Thank God for Empty Classrooms and Glen Campbell Chapter Seven
October 21st 2015
Even though we were under the same roof we were not on the same page, Christian was still pissed at me for making him call Nigel and I was still playing the role of the wounded one, only god knew how long this little tiff would continue.
“ Tell me that is not what you are having for dinner?” I said about his chicken sandwich, he just looked over at me and rolled his eyes at me.
“ Come on Chris, are you not going to talk to me now?” Again he ignored me.
“ Fine, be that way.... it's not my fault that you fuc....” The doorbell going off stopped any more of my words.
“ Fuck, that better not be who I think it is.” Cried Chris making his way to the door, knowing the kind of life he lived, that could mean that it was any one of his tricks calling.
A few seconds later I heard Chris call my name.
“ What?”
“ It's for you.” With just a little bit of curiosity I made my way to the door and stopped dead in my tracks.
“ Jensen.” His name came out of my mouth in a whisper and I could feel my face grow hot.
“ Jared can I talk to you for a minute?”
“ Yeah... sure come on in.” Just as he was about to step in Chris stepped between us.
“ Hold up, you are about to invite him into my house like I am not here?” He had a point and all of a sudden I felt very selfish.
“ Chris I know we haven't been good and I know the way I handled the situation was out of order but I want you to know I am sorry.” I could not believe that Jensen was actually apologizing to Chris of all people and he sounded humble on top of it.
Christian's face remained the same and for a moment I thought he was going to throw Jensen out but he did the opposite, he threw his arms up in the air with a smile on his face and said. “ Get the hell in here, you are letting all the cold air in.”
“ Thanks.” Jensen replied stepping into the house and allowing Chris to close the door.
“ I will be in the back Jared.” He said not giving Jensen another look.
When I was sure he was out of ear shot I suggested that we take a seat in the living room, when we were seated, I waited for him to start talking and he did.
“ How have you been?”
“ I'm alright.”
“ Oh.” If he expected me to be the one to take this discussion of the ground he had another thing coming.
“ I'm sorry.” Two little words that could have had so many meanings but I only wanted one.
“ Yeah.” I answered unconcerned, I wanted him to say what he was sorry for with a side of reason and I wanted it now rather than later.
“ The reason why I came here was because...” The ringing of the doorbell interrupted us before we could get any further.
“ Shit.” I heard Chris call out, I waited for him to come out to open the door but he didn't come.
When the doorbell rang again and again he still didn't appear, then the ringing stopped and the person began knocking instead.
“ Chris.” I called out.
“ Fuck, it's Nigel.” He called out.
I didn't know if I was ready to handle having Nigel, Chris, Jensen and myself under the same roof, too many bottled up emotions and feelings between the four of us.
“ Chris!”
“ Tell him I am in the shower or something.”
“ What happened to being upfront?”
“ Fuck that, just tell him to go away, I can't deal with this shit right now.”
I looked across at Jensen who looked puzzled but seemed resigned to the fact that he would have to sit and wait to find out what was going on, I walked to the door, opened it and the moment Nigel saw me his face fell.
“ Is Chris Here?”
“ Um... yeah but he is the shower.”
“ Fine I will wait.” And before I could say anything else, he pushed his way past me, I cursed under my breath and closed the door.
“ I'll go and tell him your here.” I stated making my way into the back to get Christian.
My main purpose for being here was to get things resolved but all I had ended up doing was creating more tension, we had not even gotten past the preliminaries before we were interrupted and now I found myself alone with this stranger who seemed to be in a worse mood than me.
“ What are you doing here Nigel?” Chris asked breaking me out of my thoughts.
“ I wanted to talk to you.”
“ Well I said what I wanted to say over the phone or didn't you get that?”
“ Excuse me.” I said quickly getting up and walking over to where Jared stood, this was one conversation that I did not want any part of at all.
“ Come on, let them talk.” Jared whispered to me as he took my hand in his and lead me down a corridor into a back bedroom and closing the door behind us.
“ Who is that?” I asked.
“ Christian's latest whatever you want to call it.” All I thought to that was and everyone wondered why I didn't want him messing with Jared.
“ What are you doing here?” A simple enough question but it still caught me of guard and I was left without an answer.
“ I... uh.... I wanted to see how you are.”
“ I'm OK, I'm good really.” He said it too quickly making me think that he really wasn't.
