“It’s nothing.”
“It’snotnothing. Your dad’s been calling you all week. It’s like he’s worried about you.” We inch forward as the line moves. “Is there a reason your dad is worried about you? And don’t lie to me.”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“Did someone make threats against you? Is it the same person who threatened to do something to your dad? And Lilly?”
He leans down and lowers his voice. “Not here. This is not the place to talk about this.”
I glance around and notice people staring at us. I keep quiet until we’re on the plane, in first class of course.
“You should’ve told me someone’s making threats against you,” I say as I fasten my seatbelt.
“Nobody’s made any threats, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Idoworry, because I love you and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” I reach over and hold his hand.
He kisses my forehead. “Nothing bad will happen to me. I don’t know why my dad’s acting so overprotective like this. He’s probably just being overly cautious.”
“Yeah, because he thinks you’re in danger.”
The plane starts taking off. I move closer to Garret and rest my head on his shoulder.
“Get some sleep,” he says. “I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
* * *
We arrivein Hartford a few minutes early and our luggage is the first to appear on the belt.
“I guess it’s our lucky day,” I say, grabbing my bag. Garret grabs his, then wheels both of our bags to the car.
Garret’s car had to be delivered to us from a private storage facility because last time we left it at the airport someone disabled the brakes. Sinclair admitted he hired someone to do it, but even with him dead, Garret didn’t trust that the car would be safe sitting at the airport parking lot for that long.
As we drive away from the airport, Garret checks to make sure the brakes work. Then he tests them again as we get on the main road. “Okay, they work this time.”
“I should call Frank quick and tell him we made it.” I take my phone out of my purse and turn it on but nothing happens. “The battery’s dead. And the charger is in my suitcase which is in the trunk.”
Garret reaches into his pocket and hands me his phone.
I start to call Frank, then stop. “I should’ve said this earlier, but thanks for coming out to see me. It was nice that you spent time getting to know Frank and Ryan like that. I think they might actually like you now.”
He laughs. “I wasn’t aware that they didn’t like me before. But I’m glad they do now.”
I call Frank, but Ryan answers. “Hi, Ryan. We made it to Connecticut. We even got in early.”
“So are you guys headed to campus now?” Ryan asks.
“Yeah. The fun is over.” I glance at Garret. “It’s back to homework, tests, and cafeteria food.”
“Well, thanks for letting us know you got there. I’ve gotta run to work. Dad is sleeping, so we’ll call you later this week.”
“Okay, bye.” I hang up just as another call is coming in. A photo appears on the screen and I stare at it as the phone continues to ring. Garret reaches for the phone, but I hold it away from him.
“Jade, who is it?” He reaches for it again, making the car swerve. “Give me the phone.”
But I won’t do it. I’m too angry. Too hurt. Too confused.
The phone finally stops ringing and the photo goes away.
