Page 76 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“Tell me what I don’t know,” she said.

Jarrett held his hand up. “Is it going to put her in danger if she knows these things?”

He’d end this conversation right now if that was the case and learn to live with the secrets.

“No,” Jack said. “Nothing more than the situation nowprior tome showing up here.”

“Then say it all and get it off your chest,” she said.

“Jack had this case years ago. Maybe five years before we were partners. Human trafficking. The Dustin Family.”

“Was he reassigned?” Jarrett asked. “There is nothing worse than when you’ve got your teeth into something.”

“He was,” Jack said. “He was too close. He had an informant and she was getting too deep. She was made and murdered. They made an example of her. She never gave up Luke’s name, but he was on a path of vengeance. Again, things I didn’t know at the time.”

“You were briefed when you were partners, right?” Jarrett asked.

“I asked,” Jack said. “Luke talked about things and I was trying to put them together. It seemed his identity was kept a secret so he felt like he could continue without anyone catching on.”

“So my father was investigating things he shouldn’t have been and had no backup?” she asked.

He squeezed her fingers. “Andi, it’s so hard to explain. When you feel you’re at fault for something, you can’t let it go. You need answers.”

“Or revenge,” Jack said.

“Are you trying to do that for my father?” she asked.

“No,” Jack said. “I told you that. Because if I was, then I’d draw attention to you and I wouldn’t do that. I have to be content with what I’m doing.”

“We’ll get to that,” Jarrett said. “What happened? Fast forward and spare some of the details for Andi. Luke is investigating things on the side. You didn’t know anything about it?”

“I didn’t for a long time,” Jack said. “We had ourowncaseload, but the few months previous to his murder I started to suspect something going on. Luke wasn’t around as much. I could tell when he was evading me.”

“I noticed things too,” Andi said. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it, but I thought it had to do with cases. I learned to never ask. He always told me it was better that way.”

“It is,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter what we noticed. But more than once, Luke had asked me to make sure I always watched out for Andi if anything happened to him. I said the same to him about my mother. She was alive back then and I wanted to make sure she was comfortable.”

Jarrett nodded. He’d do the same. “You said you think Luke gave you food poisoning?”

“Listen, Andi,” Jack said. “I’m not positive. I’mreallynot. And I didn’t want you getting angry at your dad. But we ate the same thing. Both of us. Nothing more than we always did. He didn’t get sick, I was feeling it pretty quickly. I went home after dinner feeling as if I was going to puke the minute I pulled in front of my apartment. I texted Luke to find out if he felt fine and he made some joke that he was.”

Jarrett would never do that. Ever. You had partners you trusted and they had your back. “Why did he keep this from you? There had to be a reason.”

Jack sighed. “It’s not that he didn’t trust me. I believe he wanted me out of it in case things went south—for Andi.”

Jarrett turned his head to look at Andi. She had tears in her eyes. “He wouldn’t have put his life in jeopardy and leave me. I know it.”

“I don’t think he thought it was,” Jack said. “Because I agree with you. But no one can say why Luke was shot outside a bar that he’d never been to before. He said he was going home. Not only did he tell me he was going home but he went somewhere I’d never heard of and wouldn’t have even thought he’d go alone if he did decide to change his mind and get a drink.”

“My father always went to the same few places for a drink,” she said.

“That’s right,” Jack said.

“He was meeting someone?” he asked.

“We don’t know for sure,” Jack said. “He was shot before he went into the bar. The guy was arrested. A gun for hire. He was sloppy, but the Dustin Family was known for that.”

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