I shouldn't be talking to you. He said, "You came to the parking lot. " she said. You could have been anywhere else. Antonian didn't leave. Why is your stepfather interested in my father?
Mia said direct. No buildup. Garrett's expression shifted. She'd named it. He hadn't expected that.
What do you know about my stepfather? He said enough to know this isn't about me. Misa said, "What I want to know is why. What does Harrove think my father has? " Garrett looked around the parking lot. The automatic surveillance of someone who'd grown up in a house where being overheard had consequences.
He told me. Garrett stopped. Started again. He told me your father was someone who could make trouble for him. That it was important for your father to understand Greystone Falls wasn't the right fit for him.
He looked at Mia. He didn't tell me why. But you did what he asked. Mia said. Garrett's jaw tightened.
Something moved through his face. Not anger at her. Anger at something else. Something internal. I always do what he asks, he said.
The words came out with a weight that surprised both of them. Like something heavier than he'd meant to put down. Maya looked at him. Do you know what he asked you to do was wrong? Silence.
Yes. Garrett said. Quiet. Just the one word. Then why?
He looked at her with the expression of someone being asked to explain gravity. Because I've been doing what he asked since I was 9 years old. Cuz in my house, doing what he asked is what makes things safe. For my mom. Four.
He stopped his eyes, went briefly to the scar on his left forearm. She'd noticed it the first day Garrett saw her looking. "Dirt bike accident," he said. "When I was 14, I'd been asking Bo for 2 years to let me ride. He kept saying no. " He looked at the scar.
One day, I just did it anyway without asking. Came home with this. He paused. He didn't yell. He didn't say anything.