Chapter Thirteen

Killer Insecurities

 

 

“I’m sorry, Jake. I just think it would be best if we ended this now,” I said through the crack in the door.

He’d tried to gently push it open to get to me, but that wasn’t happening.

It was too late.

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about, Piper?” Jake asked, his brows drawn down.

Even Kase looked stunned. Though he was giving us space, he was still there to have his boy’s back. He must’ve given Jake a ride since we’d taken my car that morning.

Has it really been less than an hour since I left him?

“Things just aren’t going to work between us. Here.” Wiggling my engagement ring off my finger, I held it out to him.

Adding a head tilt to the lowered brows, Jake glanced blankly at it and then back at me, like he didn’t comprehend my words or action. He made no move to take it.

My sweat slickened fingers shook so badly that I lost my hold on it. It fell between us, hitting the ground with a ping.

Neither of us looked to see where it landed.

“But you’re mine.”

“I’m not.”

“You are. You swore you wouldn’t take your sweetness from me.”

His words made me regret the promises I often gave him. “Things change.”

“You got my name tattooed on you. Your name is fuckin’ inked permanently on me.” His hand shook as he touched his chest, reminding me of the night he’d first shown it to me.

I looked at him with a bored expression. “Tattoos can be covered. Just blend it in with your other ink.”

“Are you fuckin’ serious?”

I wished I was joking, but I knew there was no going back. I had no other choice. “It wouldn’t have worked, Jake. I… I need to be with someone more my level. Like James. Or Blake. You were right. I need better than a mechanic.”

“I fucked up. That was fuckin’ stupid today. When you asked what the point of us bein’ together was, I just lost it. I’m sorry.” His words were sincere and I knew he’d put the effort in to never act like that again.

It was just too late.

“Don’t apologize. You were right because I do like that stuff. That’s how I know things aren’t going to work between us. Goodbye, Jacoby. Bye, Kase.” I tried again to close the door.

“Sweets… Fuck, Piper. Please, just talk to me,” Jake pleaded, the tortured strain in his voice painful to hear. “I’m sorry I said all that shit. I’ll never say anythin’ like that again. But you can’t leave me, Piper. You promised.” His eyes went bright with unshed tears. Tears I’d never thought I’d see from him, let alone be the one putting there. “You can’t do this. You can’t give me all that’s you, make me so fuckin’ happy for the first time in my life, and then walk away like it meant nothin’.”

I’ve gotta get him out of here. This is too fuckin’ much.

“It was nothing, Jake.” My voice was cold and firm so he’d get the point. “I’m too young to settle down. I thought we were just having fun but then things kinda spiraled out of control. I should’ve put a stop to it earlier. It was fun, and you taught me a bunch, but there’s nothing else to get from this.”

“I’ve taught you a bunch?”

I shrugged. “Even you had to get your experience from somewhere.”

Jake threw his arms out. “Are you seriously fuckin’ tellin’ me you’re gonna suck and ride some other man’s dick the way I taught you I liked it?”

“Well, yeah.” The implied ‘duh’ went unsaid. “It’s not like I’m never going to have sex with anyone again.”

“It was supposed to be me. Only me.” He thumped his chest for emphasis. “You fuckin’ said it!”

Balling my fists at my side, I leaned forward. “And I fuckin’ lied!”

His voice was hoarse as he shook his head. “Piper—”

“I’ve gotta go.”

“Wait.” Leaning heavily on the doorframe, a single tear started down his stubbled cheek.

I shut the door in his face.

Jake

“I don’t fuckin’ get it, man. I’ve gotta go back. She’s gotta talk to me.” I was ramblin’ but I couldn’t help it.

“Dude, just give her time. This is Pipe we’re talking about,” Kase said, trying to calm me, but it wasn’t workin’.

“Exactly. Piper doesn’t play games. She wouldn’t say that shit to me unless she was sure.” My gut felt painfully empty and my head was poundin’. “I love her. Fuck, I’ve never loved anyone but her. She’s everythin’ I’ve been tryin’ to find but so much fuckin’ better. I had that sweetness, and now she just wants to take it away? I have her fuckin’ name tattooed on my chest.” I rubbed the spot where I knew her name was. I smiled every day when I saw it there.

I smile every fuckin’ day ‘cause of her.

“I was supposed to give her my name. She was supposed to be my wife. Mine. I know I fucked up, but I’ve done it before. She calls me out on my bullshit and we move on.”

“You gotta relax. The shit you said? That was seriously fucked up, brother. Just give her time. She’ll come around. Piper isn’t like this. She’ll call you, and shit will get straightened out,” Eli put in.

Eli didn’t know. He hadn’t seen her face when she’d told me that we were a mistake. Or when she’d handed me back my ring and just let it drop between us like it meant nothin’.

After Piper shredded me, Kase had to drag me away. I kept hopin’ she’d throw open the door and laugh as she explained it was all just a really fuckin’ bad joke.

I believed her every time she’d told me she loved me. That she needed me. That she’d never leave me.

