Page 99 of Peaks and Promises

It had also occurred to me we should probably wear rings. They wouldn’t need to be fancy or expensive. Just bands on our left hands would do the trick. But for some reason, I was reluctant to bring it up. Wearing a ring felt like a big deal, although I couldn’t explain why. I was willing to kiss him—that had been my idea, after all—but a fake wedding band was too far? That didn’t make any sense.

“I think the conflict is intensifying,” Stan was saying when I came out. “Did you hear what happened on the east side?”

“No,” Russell said, his tone concerned. “What’s been going on?”

“It’s serious. Joe saw a whole battalion lining up.”

A battalion? I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it was impossible not to overhear most of the counter conversations. What conflict was he talking about?

“Behind the Timberbeast?” Russell asked.

“Yep, right there at the tree line.”

Russell shook his head slowly, as if considering an important piece of information. “I wonder if there’s anything we can do to stop it.”

“Seems like they could learn to work together instead of raiding each other’s supplies.”

“Maybe we should call a meeting. Not the entire SPS, necessarily. But a smaller contingent.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Stan said. “Form a sub-squad.”

“An anti-gang task force.”

“I like it. We should tell Rob.” Stan lifted a finger to get my attention. “Hey, Summer. Is Rob here?”

“Yeah, he’s in the back.”

“Could you ask him if he has a minute?”

“Sure thing.” I paused. I didn’t want to intrude on their conversation, but intensifying conflict? Gangs? What were they talking about? “Um, is it okay if I ask what’s going on?”

Stan shook his head sadly. “Gang war. It’s been going on for a while now.”

“Gangs?” I asked. “I didn’t know there were any in Tilikum.”

“Oh, sure,” Russell said. “Two of them. One started raiding the other’s winter stash and it’s been a big to-do ever since.”

“Back and forth,” Stan said. “Neither side wants to back down.”

“Winter stash?” I asked, increasingly confused.

“You know, nuts, acorns, stolen birdseed,” Stan said.

Russell slid his mug toward me. “Stolen anything, really. They’ll make use of all sorts of things. Whatever they can get their hands on.”

Nuts? Acorns? What the…

“Oh,” I said as it dawned on me what they were talking about. “You mean squirrel gangs?”

“Of course.” Stan tapped the SPS logo on his shirt. “We have to keep an eye on these things. Otherwise they might get out of hand.”

I grabbed the carafe and refilled Russell’s mug. “I had no idea squirrels could form gangs. Is that normal?”

Stan shrugged. “Normal for Tilikum.”

“Who knew? I’ll let Rob know you’re here.”

I put down the carafe and went to the back where Rob had a cluttered office. He looked up from behind a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose.