did the same.
“Happy birthday, Elsa. I wish you a happy, happy year. I love you.”
A smile wrinkled Elsa’s beautiful face. After clinking glasses, they sipped the red wine.
“This is good,” Slash said.
“Yes, but I liked the other one better.”
“Thisisthe other one.” Slash showed Elsa the bottle. “This is a Santini Chianti, your favorite.”
Elsa smiled. “Oops, my bad.”
Slash laughed. “Stop showing your age. It freaks me out.”
“I didn’t think anything freaked you out.”
“Thinking about you not being here does.” Slash sliced into the chicken breast, forked a piece into her mouth.
“Dinner is delicious,” Elsa said. “I like the potatoes.”
“Eat the protein, Elsa.”
“Tell me about work.”
Though Slash never discussed her job with anyone, she broke that rule for Elsa. “I did a rescue mission last night for a group of women who were being sex trafficked.”
“That sounds scary.” Elsa put a small piece of steamed broccoli into her mouth. “Why no butter on the broccoli?”
“Because you have a pound of butter on your potato.” Slash shook her head. “Less butter, more vegetables.”
“We’re you scared when you made the rescue?” Elsa asked.
“No, but it helped that there were several of us, and we were armed.”
“Are you afraid someone will recognize you?”
Slash pulled out her phone, showed her a photo of the team, all dressed in SWAT gear, including helmets with night goggles.
After studying the photo, Elsa said, “You’re the third from the left.”
Slash eyed the picture. “How’d you do that?”
She sipped the wine. “I would recognize my favorite granddaughter anywhere, no matter how disguised she is.”
Love filled Slash’s heart, especially since she wasn’t even Elsa’s biological relative. She was a broken, broken stray that Elsa had plucked from the depths of hell.
Pushing out of her chair, she walked around the kitchen table and kissed Elsa on her cheek. “I have a present for you. Be right back.”
She retrieved it from her handbag, set the card on the table. After tugging it from the envelope, Elsa read it out loud.
Dear Elsa,
You make my life better…