“ Jared.” I started but stopped as he interrupted me.
“ We don't have to talk about this Jensen, now is really not a good time for me.” And that gave me the out I needed from that conversation and an in for the real reason I was here.
I took a deep breath before speaking. “ OK, I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me.”
He seemed hesitant when he said OK but I tried not to pay it much mind.
“ OK, when you saw Daniel that day, did he say anything to you about... about me and my career?” His face went pale at my words and I already knew the answer before he spoke.
“ Not in so many words.”
“ Did he threaten you?” His face took on a purple tint at my question.
“ Why?”
“ Come on Jared, just tell me, did he threaten you?”
“ No.” The second the words left his mouth, I knew he was lying.
“ No?”
“ No he did not threaten me.”
“ Jared you can tell me if he did, it's really important you tell me what he said.”
“ Why?”
“ Because.”
“ Because what?”
“ Shit Jay, stop making this more difficult than it has to be OK, I need to know the truth, did Daniel threaten you or not?”
“ Fuck! I already said no, do you want me to fucking spell it out for you.” At his reaction I knew for a fact what had happened and I promised myself to get even with Daniel.
“ Fine, you don't have to go off on me.”
“ I'm sorry, it's been a real hectic day with me and Chris and... a whole lot of other things that have been on my mind lately, you know how it is.” I wondered if I was one of those things, I wanted to push the issue but something in his eyes told me not to, not now anyway, and as for that other issue, we would have to deal with that eventually but not now, I couldn't deal with that now, not when so many other things were going on.
“ It's OK... I need to get going, I have a meeting with Steve bright and early tomorrow.” I thought I saw his face fall but it must have been just my imagination.
“ Yeah well tell Steve that I am going to give him a call later on in the week.”
“ Sure thing... and Jared?”
“ Yeah.”
“ We will talk later OK, I promise you that.” A half smile came to his lips and he nodded his head in the affirmative.
We walked outside and slowly rounded the corner expecting a full on assault from both Nigel and Chris but was surprised to see only Chris standing in the kitchen with his head over the sink.
“ Chris, you OK?” Jared asked.
“ Yeah.”
“ I'll see you later.” He said turning to me after Chris answered.
“ Yeah.” It sounded like an empty promise to me but I was too chicken shit to call him on it, he walked me to the door, opened it and then stood there as I walked out, not bothering to say anything else.
October 29th 2015
His hand was on my chest pushing me into the mattress and I couldn't move, I doubt if I ever wanted to move from this position ever again, his head was making a slow decent down my chest. I opened my mouth trying to speak but words evaded me, he put a single finger to his lips and held it there, signalling me to be quite and I obliged. His tongue slowly exited his mouth and made contact with one nipple while his hand worked the other, I tried to move but I couldn't, my body was frozen and then he spoke.
“ Get up, Get up.” Everything became hazy and his body seemed to dissolve into thin air, my eyes popped open and he completely vanished, a figment of my over worked imagination.
“ Jensen, get up it's me.” Realizing where I was and what was happening I shook my head of all thoughts, I couldn't be thinking about this, not now.
“ Hold up a minute Jay.” I cried jumping out of bed and pulling on a crumpled pair of boxers.
“ What time is it?” I asked him as I opened the door not really getting a good look at him.
“ 8:45 AM.” He said looking down at his watch.
“ What happened, are you OK?”
“ No... yes... I don't know, I just had to get away from there, I hope you're not mad, I know it's early and you probably have to go to the studio...” Before he could continue I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside closing the door behind us.
“ You are welcome here any time Jared, you know that.”
“ Thanks.”
“ Do you want some coffee or tea?”
“ No I'm OK, go back to sleep, I just want to take a nap before I go back over there.” I could hear the dread in his voice as he spoke.
“ Do you want to talk about it?” I was tired, I was miserable and above all else I was confused but right now, none of that mattered. He needed me and as strange as it may have sounded to my own ears, I needed him to need me.
He shook his head and slowly made his way into the guest room, I followed behind cautiously, knowing Jared as long as I have, he was liable to break down at any second and I was determined for once to be right where he needed me to be.
“ Did he say something to you?”
“ Huh.”
“ Chris, what did he say to you?”
“ he didn't have to say anything, just being an asshole comes oh so natural to him, I hate it sometimes, you know.”
