You Have No Talent
Chapter 64
Garrett’s POV
“Are you f*****g serious right now? Do you think Tammy is smart enough, no, capable enough actually to start a vendetta and come after people? I think Garrett got it wrong. He’s just embarrassed he got beaten up when he was supposed to be at the peak of life,” Valerie said with a laugh.
“They are serious, Valerie. Deadly serious,” I told her.
“Right, and I’m the Easter Bunny,” Valerie said as she continued to laugh.
“I didn’t know that, Garrett. I’m sorry,” Holden said to me. He looked sorry about what
happened to me.
“Thanks, Holden,” I told him with a nod. While Holden felt bad for me, Valerie was an ass
about it. They were big guys. Tripp and Alden hadn’t beaten them up, and that was a fair fight. They managed to surprise them. I guess the guys who jumped them thought Tripp and Alden were drunker than they were. That was how they managed to fight them off. They didn’t have
weapons, either. It showed that Tammy blamed some of us more than others. The men
working with her were fine with permanently injuring the ones Tammy had on her little hitlist. I
knew I made the list by refusing to entertain her suggestion of our getting together again.
“Valerie, this is serious. Tammy had them attack both of her public defenders. The female public defender was the first one who was seriously injured. That was several months ago. They attacked Tripp and Alden at a club. They both saw Tammy there before they were attacked in the parking lot. Garrett was attacked and stabbed a few months later. It is Tammy. Too many people are directly involved in that trial for it to be just a coincidence. The police are involved in this, and Tripp and Alden were able to get DNA evidence from their attacker. The male public defender also had it under his nails from fighting them. They checked the evidence from the attack on Tripp and Alden, which matched. These were not random attacks. Garrett should have been safe in his condo, yet they managed to get inside. Until they are caught, you need to stay here with us. We need to go out as a group and stay vigilant,” Dad
told them.
I could see that they were now both convinced about what had happened and why there was armed security next door. “Addison is in danger,” Holden said as he figured it out first.
“Hey, I didn’t have anything to do with the trial. I just told the truth. She was here at the house
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You Have No Talent
that day. I certainly didn’t take the video. She can’t be mad at me. I only testified because I felt bad about Addison being blamed for taking the football. You both were the ones who told me to testify,” Valerie accused our parents. She didn’t want to be any part of it now.
“No one knew that Tammy would get out of prison and start taking revenge. That’s not something the guilty party usually does. I think that something is wrong with Tammy. She still doesn’t believe what she did was bad enough to have been sent to jail. She is angry and acting
out. Worse yet, she has found two men willing and able to help her. They don’t seem to be worried about being caught, either. She had them come after me because I refused to take her back as my girlfriend. I don’t want anything else to do with her ever again. Tammy ruined my life. Addison and I would never have broken up, and we would probably have two children by
now,” I admitted.
“Garrett, I may have repeated what Tammy said, but that was for you to look into. Stop blaming me for what happened when you clearly wanted to sleep with Tammy. It wasn’t long after it happened that you started dating Tammy. I feel bad for helping Tammy, but it wasn’t deliberate. I just repeated what Tammy told me. I didn’t know about that weird rule of Addison not entering your room. She mentioned it, too, this morning when I spoke to her. All you had to do was speak to her about it, Garrett. I can remember her asking you why you had cut her off
at least fifty times. Tammy always interrupted when it looked like you were going to tell
Addison. Take responsibility for your actions, Garrett, because it isn’t all my fault. It was up to you to confirm it, not me. I am sorry for my part, but that was all you,” Valerie told me. I know
she is right; we both bear the blame, but she is trying to push it off on me.
“Valerie, you need to cancel your plans to go out tonight,” Holden announced.
“I’m not going out, Holden,” Valerie replied.
“Then what is this?” Holden said as he turned his phone around for our parents to see.
I could see the anger simmering under the surface as Holden tried to ruin her night. “I told
Summer we could go to a club in Dallas. I will have her take it down. She didn’t say which one.
It’ll be fine,” Valerie responded.
“You can’t go out, Valerie. It isn’t safe. Didn’t you hear what we just told you? You won’t be
leaving the house without someone with you. I am too old to go out to a club. No, that isn’t
right. I don’t want to go, so don’t ask,” our Dad told her.
“Holden?” Valerie pleaded with a pout.
