Page 119

Jack

We just settle in to watch the movie when my dad comes down to the basement rec room.

“Jack, we need to talk.” He doesn’t look at Harper. I’m surprised they let me go this long without the talk.

“I’ll be good.” Harper pauses the movie we chose and goes back to the menu to pick a show she’s been watching.

I brush my lips against hers and rise to follow my dad upstairs. Mom sits at the table waiting for me to join them. Dad sits next to her. Lucy is taking her nap.

My parents are pretty understanding, but I got kidnapped and injured Saturday night. My parents care. I have to remember that as we go into this.

“How’s Harper?” Mom asks.

“She doesn’t have memories to deal with.” I shrug. I try not to think about what happened. Telling her this morning was a lot. But she needed to know.

“How are you dealing?” Mom holds a cup of tea between her hands.

“I’m coping.” I’m not sure where this questioning is heading, but I know Dad’s been worried about me not sleeping. Then my girlfriend moves in, and everyone decides she’s safest in my room. And Friday and Saturday happened.

“Your mother and I are concerned for obvious reasons.” Dad clears his throat. “It’s time we talk about what’s been going on in your life. Besides dating Harper with your friends. That’s a lot, but we do trust your judgment. But this past weekend...” Dad pinches the bridge of his nose and drags in a rough breath. “You were taken, Jack. You were cut up and injured. Fuck knows what could have happened to you.”

Mom puts her hand over my dad’s and her gaze settles on mine. “We aren’t blaming you for any of this. You’re obviously a victim and a survivor, but we just need to know if this is over now or if we should expect more visits to the hospital.”

My mom is logical, and seeing her torn up about this makes my heart squeeze. I look at both of them. My parents are probably the most supportive of the guys’ parents. But that doesn’t mean they’ll understand why we’ve taken on so much. I don’t know if I can even begin to explain what we’re dealing with regarding Sean Davidson and William Foster.

But this part is contained. Mostly.

“Zach Gray had beef with us over some imagined slight. He came after Harper as a result of that.” The anger and hatred boils inside me, just thinking about it. It had to be more than Luke fucking the girl Zach was obsessed with. Maybe it wouldn’t have gone anywhere if Tanner hadn’t whispered in Zach’s ear. Or maybe there are more players that we don’t know about yet.

This school drama might not be finished. Fuck. I’m already tired of it all.

“Jack, it’s more than a slight.” Dad runs a hand through his hair. “You were attacked. You could have been killed.”

“Zach dealt drugs and decided to start human trafficking. One of us slept with a willing girl that he had a thing for. It’s why Harper needed protection. We have nothing to do with his drug business or what he wanted to get into. Frankly, both are disgusting.” I don’t know what we would have done if Darius hadn’t been undercover. Caden told me he asked him to help, and Darius came through. He sent in the reinforcements we needed, and he'll make sure none of this gets swept under the rug.

“The school board is meeting today to decide what they’re going to do about it.” Mom clears her throat. “Who they’re going to punish.”

“We’re the victims in this case, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I drum my fingers on the table. “Do you want to get to the point of why you needed to talk to me? Or is that it?”

Dad lets out a frustrated sigh. “We need to know if you’re still in danger, Jack. You were beat up and cut. This isn’t normal for you, we know. But is this going to go away now that those boys are behind bars or will you still be in danger?”

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? It’s the question we really haven’t brought up to discuss because we’re too busy making sure Harper is okay. She’s our priority.

“We don’t know.” I hate to bring up the fact that we think some of Dad’s old friends are behind the break-ins. Or that the real reason Harper and her mother are with us is because of whatever our fathers did.

“The video I saw Saturday.” Dad glances at Mom and squeezes her hand before meeting my eyes. “Are you digging into William Foster? How deep does it go, Jack?”

I rub my hands together on the table. “We don’t know.”

I love my parents, but I can’t let them in on this. It’s too dangerous. Yes, my dad could be an asset, but he might also be a liability. He knew Sean planned to record that meeting. Maybe he’s being honest about not realizing Sean would stay out there when the meeting was taking place.

But Sean disappeared that night without a trace.

My dad had to know that. He had to have his suspicions even back then, but he kept quiet. Deep in my gut I want to trust my dad, but knowing the person he was in high school... how he just followed the in-crowd to be popular... The thought of him siding with William Foster leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We may be popular, but we’re tight. We’re friends, brothers. Loyalty is given freely, not demanded.

“We’re careful, Dad.” It’s all I can say to him. Because while I know he’s loyal to us, his family, and Jennifer feels safe here, I don’t know how deep his debt to William Foster goes. And because of that, I need to keep him on the outside of this.

“Is he tracking you? Is that why you disappeared last weekend?” Dad looks worried.