Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)(86)

Sam stood next to me, her hand slipping into mine. She wanted me to be the spokesman, but I knew some of the talking had to come from her. In a way, Sam was exposing herself completely here. Garrett came into her life twice, and left twice. This was his last and final chance. If he rejected her again, that was it. She hadn’t shared that sentiment with me, but she’d been quiet the entire morning. She barely said a word. I knew Sam. I knew what this was going to do to her and if he chose wrong, I’d make him pay.

He looked from me to Sam, lingering on her. “Sam?”

She held my hand in a death grip, but her voice was sturdy. “Give him the flash drive.”

“What?” Confusion crossed over Garrett’s face.

But she was talking to me. I tossed it on the coffee table between us.

He didn’t grab it. He just looked at it. “What is that?”

I waited. When Sam didn’t say anything more, I moved forward. It was my turn. She would jump in when she was ready. “It’s information on whatever you’re involved in with the Sebastians.”

“What?”

I waited with my eyes narrowed. He wasn’t showing much. Sam inherited some of her emotionless expressions from him, I saw that now, but he was rocked. My gut was telling me that, even though I couldn’t tell from observing him. I felt it, though. My gut was never wrong.

“You heard me.” I added, “It’s encrypted, whatever it is, but it came to us straight from Park Sebastian’s safety deposit box.”

“You’re lying.” His nostrils flared, just an inch.

I tried to tell if he was pissed or scared. I didn’t know this dad of Sam’s, so I couldn’t get a good read on him. Again, I had to rely on my gut. I didn’t think he was pissed. I hoped not, for Sam’s sake. “You can take it with you. It’s a copy. We have more, but we were given that by someone close to Sebastian.”

Garrett still didn’t move to pick it up. He switched so he was watching me instead. I felt his gaze probing me. He was trying to figure out if I was bluffing or not. I wasn’t. I let him see that. There was no hesitation. I wasn’t hoping he’d buy a lie. I wasn’t doing anything. The only thing I was nervous about was what he did when he left this room, but as to what was on the flash drive—even though I didn’t know what it was, I knew it was important.

Another beat passed as Garrett was studying me, then his scrutiny dropped. His shoulders slumped down and he raised a hand to wipe at his face. He let out a deep pocket of oxygen. “If that’s what I think it is, you both could be in a lot of trouble.”

“That’s why we called you.” Sam’s hand loosened. It fell from mine and she moved ahead of me, one step. “We’re going to release that, but whatever it is; you’re on there. Aren’t you?”

His gaze switched to his daughter’s. He didn’t reply. Another moment passed before he nodded, slowly. It was like he was surrendering to us with that motion. “It’s the blackmail list, if it is what I think it is.”

“Blackmail?”

“For The Network.”

“The f*ck?” Sam’s eyebrows lifted high.

I hid a grin, feeling she channeled Logan with that question.

“The Network. That’s the name. It’s not original, but that’s the point. If you’re in it, you’re in it. If you want out—” He nodded at the flash drive. “—they use whatever’s on there against you.” He was dead serious. He asked us, “Do you have any idea how bad this is for you two? Whoever gave that to you was handling dynamite. Who was it?”

“No way.” Sam shook her head. “You’re not getting that from us.”

“Samantha.” A warning growl came from her father.

I moved forward, urging Sam back a step. She was going to take this down a different path. Her ‘f*ck you’ attitude about Garrett was close to the surface. She was going to make it about that, but he was right. Whatever The Network was, they were dangerous. We needed to keep it about that, not making it personal between father and daughter.

I gestured to the flash drive. “Will you help us?”

A second growl emanated from him. It was cut short, but he wasn’t happy. “You guys are nuts. You can’t take The Network on—”

“It’s because of Park Sebastian.” I stopped him. My own anger was starting to simmer under the surface. “We didn’t come to you to get lectures. You’re not the adult to treat us like we’re children in over our heads. We didn’t want anything to do with this. Our fight isn’t The Network. It’s Park Sebastian.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sebastian wanted something from me last year. He never outright said what it was, but I knew he wanted to manipulate me and use me. I’ve been around enough people trying to use me to know what it feels like. I might not have reacted the right way, but I wanted nothing to do with him. That pissed him off.”

Garrett grunted, shoving his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “I’m not surprised. I love my godson, but he does have an ego on him.”

He loved him? That hit a nerve. I shared a look with Sam. She told me Garrett was like family to them, but he loved his godson? That shut it down. I shook my head and moved back. “Never mind. This isn’t going to work.”