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He leads me through a warren of narrow passageways, past a kitchen with two mismatched refrigerators and one vast farmhouse table, then down a short set of steps into a large common room.
Here we find the rest of the Wolfpack.
I hear the gruff laughter and shouting before we get close. Two are playingCall of Duty, sprawled out on bean bags on the floor. A thick-shouldered giant sits in an easy chair that groans beneath his weight, fucking around on his phone. The last wolf lays across the length of the couch, reading a paperback.
They’re all much bigger than me, muscular and full of restless energy. As soon as we enter the room their attention shifts, and silence falls.
The two video game players set down their controllers, swiftly shutting off the TV. No one jumps to their feet, but the sense of alertness is palpable. The reader lets his book fall to his lap, sitting up and grinning at Adrik. “Welcome back, boss. And you brought … a friend.”
Five pairs of eyes fix on me—six, if you count Jasper who followed us into the house. I can feel his stare on my back.
“This is Sabrina Gallo,” Adrik says, calm and pleasant, with no acknowledgment that this might be poorly received. “She’s agreed to join us.”
He points to each of the Wolfpack in turn, naming them: “That’s Andrei, Hakim, Chief, and Vlad.”
Andrei and Hakim are the gamers. Andrei is as blond and Slavic as one might expect, Hakim his direct opposite. Hakim might be Arabic, his close-cropped hair dark and curly, his five o’clock shadow black as paint.
Chief eyes me with interest as if we’ve already met, though I’m quite sure we haven’t. He’s not Russian either as far as I can tell — maybe southeast asian, with light brown hair and a golden cast to his skin. I’m not surprised to see him reading, since he was the one Adrik described as particularly intelligent.
Vlad, by contrast, is the biggest, the beefiest, and certainly the surliest. His close-shaved head with its grayish stubble resembles a rock sitting directly atop his hulking shoulders, and his small, dark eyes glitter like malachite as he glares at me with instant dislike. He’s testing the structural integrity of the Affliction t-shirt stretched across pecs the size of dinner plates. I wonder if the shirt is ironic, or if Affliction only just made its way to Russia.
Though the group’s manner is casual, I’m cognizant of the ways in which they resemble a military unit. It’s not just the matching tattoos on each of their arms—it’s their deference to Adrik and the way communication passes between them in glances and inflections. I can imagine them storming a building with only a few gestures needed to coordinate an attack.
These are men who have bonded already. Worked together. Learned to trust each other.
I’m a stranger. An intruder.
They regard me silently.
I speak instead: “Adrik said you guys need some help opening jars.”
It’s not the world’s greatest icebreaker, but it’s enough to get a smirk out of Chief.
Not Vlad. “Why don’t you help us decorate?” he sneers.
I feel Adrik stiffen, but I cut across him.
“Sure,” I say easily. “Let’s start with that shirt.”
That gets a snort out of the two gamers, Andrei and Hakim.
Andrei pipes up. “A Gallo, huh? Was Leo busy?”
It’s still insulting, but not a bad sign. Ribbing is better than cold silence. If you can’t take a few shots, you’ll never fit in with men. They really are pack-animals, releasing their aggression publicly in front of the group so the group determines the appropriate behavior. They don’t bottle shit up and bitch behind your back—or at least, not often.
Andrei obviously knows Leo, but he’s too old to be in the same year. So I know exactly how to respond.
“Yeah.” I grin. “He’s all tuckered out from running train on you at school.”
This gets a laugh out of the gamers and Chief as well.
The chill in the room is warming, at least a few degrees.
Vlad isn’t biting, hefty arms crossed, a scowl on his face. “I thought this house was patch-only.”
He means the tattoos. It must be a rite of passage before entering the Wolfpack.
Adrik says, “This house was supposed to be brains only, but we let you in.”