And I did know, Chris was never my favourite person and when it came to Jared, all bets were off, I was like a wary parent watching my child when it came to that.
“ Yeah I do know.” And as an after thought I continued. “ Why not come back here Jared, I know we have a lot to resolve but I liked having your behind in my place.” He turned and smiled at me and then burst into a fit of laughter.
“ Yeah, sure you did.”
“ It's true Jared.” Since his arrival I had been somewhat on guard but I was now relaxing, his look softened when I said that and a smile now graced his his and I was reminded of that night on the island, how it was, how I felt just being there with him, making a dream come true for him and I had to quickly make all those thoughts go away because I knew if I dwelled on it any longer, I might have started a chain reaction that I couldn't have possibly controlled.
“ I appreciate the offer Jensen, I really do but... I'm kind of missing my own apartment, and even though it's crappy, it's mine and I want to go home.””
“ Well OK then, why don't you get some sleep and when you wake up, maybe we can go get some lunch or dinner depending what time it is.”
“ Aren't you going into the studio?”
“ I can go into the studio any time but when do we get the opportunity to spend some time together.” And I meant every single word I had just said.
“ OK, I think we'll do that but right now, all I'm interested in is sleep.” I was too.
“ Have a good nap Jay.”
“ Thanks and Jensen.”
“ Yeah?”
“ I appreciate this, Thank you.”
“ Any time.”
“ Did you sleep OK?” I looked up when I realized Jen was talking to me.
“ Yeah.” I lied, by the time I managed to quite the voices in my head it was almost three in the afternoon and I found myself unable to fall asleep.
“ Good because I was thinking that maybe we could go out for dinner....”
“ OK.”
“ Cool. So are you going to stop by Christian's place before we go?” I looked down at my clothes and nodded my head.
“ Yeah, I have to take a shower and change, I mean walking next to you, I don't want to be looking like a vagabond.” I said smiling.
He laughed at that and slightly punched my arm.
“ It is a dress down night Jared I promise, nothing fancy, this place is so laid back, so quite, so isolated...” He paused and allowed his eyes to continue holding mine and I wondered if he knew what he was doing to me. “ Maybe it will be just the right environment for us to talk...” He let his words trail off leaving me to fill in the rest.
“ OK.” Was all I could say to that.
“ Grab your coat, I will give you a ride over to Christian's and then I'm going to head out for a while.” I didn't ask him where, instead I did as I was instructed and met him at the car, I allowed my eyes to close and my thoughts to wonder as he drove me to Christian's.
“ So, lets talk.” I knew that this was coming, sooner or later we would have to tuck away the pleasantries and bring out the big guns, dinner was the best that I had had in a while, Jensen had gone all out to ensure that we got catered to, the place was practically cordoned off so that we had the space we needed and the privacy we desired, and I was beginning to enjoy it all until he said those words, I knew we had planned this somewhat but I had hoped that we could put it off for a later date when I wasn't as nervous or as shy as I was right now.
“ Where do you want to start?” I managed to squeak out.
“ I don't know, I have never done this before.” We stayed silent for a moment before he spoke again.
“ I really mad a mess of our friendship didn't I?” He blurted out.
“ We both said things and did things I suppose, it's not all your fault Jen.”
“ It feels like it is, I should have known better. I knew how you felt and I still went and crossed that line with you, I am sorry I treated you that way, it was never my intention Jared.”
I could feel my heart beat increase as I spoke. “ It takes two too tango Jen, you couldn't have gotten very far without my help. I should have stopped you, maybe I was the one that took advantage of the situation, maybe I was hoping... I don't know.” I stopped short of making an ass of myself.
“ No, continue, I want to hear what you have to say.”
“ It's nothing.” I said determined not to commit friendship suicide, this was just leading to another bout of insecurities and uncertainties, and I didn't think our friendship could survive that.
He surprised me and obviously himself by the look on his face by reaching over the table and taking one of my hands in his. “ We both came all this way to get away and talk, I promise not to hold anything back if you won't.” And if that was a proposition, I was all for it.
“ OK.” I paused and took a drink of water before slowly removing my hand from his. “ I think, no... I know how I feel about you and I can't change that, I know that what happened was just one of those things for you, that it probably meant nothing...” He cut me off before I could say any more.
