Chapter 107

I gave him privacy until well after high sun and then succumbed to my need for him. I walked to the small brush-covered hut he constructed for his inipi, his sweat lodge. Shucking my clothing, I crawled through the opening. He was at prayer. I waited until he opened his eyes before speaking.

“Are you all right?”

He peered through thick banks of steam. “How can a man be all right when his whole world has been destroyed?” Then he moved to my side and put an arm around me. “I am sorry. So long as I have you, an important part of my world still exists. I am yours, and you are mine. Nothing else matters.”

“Except to see that the pimp who destroyed our family pays. And he will pay, Otter. I swear this. From this moment on, I exist for two things—your love and our revenge.”

“He will not pay. All he killed were some red dogs.”

“Red dogs with voices! Red dogs with friends who have voices. You will see. You will see!”