Free The Father: Made in Sweden Part I by Anton Svensson Page A

must to be in charge.
    But they’d never done it standing around a bowl full of banknotes.
    ‘Are we agreed?’
    No answer.
    ‘Are we?’
    Felix pursed his lips.
    ‘Mmm.’
    Leo pulled him closer to himself, hugged him.
    ‘You wily bastard.’
    Anneli sat so close to them and yet so far away. She’d never really understood it when siblings belonged together like this. She had an older sister and a younger brother and it had never felt like this – now they rarely even talked. These were siblings who trusted each other. Needed each other. And she didn’t like it; when people got that close, it was difficult for other people to get inside, to belong.

7
    LEO SAT ON the edge of the bed, sweat on his face and running down his back. 03.05. Persistent rain was drumming against the windowsill.He’d been freezing when he went to bed, and now he was suffocating from the heat.
    Anneli was sound asleep on the other side of the bed, snoring, whimpering a little. She’d been so tense when he came home. Then, as he reached for her, her body had collapsed, as if she wanted to avoid explaining to him what she truly felt.
    She didn’t need to explain.
    He knew the time he’d been spending on the firm’s new project was creating a rift between them. But he was going to make up for it. When you love someone, you give back what you’ve taken.
    Leo kissed her lightly on the tip of the nose. Held his face close to hers. Her calm breath was warm, and now, with her anxiety gone and finally asleep, he could see what he’d been unable to understand last night or the night before.
    Even though I love you, Leo, I can leave you.
    And it didn’t get any better when he tried reversing the words.
    Even though I love you, Anneli, I can be left by you.
    It sounded so simple. And it terrified him.
    Another kiss on the cheek, but not so fleeting, as if he wanted to wake her, whisper to her.
    When you rob a bank together, you can never leave each other.
    He sat up quickly on the side of the bed.
What the hell am I doing?
Adversity should never cause doubt, should never be directed at the family.
    Nine million kronor locked behind a steel door – that was why he wasn’t able to sleep. It had nothing to do with Anneli, they belonged together and would never betray each other. He, if anyone, knew the consequences of driving away someone you love.
    He went over to the window and stood there for a moment looking out over the suburb he’d grown up in.
    Same tower blocks. Same asphalt.
    But he’d chosen a different life now. Bank robber. And he was going to do it better than anyone else. Because he
had
to do it better than anyone else. He couldn’t fail, getting caught was not an option – his brothers were part of this, and they were all going to become financially independent together.
    It was my fault.
    That’s why he couldn’t sleep – he should have done better tonight.
    It won’t happen again.
    He took a folder out of the desk between the sofa and the corner cupboard, laid it down on the table and opened it.
    A sketch of a bank.
    Four escape routes that led to four roundabouts, each with four new exits, and a search area that included a total of sixty-four possible escape routes.
    The doorbell rang.
    He threw a blanket over the goldfish bowl and a lid over the toolbox and the four guns it contained.
    The doorbell rang again.
    He stood up and looked out over the car park and the road from the centre of Skogås. Empty. The driveway to the gate, empty. He walked carefully across the floor, shut the door to the bedroom and her heavy breathing, proceeded to the front door and bent down to look through the peephole.
    Felix. Leo didn’t realise how tense he’d been – how prepared.
    ‘Weren’t you going to go into town? And “go through five thousand ’cause I’m worth it”?’
    ‘We never made it to fucking Crazy Horse. Jasper went to some underground club and then Vincent went off with a girl. Can I crash here?’
    Leo opened the