Page 52 of Finding Us

He nods, wiping my cheek with his thumb. “I don’t know what them being here means. I really don’t. I’m sorry, Jade. I wish I could say they’re having a meeting and that’s it. I fucking want to tell you that so bad. But I can’t. Because I don’t know. I don’t why they’re here. If it were other members, like the regular members, I wouldn’t worry about it. But having Roth show up here? And the other two?” He pauses. “I honestly don’t know what that means.”

I nod and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to stop the tears that are forming.

“Let’s just go,” Garret says.

I look at him. “Go where?”

“Let’s fly to Vegas and get married tonight.”

“What? I don’t want to get married in Vegas. I want to get married here, in front of Frank and Ryan. And Grace. And Harper and Sean.”

“We’ll still have the wedding with everyone else. But tonight we’ll make it legal. Only you and I will know.”

“If they want to keep us from getting married, they’ll do it. They’ll follow us to Vegas and make sure we don’t go through with it. You just told me how powerful those men are. If that’s true, and if they really are trying to stop us from getting married, they’ll find a way to do it.”

Garret sighs and pulls me into him across the seat. “I don’t know why they’re doing this. I don’t understand. They let me go. This was supposed to be over.”

I sit back. “Maybe it is. Maybe we’re reading too much into this. You need to talk to your dad. Find out what this meeting is about and why they’re having it here. And why they’re having it this week.”

“It’s not a coincidence, Jade. They could’ve had the meeting in LA. They didn’t need to have it here.”

“But Harper’s parents are coming to the wedding. So maybe her dad just suggested they meet here instead of LA.”

“That doesn’t make sense. They’re meeting on Wednesday. The wedding is Saturday.”

I look out the side window, trying to breathe and calm myself down. A young couple approaches the car next to me, laughing as the man helps the woman into the passenger side. They look like they don’t have a care in the world. Why can’t that be Garret and me? Why can’t we just be a normal couple? Why can’t people just leave us alone and let us be together?

I turn back to Garret, who’s now swiping the screen on his phone. “Can I ask you something?”

He sets the phone down. “Go ahead.”

“Is Harper’s dad, um—is he part of the organization?” It’s a question I’ve been wanting to ask but never did because I know Garret’s not allowed to tell me. He’s not supposed to give out the identities of the members. To anyone. Ever.

“I don’t know for sure but I don’t think so.”

“Why don’t you think so?”

“Because you’re born into it. And he wasn’t. Harper said her dad grew up poor. His family would’ve had plenty of money if they were part of it.”

“Then why is Kiefer involved with them? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Yeah, it does. He makes movies. He makes people believe shit that’s not true.”

“So they’re using him to make fake videos? Fake news stories? Is this for the election? Or something else?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t want to know. We shouldn’t even be talking about this.”

The car gets quiet again. I wait for Garret to say something but when he doesn’t I ask, “What are we going to do about what just happened?”

“I’m not sure yet. I need to think about it.” Garret starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot.

We don’t talk the whole way back. When we get home, I see Harper’s SUV parked in her driveway. She and Sean must’ve just got back from San Francisco.

As I get out of the car, she runs outside. “Jade! Where were you guys?” She gives me a hug.

“Just out having lunch.” I smile, but it’s hard to do after the incident at the restaurant.

“Lunch? It’s 4 in the afternoon.”

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