Page 74 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“That’s right,” she said. “He’s not stupid.” And she hoped that was enough for them both to see where her head had been from the beginning.

“I’ve known from the minute you stepped foot in the hospital that Andi isn’t her name. You know it and I know it,” Jarrett said. “What I hope and believe is that when Andi answers my questions she’s telling me the truth. I’m not pushing her because she says she’s not in danger and there is nothing going on.”

“There isn’t,” Jack said.

“Exactly,” she said.

“Then why are you here?” he asked.

“Because I haven’t seen her since her accident and thought she was having a hard time with the holidays and being alone. She isn’t emailing me as much either. Maybe if I knew she wasn’t alone I wouldn’t have done this,” Jack said.

That secret email address she and Jack used. She’d been sending him less and less on it. She should have realized he might be concerned.

“Bullshit,” she said. Andi rarely swore, but she was livid right now. She felt like she finally got things under control with Jarrett and that he wasn’t nervousaboutanything and now he was going to get even more wound up. “If I told you I was seeing anyone, you’d do a deep dive on them. If I said it was Jarrett you’d talk me out of it and you know why.”

“That’s right,” Jack said. “And if you know that then why are you seeing him?”

“That is none of your damn business,” Jarrett said. “She’s not anything more than an obligation to you.”

“Stop,” she said. “Both of you.” She didn’t want Jack to know she felt that way, even if she did. “We’ve got to come to some understanding here. Jarrett is in law enforcement. He can be trusted. I know you, Jack. You looked into Jarrett and his brother and his father. Probably most of the family. Didn’t you?”

She could see Jarrett was all but growling. “I did,” Jack said.

“Did you find anything to worry you? Anything to make you think he was dirty or not able to do his job? Because if you did, I’m sure you would have told me right away,” she said, her hands on her hips.

Both guys were sitting and she was standing between them.

“No,” Jack said.

“Asshole,” Jarrett said. “Even I respected Andi and didn’t look into you any more than what is on the surface of where you’re stationed. You want to know why?”

Jack’s shoulders slumped. “Because you would have figured out who her father was and worried you were alerting people of where you were and looking into things in another state.”

“That’s right,” Jarrett said. “Looking into you, and trust me when I tell you I’ve got resources to find out more than you ever think, would have told me Andi’s father’s name.”

She felt her face pale. “Don’t,” she said. “We can say everything, right, Jack? I want it coming from me.”

“Andi, this is a mistake.”

“It’s not a mistake,” she said. “I know the rules. But I also know that you can tell other law enforcement. You can do that to protect me if you feel there is a need to.”

“There isnoneed,” Jack said.

“Let’s say there is,” Jarrett said. “Mac and I told you before we want to know what is going on to be able to watch out for not just Andi but anything coming to this island.”

“You never told me that,” she said, looking at Jarrett.

“It was before we were dating. It was at the ER.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me that?” she asked Jack.

“It didn’t matter at that point. You fell. It was an accident. Unlike the other one you tried to tell me about.”

She ground her teeth. “If you don’t want Jarrett to know what is going on, you’re doing a shitty job of it by making those snide comments.”

“Then maybe you should be doing the talking,” Jack said, sighing. “From your mouth.”

“Seriously?” she asked. “We are going to do this? You’re going to let me tell him everything?”

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