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“Yeah, Jess is walking with us,” Dominic answered for me, his voice final as I paused to glare at him. He met my eyes for a moment, an awareness in them that disappeared as he glanced away. “Let me get my bag.”
“Hey, you okay?” Caleb touched my arm and I jerked away, surprising both of us. He stepped back, hands raised, and I nodded.
“Sorry, a little jumpy,” I replied, wondering why Caleb’s touch had me jerking as if I’d been scalded, while Dominic’s had the opposite effect.
“Understandable,” Caleb didn’t seem concerned and I relaxed slightly. “I guess Dom was telling you about the meeting. Hopefully, that’ll keep the Hanley’s away from you. They really pissed Uncle Hank off yesterday. What happened?”
He was openly curious and I realized he didn’t know they’d chased me once again. But I also realized I might have found a new source of information in friendly Caleb.
“You and Dominic are related?” I found myself asking in surprise, instead of something useful, like “Tell me more about this meeting.”
After the whole brother conversation, I’d just assumed they weren’t related at all, considering how different they looked from each other.
“Not exactly,” he hedged, looking a little nervous. “It’s something we say. We call each other family, but we’re not blood.”
“The meeting…. when is it?” I glanced down at my backpack, tugging on the strap like the whole meeting thing was unimportant.
“Today. It’s probably over by now.” Caleb shrugged, unconcerned. “My dad and Uncle Hank were going to tell the Hanley’s to leave you alone. Dom doesn’t seem to think it’ll work.”
His words blindsided me as I considered what he’d just told me. Men I’d never met were going to have a meeting to stop guys from chasing me, and everyone acted like this was somehow normal!
“You been running your mouth?” Dominic growled as he came up to us. Caleb’s eyes went wide as he glanced between us.
“At least he tells me things,” I retorted, aggravated that it was Caleb who’d finally let me in on what was going on. “Were you going to tell me your dad is meeting with the Hanley’s? Isn’t that dangerous?” Obviously, they were worried about my safety, but didn’t that mean they were at risk too?
“No, my Dad will be fine,” Dominic assured me. “He’s just reminding them of the rules.”
“Rules?”
“To keep the peace between our families,” Caleb answered, his open face now surprisingly serious. “No one wants a war.”
I happened to see Dominic’s face as Caleb spoke and his expression told me he didn’t believe Caleb’s words.
“A war?” I laughed nervously. It seemed a little farfetched that my presence would spark a war. “Are you planning to fight for turf? Like gangs in a gang war.”
“That’s not a bad analogy,” Dominic answered, not seeming to realize I’d been joking. “We’ve been fighting them for years over our boundaries.”
“We don’t want a war,” Caleb interrupted firmly, giving Dominic a look I couldn’t interpret. “That’s why my Dad and yours are speaking to them peacefully in a meeting.”
“Over me,” I deadpanned, watching for their reactions. They both nodded as if it was completely normal. “You are aware none of this is normal, right?” I glanced between them, noting their puzzled expressions. “Idahoan gangs. Meetings between families – and I use that term loosely – over my presence. Cops who are labeled bad because of their surname. Caleb, are you even a Navarre?” I finished, exasperated.
“No,” he answered slowly, eyeing me.
“The Hanley’s all have the last name Hanley. It should tell you something about them and how they marry,” Dominic interjected smoothly and I frowned in distaste at what he was implying. “Navarre is my family name. Caleb is a Bradshaw. My family was one of the first to settle this land and so it’s always been known as Navarre lands. However, there are several families who live on the land in a small community.”
“So, this meeting is to tell them to back off and leave me alone?” I reiterated to make sure I was clear.
“Among other things,” Dominic replied, his tone indicating the conversation was over. I let it go, accepting I may never get a straight answer out of him. We had started walking as we talked and I saw we were almost to the woods.
“Is this how you get home every day?”
“Mostly,” Dominic answered and I snorted. He gave me a sidelong glance, but I just walked ahead. “I’ll drive if the weather is bad. Which it’s supposed to be tomorrow. So, we can pick you up.”
I slowed, glancing over my shoulder at him. It almost sounded like he was asking, but with his blank expression I couldn’t be sure.
“Six should give us enough time to get to school,” he continued as if my acceptance was a foregone conclusion and I let out the breath I was holding. He wasn’t asking. I’m not entirely sure he knew how to ask.
