A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd #1)(93)

At the mention of their father, Tray’s eyes went to slits and his hands fisted again. Danger emanated from him. He was close to becoming violent. When I started to move again, to see the reason for his anger, Chance shifted at the same time. His hand lifted once more and it held there, his finger extended in my direction. “Taryn,” he started.
Then, whoever it was, made a decision. He stood. I could see the top of his head. My eyes followed his dark blonde hair until he stood, clear as day, and five yards from me.
Jace.
He was dressed in a black shirt and black pants. I couldn’t comprehend it. My eyes dropped to his side where a gun was holstered. Glancing at Tray, he was waiting for my reaction, but I had none. Why didn’t I?
I pressed my fingers to my forehead. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“Taryn,” Jace spoke.
My fingers whisked out, silencing him. “Shut up.”
“I have been undercover. I’ve been working to take down Sal Galverson’s entire drug ring.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear it. Turning my hand, I gave him the middle finger. “I said shut the f*ck up.” I moved towards Tray. “What do I do?”
Some of the danger had faded from him. His shoulders were still tense, but his hands had loosened. “You do what you want to do.”
A million questions flew through my mind, but they all faded, as one was the only one important to me then. “Is Brian really dead?”
Regret and a darkness flashed in his eyes. “Yes.”
I stepped back. It was like finding it out all over again.
Jace said softly, “I’d like to tell you everything.”
I was still looking at Tray. He would do what I wanted, but I shook my head. “Not alone. I want Tray with me. That’s the only way I’ll be in the same room as you again.”
“Fair enough.”
Chance spoke, “The library is downstairs, in the basement.”
One by one, we trailed down there. As we got to the main floor, I saw there were still DEA agents everywhere. When I walked past them earlier, their conversations had quieted, but they still continued talking. But now, everything stopped. Fingers froze on their keyboards. No one said a word and all their heads turned our way.
I frowned, noticing they weren’t watching me or Tray. Their eyes were trained on Jace. As he walked past them, for those who were sitting, one by one stood. It was a sign of respect. When we went down the other flight of stairs and entered the library, my hand reached for Tray’s. Inside, Jace turned to us, and Chance closed the door behind him. For some reason I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t angry. I was calm. We were going to hear a new story, but mine was done.
My hand tightened over Tray’s.



CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

As we stood in the library, we were told a lot of different facts. We were told that Jace had been recruited by Chance to work for the DEA when Chance returned home and discovered his father was working for the drug ring. Jace was already working for Sal Galverson, but he decided to turn on his boss when he found out the mother of his child died from a drug overdose. Jace said to me, “It was that night when I was in the kitchen and you came out. You sat at the table with me for hours.” He hesitated. “I was an ass before then. I’m sorry, Taryn. I know things were bad at the house and I know I’m partly to blame for things over the years. I was messed up for a lot of those years.”
I nodded. “I remember.” He never talked about his daughter. He mentioned her once; she was being cared for by another family. No one asked any questions because that’s how Jace was with us. That had been the dark, scary Jace. That night was when things changed; he had turned into the Jace that I loved as a brother. I saw traces of him again, but it didn’t matter. Too much had happened.
“Jace was stalling. He was giving us time to get there and set up the nets.”
Tray frowned. “What about Dad?”
Chance cast him a frown.
Jace said, “He’s not dead. Sal ordered to get rid of him so we made it look like he was.”
Chance spoke up, “He’s in witness protection.”
Tray asked, “So I’ll never see him again?”
“Not unless you want to join him.” Chance glanced at me. “Once you go in, you can’t come out. Something’s telling me you won’t go for that deal.”
“Do you see him?”
Chance hesitated, then shook his head. “No, but I’d like to. I love him too.”
Tray continued to frown, but he didn’t respond. He gave a small nod and then looked to me, as if giving me permission to get my answers.
There was a heavy silence in the room. Then Jace asked, “You don’t have anything else to say, Taryn?”
I didn’t. I really didn’t. I should. I knew there was a lot I didn’t understand or know, but after jumping from that tunnel and thinking I was going to die, a switch had been flipped. I really had let go of my past. My future was what mattered now. Brian. Jace. I let go of everyone and everything. “I’m eighteen now. I’m an adult. I’m going to finish high school, and I’m going to try and get a scholarship in swimming so I can go to college. I’m going to find Mandy and Austin because I love them. They’re my new family and,” I lifted my hand that was holding Tray’s, “I’m going to be wherever he is,” I turned so I was talking only to Tray, “as long as you’ll have me.”
A tender expression flashed over his face and he pulled me to his side. Dropping a soft kiss on my forehead, he whispered, “That shit goes both ways.”