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“You said the reason you can’t get involved withto do with your dad,” I say “And you’ve been working toward it for a long ti more?”

She sighs softly “I’m not sure you want to know more”

“I do Whatever it is, tell me, Gia”

She looks away “It’s complicated”

There’s a knot of worry in ut as I ask, “Are you married?”

“Married?” Her eyes widen with surprise “God, no, ould you think that?”

I shrug “I thought uy your dad wanted you to be with and he was abusive and unwilling to give you a divorce”

“No, I’m not married Never even close”

I relax, relieved “So give ”

“I have a score to settle”

“With…?”

She walks over to the kitchen table and sits down I follow, picking up the plates with our sandwiches, setting the the chair across from her

“My dad had a friend,” she says, looking down at the plate in front of her “His best friend, Jake Jake was always a really good guy, but he had a couple of big downfalls—drugs and ga”

My ht reveal, and I hope like hell this guy Jake didn’t hurt Gia

“Jake came tonew He’d borrowed money from my dad lots of times and always paid him back But this time…he needed 75,000 My dad didn’t have that kind of money Jake told my dad he was in debt to soether Around 15,000 of it was s dealers, and my dad paid them off But the other 60,000 Jake owed to Will Roan He’s not a good guy, and everyone knows it”