Page 202 of Choosing You

“Come here.” He holds me close to him with one arm and calls his dad with the other.

“What did your dad say?” I ask him after he hangs up.

“He’s coming to pick us up. I told him we’d wait at that gas station we passed, so we need to get walking.”

“But does he think someone did this?”

“Heknowssomeone did this. Brakes don’t go out on a car that’s four months old. I had that car serviced a month ago. Everything was fine. And the brakes worked on the way to the airport. Someone did this while it was sitting in the parking garage.”

“So they’re trying to kill us. They want us dead.” I don’t say it like a question because it’s clear that’s what they wanted.

“Let’s not talk about it right now. Let’s just get to the gas station where it’s warm and wait for my dad.”

Mr. Kensington picks us up an hour later in his black Mercedes. Garret and I don’t say much on the ride back to the house. I think we’re both still in shock.

When we get to the house, Mr. Kensington takes us into his office. It’s huge and looks like an actual office in an office building. He sits down at his oversized desk and Garret and I sit across from him.

“I never thought it would come to this,” he says. “I’ve known Royce for years and although he’s ruthless when it comes to politics, I never thought he’d do something like this.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” I ask. “He’s a rapist. He almost killed my mom. He left her for dead on the side of the road.”

Mr. Kensington’s brows raise. “A rapist? No, he didn’t rape her. Royce and your mother had an affair. And he certainly didn’t try to kill her.”

“No. He raped her. And left her on the side of the road to die. You didn’t know that?”

“He told me it was an affair.” Mr. Kensington says it like he’s talking to himself, his eyes glazed over. “I never understood why he was so worried about an affair. Politicians have affairs all the time. And it was so long ago. It wouldn’t have hurt his campaign. But if he raped her . . . and then left her . . . ” He wakes from his fog and shakes his head, looking even more worried than before. “Now I understand why he’s so panicked about this.”

“So what’s the deal you made with him?” Garret asks.

“Royce needed to make sure Jade never found out about him. He knew he’d be running for office and he wanted to get control over anything from his past that could jeopardize his campaign. That’s why you’re here, Jade. That’s why you’re at Moorhurst. I gave you the scholarship so I could keep an eye on you for him.”

I suppose that should shock me but surprisingly it doesn’t. It never did make sense that I got the scholarship without even applying for it. Then again, maybe I’m not reacting to the news because I’m still trying to get over the fact that Garret and I almost got killed in his car.

I sit there quietly but Garret’s pissed. He bursts up from his chair. “You brought Jade here so you could spy on her? Why would you do that?”

Mr. Kensington lets out a long sigh. “Because I owed him.”

“Of course you did.” Garret remains standing, his arms crossed over his chest. “So what is it? What does he have on you?”

Mr. Kensington doesn’t answer.

“Our manufacturing plant in Texas.” Garret waits for his dad to respond but he doesn’t. “The fire was our fault, wasn’t it? All those people died and we didn’t do a damn thing for their families. You blamed the employees. You said it was their fault, not ours. You blamed the plant manager and ruined his life! You faked the evidence, didn’t you? Covered up anything that would link it back to us.”

“I agree it was wrong. But we did what we had to do. Some of the employees started talking to reporters. We had to get control. Someone had to take the blame. You know how many contracts we’d lose if the truth got out? We’d lose the company. Our family company. Your great grandfather’s company.”

Garret shakes his head as he slowly sits down. “I don’t even know how it’s possible we’re related. Thank God for Mom. Otherwise I would’ve turned out like you.”

“That’s enough, Garret! I regret how I handled the fire. I really do. But it wasn’t just me. Your grandfather was involved as well. In fact, it was his idea. And we can’t change it now. It’s over.”

“Youcanchange it! You can tell the truth!”

“It’s not going to happen. Too many people were involved in covering it up. And Royce is one of them. After he did that for us, I agreed to keep watch on Jade once he started campaigning.”

“What do you mean by keep watch?” I ask him. “Have you been spying on me this whole time? Do you have people following me around?”

“No. Nothing like that. I was just supposed to make sure you went to Moorhurst and take care of anything you needed money-wise. Royce contacted me after your mother died. At the time, he sounded like he cared about you. He wanted you to go to a good college so you could get a decent job and not end up like your mother.”

I tell Mr. Kensington Frank’s theory about my mother being drugged all those years.

---