The Thief Who Saved My Life

Chapter 26

I turned my attention back to my own phone. Talon hadn't responded which was a little unsettling, but Brandon seemed certain that she was okay, so I tried not to let it bother me. I looked through my missed calls. One of the voicemails I had was from Talon, the other was from my father. I bit down on the inside of my cheeks, not sure if I wanted to listen. My dad wasn't the kind to leave me voicemails. Or text messages. He called and usually he only called once and he always expected a prompt call back. The fact that I missed several called from him and had a voicemail was out of character. It was not okay. I couldn't bring myself to listen to the message and instead pressed on his name to call him.

"I'm trying to call my dad," I said loud enough for Tyler to hear over his own conversation as the phone began to ring in my ear.

"Evie," Tyler yelled suddenly and I jumped, nearly dropping my phone. "Hang up the phone."

I twisted in my seat, confused as I waited for some additional explanation. Tyler wasn't quick enough to get out the words, not that they would have made a difference. Before he could say anything, the rings came to an abrupt stop.

"Evie, baby."

No.

The sound of his voice seemed to echo in my mind. I couldn't hide from it or escape it.

No. No. No.

I was frozen.

I knew it had to be this, had to be him. But it hadn't crossed my mind that this would happen. He was answering my dad's phone.

A wave of nausea rolled over me.

Two weeks. We had waited for weeks for him to make a move. He'd haunted us like a god damned boogie man, lurking in the shadows of our minds for two weeks.  The timing was far too perfect for this to be a coincidence, he had to have planned it somehow. I didn't know how he could have known my plans, but he must have. He wanted to hurt me. It had been foolish to assume that it would be as simple as attacking my dad's financial security and my reputation. He was a betting man, and I knew he had figured the odds were that wouldn't hurt me in the way he really wanted to. Had I underestimated him? Maybe, I hoped, I was giving him too much credit now.

"Where's my dad?" I demanded through gritted teeth.

Garret chuckled into the phone.

"Give me a second," I heard Tyler say to Brandon but it barely registered.

"Since when do you give a shit about your dad?" Garret asked, his interest piqued.

"Since you have his phone," I answered. Truth was I'd always cared, and he knew that. It was the only way he was able to keep me under his thumb for so long. I wasn't so worried about what he had on me. I didn't care too much about all the money. But I wouldn't let him ruin my dad. Garret knew that, he always knew that.

Garret laughed again.

"We're just hanging out, baby, relax."

"Evie, give me the phone," Tyler said. I looked at him and shook my head. This was about me and Garret. Tyler couldn't talk to him. He couldn't make this better and I needed to know what Garret's end game was.

"Oh," Garret said into the phone like he was hurt. "Here I am, waiting at your house for you and you're with another guy?"

"He's none of your business," I spat. "What do you want?"

"Well, baby, someone let the police know about a couple of my spots," he said and I frowned, confused. I had told him I knew all of his secrets, what businesses and who he worked with. Where he got his supply from. But I never knew any of it. I had tried to figure it, but he was careful to keep that sort of information from me. All I knew what that he was good at hiding his money and kept nothing at his apartment. Probably because he knew what I would do with the information if I had it.