Chapter 15

Chapter 15


Brianna pov.

Stepping into the house, I felt a strange sense of dizziness addled by the conversation I just had with Logan King. I could not believe he had the nerve to ask me out after everything that happened between us, yet a part of me was tempted.

But not so. This pushed aside as I walk into the living room, where the ever-waiting Brenda is. She looked up from her phone to me, concern clear on her features.

"Hey, Brianna, where have you been?'''' her voice was thick with anxiety.

I plopped down on the couch beside her, sensing an immediate mood shift. "Just been out with Logan King," I improvised, trying to sound as cool as possible.

Brenda was wide-eyed with surprise and fastened on me. "Logan King? What were you doing with him?"

I shrugged. I downplayed the whole situation. "We just happened to bump into each other and grabbed some coffee. It's nothing."

But Brenda was not having any of that. She was actually busy dissecting her friend under a scrutinizing gaze, those eyes searching for the truth. "Brianna, do you like Logan King?" she posed her question in a straightforward voice.

Such a question made me feel quite defensive. How dare she even ask me that? Didn't she know the pain I was still carrying from Logan's treatment of me? 

Looking at Brenda's face, however concerned it was, I realized I really had to be honest with her. "No, Brenda, I don't like Logan King," I tried sounding convincing. 

Brenda narrowed her eyes, tomatoing in the suspicious stare. "Are you sure, Brianna? Because I could swear that I saw something in the chemistry book that is between the two of you." 

I shook my head, feeling mixed. "No, Brenda, there's nothing between us. Logan King is just a manipulative, arrogant... " 

But she cut me off. Her voice had become stern. "Brianna, please. I get you're in misery but be real to yourself. You really don't feel anything for Logan King?"

I took a deep breath, experiencing a whole storm of emotions. How could Brenda ask me this? Doesn't she realize that I was still trying to put things into perspective about everything that has happened?

Nevertheless, I gazed into the face of Brenda full of concern while I was really honest with her. And even with myself.

"No, Brenda," I finally whispered in a voice barely audible. "I don't have feelings for Logan King. At least, I'm trying not to."

Brenda nodded, her smile small. "I know you are, Brianna. But I'm here for you, no matter what."

I took a deep breath, knowing that I had to tell Brenda about the discussion I had with our father earlier. "Brenda, there's something I have to say to you," I started out, sounding serious.

Brenda arched her eyebrows and squinted at me. "What's the matter, Brianna?" she asked.

It was difficult to break the news. So, I said, "It's about Dad." I added, "I had just gotten off with him on the phone and he mentioned something that really worries me."

Brenda's demeanor turned serious; her gaze was fixed on mine. "What did he say?" That was her question.

I took another deep breath. "He went to see Don Jack," I said, almost in a whisper. 

Brenda's eyes almost popped out of her head from shock, and her face drained of color. "Don Jack?" she asked. "The Don Jack?"

I nodded amidst all my worries. "Yes, that's the one. And Dad seemed really... excited about it. Like he's planning something big." 

Brenda became thoughtful, narrowed her gaze, saying, "I don't like this, Brianna." "Don Jack is a notorious drug baron. What could Dad possibly want with him?" 

I shook my head; the frustration continued to build within me. "I don't know, Brenda. But I have a bad feeling about this. 

"Dad's been acting really strange lately, and I think that only confirms my suspicion." 

The nodding Brenda added even more seriousness to her voice. "What's more, we have to find out what's going on, Brianna. We just can't sit back and watch with bated breath as Dad gets tangled up with the likes of Don Jack."

I was committed to the cause as I nodded. "I know, Brenda. Digging deep will reveal something."

As we sat with the rest of the girls figuring the plan out, I had this disquiet feeling. What was it our father was getting into? And, better yet, how could we stop him before it got to be too late? 

The rest of the day was spent gathering research and calling to get further details about Dad's business with Don Jack. And what we found was shocking. 

Apparently, Father had been in financial trouble, and Don Jack had helped him out. But at what price? We knew that Don Jack was a hard businessman, and we could hardly imagine what he might want in return for that favor. 

Brenda and I were totally drained and worried by the time the sun began to dip over the edge of the horizon. We knew we should do something, but don't know what that could be. 

"We have to talk to Dad," Brenda finally stated firmly. "We need to know what is really going on with Dad and stop him before it becomes too late."

I nodded, feeling that same fire in my belly. "You're right, Brenda. Let's go talk to Dad and see if we can get some answers." 

Determined to get some answers from Dad, we made our way to his office. Walking in, we found him seated at his desk, looking quite deep in thought.

"Dad, we need to talk to you," Brenda said, her voice firm. 

Our father looked up, a hint of surprise on his face. "What's going on, girls?" he asked. 

"We know about your dealings with Don Jack," I said, my voice steady. "We want to know what's going on.”

For a moment, our father's expression changed. He looked at us with anger mixed with defensiveness. Then, he said, "I don't know what you are on about."  

But we weren't having it. Brenda said it in calm voice. "Don't lie to us, Dad," she put forth. "We know that you have been in serious financial troubles, and we know that you have been battling out- with Don Jack. Now you tell us what is wrong."  

Father sighed as if he were facing defeat in this battle. "Okay, okay: I will tell you," he reluctantly said. "But don't tell anybody, okay?" 

We nodded, all ears to hear the truth. Father drew in his breath and began to explain.  

"To be honest, I've been in financial trouble for some time now," he said. "Some bad investments I made have made it hard to pay my debts. Don Jack has offered to help me out, but I really knew that it would be risky. I just didn't know what else to do." 

I was filled with ire and disappointment. How could he be that careless and irresponsible? But Brenda simply looked at  father with sadness and understanding.  

"Why couldn't you have told us, Dad?" she asked. "We could have helped you."  

He shook his head, looking very defeated. "I was too proud," he said. "I didn't want anybody to know that I had failed, but now I realize that this was a mistake." 

I looked at Brenda, and we both realized we've got to do something in support of our father. We couldn't just sit back and let him get deeper with Don Jack.  

"We'll help you, Dad," Brenda declared, her voice strong. "We'll figure out a way to pay off your debts and get you out of this mess."  

Our father looked at us, a little light in his eyes. "Thank you, girls," he said. "I don't know what I would do without you.".