heard of him, why?” Achak sounded reserved.
“I need a favor.” Anna knew Achak would probably do whatever she asked of him and felt a little guilty since she also knew Achak had lately developed his own romantic feelings toward her. She had known his feelings for her had changed ever since they’d gone to the high school prom together. Just as friends, she’d thought. But it became apparent to her that night that he thought differently. When they danced for the first time, she had seen the gleam of longing in his eyes, felt the charge between them.
She could feel Achak’s desire for her that night, just like she felt for Jack now, which is why she had to forge ahead, she told herself. She took a deep breath. “A friend of mine is being threatened by this guy from the reservation named Frankie. My friend isn’t Navajo, he’s white in fact, and he was hoping I knew someone who could stand by him when he goes to meet with Frankie, so that he doesn’t get roughed up or anything. Would you be able to get a few guys and show up tomorrow night at a meeting they’ve arranged, sort of like protection, just in case?”
She was met with silence at first. Finally, Achak replied. “I don’t know, I guess so,” he said hesitantly. “I think I know who Frankie is and from what I’ve heard, he can be pretty mean. I’ll round up a few others. Not that I couldn’t handle him myself.”
Anna smiled to herself. She could picture Achak’s chest puffing out with pride. “Of course.”
“And who is this friend, and why should I help him?” Achak asked defiantly.
“His name is Jack.” Anna hoped Achak couldn’t sense somehow over the phone the hotness she could feel creeping into her face. “And I was hoping you would help him for me.”
“Well, okay, but you’ll owe me,” Achak teased.
“Owe you what?”
“I’ll have to think about it and let you know.”
Anna dismissed his playful banter. She had to let Jack know she had friends who could help him.
THEY GATHERED under a majestic oak tree that marked the entrance of an old sacred Native American gathering place, marked by a circle of rocks on a cleared dirt floor in the northeast woods of Oak Creek Canyon.
Anna had been there as a child, but it was dark that night. She was glad to ride with Achak and his two friends.
Jack was waiting for them when they arrived. They had agreed to meet a half hour ahead of when Frankie was due to show up.
Anna ran up to Jack, who was leaning back against the tree’s massive trunk, and hugged him. She introduced the young men to each other, and they peremptorily shook hands.
“Why should we defend this guy?” Achak asked Anna then turned to Jack. “What have you done that Frankie is coming after you and you need me to defend you?”
“I don’t need anyone defending me.” Jack sneered. “It’s none of your business what I did.”
“Well then, maybe we should just go,” Achak said.
Anna was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, the hood of her windbreaker pulled up over her hair, which was tied back in a ponytail. An onlooker might have thought she was one of the boys as she walked over to the tree and stood beside Jack in alliance with him.
“Achak, you promised you would stay,” she said. “For me.”
“Well, I’m not defending this guy until I know what he’s done. Maybe he doesn’t deserve defending. You know I’ll do what you ask, Anna, but I have to say this goes against my better judgment.”
“His name is Jack and–”
“That’s okay, Anna, I can speak for myself.” Jack disengaged from her side, distancing himself from her.
She looked at him and for the first time, doubt about her feelings for Jack crept into her. He looked small and skinny, especially next to Achak who was lean but muscular, and his face looked pinched and pale. Like he’s afraid or hiding something.
“I sold some drugs, you know, marijuana for medicinal purposes to Frankie, and he wanted more, and I promised I’d get it but then my source came up dry.” Jack shrugged his shoulders. “The big jerk threatened me, telling me he’d rat me out and have his thugs come after me and skin me alive or something ridiculous. You Indians, I swear.”
Anna looked at Jack in shock that he had uttered the racial slur in front of her friends. Just then an old, beat-up Pontiac pulled up in the distance, shining its bright lights directly on the gathering at the tree, rap music blaring from the stereo.
A hulking six-foot-tall Native American man who looked to be in his thirties strode toward them. From the light of the full moon Anna could see he was wearing a black leather jacket, black boots, and a baseball cap on backwards over his black dreadlocks. When he came close she also noticed he had a tattooed lightning bolt across his right cheek.
“Well, look at the posse we have gathered here tonight.” Frankie grinned, showing huge smoke-stained teeth in his leathery face. “You had to bring your girlfriend and boyfriends with you, huh, Jackie boy? I shoulda known a white punk like you wouldn’t have the guts to meet me here on your own.”
Achak and his buddies stepped a pace toward Frankie, leaving Anna and Jack standing a few steps behind.
“Relax, I’m on your side.” Frankie grinned at Achak, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
“How’s that, Frankie?” Achak asked evenly.
“Well, first, the obvious reason; I can’t believe you’re actually defending this white trash against me, one of your own. Second, because this piece of scum laced the stuff I was selling for medicinal reasons with fentanyl. I found out after one old Navajo dude almost died of a heart attack after smoking his pipe. Turns out his doctor tested the stuff good ole Jackie here sold me. I’m not sure what kind of stunt this dog is trying to pull, but I’d say he’s trying to get our people addicted to this junk. I not only want my money back, I want him to pay for what he’s done to our people.”
“Hey, I didn’t know, I was just the middle man,” Jack said weakly, not bothering to step forward.
“Shut up, stupid,” Achak said, not moving from his stance blocking Anna and Jack from Frankie.
Frankie crossed his arms and scowled. “C’mon, Achak, you aren’t actually going to stand in my way now, are you? This guy not only owes me clean drugs, he owes me a refund. I just came to make him pay.”
Achak stepped forward directly in front of Frankie, nose to nose with him, his friends a few inches behind.
“That’s not gonna happen tonight,” Achak answered tightly.
Anna saw Frankie’s huge hand ball up in a fist of rage, but just as he was about to take a swing, his eyes grew large and his arm stopped in mid-air. At the same moment, she heard rustling behind her and turned to see Jack disappearing beyond the oak tree into the black shadows of the thick forest.
Achak didn’t see Jack fleeing and used Frankie’s pause to hurl his fist into the older native’s face in self-defense. His two friends stood
