Page 122 of The Bluffing Game

“And I’m working on that. Dalton and I⁠—”

“I know.” I stare at him. “I want to be a part of this. I want to ensure he knows that I am the reason he goes to jail.”

Brett nods. “I have some videos,” he says, “and some files that will ensure he gets locked up for a really long time. If you want, you can come with me to the police station, file a report, tell them what happened to you. That way, they’ll add your case to the list of things against him.”

“I definitely want to do that. Is there a reason why this wasn’t going to court in the first place?”

“Dalton thought it might make you unhappy to have to go to court or to prison.”

“To prison? Why would I go to prison?” I frown and take a couple of breaths.

He shrugs. “It could get messy with Parker. He has a lot of contacts, and Dalton was only trying to protect you too.”

I sigh. “I don’t really understand, but I don’t need protecting, Brett. I am the protector. That’s why I told Rosie to stop flirting with you. That’s why I told her to leave you alone, so you’re welcome.”

“You told her to stop flirting with me?” He looks surprised. “I thought she just wasn’t interested anymore.”

“So, you did notice her noticing you?”

“It was hard to ignore actually.” He gives me a cocky smile.

“So, what? You liked it? I’ve never seen you smile like this.”

“I’m not smiling.” He tries to hide it, but he can’t. “I just thought maybe she was no longer interested or …”

“She’s not,” I say, giving him a look. “You leave her alone, you hear?”

“Like I said, I’m going out of town.”

“I hope you’re going out of town for a good reason,” I say. “Not because of all this craziness.”

“I don’t know,” he says. “But if you want, I have the folders and files in my car. We can go to the police station now.”

“Yeah, let’s do it. I’ve taken the afternoon off work. I’ve got nothing else going on.”

My phone starts ringing again, and I see it’s Jimmy the Fish, but I ignore it. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that he was my dad.”

“He had his reasons, you know—good reasons.”

“What good reasons?”

“You don’t get it, Sage, because you’ve never known that life, but it can be dark. He was trying to protect you, and I know you don’t want to be protected.” He holds his hand up to stop me before I even start. “I know you are your own woman. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, you’re kind. These are all things that Dalton has said to me, by the way, but you also have to remember that they lived in that world. They know what can happen. You don’t. Jimmy, he’s a hard man. I think his mom died when he was four. He was raised by his aunt, and then she died, and then he was just with the guys. He doesn’t know what it is to be soft. He doesn’t know what it is to be around a woman. You know he’s never even had a relationship longer than three months.”

“He hasn’t?” I’m surprised.

“He hasn’t. So, Jimmy doesn’t know what to do, he doesn’t know what to say, he doesn’t know how to act, and he sure as hell doesn’t know how to be a dad. But he wants to try. I truly believe that.”

“So, I should be okay with that, with the little that he’s willing to give?”

“He didn’t even know about you until a few months ago—you know that, right?”

“Yeah. I mean, that was my mom’s fault.”

“I know, but you have to give him some credit.”

“I suppose so.”

“And Dalton too.”