Page 99 of Not A Whisper

Your father-in-law, a small voice whispers in my head. I try not to grimace at that.

“Mr. Gipson, what are you doing here?” My voice comes out sharper than I intended but really, what’s he doing on campus and sneaking up on me like this?

Garry shrugs. “I was hoping we could speak privately. I thought I could catch you on the way home.”

This can’t be good. I paste a brittle smile on my face. “So following me to my car seemed like a good idea?”

“I could’ve asked you to meet me on the third floor ofthe library, like you do with my son. Would that have made you more comfortable?”

My breath catches in my throat. Oh no… No, no, no. How would he know about that? For a second, panic causes my throat to constrict and I’m unable to speak. My face must give away my feelings because he chuckles.

“No? I didn’t think so.” Garry smirks. “So how about we talk out here, now.”

I fight the panic down and clench my jaw. “I’m listening.”

“Are you though? Because I was sure you were listening when I asked for you to stop seeing my son.” He tilts his head to study me from a different angle.

I fight the impulse to roll my eyes. “I heard you loud and clear.”

“So you decided to ignore me. That’sunwise.” His expression shifts. Garry’s smile remains but it turns frigid as he draws himself up slowly to his full height. “Your ignorance explains why you’ve let him move into your apartment and why you decided to take a vacation with him.”

He’s trying to scare me by letting me know he’s been watching me. But I already knew this. It’s why the guys stayed away for weeks at a time and why we had to sneak around.

I frown. “Do you have nothing else to do except put your nose in your son’s life? If not, I’m sure we could find an age-appropriate hobby. Maybe birdhouse making? Popsicle stick houses?”

Garry’s eyes flash at my mocking. Ah-ha! A hit. I try not to smile. It feels good to be able to jab back this time. Before, Ms. Barbara was counting on me to get the donation we needed for the library. That, on top of Garry’s casual bombardment of insults, had my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.

But not this time.

“Oh trust me, I have plenty of things to do, Miss Wilson,”Garry sighs. “In fact, my work has doubled since Grant has suddenly washed his hands of his responsibilities.”

“Well, don’t let me hold you up,” I shrug.

Garry’s scowl comes on gradually. It’s not simply a furrowing of his brows. Shadows creep into the sharp plains of his face. They’re similar to the ones in Grant’s except age has made them slightly less pronounced. His eyes flash and lips thin. It’s all very subtle, yet suddenly he seems to grow a few inches right before me.

“I have worked my entire life to create a world where Grant can flourish. If he continues to slight my partners, slack in his duties to the companies I run, and ignore my directions, he might not have anything to inherit.” His mouth brackets. “If you truly cared for my son, you would be guiding him in the right direction.”

He turns to the side with a heavy sigh but tilts his head in my direction. A singular brow raises.

“You once told me to be frank with you, Miss Wilson. To get straight to the point. Does that still stand?”

I chuckle. The sound is as cold as the ice in his eyes. “I’m not sure. Will this result in me being insulted on a physical, mental, and emotional level again?”

“Did I cut too deep, Miss Wilson?” He smiles slightly.

“Oh I don’t know. I didn’t mind the squealing of a pig, that’s what they do. But I let you squeal for a while the last time we spoke.” I savor the way his smile falters. “I just think we could’ve cut all that down by at least half. Let’s get straight to the point, alright?”

Garry nods and looks away, giving me a view of his profile. His striking cheekbones and chiseled jawline are so achingly familiar to his son’s. Is this what Grant will look like as we grow old together?

The thought is so startling, so unexpected, that I immediately toss it aside as if I’ve been mentally burned.

“How's this?” Garry starts, his tone conversational. “Your involvement in my son’s life, and subsequently his friends' lives, has become an issue. Their devotion should be to the man that gives them everything, not to the whore they stick their dicks in from time to time. They need to be re-broken—learn to heel once more. It’ll be a painful experience, but it needs to be done. But with you in their lives, I’ll make sure it’sextrapainful. So leave Groveton. If you don’t, every day you stick around, I’ll make their living hells worse, and I’ll make sure they know it’s because of you.”

His threat is spoken with such clarity and certainty that I’m momentarily stunned. There’s no give in his hardened expression nor is there any sign that he’s exaggerating. Garry means every venomous word that’s dripped from his lips.

“You can’t be serious. How can you be so cruel to them?” I already know the answer: it’s because he’s a greedy lunatic. Still, I want to hear his justification.

“I’m quite serious, Miss Wilson. I know what’s best for all of them. All three grew up knowing that. Theirparentsknow this. The Nani’s and Carlos gave me their kids to look after, knowing I could give them the future they couldn’t. Somewhere along the way, I’m guessing when they metyou, the boys’ priorities for their families shifted.” Garry shakes his head. “I don’t know what they think they’ll be able to do without me. If they workwithme, we can be great.”

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