Chapter 6
Garrett pulled into the parking lot of the FBI offices and was met at the door by Caden and Blake. They were wearing dark suits, and neither one of them looked happy. He tried not to take it personally, but with the way Principal Ryker had messed up, he could understand why they might be less than pleased. Maybe if he hadn’t been as distracted with thoughts of Reese, he could’ve caught the error before the other sub was called in, though he had no idea how he would’ve done that.
The worst part was that his mind wasstillon Reese. He’d stormed out of the school like a petulant child who’d been told no, and didn’t want to hear it. He hadn’t even asked how she got there or if she needed a ride back. It wasn’t like him to react so strongly, but the idea of Reese leaving the protection of his home made him frustrated and angry. Hadn’t he given her everything she needed? Wasn’t she just starting to open up to him? It wasn’t that he was keeping a vigilant watch over her, but he could swear this was the first time she’d left his property since he’d brought her there.
So, why was she so eager to leave?
Garrett shook his head. He was being unreasonable. Reese was a grown woman and she could come and go as she pleased. Hell, she could move out tonight and there wouldn’t be a damn thing he could do about it. Had he pushed her too far last week, asking about her gift? Was that the reason for her sudden needto get a job? The thought of her trying to teach teenagers, while not being able to look them in the eye, or if she accidentally did and saw something that upset her… He didn’t want to imagine how horrifying that would be for her.
“So, what’s going on with Reese?” Caden asked as they stepped into his office and Blake shut the door behind them. “Has she opened up to you at all?”
Garrett plopped into one of the chairs. “She was at the school today, funny enough. Applying to be their art teacher.”
“Doesn’t she have a masters in art?” Caden asked.
“She does,” Garrett replied, feeling even more like an ass for giving her a hard time earlier. Who was he to doubt what she could or couldn’t do? None of the women he knew ever let their abilities stop them from living their life. Why had he thought Reese would be any different? She was one of the strongest women he knew. If she put her mind to it, she’d find a way.
“Good for her,” Blake said. “Any clues as to the real reason Vivian had her?”
Garrett sighed. He’d promised Reese he wouldn’t tell them about her ability unless her safety depended on it. He hated lying to his friends, but he just gave them a quiet, “not yet.”
“She’ll come around,” Caden said. “Knowing what she can do, or if she can even do anything, might be the key to bringing down Russell.”
“In the meantime,” Blake said, handing Garrett a thick file. “That’s everything I’ve been able to ascertain about Madison’s family. It looks like Madison Grier’s second cousin, Zach Howard, is one of the Deathly Hollow Motorcycle Club’s latest recruits.”
“That’s not good,” Garrett said, lifting one leg and crossing it to rest his ankle on the thigh of his other leg to create a larger surface on his lap so he could open the file and briefly skim through the contents. Zach Howard was twenty-five yearsold, had one previous arrest for drunken disorderly conduct, and served six months on a sexual harassment case two years ago. “Are you guys thinking her parents are feeding him information, or giving him the drugs that the MC is selling on the streets?”
“Yes to both, but there’s one problem,” Blake said. “I’ve been tailing this guy for a while now and I haven’t seen him go anywhere near her parents’ place of work or home.”
“Phone records?” Garrett asked.
“Can’t get the subpoena for them yet,” Caden said. “Look, at this point, it’s all speculation. That’s why we need you. If Madison is surrounded by people who are dealing this drug, then we need you to be there when shit hits the fan, because it will.”
“Are we sure she’s not involved?” Garrett asked.
“Her life will be a lot easier if she’s not,” Caden said. “But I have to tell you, barring any special circumstances, I’ll be arresting her as an adult. At eighteen, Madison Grier knows exactly what she’s doing.”
Garrett wanted to agree with his friend, but at the same time, he felt like as the girl’s new teacher, he had to step up and protect her, even if it was from his own friends. “Come on, Caden, she’s a kid.”
“If she’s dealing those drugs, she’s just another link to the drug that almost killed Orly. Or do you want to be the one to tell Luke that we’re not going to press charges on someone who may’ve been in on this drug from the ground up simply because she’s in your class?”
“I told you this would happen,” Blake said.
Garrett shot him a glare. “What would happen?”
Caden sighed. “Look, there’s a reason why I picked you for this assignment. I knew you could do it, and that your compassion for these kids would be genuine. But Garrett, I’m telling you right now, you’re only there to catch a possiblemurderer. Even if she didn’t shove the drugs down their throats, we’ve had over a hundred deaths in Dallas alone from that drug, and over three hundred hospitalizations. I will be making as many arrests as possible.”
Garrett didn’t want to argue with his friends. He just hoped Madison Grier was clean. As for her parents, they would have to deal with the consequences of whatever choices they had made. “How’s Hallie doing?” He asked, changing the subject. He hadn’t talked to her much at the barbeque and he’d been meaning to ask Caden about her progress since she’d started seeing a therapist after the ordeal she’d been through.
Caden’s features softened at the mention of his fiancé’s name. “She’s okay. Some days are better than others. She’s still having nightmares, but they’re not as frequent.”
“So, the therapy is helping,” Garrett said, hoping he wasn’t just jumping to conclusions.
Caden shoved a hand through his hair. “I want to say yes, but I don’t know. She keeps insisting that the scars don’t bother her, and I loathe to tell her otherwise because I don’t want her to feel like I’m telling her what to think or do. I just think it would be easier for her to move on if she let Skyla heal her.”
“Skyla said she’d do it whenever Hallie was ready,” Blake said. “But I would rather wait until after she has the baby, just to be on the safe side.”
“I know,” Caden said. “We’d never risk anything happening to Skyla or the baby. That just gives me some time to convince my fiancé to let Skyla heal her all while letting Hallie believe it was her idea.”
