Page 168 of Always Us

“You need to leave now, Carson. I’m not joking around here. I don’t want to see you again.”

As he walks away, he says, “I’m not giving up on this, Garret.”

He needs to give up. He’s wasting his time. The organization can’t be brought down. And even if they could, another group just like them would take their place.

I tried to warn him but he wouldn’t listen. There isn’t anything else I can do. He’s determined to pursue this, and in doing so, he might get killed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

37

JADE

Garret never came to the kitchen, so I went looking for him and found him coming in from outside. He’s holding that device that tests for hidden microphones.

“Where were you?” I ask him.

“Out talking to Carson.” He takes his coat off and hangs it in the closet.

“Carson was here?”

“He followed us this morning and he’s been sitting out there on the street for who knows how long.”

“Why do you have that wand thing?”

Garret sets it in the study, then comes back out into the foyer. “I had to make sure Carson wasn’t recording me.”

“What did he say?”

“That he’s not giving up. That he’s determined to find out who the other members are.”

“So he still thinks your dad is one?”

“Yeah. That’s why he’s following him. Carson’s convinced that my dad will lead him to the other members.”

“You need to tell your dad this.”

Pearce appears just as I say it. He’s talking to Lilly. “Go up and change and then we’ll go.” She runs up the stairs. “We’re going out for an early dinner,” he says to Garret. “I gave Charles the night off.”

“Dad, Carson was just here.”

“Who’s Carson?”

“That guy, Justin. Jade and I know him as Carson. Anyway, he followed us this morning.”

“Yes, I know.”

“And you’re okay with this?”

“I wanted him following us. I was recording him. I have it all on video. And I told the driver to lose him before we got there so Justin wouldn’t find out our location.”

“Why were you recording him?”

“I’m collecting evidence to prove that Hanniford’s not giving up in his mission to expose the organization. Justin will keep following me until he finds what he’s looking for. If I’m able to show the members how determined he is, I might be able to distance myself from the organization.”

“You think they’d let you out?” Garret asks.

“Not completely, but they might be forced to release me from some of my commitments. If I’m constantly being followed, it puts the other members at risk. They don’t want to have to worry about their identities being revealed or the group being exposed. It would be easier if they kept me at a distance, meaning I would no longer attend the meetings or be involved in their activities. I’d continue to run the company and give them access to whatever they need there, but that would be it.”

---