He hit the top of the stairs to see Tripp at the desk and Jasper with his back to the weight bench, knees bent, soles of his feet to the bench, his cell phone held over his face as he replied, “Dad’ll be cool. He gets it about takin’ care of your babe.”

“True enough, Jas,” Layne put in and Tripp swiveled around to look at him as Jasper’s head turned and his eyes focused on Layne. “Still, you go over your limit, I’ll be pissed.”

“She’s hot, Dad, gotta keep her hooked so no one moves in,” Jasper explained.

“Boy, why do you think I bought you that goddamned car?” Layne asked, he’d stopped and he crossed his arms on his chest. “Right about now, when you’re feelin’ like that, you stop playin’ it cool and her ass is here or your ass is there, you stake your claim and you don’t do it through fuckin’ texts.”

Jasper sat up, dropping his feet to straddle the bench. “You cool with Keirry bein’ here when you’re not?”

“Just as long as I don’t have to set up a crib in the corner of your bedroom, that is, if I win at hand to hand combat defendin’ my son against a gonzo Joe Callahan,” Layne answered.

Jasper grinned and crossed his cell phone over his heart before he lifted it in the air, “Swear. Gentleman. Totally.”

Layne stared at his son then looked to Tripp who was also grinning at him and who decided to add, “Giselle Speakmon’s parents are totally devout. When I get in there and we hook up, there won’t be any cribs for me either, Dad, because I reckon they’ll make her wear one of those chastity belts, knowin’ Jas is my brother and all.”

Layne felt his brows go up and he beat down any thoughts of his youngest being sexually active. Jasper was the first born boy, his leap to manhood Layne took in stride. Tripp was still just a kid in his eyes. Layne was not ready to go there, not by a long fucking shot.

Still, he asked, “You like her?”

Tripp nodded. “Got her talkin’ to me and she’s cool and she can be funny, in a quiet way that’s kinda awesome.”

“She at church today?” Layne asked and Tripp nodded again, his smile getting bigger.

“Yeah, she was the blonde who sat next to TJ in church.”

Layne felt his body lock as he looked at his boy. “Right next to him?” he asked quietly.

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 fuckin’ 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 fuck 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 fuckin’ around at Youth Group and, at school, make it uncool other than to go for shits and giggles, a place to fuck 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 fuckin’ 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.

“Good man,” Layne murmured. “Homework done and tomorrow, thank your Gram for cleanin’ your room. She deserves it especially since, for most humans, it was a no go zone and I reckon Keira will be spendin’ time in it and we won’t want to rush her to the hospital after she’s exposed to the fumes.”

Jasper shook his head, grinning. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Boy,” was Layne’s only reply as he turned to walk away but he thought better of it and turned back. “Did you get your sentences diagrammed?”

Jasper’s grin died and he looked confused. “What?”

“Your sentences. Did Roc help you get them diagrammed?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Jasper mumbled.

“Jas?” Layne called his son’s attention to him. “Did you have sentences to diagram?”

“Yeah,” Jas answered and Layne stared at him so Jasper’s eyes went to the double doors, he walked the two feet Layne had moved away and he whispered, “Two weeks ago. I got a C on the assignment. Next time, I’ll ask Roc to help before I get the final grade.”

Layne swallowed down laughter before he muttered, “Good call.”

Then Layne turned back to his room and walked to it as he heard Jasper say, “’Night, Dad.”

“’Night, Bud,” Layne replied and opened the doors.

Rocky was diagonal on the bed, on her stomach, papers spread in front of her, pen in her hand, bare feet swinging in the air and Layne knew Jasper didn’t have to whisper his secret because she had earphones in her ears, an MP3 player on the bed and between the sound and her concentration on the papers, she hadn’t noticed he came in.