“No, not a chance. Not only do I not want to go, I also don’t want to go up against two guys out
to get you. If Garrett couldn’t do anything, how can you expect me to defend myself, you, and Summer? I may not have testified, but if Tammy is unhinged enough to come after people who
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You Have No Talent
told the truth. There is no telling what she is capable of. I’m not going. That is final,” Holden
told her.
When she turned to me, I looked down at my arm in the brace and then back up at her. “I am
not signing up for them to finish me off. I know they were trying to hurt me and destroy my career. I am not going to give them a second chance to succeed. Take a break from your social life. Enjoy yourself, swim, work on your tan, read a book. But those guys are ruthless. You need to stay home, Valerie,” I told her.
“Fine, I’ll just stay home until my interview. I will definitely be going, so y’all need to plan for someone to accompany me that day. Please don’t ruin it for me, Holden. I swear I’ll get you
back if you do,” Valerie said before stomping upstairs to fume in her room.
“You need to listen out for her, Dad. I doubt she will stay home tonight,” I told my parents.
“She knows better than to do that, Garrett. We warned her and reminded her how serious the
situation was. We will warn her again at dinner. I will also check on her at night to ensure she
stays home. I doubt she will bet her life on it,” my father replied.
I wasn’t going to argue with him about it. I don’t think he and Mom know just how bad Valerie
was when she was in high school. Valerie used to sneak out a lot, and she never got caught. I
did my dirty work here at home or sometimes at Tammy’s house. But I never got caught either, except by Addison. I guess our parents were just too trusting of the three of us. Holden was the only one of us that deserved to be trusted.
The doorbell sounded, and Mom got up to answer the door. Addison was standing there, looking beautiful with little white paint spots on her. It hits me again just how badly I screwed everything up. I hope the Addison I knew is still willing to forgive me. I did mess up. I would
take it all back if I could. I am hoping to gauge where we are with our talk today.
”
I heard Valerie returning down the stairs again, having heard the doorbell. I needed to warn her to stop now, as I couldn’t afford to have her piss Addison off again. I won’t let her do it. Valerie, do not start. I swear you better listen to me,” I told her.
I am going to make her sorry if she starts up again. She had better not ask for a job either. I can’t let Addison get pissed off before I can even talk to her. Valerie’s career is nowhere near as important as my son is to me. I have to build our connection again. I can’t do that when Valerie is insistent on pissing Addison off.
“Valerie,” I heard my mother’s warning in her tone.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry, Addison. I mean it. I was wrong. I was upset about being blamed for the football incident again. I was upset that Garrett was so mad at me that he was willing to move out; thankfully, he is back now. I am very sorry that I took it out on you,” Valerie
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said to Addison. If I didn’t know how manipulative Valerie was, I might have believed what she said was the truth. But I knew better.
“Addison, you may not know this, but Valerie here apparently has an interview lined up in two weeks. You will never guess where it’s at. It’s her dream to work for Ana and Alex. Mom here accidentally let it slip that you have some pull there. So, Valerie is sucking up to you now to get the job. That is the only reason why you are getting an apology now. Valerie’s scared that after she threatened you like she did this morning. That you will prevent her from getting the job,” Holden told Addison.
“Holden, you f*****g asshole. You’re not even involved in this, so butt out. Why did you feel the need to tell her that? Don’t you care that you are costing me the job? I have a degree in design. I am more than qualified to be a lowly salesperson. If Addison doesn’t hire me, it would only be because she can’t stand the competition of having me work there alongside her. I would end up making her look bad. Plus, since her mother and aunt own it, she didn’t get the job based on her talent alone,” Valerie spat out angrily.
“Oh, you’re a designer, Valerie? I didn’t know that. Tandy hadn’t mentioned it to me. I had been
considering hiring another designer, but my Aunt Alex wanted all the designs to come from me. I tell you what, Valerie. Get your tablet, and I’ll get mine. We could have a little competition right now between us. If your design is better than mine, I’ll consider hiring you,” Addison told
her.
I was furious that this was happening during my time to get to speak with Addison. Now, all of a sudden, she will be doing this instead. I am sure she just rose to the bait because Valerie
insulted her. This was the opportunity that Valerie had wanted all along. She looks down on
Addison, and I can see how excited she is at getting the chance to go head–to–head with her. I
have a bad feeling about this. I don’t see this ending well for Valerie or for me.
