“Come on now.” I tried to laugh. “We were made for each other. And really my dad has no reason to hate your dad, and your dad has every reason.” I sighed. “I just wish that none of this had ever happened.”
“I am glad he has you.” He nodded weakly and gave me a quick hug. “I’m sorry for everything in the beginning.”
“It’s okay, I know why you hated me.” I smiled up at him, genuinely at that point. “My dad is and was an ass.”
“I just can’t believe he was in charge of the whole car theft business all this time.” Jared’s eyes were wide.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I guess my grandfather started the ‘family business.’ My dad had been trying to recruit your dad all through high school, but your dad just never showed interest.”
“I wonder why my dad never mentions that.” Jared looked confused. “All these years, he’s told us about everything, but it’s like he didn’t even know.”
“I don’t know.” I took a deep breath. “My mom didn’t really know everything that went on between them. Though she said there was a lot of competition between them. And it all blew up when your mom decided to date your dad. My dad was gutted. My mom knew, you know. She knew what happened. But she had been in love with my dad for years and so she never said anything. She was just so happy to be with him, even though he never loved her.” I felt sad as I thought about what my mom had let happen with her silence. “I almost feel like she is just as bad, she was so weak. But she said she used to think that the best thing that happened in her life was your dad stealing your mom away.”
“He never told us he stole her from your dad, either.”
“I guess he didn’t want to look like a bad guy?” I shrugged. “But really it’s my dad who is the bad guy. People steal girlfriends all the time. You don’t ruin someone’s life because of it. My mom thinks that he has just always been plain evil. And now she realizes that a lot of it was her fault for letting it happen without saying a word. That’s why she is helping with the plan now.”
“When did you realize your dad may be involved?”
“When I went with Logan to sell the Toyota. The guy who came to buy it was someone I’d seen my dad with. My dad had said he was a business associate. And when I heard Marty was involved, I knew he did a lot of work for my dad.” I bit my lip and turned away. “It all just seemed to click into place. When I was over at Lucy’s, I heard you and Joey talking about stealing the Bugatti one night, and I was confused as to why Joey was involved. That’s why I pulled you to the side and told you I thought something may be up.”
“I can’t believe I ever trusted that motherfucker.” Jared’s fist curled into a ball. “But thank you for reaching out to me.”
“Yeah, so when Joey invited me to go out on the night of the robbery, I was suspicious. Especially because when he picked me up, my dad said something like, ‘Make sure you stay out for a long amount of time.’ It just struck me as weird. And that he wouldn’t take me home until he spoke to you on the phone, and I realized he was trying to use me as an alibi.” I tried not to cry again. “I just can’t believe my dad had him use me as an alibi. I just don’t know who he is.”
“I’m glad you called me that night. I knew something was up when I called him and he said he was with you. I knew there was no way you would be out with him, unless something was wrong.” Jared spoke slowly. “Logan always said Joey was trouble, and I always kind of knew. But I didn’t want to believe it.”
“I called you because I just knew that somehow my dad had to be involved. And I was certain when Joey dropped me off and he told my dad that it was all done and winked at him.” I played with my fingers as I remembered the smug and satisfied expression on my father’s face. I could still remember how my heart had dropped as I realized that my father was not the man that I thought he was. “I wanted to accuse him right then and there,” I sighed. “But then I figured I should tell you first and we could figure out what to do.”
“Yeah, I’m so glad you called me. That wasn’t the right time. We really needed more info. I’m glad I convinced you to go out with Joey again.”
“It was awful, but I knew that I needed to find out what the plan was for the Bugatti. I had a bad feeling, and I was right.”
“I was calling you all night,” he sighed. “And then stupid Logan had to go and see you. I thought he was going to ruin everything.”
“He knows you called me.”
“Shit, what did you say?”
“I said you were most probably looking for him.”
“Ha.” Jared rolled his eyes. “He didn’t buy that, I’m sure.”
“I wanted to tell him.” I looked at Jared with a sad expression. “But I wanted to tell you first.”
“I’m glad I came over so we could decide what to do.” He laughed. “Only you could come up with such a perfect plan.”
“It’s the only solution I could think of.” I shivered. “After Joey told me that I should forget Logan because he was likely going to jail for a long time, I knew my dad had something shady planned. And so I went to talk to my mom. And she cried. She cried and cried and asked me to forgive her. She knows how much I love Logan, and she didn’t want me to suffer because of my dad and his hatred of the Martellis. So we came up with the plan together.”
“It was ingenious.”
“You can’t give me all the credit. I got the idea from a movie on Lifetime, and it still hasn’t worked yet.” My teeth chattered in the cold. “But I figured the only thing that would get my father to relent was if something were to happen to me or somehow threaten my life. This was the perfect scenario, me being kidnapped. And my mom called my dad to tell him, so now he thinks it is really legitimate. And Logan doesn’t know that we’re friends now, so he would be believable in his behavior.” I bit my lower lip. “I hope he’s okay. I’m sure he is pissed and worried.”
“I’m sure he wants to kill me right about now. I’m sure he is thinking about how he can take me and your dad down.” Jared joked but I could see the worry in his eyes. “I just hope he forgives me.”
“We had to do this. It was the only way to ensure that my dad didn’t get Logan sent to jail, and that you guys would get the money. Kidnapping me was the only solution. At least, it was the best solution my mom and I could think of.”