Page 81 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“Easily enough,” he said. “But I’d rather ask. We can go into the living room if you want.”

She stood up and walked out of her room and went to sit on the couch. Jack’s rental car was gone from the driveway.

Jarrett went and got her a bottle of water and brought it back.

“Thanks,” she said. He brought over the tissues too and she blew her nose. “I have to look like a mess.”

“I’ve seen worse,” he said.

“Don’t remind me,” she said.

“Andi, I didn’t learn anything today that makes me love you any less. If anything I only love you more and want to watch out for you greater than before.”

“I can’t believe you can still love me knowing all of this,” she said and started to cry again. She was on one emotional roller coaster.

“I do,” he said. “No secrets. I need to know what I can about you and your past.”

“To protect me?” she asked.

“Will it upset you if I say yes?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “My father was that way.Obviouslynot enough to put hisownsafety at risk before me.”

She felt fresh tears running down her face.

“Don’t feel that way. You have no idea of your father’s motivation. No idea if something went wrong that he didn’t see the sign of. Nothing. It sounds to me like he would have never been there if he thought things would turn out this way.”

“No,” she said. “I just wish I’d known more of what was going on in his life, but he would have never told me.”

“He kept it from his partner too and that isn’t easy. Do you know what happened to Leo? Jack said he was arrested a year later.”

“Yeah,” she said. “When I was discharged from the hospital, I texted Leo that I was staying with my cousin.”

“He didn’t want to come see you?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “He didn’t ask. He started to distance himself from me too. Maybe he was afraid I heard more and he didn’t want me involved. I’d like to think he cared, but I’m sure that isn’t the case. I was in a safe house while I recovered. Marshalswent in and got most of my stuff; the rest was left. The injury made it easy in terms of an excuse to cancel all my appointments at work. After about a month, Jack got his transfer and we moved to Tulsa.”

“You stayed in Denver for a month in a safe house?”

“Yes. I was texting Leo for a few weeks and he was the one that said maybe I needed time to heal and recover. It made it easy for me to walk away without worry. At thatpointI figured it was selfishness on his part to get me out of his life so he didn’t lose credibility with whoever he was working with.”

“Then it worked out,” he said.

“Yes. Once I was getting around better and Jack got his transfer, he and I moved to Tulsa. My new identity was set and I had time to get used to being Andi. They created my background, but all my medical history was brought over that they could, even my surgery. Things like that.”

“I know how it works,” he said.

“I figured as much.”

“Is there anything else I need to know? I know things will come up but anything right now that you can think of?”

“This has nothing to do with being in Witness Protection, but I’ll say it anyway.ObviouslyI’ve got life insurance policies from my father, the sale of his houseandother stuff too. But my paternal grandfather,hehad money that I wasn’t aware of. Investments. He left it in my name when he died and it was to come to me when I turned thirty. Jack knew all of this. My father must have mentioned it. But it was all in my old name.”

“You hadn’t been Andi for very long though,” he said.

“No. Not long enough to worry. The marshals took care of it. I signed what I needed to to get the money sent to Colleen and then it was given to me. Colleen no longer exists.”

“What happened to her?” he asked.

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