It’s a campus police officer. He stands in front of me wearing black slacks and a uniform jacket, a cap pulled low over his forehead. He has the tight build of a trained fighter, unusual for a campus cop.
“Are you a student?” he says.
I decide to play it like an entitled college kid not used to being challenged.
“What the hell else would I be?” I say.
“Since you’re coming out of a women’s dorm, you could be a lot of things,” the cop says. “Pervert tops the list.”
A women’s dorm? No wonder there were so many girls in there.
I smile, the cat caught with the canary. “I was visiting my girlfriend.”
“That’s a load of crap,” he says.
Impolite language for a campus cop.
The guy grins and pops up the cap to reveal his face.
“Good afternoon, Zach.”
It’s not a cop. It’s Mike.
“What are you doing here? We’re supposed to meet two hours from now,” I say.
“Way ahead of you,” he says. “Come to think of it, I’m always ahead of you.”
“You followed me?”
“Didn’t have to. You’re not as unpredictable as you think you are.”
I’m trained to be unpredictable in all ways. My movements, my habits, my decisions. Unpredictable and therefore undetectable.
Am I getting sloppy?
“I know why you’re here,” Mike says.
“It was one of my favorite places in the old days.”
He shakes his head. “Let’s not bullshit each other.”
“Fine. Why don’t you tell me why I’m here?”
“You want to find your father.”
He watches me, seeking a reaction. I don’t give him one.
“There are no secrets between brothers,” he says.
I glance at his hands. They are relaxed and by his side, seemingly nonthreatening. But you never know with Mike. He could be preparing to strike, and I wouldn’t know until the attack was already in motion.
“I guess you’ve got me all figured out,” I say. “What do you want to do about it?”
“Up to you,” he says. “Do you feel like grabbing a cup of coffee? Or would you rather fight to the death?”
I know what I’d prefer, but I say, “Coffee sounds good.”