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Danni looked at Walker. She could tell he didn’t like the direction of this conversation and she wondered why. “Arte, has Jesse moved back to Sherwood?” She asked.
Walker growled low in his throat and she glanced at him with an eyebrow quirked over her beautiful green eyes.
“Lord, I hope not. He’s caused us enough trouble. Caused Walker to lose five years of his life.”
“Ma, that’s enough,” Walker said softly.
She looked at him. Her eyes and her face were contrite, but she didn’t really feel that way. She just wanted to keep Walker happy.
“Why don’t you want me or Matt to know what really happened, Walker?” Danni asked, deciding to approach the bull and take him by the horns, so to speak.
He plopped down in the chair beside the sofa where she and his mother were sitting. He brushed his hand across his jaw.
“Walker?” His mother said his name like she was questioning him.
“No Ma,” was all he said.
“Matt and Simon know,” his mother informed Walker. “You trusted them with the truth…”
“Ma,” Walker interrupted her. “Stop.”
Danni faced Walker. Hurt filled her gut and her face. He didn’t trust her. She turned away from him. “Arte, I really should be going,” she said quickly.
“Awe, honey, thank you so much for coming in to say hello. I so enjoyed seeing you.”
She leaned in and Artemisia kissed her cheek. “I’ll drop by sometime and say hello again,” Danni promised.
She rose and skirted around Walker’s outstretched legs and booted feet. She ignored his pleas to listen as she escaped through the front door. He caught her by the arm before she reached Jackson’s truck.
“Danni, it isn’t anything like whatever you are thinking.”
“Of course, it is,” she told him. “You don’t trust me.”
He shook his head no. “I trust you with my life, Danni Rose. I do. I trust you before I trust anyone else in this world,” he admitted. “Including your brother Matt.” His voice was low and soft. His eyes were filled with sadness. “I just don’t want to expose you to this side of my life that is darkness and involves Jesse.”
Danni yanked her arm out of his grasp. “You promised me that you weren’t in trouble.”
“I’m not,” he insisted.
“Sounds like you are.” Danni sniffed back tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “I don’t want to see you get arrested again.”
With his thumb, he wiped away the tears from her cheeks. “You won’t, I promise.”
“I’ll see you at work tonight.” Her lip quivered, and her voice did too. Walker smiled at Danni.
“You got that right.”
Danni climbed back into Jackson’s truck and gripped the wheel. Walker was still standing where she left him. She pulled away from Arte Wild’s house. Her mind was scattered with thoughts of Walker and Jessi Wild. What had Walker done to protect Jessi? She knew that had to be the case now that she knew that her brother and father knew something. Arte had admitted it.
**
In the parking lot in front of her Granddad’s garage was Matt and Jackson waiting for her return. She pulled up to a garage bay door and it opened. She drove inside and parked. Her brother and Jackson met her at the door.
“I’m going to check the radiator first. These trucks have been recalled for a known issue with them causing that pinging you are hearing and overheating too.”
She could see Jackson was shocked by the news about his radiator and Danni knew that Jackson was lying about the ping. The joke was on him, there was something wrong with his truck. She shook her head at him and headed inside. “Leave your number with Grandad,” she shouted over her shoulder. “He’ll call you later and give you an estimate.”
Danni didn’t look back or wait to see what he was thinking or if he would respond. She went inside. She had a full day’s work, his truck included in that.
