Tripp’s grin faded at his father’s tone and he answered quietly back, “Yeah.”

“She’s here after school too or you’re there. Jasper will be your ride,” Layne ordered instantly.

“Her parents won’t –” Tripp started and Layne cut him off.

“Then you call in Rocky. Even if her family’s religious, they won’t question Roc. They know she’s here, they’ll know Giselle is good. I’m not here and Roc’s not here but at her apartment, you’re over there with Giselle and I’ll talk to Rocky.”

“Dad,” Tripp’s voice was still muted. “She’s cool. She’s there because she’s religious. I don’t even think she likes TJ.”

Layne felt his gut squeeze. “She was sitting right next to him, Pal.”

“She doesn’t like him but he way likes her,” Tripp replied and Layne’s gut twisted.

“She’s here or you’re there. You tie her up one way or another, Tripp, you get me?” Layne asked and Tripp’s face got pale.

“Do you think –?” Tripp started to ask and Layne interrupted him again.

“I don’t think, Tripp, you don’t either. This is now, we move on from here and you tie Giselle up and you’re glued to her at Youth Group meetings.” Layne stared at his son and finished, “Now, do you get me?”

“I get you,” Tripp whispered.

“She got a cell phone?” Layne asked and Tripp nodded. “Got her number?” Layne went on and Tripp nodded again so Layne nodded back. “Go text her now.”

Tripp slid from the chair and whispered, “Got it,” then walked to Jasper’s room.

Layne looked at Jas to see his son’s focus was intent on him and he ordered, “You have his back.”

“Giselle’s a favorite, Dad,” Jasper muttered.

“You have his f**kin’ back,” Layne returned, Jas stared him in the eyes and nodded. “I want an address or the make, model and color of his car by tomorrow, Bud,” Layne ordered low.

“You’ll have it,” Jasper assured him and Layne walked close to look down at his boy.

“We’ve passed finesse,” Layne told him quietly. “We’re goin’ forward hard.” Jasper nodded up to him and Layne continued. “You don’t gotta be cool about this. He cottons on, I don’t give a f**k except you and your brother are in the middle of this shit. That you play cool, you play smart, you have Tripp’s back, you listen to your gut and you communicate with me. You walk down the halls, you know who’s walkin’ behind you. You have a chat with a Youth Group kid, you pay attention to what’s goin’ on on their face, not what’s comin’ outta their mouths and you also pay attention to who might be listenin’ in. You drive down the road, you check your rearview mirrors, you see a car more than once on your ass, you get a plate. You with me?”

“Yeah, Dad,” Jasper whispered.

“You’re in this house, alarm is armed. At all times, Jas.”

“Right.”

“Roc’s on his radar and Tripp laid claim to her today. Because of that, when light dawns, he’ll know where she sits with this. That means, I’m not around, you have her back too.”

“Gotcha.”

“He got any other favorites?” Layne asked and Jasper nodded.

“Alexis McGraw.”

“The redhead today?”

“Yep.”

“Any ideas how to keep her clear?”

Jasper shook his head. “She’s in deep. She thinks he’s the shit. They’re always together.”

“Fuck,” Layne whispered.

“I’ll think about it. She used to have a thing for Seth. Maybe –”

Layne cut him off. “Seth’s got enough to deal with.”

“Yeah, which means, I figure, takin’ his mind off of that shit will do him good,” Jasper returned. “We’ve talked about this, before Tripp and me started undercover and Seth thinks it’s creepy as all get out too. I reckon he’d come on board and he’d be cool, Dad. After yesterday, he’d do just about anything for you and Rocky. Alexis is a freshman and Seth is a senior but she’s cute and it isn’t unheard of. Jamie’s a senior and he’s datin’ a freshman and Seth and Jamie are tight.”

Layne nodded and asked, “Any bright ideas of how to shut the rest of it down?”

“Yeah,” Jasper whispered and stood, clearing the weight bench and bringing him close to his old man. “We don’t have to play it cool anymore, I start a campaign. Kids think it’s weird, teachers think it’s weird but no one’s talkin’ out about it. It’s all real quiet. Whispers. I talk out about it. Make like I’m goin’ as a joke. Get Seth and some of the team to go with me. Start f**kin’ around at Youth Group and, at school, make it uncool other than to go for shits and giggles, a place to f**k around and pick up girls.”

“I don’t know, Jas, bold play but could have the opposite effect, make the devoted more so and make it popular for kids to go, even if they’re f**kin’ around which might put more girls on the line. It also puts Tripp out there if Giselle is religious. She’ll want to think he’s into that too and her family will definitely want to think that if he wants to spend time with her.”

“Just because Giselle’s family is religious doesn’t mean she has to go to Youth Group,” Jasper replied. “Tripp can play her and, in the end, she’s still a shy girl who’s got a chance at the only freshman on the football team. She pushes it that she prefers to be with Tripp, her parents’ll cave. The other shit, leave it to me.”

Layne smiled and asked, “Lots of parents cave?”

Jasper smiled back. “Totally. Especially the girls. How do you think I hit so many? Before Keira that is.”

“Jasper Layne, football stud,” Layne muttered, still smiling.

“Off the market stud,” Jasper muttered back, also still smiling. “Just like his Dad.”

Layne chuckled as he lifted a hand and curled it around his boy’s neck, pulled him in and gently bumped foreheads with him before he let him go.

“All right, Bud, you play it how you feel it but you communicate with me, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You call your Mom today?” Layne asked.

“Yeah, twice,” Jas answered.