Page 124 of Always Us

He grabs my arm. “Please, Garret. I’m begging you. I just need a few minutes.”

I yank my arm back. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“It’s important.” He jumps in front of me. “You know what this is about, right?”

“Yes. And you know I can’t talk about it. Nobody can.”

“I know that. It’s just that I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who to turn to. I got myself into this and now I don’t know if I can get out.”

I stop walking. “You’re already in it? I thought—”

“No, I’m not officially a member yet. That’s why I need to talk to you.”

“What do you mean when you say you want to get out? Like not become a member?”

“Yes. I don’t think I can do it.” He scratches his head, which messes up his hair even more. “I didn’t know what I was getting involved in, and now I’m in so deep I fear what they would do to me if I told them no.”

A couple guys walk past us, staring because Kiefer’s freaking out here. Or maybe they’re spies for the organization, watching us, listening to our conversation.

“Kiefer, I can’t do this.” I walk around him. “You’ll have to figure this out on your own.”

He follows me. “I need to know the truth. If I’m going to risk everything to try to get out of this, I need to know that my suspicions are correct and that this group isn’t who I thought they were.”

He keeps pace with me. We shouldn’t be out in the open like this. We’re at the parking lot now where anyone could see us.

“Garret, if you don’t help me, Harper’s life will be over. They already have someone picked for her.”

He needs to stop talking. I don’t want to know any of this. I just want to be left out of it. I spot my car and click the remote and quickly get inside.

Kiefer grabs hold of the car door before I can close it. “I just found out who it is. I don’t want my daughter with this man. They told me it would just be a sham marriage. Just for appearances. That she wouldn’t even have to live with him. But they lied. This man has had his eyes on Harper for months. He saw a photo of her and decided he wanted her. I think Harper was one of the reasons I was offered membership. I knew Roth never liked me, so I was surprised when he came out here last summer and officially asked me to join. Now I know why.”

“What does Roth have to do with this?”

“The man who wants Harper is Roth’s son, Andrew. He’s 40 and rich and spoiled. He doesn’t work. He just lives extravagantly and gambles away his father’s money. He uses women, then tosses them aside. He’ll never be faithful to Harper and—” He pauses, closing his eyes as a few tears run down his face. “He has a history of being abusive to women.”

Shit. Why did he have to tell me that?

I can’t get involved. I can’t involved. I repeat it in my head because getting involved could put Jade and me at risk. Doing so could get us on the organization’s radar again. It sounds like they really want Kiefer as a member and if they found out I was helping him get out, or even just talking to him about it, I could get in big trouble.

“Just tell them no,” I say, trying to close the door.

He steps in front of the door so I can’t close it. “If I do, they might kill me.”

I shake my head. “They won’t kill you. You have skills that they need.”

“They’ve already made it clear that any new recruit who tries to back out at this stage will be punished. But I don’t know what that means.”

New recruits? How many new people are they adding? I thought it was just Kiefer.

“Garret, I know you and Jade care about Harper. If you can just give me some advice.”

Shit! I hate this. What do I do? Save Harper? Even if it means risking Jade and me? I scan the parking lot. Nobody’s around.

“Get in. Back seat.” I click open the door. “Hurry up.”

My back windows are tinted so Kiefer won’t be seen. I start the car and drive onto the street, then turn and go down a side street and park. Hardly anyone goes down this street, but in case they do, I get my phone out and pretend I’m just sitting here making a call.

“Why did you want to be part of it?” I ask him.

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