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Reed frowns. “What do you mean?”
“My dad... his fixation on Jazz. I’ve had no trouble focusing on the endgame for two years, yet it’s a struggle every damn day now since I saw that video of him with Peyton. And with the shit he pulled yesterday? I wanted to kill him, dude. I literally wanted to end his life on the spot. I know he’s planning to do something really messed up, and Jazz is at the center of those plans. It scares the shit out of me.”
“How can you be so sure?” Bentley asks.
“Because I know him,” I deadpan. “I’ve spent my life studying him. The man’s a sociopath and completely fucked in the head. I’ve watched him treat women like shit for years, and I’ve never felt right about it, but that’s not what this is. I’ve never seen him so obsessed over anything. It’s like he wants more than just sex with Jazz. He wants to own her, mind, body, and soul. The craziest part of all... I honestly think he might have some warped idea in his head that she’d want to be with him.”
Bent’s lips thin. “That’s insane.”
“I never said he was sane.” I shrug. “The thing is... I don’t get it. At all. He barely knows her, has been around her less than a handful of times. I think that’s why I feel so off-kilter. It just doesn’t make any damn sense.”
Reed clears his throat. “Could this have anything to do with her mom?”
My eyes swing to him. “What do you mean?”
“He knew her mom, right?”
“Yeah. And?”
“Do you think it’s possible maybe he was obsessed with her, and he’s transferring those feelings onto Jazz?”
My breath whooshes out of me. “Holy shit. Now, that does make sense.”
Why the fuck didn’t I think of that earlier?
Reed lifts a shoulder. “Maybe it’s not so complicated after all.”
“Fuck.” I scrub a hand over my face. “That might make it worse. He would’ve had years to develop an obsession with Jazz’s mom. Who knows what the hell happened between them back then? The only person I could’ve ever flat out asked is dead.”
“Dude, maybe this FBI thing could be the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for.” Bentley pulls the pool cue back and breaks, sinking two stripes. “Maybe you just need to keep him away from Jazz until they can make arrests. Go out of town for a while. You two could make arrangements to take online coursework.”
I shake my head. “She would never leave her sister, and even if that weren’t an issue, Jazz is too fucking stubborn to run. Plus, that would be suspicious as fuck. We can’t afford to do anything that would tip my dad or Callahan off. Besides, we have no idea how long it’ll take for the FBI to do their thing. John said they won’t make a move without enough irrefutable evidence because they only have one shot at it.”
“Well, shit,” Bentley mutters while lining up his next shot.
I take a long pull from my water bottle. “Agreed.”
Bent fiddles with his phone for a sec before Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender” starts blasting through the Bluetooth speakers.
I raise my drink to him. “Nice song choice.”
He smirks. “I thought it was appropriate.”
Bentley finally misses, so Reed grabs a cue and sinks the three-ball. “Ains just texted to say they’ll be here in a few.”
Ainsley and Jazz decided to meet us here after their shopping excursion. Reed’s parents went to their cabin in Tahoe for the long weekend, so we have the place to ourselves. Both of our fathers are home, so Jazz and I will probably crash in one of his guest bedrooms tonight.
“I got the trip all worked out,” I say. “I’m going to tell Jazz tonight.”
Bent gives me a fist bump. “Damn, son, somebody’s gettin’ some extra good lovin’ tonight.”
I roll my eyes at this fool. “That was happening regardless.”
Jazz’s little plan to withhold sex crashed and burned real fast. She lasted a whole ten minutes after we got back to my place last night before she was practically gagging for it.
“What are you so smiley about over there?” Reed asks.
Huh. I didn’t realize I was smiling. “Just remembering something from last night.”
