Elijah
Ezra's cones clatter into the trunk like a sentence he didn't finish. He closes the hatch and doesn't meet my eyes. Allison crosses the square with a box of KNOT WATCH cards and the clean distance she uses when she won't make a scene. I know where that space came from. I know who built it.
'Fix what you can fix,' Loki says. 'Start with the brother who listens to rules more than people.'
Ops is quiet except for the low map hum and the drone charger. Ethan stands at the board with the convoy packet open, KNOT WATCH pinned under it, and Rhea's ledger copy tucked into the corner like a weight.
"Say it," he says without looking up. He's good at reading the air.
"Choose her or choose father," I tell him. No raise, no edge. Just the line.
He lifts his eyes. Blake is cl