“ Is that what you think?” He asked, eyes blazing.
“ Yeah.” I said softly.
He shook his head and for a moment I thought that he would fly off the handle.
“ I can't believe you would think that much less say it, how long have we known each other?”
I shrugged my shoulders unable to reply with words.
“ Longer than we have probably known anyone else, that's how long. We have been through hell and back and I know I haven't always been true to you but how the hell could you think that what we did was just one of those things.”
“ You ran out remember, you are the reason we left, you were uncomfortable...”
“ And I was an ass but I never, not for a second thought what we did as just one of those things, whatever the fuck that means.”
“ Then what was it?”
As expected, he looked away from me and diverted his attention elsewhere, like I knew he would.
“ Jensen.” I called softly, practically pleading with my eyes for an answer.
He turned to look at me once more and leaned in to me before talking. “ it was more than a fuck, I don't know what it was but I know it was more than that.”
It wasn't what I had wanted to hear but it was the truth and the truth as strange as it may have seemed, was better than nothing.
The rest of our meal was spent in quite and at the end of it all, he paid the bill and we left. As I headed to his car, I noticed him hanging behind.
“ What's the matter?” I asked.
“ Do you mind if we take a walk, just for a little while.”
“ Sure, we can walk if you really want to.” It was a beautiful night, a cloudless sky scattered with what seemed to be a million stars.
“ Why me?” He asked suddenly.
“ What?”
“ Why me, of all the people that you have around you, why me?” I knew what he was asking but I didn't know what the answer to that was.
“ I don't know.”
“ OK.” He seemed to ponder for a second and then spoke again. “ When did you know, you know.”
“ I guess I always felt something for you.” I said smiling.
“ Always?”
“ it wasn't like this... this strong.... this deep but it was there. You were my best friend, you still are and you have been there for me through a lot of shit.”
“ I love you Jared, I really do...”
“ But you don't love me, I get it, I do.” And to my surprise he quickly shook his head.
“ It isn't like that, I have been thinking about that night on the island like crazy and no matter how hard I try to forget about what happened, I can't. That must mean it's important to me.” I was hopeful but I wasn't going to get to hopeful, a lot of guys had gay experiences and some even felt that thing, but it didn't mean that all of them instinctively switched teams and besides, Jensen was not a lot of guys, he was a major recording artist with a lot at stake, something that I couldn't, something that I wouldn't ask him to give up for a relationship that was unlikely to survive the first year.
“ I can't see us all wrapped up with each other.” I was dejected, I really was but I wasn't surprised.
“ Jared.” He said, noticing the look on my face.
“ Yeah.” I answered, I could feel my eyes get misty and it was like I just knew.
“ You OK?” I really wasn't but I told him I was.
“ Do you want to turn back now?” He asked, concern lacing his voice.
I really did but I wanted this out of the way, I wanted to clear the air, I wanted the truth, no matter what it was.
“ No, lets finish talking.”
We walked along the edge of the lake for another ten minutes in total silence until he spoke again.
“ What I was saying before, about not seeing us wrapped up in each other was only part of it, I can't see that but I can feel it... I felt it. Being with you was one of the most incredible things that ever happened to me, with Daniel it was easily forgotten but with you... I can't even explain how I felt.”
“ That's how sex is supposed to feel.” I stated.
He stopped again and this time he took both my hands in his as he spoke. “ It wasn't just the sex, I know good sex, I have had lots of good sex but this, this is more than sex, I can feel it, it actually feels like a crush.”
And to say I was left speechless was an understatement.
“ You don't have to appease me Jensen, I'm old enough to handle a let down.”
“ Well I am glad that you are, but this will not be one.”
“ What?”
“ I think maybe we could try this out for a while, that way we can see if we fit together or not.”
I was elated, more than elated, more than...
“ I am not saying it's going to work out or anything but I don't want to not do it and have the what ifs on my mind.” And noticing my lack of speech he said. “ You still want this don't you?”
I barely managed to get out a yes.
“ OK, it's settled then, now to seal this deal,” And as he approached his music and his life, he approached me. With full blown passion, his lips felt scorching hot against mine and I craved that taste. His tongue slowly left his mouth and entered mine, an all access moment that I hoped and prayed would go on for ever, and when we finally pulled apart and he looked at me and me at him, I couldn't help but think that this was all worth it, all the shit that I went through was all worth this one moment for me to be happy and happy was what I was.
