is the world. The dog is Islam. And the boy is just a boy, like me, keeping Islam alive.”
“What’s the fire, then?” Khalid asked.
“It’s the ones who think people who worship Allah are terrorists.”
Khalid had pretended he had allergies that day. Yasser was none the wiser, but Sarah had known those were tears of pride.
“I think I know where it is.”
Sarah led the way to Khalid’s office. The drawing was the first thing you saw when you entered the room. It wasn’t out of place, by any means. Various pieces of children’s artwork and displays of the kids’ accomplishments were hung around the room. Khalid always was the proud papa. But Yasser’s drawing stood out in a way the other pieces didn’t.
Sarah gently lifted the frame from its hook and placed it on the desk. Just as she’d suspected, there was a safe behind the picture.
“Turn around.”
“Huh?”
“You know the rules. They’ve been the same since the day we met. You don’t get to know the combination.”
“Oh, right! The super secret, magic, big-brother-in-law combo! Did he write his note in your special language, too?”
“Turn around!” Sarah snapped.
“He did!” Jimmy laughed as he turned his back. “That always was so creepy. I still think he had a crush on you.”
“That’s because you’re a sick fuck. It’s not a super secret language. It’s a well-known cipher. You could have learned it yourself any time you wanted. You just weren’t gonna learn from me.”
“That’s at least half the reason I hated you being around your family, you know. All the secrets I wasn’t allowed to be in on.”
“I kept the secrets because you took away everything else that was mine. Maybe if you’d just left me something, I’d have let you in.”
“Yeah, I know. Everything was my fault. Blah blah blah. Can we get on with this? I’d like to have dinner, pull up some mattress, and get some shut-eye.”
Sarah dropped her hands to her sides and turned to glare at Jimmy. “What are you even doing here, Jimmy?”
“Uhh, saving you? Helping you get away from your busted up house? Taking you to find your family? What do you think I’m doing here?”
“No, Jimmy. Not right now. Not here in this house. I know how you got here. What are you doing here ?” Sarah’s wild gestures indicated a much bigger ‘here’ than her sister’s house. “This side of the country. In New York. On my street. How the fuck is it that I walk outside, and my husband is gone, and just a few hours later, here you come with your busted up pickup all, ‘Howdy do, Miss Sarah. I’m sorry I almost killed you. I can be your savior now?’ Why aren’t you in California gallivanting around town with that rich cunt you took off with after I finally handed you your ass?”
“Hayley? Oh, god, Sarah, that lasted all of ten minutes.”
“Good to know you discovered that the reason I beat your face in was just a fling after you’d been cheating on me with her for a year.”
“You really want to do this now?”
“Why not now? When’s a better time? After I let the zombies eat you?”
Jimmy started laughing.
“What?” Sarah yelled as she turned back to the safe.
Jimmy stifled his laughter. “Nothing. It’s just…” He started giggling again. “You called them zombies.”
“Fuck you, Jimmy. Fuck. You. You can turn back around. It’s open.”
The safe was wide and shallow so it could fit long objects without needing a thick wall to hide it. There were two AK47s and a shitload of ammunition stuffed inside. Sarah unpacked the AKs, laying them on the desk next to her nephew’s drawing. When she reached inside the safe again, she found a .44 Magnum and two night vision headsets.
Jimmy stopped laughing and let out a low whistle. “Holy shit. Big brother-in-law is serious about his toys.”
“You’re even more scared
“What’s the fire, then?” Khalid asked.
“It’s the ones who think people who worship Allah are terrorists.”
Khalid had pretended he had allergies that day. Yasser was none the wiser, but Sarah had known those were tears of pride.
“I think I know where it is.”
Sarah led the way to Khalid’s office. The drawing was the first thing you saw when you entered the room. It wasn’t out of place, by any means. Various pieces of children’s artwork and displays of the kids’ accomplishments were hung around the room. Khalid always was the proud papa. But Yasser’s drawing stood out in a way the other pieces didn’t.
Sarah gently lifted the frame from its hook and placed it on the desk. Just as she’d suspected, there was a safe behind the picture.
“Turn around.”
“Huh?”
“You know the rules. They’ve been the same since the day we met. You don’t get to know the combination.”
“Oh, right! The super secret, magic, big-brother-in-law combo! Did he write his note in your special language, too?”
“Turn around!” Sarah snapped.
“He did!” Jimmy laughed as he turned his back. “That always was so creepy. I still think he had a crush on you.”
“That’s because you’re a sick fuck. It’s not a super secret language. It’s a well-known cipher. You could have learned it yourself any time you wanted. You just weren’t gonna learn from me.”
“That’s at least half the reason I hated you being around your family, you know. All the secrets I wasn’t allowed to be in on.”
“I kept the secrets because you took away everything else that was mine. Maybe if you’d just left me something, I’d have let you in.”
“Yeah, I know. Everything was my fault. Blah blah blah. Can we get on with this? I’d like to have dinner, pull up some mattress, and get some shut-eye.”
Sarah dropped her hands to her sides and turned to glare at Jimmy. “What are you even doing here, Jimmy?”
“Uhh, saving you? Helping you get away from your busted up house? Taking you to find your family? What do you think I’m doing here?”
“No, Jimmy. Not right now. Not here in this house. I know how you got here. What are you doing here ?” Sarah’s wild gestures indicated a much bigger ‘here’ than her sister’s house. “This side of the country. In New York. On my street. How the fuck is it that I walk outside, and my husband is gone, and just a few hours later, here you come with your busted up pickup all, ‘Howdy do, Miss Sarah. I’m sorry I almost killed you. I can be your savior now?’ Why aren’t you in California gallivanting around town with that rich cunt you took off with after I finally handed you your ass?”
“Hayley? Oh, god, Sarah, that lasted all of ten minutes.”
“Good to know you discovered that the reason I beat your face in was just a fling after you’d been cheating on me with her for a year.”
“You really want to do this now?”
“Why not now? When’s a better time? After I let the zombies eat you?”
Jimmy started laughing.
“What?” Sarah yelled as she turned back to the safe.
Jimmy stifled his laughter. “Nothing. It’s just…” He started giggling again. “You called them zombies.”
“Fuck you, Jimmy. Fuck. You. You can turn back around. It’s open.”
The safe was wide and shallow so it could fit long objects without needing a thick wall to hide it. There were two AK47s and a shitload of ammunition stuffed inside. Sarah unpacked the AKs, laying them on the desk next to her nephew’s drawing. When she reached inside the safe again, she found a .44 Magnum and two night vision headsets.
Jimmy stopped laughing and let out a low whistle. “Holy shit. Big brother-in-law is serious about his toys.”
“You’re even more scared
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