Page 256 of Finding Us
“Hey! Don’t call me that.”
“You’re wearing a tiara. I call it like I see it.”
“It’s a hair accessory!” she says as I get in the car.
She stands at the door and watches me leave, the tiara still on her head. I didn’t even think she’d try it on, but she not only tried it on, she’s had it on all morning. Freaking hilarious.
I get my phone out and call my dad. “Hey, Dad. What did you want to talk about?”
“Hold on. I’m just leaving Lilly’s school.” I hear him talking to someone, then the sound of the car door closing. “Okay, I’m back.”
“Thanks for getting that gift card for Jade. She loved it.”
“Good. Maybe I’ll send her one every month.”
I laugh. “That’s funny. I told her you might do that. She thought I was kidding. She would be shocked if you actually did it.”
“I just made a note to tell my assistant. Don’t tell Jade. We’ll make it a surprise.”
“So what did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to know if you’ve seen or heard anything from that police officer who came to your door after the robbery.”
“No. Now that the robber’s dead, I’m just trying to forget the whole thing.”
“I’m still concerned by the fact that I wasn’t able to locate the police report. And as for that officer who came to your door, I’ve been trying to get information on him, but he’s so young that there isn’t much—”
“Young? What are you talking about?”
“He’s 23.”
“Uh, no. I guarantee the guy who came to our door was not 23.”
“Officer Trent Daniels. That’s his name, right?”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t 23. He was more like 55 or 60.”
“Officer Daniels is 23. He’s been on the force less than a year.”
“Then who the hell came to my door?”
My dad sighs. “Someone who was impersonating an officer.”
“Why the hell would some guy show up at my house pretending to be a cop?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll get my guys working on this right away. If that man comes to your door again, don’t answer it. And be careful. Keep Jade safe.”
“I will.”
“I know it’s a lot of responsibility, Garret. Are you handling it okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“If you’re not, you let me know. We’ll talk soon. Goodbye, Garret.”
My dad was referring to the responsibility that comes with being a Kensington, specifically my responsibility to keep both Jade and myself safe. I’m out of the organization, but because of what they make my dad and grandfather do, I have to deal with the fallout. My dad has enemies, which meansIcould have enemies and Jade could, too. It comes with being part of this family. My dad’s careful when he does stuff, so the chances of someone linking something back to him and wanting revenge are unlikely, but it’s always a possibility.
That’s the bad side to being a Kensington. I’ll always have to be on alert, always looking out for danger, doing everything I can to keep us safe. And I accept that. But I don’t want Jade knowing this is what I have to do. I don’t want her even thinking about it. It’smyresponsibility, not hers.
