Page 42 of Next Level
“No, that’s all I heard. Jared was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he had a brother that he never even knew he had.”
I can hear the concern in her voice.
“Do you care for this guy Jared?” I try to ask without any anger or judgment. I genuinely do want to know.
She shrugs. “I did. I mean, I kind of still do, just in a different way. I feel sorry for Jared. He’s had a rough life. We talked a lot about his life before he met Garrett.”
Christ, she likes the fucker.
She continues, “I think if Garrett didn’t get into his head, he wouldn’t have taken me.”
Needing to know the answer, I ask, “Do you think Jared would have known who you were without Garrett targeting you?”
She just looks at me, so I clarify, “Meaning did Jared know who you were before Garrett came into his life?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I think he started talking to me because of Garrett.”
Taking my eyes off the traffic to look at my girl, I say, “But you think he really did like you.” I say it more like a statement than a question.
She doesn’t answer but sits there thinking about it.
“It’s okay. You’re young, so you don’t really understand love yet. I’m just glad they didn’t touch you.”
I feel her tense up and look over to see her face tighten.
Oh hell fucking no.
“They didn’t touch you, did they?”
She shakes her head. “No, but I did kiss Jared.”
I keep my eyes on the road ahead, taking deep breaths.
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
“Dad.” Hearing her call me Dad has me looking over at her.
“I’m sorry. He was just so sweet and nice to me. I really thought he cared about me,” she says with a sigh.
I clear my throat, hoping my words don’t come out harshly. “I understand. But people who care about each other don’t hold them hostage or tie them up.”
She turns in her seat and focuses on the road.
I need a break from this conversation, so I look ahead and let us both sit in our thoughts for a bit.
Taking out my phone, I send a text to Zoom.
LEVEL: Find out who George Casso was married to.
ZOOM: Already on it.
I turn the music up a bit and let us ride in silence for a while. We have all day today and tomorrow to hash out this situation. She’s young, and I don’t want to overload her or let myself become so enraged with her that she stops talking. This could be my fault, too, since I do shelter her. I’m very controlling and scary to deal with at times.
Two hours later, we’re pulling into Portland Old Town. We both need to eat, and I want to give her the new phone I got for her, so I’ll surprise her by pulling into one of her favorite places, Voodoo Doughnut. We never get it unless we’re down in L.A., so this is a treat.
