“Don’t worry, Zee. My dad has faced scarier opponents than Scott,” Lev whispers in my ear, and I realize that I’ve been holding his hand with bone-crushing force.
His dad isn’t who I’m worried about, though.
I look at my stepfather and at my mom, who’s sitting in the first row. As the mayor’s personal assistant and office manager, she doesn’t have a seat at the council table.
I haven’t had the chance to spend a lot of time with Scott, and despite his position on what kind of relationship his sons should have with me, and his hatred of motorcycles, I have come to respect him.
He makes my mom happy, and he’s been welcoming toward me from the day we met.
He loves Ares and Chance and would do anything for them. That’s why they both tried to stay away from me when Scott laid down his expectations after the wedding.
I take in his broad shoulders and the athletic frame that isn’t hidden by his three-piece suit or by the fact that he’s sitting behind a desk. His NHL days might be a memory at this point, but my stepfather is still in excellent shape.
I look at him, committing to memory how his two sons resemble him very closely, Chance especially.
My pulse is pounding in my ears at the idea that once he knows that we’re behind this petition and that we’ve been breaking the law for weeks, things between us might change. Our blended family might be too new, too fragile to recover from our betrayal.
Mom can’t send me away to boarding school like she did two years ago after I disobeyed her and lied to her to follow Cal to Bridgeport. But our parents could cut us off. They could even get us arrested. This could be the last time we aren’t at odds with each other.
Chance and Lev stand up.
Scott looks at them, but I don’t think he connected the dots just yet. “We’ll begin the debate,” he says to them. “After whoever submitted this petition stands up in front of the town council and explains their reasoning.”
I don’t know if he can demand that from a legal standpoint, but Chance and Lev don’t back down.
“This is what we’re trying to say.” Chance clears his throat. “We are the ones who submitted the petition.”
Scott’s expression morphs from one of anger to utter shock. “You did?” Murmurs from the people attending the meeting fill the room as everyone reacts to this bombshell. “Ok, seriously. Where are the cameras?” He asks, looking around.
“Mr. Mayor… Dad.” Chance’s voice is firm. “We aren’t pranking you. We submitted the petition to lift the ban on motorcycles and open a racetrack in town.”
The shock in Scott’s gaze is replaced by fury. “Ok, then. No, it’s absolutely out of the question. Motion rejected. This meeting is adjourned.” He pushes on the top of his desk with his palms, his chair making a scraping noise against the hardwood of the old building’s floor as it moves backward.
“You can’t do that.” Lev objects. “We submitted a formal petition, and the council is obligated to consider it, which means we have the right to debate it and the council has to vote on it. It isn’t just the mayor’s decision.”
Scott abandons his attempt to leave his seat, dragging the chair back closer to his desk. “You would be correct if this weren’t some kind of childish rebellion. I don’t understand. You two have everything you could ever want. You should be well past the age for teen rebellion. And if this ridiculous petition is some kind of delayed teen phase, this isn’t the time or place. You’re wasting everyone’s time?—”
“This is serious.” Ares interrupts his father, rising from his chair. “And Chance and Lev are correct; you can’t just dismiss our petition. We have the right to argue our reasons and for our proposal to be put to a vote.”
Scott’s lips are pressed together in a thin, displeased line as he looks at his eldest son. “Ares, you too? Come on, youshould be more mature than your brother and Lev. You should help them see how what they’re doing is crazy, not back them. And may I remind you that as a deputy sheriff, you aren’t just obligated to observe our town’s laws but to protect them and enforce them too.”
“You’re correct about the duties of a deputy sheriff, Dad.” Ares remains calm. “And while being a cop wouldn’t prevent me from petitioning the council, I handed in my resignation a few days ago. So as a civilian, I have the same obligation as every citizen. The enforcement part is no longer my responsibility.”
Stricken is the word that better describes the look on my stepfather’s face. “You resigned? Ares, what’s going on? First you dropped out of college, and now this. Are you guys on drugs? Is there something in the water?”
Chapter 18
Fair Fight
CHANCE
Dad’s reaction isn’t surprising.
There’s a microphone in front of him on his desk, but his voice is raising in volume with every passing second.
He isn’t yelling just yet, but I think he’s extremely close to losing his temper.
This whole thing is becoming personal, and maybe it is in a way.
