Chapter 36
“Are you sure?” Carina asked.
Dylan nodded. “We think we’ve gotten our heads on straight.”
Gabriel shrugged. “At least more than they were before.”
Carina flashed a soft smile. “Is that so? I am glad to hear it. Tonight, we shall discuss our plans for training to your full potential, and any thoughts you have about what we should do over supper.”
Dylan blushed. “We’ve kind been thinking about that already. I know we’re not ready to pull off anything just yet. We’re both too unsure of our abilities.” He flashed a smile at Gabriel. “But with what we’ve been discussing, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to lay the groundwork now.”
She smiled. “I believe your grandmother has almost finished cooking something she called lasagna. I’m not familiar with your strange foods.”
Gabriel chuckled. “It’s okay. We know the names of the foods but if we read the ingredients, we’re puzzled too. Especially when it’s a processed food from the store.”
Dylan lit a cigarette. “Gabe, do you want to see if she needs any help?”
Gabriel nodded and gave him a curious look before heading inside. Dylan turned to Carina and sighed, smoke drifting from his mouth and nose.
“You are still worried about keeping him safe.”
Dylan nodded. “Yeah, but I won’t let it get it in the way of what we have to do. We had a long talk about that out in the woods.”
She rolled her eyes. “Men. I half thought you had listened to Johnny. I doubt that in itself would have fixed anything either. At least you think you are working on it.”
Dylan blushed and took a long drag from the cigarette. “We discussed it, but we both thought it would make things worse. We aren’t going to do anything like that until this is done.”
She grinned, shaking her head. “That will make you rush. You need to be focused on what has to be done, not what you want to happen after.”
Dylan coughed. “I thought you might say something like that. How do you do it? Separate your feelings for Johnny from his role in this before we ever knew about it? He’s a soldier.”
She sighed. “It is his duty. Most things in life, especially those worth anything, have to be fought for and protected. Someone has to do it.”
Dylan nodded. “I get that. I still don’t like it, especially since I feel like it’s my fault he’s even in this.”
The front door opened, and Gabriel poked his head out. “You guys want salad?”
Dylan nodded, noticing Carina waited for his response before nodding her own head.
“Yeah Gabe. That would be great.”
“Cool, it’ll be ready in just a few minutes. The top is almost golden.”
Dylan chuckled. “Okay. We’ll be right in.” He butted his cigarette in the ashtray and looked at Carina. “Don’t tell him anything about what we just talked about.”
She smiled. “Of course not. That would get in his way. I honestly think he is as important as you, if not more. With him at his full potential, we could go anywhere, so you aren’t required for travel, though controlling the gates would make it somewhat easier. Your offensive abilities could be a big help too, but again, not truly necessary.”
He gaped at her, unable to come up with a response. Her smile widened to a grin, and she walked inside. He stared after her, dumbfounded, before following through the door.
Everyone sat around the dining room table, looking as if they were waiting for him. He took his seat next to Gabriel, and the food started making its rounds around the table.
Dylan’s mother glared at him across the table. “So, what’s the big occasion? Johnny said Carina wanted everyone at the table.”
Dylan choked on a spinach leaf and sputtered. “We’re coming up with a game plan. Gabe and I still have to get our shit together, but in the meantime, we plan.”
She narrowed her eyes. “For what? This isn’t your battle.”
Carina cleared her throat. “That may be true, but he has already claimed it as his own. For you and your mother and your sister.”
She rolled her eyes, and Dylan was thankful Johnny spoke next. “I’ve been thinking. Does anyone here know how to use guns? My dubious paperwork would never stand up to a background check, so I’ve never tried to buy one.”
Dylan raised an eyebrow. He’d never considered the fact that Johnny had no legal status and had to remain off the grid.
Tinah chuckled. “Merrin could probably shoot a mosquito off your face at a hundred yards. She’s a hell of a shot.”
Gabriel added, “I may not be as good, but I know my way around a gun.”
“Do we have any?”
Merrin rolled her eyes. “I have a handful of rifles and shotguns. Never really cared for pistols.”
Gabriel shrugged. “I’ve got a few. But we need to come up with a plan.”
Johnny laughed. “That is my plan. We go in with an arsenal. The Vurdalans don’t have any weaponry that could stand up to that.”
Dylan gaped as his grandmother chimed in. “I have my dear departed husband’s guns.”
Dylan cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t we need to train on how to use them?”
Johnny chuckled. “Probably. I doubt it’s as easy as it is on TV where people pick them up and are great, but you need to train anyway, and you don’t need one. Neither does Carina, because she’s staying here with your family.” He shot a glance in her direction. “And as good as I am with a bow and spear, I think the sheer chaos going in with gunfire would help, not to mention the capability it provides. Obviously, the ladies will need some here to protect themselves in case they try something, but it sounds like that’s covered already.”
“You can’t seriously think the three of us are going in like Rambo and winning?”
Carina flashed a smile. “No. You leave that to me and Gabriel. We will gather an army to us. We will train them. You will lead them.” She dropped her head. “If that is your desire, my queen.”
Dylan jerked his head up, realizing she was addressing his mamaw.
“I’m no queen. If this is what we need to do to make things right, then I think it’s fine. You just have to make sure nothing happens to my grandson or Gabriel.”
Carina nodded, and everyone turned their attention to their food, eating quietly.
Dylan reached under the table and took Gabriel’s hand in his, squeezing it gently. There was so much more to discuss in their plan, but he didn’t want to do it in front of his mother.