October 30th 2015
I woke up with his arm still in mine and his body pressed up against me, I could feel his erection and I loved that feeling.
He stirred a little and then I felt it, his lips slowly, ever so slowly kissing the back of my neck.
“ You're up.” I stated attempting to turn around but he stopped me.
“ You stay right where you are.” I couldn't say no to him, I closed my eyes and allowed my body to respond to his gentle touches, his hand made contact with my chest and I jumped slightly as his hand was cold.
“ Sorry.” He whispered in my ear, nipping it every so often.
“ I love you.” I couldn't help it when I said the words but to my surprise he didn't stop, he didn't hesitate, if anything he increased the pressure of his hand on my chest and worked his tongue over my ear twice as fast and I could feel his erection pressed against my ass and instinct took over, I turned around and slid down his body then slowly took his cock into my mouth with ease, Jensen kept eye contact with me as I slowly swiped my tongue up and down his cock before hollowing my cheeks and swallowing him down and coming back up in one swift move. I swiped my tongue over the head of his cock as I came back up, tasting his salty pre cum on my tongue which made me start bobbing my head faster, taking him deeper into my mouth each time.
Jensen suddenly pulled my mouth of his cock, pulled me up his body and kissed me gently as his already lubed fingers breached my ass, first one then two as he scissored them, opening me up, I widened my thighs further apart and pushed my hips back while pulling on Jensen's hair.
“ Come on Jensen, I'm ready.” I whined, Jensen groaned as he pulled his fingers free and tore open a condom and slipped it on. Gravity aided me as I slowly impaled myself on his cock, moaning at the stretch. Jensen's breath washed over the skin of my shoulder as he panted, while running his hands up and down my sweaty back.
I started to rock back and forth, causing Jensen to grip my waist tighter and his hips to rock in a counter rhythm to mine, I whimpered as his cock brushed my prostate. Jensen was cursing and panting as I rode him faster and faster then suddenly I felt him lift up onto his knees with his hands under my thighs and he started to thrust harder into me as I wrapped my legs around his waist as best as I could in the position that we were in.
“ Come for me Jared.” He growled out in that deep husky voice of his that had me suddenly coming between us with a broken of moan, I felt Jensen bite down on my shoulder as he thrust once more then came, filling the condom as we both fell back onto the bed and stayed that way for only god knows how long.
“ Shit.” He blurted out suddenly.
“ What?”
“ It's 11:30.”
“ So.”
“ I was supposed to meet Steve at 11:30.”
“ So call and cancel.” I felt him lean up and kiss my forehead before he spoke.
“ As much as I would love to stay here with you all day, I can't, I have an album to record.”
“ Yeah I know, it was just a thought.” And that for me was reality setting in.
“ I'll be back Jared, I really will, you can stay here if you want, I don't mind.” Even though he sounded sincere, I didn't want to spend the day by myself.
“ I believe you and thanks but I think I'll go over to Christian's.”
He lifted my head and looked straight at me as he spoke. “ Are you sure?” I could hear the concern in his voice and I wanted nothing more than to reassure him.
“ Yeah, maybe we could go out again tonight or I could cook for you.”
“ “ yeah, that's a nice plan.” He said but then shook his head as he spoke again. “ No, nix that , I can't.”
“ Studio time?” I asked.
He nodded and wrapped his arms around me. “ I know that you probably didn't expect to sign up for this.”
“ No I did, I know that your career is important to you and I am not about to put you in a position to put it second to me.” He seemed relieved when I said that but didn't comment.
“ You should get going, I think I will stick around a while and then I'll call Chris for a ride.”
He leaned into me and kissed me again, this time smack dab on the lips. And I swore I almost cried when we parted.
It was several hours later that I was in the guest room at Christian's when my mobile rang which I picked up without even looking at the caller ID.
“ Hello.”
“ You don't seem to be taking me seriously at all are you?” Daniel stated from the other side of the line.
“ Why are you calling me Daniel, I did what you wanted.”
“ Like hell you did, do you think I am an idiot Jared, do you think you can try to pull one over on me and I won't know?”
'' I didn't try to pull one over on you, I quit!”
“ Big fucking deal, you're still in the picture and I want you gone, I want you fucking gone, do you hear me!” By this time he was screaming and I could feel sweat begin to drip down my neck.
