25. Choices In Life

25

CHOICES IN LIFE

H ow could so much have been kept from her in life?

Andi slammed the door to her bedroom and lay across the bed with her face on the pillow.

She was crying so hard she felt the ache in her toes.

The fact Jack lied to her made it hard for her to trust anyone.

She turned when the door opened and wasn't happy to be interrupted but was glad it was Jarrett over Jack.

"Hey," he said. "Come here."

She sat up and went into his arms while he held her.

"I'm so messed up right now."

"No, you're not. You were handed a heavy blow. It sounds like you've been getting them for a few years. You don't know who to believe or trust and can't understand why your father would do what he did and risk his life and leave you."

"How do you know all those things?" she asked, sniffling against his shirt.

"Because it's exactly how I would feel. But you can trust me. You can believe me."

She nodded against his chest. "I don't think I've got much of a choice," she said.

"We all have choices in life, Andi."

"I've made them. My father did too. I'm so mad at him."

"And that is part of your grief right now. You're mad at Jack too, but he did what he could to protect you. He did the right thing."

"I can't believe you're defending him."

"I might not agree with what he did, but I can't fault him either. He was trying to keep you safe."

"There was no other threat, was there?" she asked. "I know it. I could see it in his eyes. He lied to get me out of there."

"You'd have to ask him that," he said. "It's not for me to say."

"You asked him, I know you did. You would have figured it out too, but he wouldn't answer you."

"It's not important right now," he said. "What's more important is that we get through this together."

"What is there to get through?" she asked. "I can't believe you'd want anything to do with someone who has this much drama."

He snorted. "I'm from the Bond family. The poor gambling alcoholic womanizing side of it. Trust me, I'm no stranger to drama."

She laughed, but it was forced. "Please. There is no sign of that for generations in your family."

"No," he said. "Not for a few years, but it's there and the talk never ends. It's part of life."

Which explained a lot about Jarrett and why he kept to himself. Maybe why he was more of a loner than his brothers seemed to be.

Or still single at his age.

"And my life is a mess."

"It's not," he said. "Don't think that. I'm glad I know what I need to know right now. I can watch out for anything. Jack says there is nothing to be worried about. You asked him and I believe it."

"He wants to come to Boston. He told me last week that there is activity with the Dustin Family moving into New Mexico and setting up there again."

"I'll get that out of him when I know you're okay."

"I don't know that he'll tell you," she said.

"He's going to damn well tell me more. I need to know. Not just for you, but if someone was after you and coming here."

"They aren't," she said. "You heard him. I'm starting to wonder if there were even pictures of me to begin with. I never saw them."

"You'll have to ask him that. I'm inclined to believe there was at first."

"I'll ask," she said. "I'm not ready to talk to him just yet."

"Do you want me to tell him to leave?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "I'll talk to him another day, but not now."

Jarrett got up and left and she heard them talking in the other room but not everything. Just lower voices and then heard the dooropenandclose.

"He's going to his hotel. He's here until Sunday. He won't leave until he talks to you but knows you need some space."

"You're going to talk to him without me, aren't you?"

"I'm not going to lie or keep things from you. Yes, I am. He knows it. He told me where he was staying. It's Griffin's wife's hotel."

"It seems to me you could have found him even if he didn't tell you where he was," she said drily.

"Easily enough," he said. "But I'd rather ask. We can go into the living room if you want."

She stood up and walked out of her room and went to sit on the couch. Jack's rental car was gone from the driveway.

Jarrett went and got her a bottle of water and brought it back.

"Thanks," she said. He brought over the tissues too and she blew her nose. "I have to look like a mess."

"I've seen worse," he said.

"Don't remind me," she said.

"Andi, I didn't learn anything today that makes me love you any less. If anything I only love you more and want to watch out for you greater than before."

"I can't believe you can still love me knowing all of this," she said and started to cry again. She was on one emotional roller coaster.

"I do," he said. "No secrets. I need to know what I can about you and your past."

"To protect me?" she asked.

"Will it upset you if I say yes?" he asked.

"No," she said. "My father was that way.Obviouslynot enough to put hisownsafety at risk before me."

She felt fresh tears running down her face.

"Don't feel that way. You have no idea of your father's motivation. No idea if something went wrong that he didn't see the sign of. Nothing. It sounds to me like he would have never been there if he thought things would turn out this way."

"No," she said. "I just wish I'd known more of what was going on in his life, but he would have never told me."

"He kept it from his partner too and that isn't easy. Do you know what happened to Leo? Jack said he was arrested a year later."

"Yeah," she said. "When I was discharged from the hospital, I texted Leo that I was staying with my cousin."

"He didn't want to come see you?" he asked.

"No," she said. "He didn't ask. He started to distance himself from me too. Maybe he was afraid I heard more and he didn't want me involved. I'd like to think he cared, but I'm sure that isn't the case. I was in a safe house while I recovered. Marshals went in and got most of my stuff; the rest was left. The injury made it easy in terms of an excuse to cancel all my appointments at work. After about a month, Jack got his transfer and we moved to Tulsa."

"You stayed in Denver for a month in a safe house?"

"Yes. I was texting Leo for a few weeks and he was the one that said maybe I needed time to heal and recover. It made it easy for me to walk away without worry. At thatpointI figured it was selfishness on his part to get me out of his life so he didn't lose credibility with whoever he was working with."

"Then it worked out," he said.

"Yes. Once I was getting around better and Jack got his transfer, he and I moved to Tulsa. My new identity was set and I had time to get used to being Andi. They created my background, but all my medical history was brought over that they could, even my surgery. Things like that."

"I know how it works," he said.

"I figured as much."

"Is there anything else I need to know? I know things will come up but anything right now that you can think of?"

"This has nothing to do with being in Witness Protection, but I'll say it anyway.ObviouslyI've got life insurance policies from my father, the sale of his houseandother stuff too. But my paternal grandfather,hehad money that I wasn't aware of. Investments. He left it in my name when he died and it was to come to me when I turned thirty. Jack knew all of this. My father must have mentioned it. But it was all in my old name."

"You hadn't been Andi for very long though," he said.

"No. Not long enough to worry. The marshals took care of it. I signed what I needed to to get the money sent to Colleen and then it was given to me. Colleen no longer exists."

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"She was on a charter plane in the Caribbean with her inheritance and died in a crash into the ocean."

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not kidding you," she said, laughing. "I'm not sure why I'm finding this so funny. But it's true. For a fewmonthsColleen was still in Denver but just recovering from surgery and then she got her inheritance and went on a trip. It was over a million; then add what I got from my father. I was living it up and flying over the islands on a solomuch-neededvacation."

He let out a laugh. "Did a charter planeactuallycrash?"

"Yes," she said. "All the records of me flying there and being on the island and part of that charter exist. I met my demise in the ocean. It was during a storm too. You know, I guess I've got bad luck, falling down stairs and slopes. Not a good flight I booked either."

"I have no words for this," he said, shaking his head.

"There you go. My life and birth in a way. Everything else I've told you is the truth. I feel as if you know more about me than I do you. Not fair."

"You know I love you," he said.

She moved closer to him and put her arms around his waist. "I might have fallen a little in love with you the minute you stopped to bring my groceries in."

"Why is that?"

"Because my father used to do that too," she said. "He always seemed to be around when I needed help and just did it without me asking."

"And I always will be too."