“ What are you expecting to happen Jared, what do you expect to achieve by pulling these little stunts of yours.”
“ You said if I quit you would stop this nonsense, well I quit my job, what the hell more do you want from me!”
He laughed before speaking. “ What I want is for you to get out of the fucking picture completely. I want you gone Jared, as far away from Jensen Ackles as humanly possible, you don't belong with him, you don't belong anywhere near him.”
Just the simple thought of never seeing Jensen again had me saying words that I did not even know I could say. “ Listen to me you fucking piece of shit, I am not going to be jerked around by you any more, if you think that the visits and phone calls of yours are going to get you whatever your fucked up mind wants then you can forget it. And if you think you are so bad, sell the pictures, go ahead but let me warn you, if you try in anyway to fuck up Jensen's career, I will personally see to it that you never see the sun again because I will hunt you down and kill you.”
The line went silent for a minute and then he spoke. “ Oh, you think you have got some balls now, keep it up Jared, keep it up, just remember you have been warned.” Then all I heard was the dial tone.
“ Shit!” I screamed out throwing the phone against the door, I took a seat on the bed and placed my hands on my head. I would not allow him to ruin the man I loved, not after we had gotten this far and things were beginning to fall into place, and I actually shocked myself with the fact that I was prepared to take any necessary action to protect him, even if it meant giving up my own life and freedom to save his.
“ You sounded good Jensen, real good.” I looked up to see Steve standing before me with a big smile on his face.
“ Thanks, I feel good.”
“ So what's up?”
“ Meaning?” I asked not quite sure what he meant.
“ Meaning, you come in here face shining, your voice on point and the music banging, what have you gone and met a nice girl that we don't know about.”
“ No I didn't meet a nice girl, I am just relaxed and I am finally getting my shit together.”
He didn't seem to believe me but smiled as he walked out and left me to my writing.
Even I could hear the difference today than on any other day, my vocal range was up there and the passion and depth that had been missing was back full force, and I knew who to thank for that. He was on my mind when I was singing and it was like I wanted to go as far as I could with what I had.
Just then my thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of my mobile. “ Hello.”
“ Hey honey.” The pencil in my hand snapped in half as I squeezed it and I cursed under my breath.
“ What the hell do you want?”
“ What, don't you have any love for me Jensen?”
“ No I have not, why are you calling me?”
“ Because we have an arrangement that has not finished yet, you understand. We have to get this shit settled and we have to get it done today.”
The tone of his voice had me on edge. “ Listen to me Daniel, we have not got any business together, do you understand that, I do not want to talk to you and I do not want you bothering Christopher or Steve either because they don't control anything, I do.”
“ Then you should have no problem with giving me what is rightfully mine.”
“ I am not paying you one cent Daniel, you got that.”
“ So you are telling me that you are willing to screw up your career for a couple of hundred thousand that you could probably make back in a year.”
“ Yeah.” I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt.
“ OK and what about Jared.”
“ What about him?”
“ Are you willing to screw up his life as well.”
“ What the hell are you talking about?”
“ Well how much effort do you think it will take for a major news network to digest the shit I am willing to dish out after I am done with you, because I can guarantee it will not take much. I will have all the major networks vying against one another to get the real story about Jared and his little friend, and by the time I am done with him, he will not have a friend left, are you willing to put your friend through that over a little bit of money Jensen?”
I didn't want to believe him but could I really take the chance.
“ You have no right to be making that kind of request from me, I never cheated you, not once.”
“ Well I say you did and I want restitution, we had a good arrangement, a real good arrangement and you had to go and fuck it up. I had you making more money than anyone else and how do you repay me, you fired me and left me penniless and jobless. Did you really expect me to sit back and watch as you moved up the ladder while I was stuck at the bottom, fuck that, you will pay me what I am owed or you and your queer friend will get what's coming to you.” Then all I heard was the dial tone in my ear and I quickly snapped my phone shut.
My options were getting smaller and smaller by the second, if I decided to stand up and fight this, I would have to watch all that I have worked for go up in smoke, and if that wasn't bad enough, I would have to sit back and watch them pick Jared's life apart bit by bit. The thought frightened me and at the moment a couple of hundred thousand dollars seemed like a small price to pay to keep Jared safe and my career going.
Chapter Eight