I could tell, from a fuckin’ mile away, which women were connivin’ and tryin’ to blind me with biker bitch snatch like I was fuckin’ dumb. They wanted to use me for my money, my name, my dick.

But that wasn’t Piper.

She’d never been an act. She wanted and loved me for me.

Didn’t she?

Fuck.

“Dude, you gotta chill. All the pacing is making me dizzy.” Kase pulled out a bottle of scotch and some glasses from the bottom drawer of my desk.

I kept it in there for bad days.

And since Piper came into your life, how many days have you had to dip into it? How many nights have you worked yourself to exhaustion and then drank yourself to oblivion before crashin’ on the couch in the break room?

Yeah, that’s what you have to look forward to again.

I stared at the dark amber liquid in the heavy tumbler. Liftin’ it, I side armed it at the wall and watched the light reflect off it as it exploded into worthlessness.

As incredibly expensive scotch dripped down the wall and soaked into the carpet, I knew I had to go.

“I gotta get the fuck outta here,” I growled, reaching for the door as Kase blocked it.

“Give it time. Nothing good will come from you going over there when emotions are so high.”

“It’s not that. Okay, it’s not just that. I’ve gotta get outta here.” The whole place smelled like her. Her fuckin’ pictures were coverin’ the wall. All I could think about was the shit we’d done on the desk, what she’d done under it… “I can’t fuckin’ breathe. I won’t go to her. I just gotta get out of here.”

Kase moved, allowin’ me to throw the door open.

I started for the garage when I turned towards the break room.

No, Piper’s kitchen.

I’d often make any excuse to come back here and watch silently from the doorway while she baked, shakin’ her ass and singin’ louder than she realized. Sometimes she’d be curled up on the couch with her legs tucked under her as she sketched a design. Her focus was so intense that she didn’t notice me starin’, astonished all over again that she was mine.

Or so she’d said.

A roar left me as I stalked into the break room. Grabbin’ anythin’ I could, I threw it, breakin’ it like she broke me. I reached out to snatch up the next thing, only to come up empty-handed.

As I stood in the middle of the destruction, I saw my life without Piper.

An empty fuckin’ mess.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt.”

I glanced to the doorway and saw Rachel.

“Hey. I just…” She looked around, her lips tipping up slightly. “Have you seen Chloe? She isn’t returning any of my texts or calls. I thought maybe you might know.”

“I’ve got no fuckin’ clue.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve got no fuckin’ clue,” I repeated.

“You wanna go somewhere private to talk?” She tentatively approached, like I was a wild animal that might attack.

She’s right.

We’d fucked once years ago. It wasn’t meaningful, but it’d been semi-effective.

I looked down at her again, this time actually seein’ her. She was pushin’ her fake tits out and there was a hungry look in her eyes. I knew talkin’ wasn’t what she was offerin’.

“C’mon, sweetie, let’s get outta here.”

I let her grab my arm and pull me from the room.

Piper

I fucked up. Shit, did I fuck up.

We were supposed to be having dinner at my mother and Thomas’ house with Sarah and Gregory that night. The parents hated the Vegas wedding idea, and were pushing to discuss alternatives.

Since Ray hadn’t packed anything from the conservative side of my closet, I needed to grab a plain dress. I was even going to pull my hair back again. I wanted to try to make the dinner go as smooth as possible.

So I’d gone home alone. I’d thought it’d be fine. I was just going to grab a couple of things and then I’d meet Jake at the apartment to talk.

What was there to worry about in the middle of the afternoon?

A lot, as it turns out.

*******

After arriving home, I kicked the front door closed behind me and tossed my purse onto my junk table. My thoughts were consumed by my fight with Jake and I wasn’t paying attention.

I wasn’t being vigilant.

“Piper!” James yelled as he ran into the room from the kitchen.

My doors are locked and James is in my house.

My mind flashed back to James’ reaction to Jake and me together. Then I thought of the way he’d pushed himself on me at my mother’s, kissing me and saying all those awful things.

I started to back away in fear when he yelled again.

“Piper, run!” His last word seemed to boom and then he crumpled to the ground. Red spread across the floor.

Was he holding a Kool-Aid?

No, wait, that’s blood.

Someone shot James.

“Hey, there, Doll Face.”

“Z, what’re you doing here?” I forced out.

My mind raced for any excuse to explain why he was in my house. I wanted to believe he was protecting me. James could be a dick and lately he’d been seriously creeping me out. But Z? He wouldn’t hurt me.

Looking into his eyes, though, I knew I was wrong. He didn’t look like the same handsome, should be GQ model. He looked crazy.

Crazy as fuck.

As Z came towards me, he casually stepped over James as though he were nothing more than a mild inconvenience. Like there was a puddle of rain, and not blood, in his path. When he got closer, I saw the glint of the gun in his hand.

“Sorry about the stain on your carpet.”

“That’s okay.” I tried to keep my voice level. “Things happen.”

“They do, but they shouldn’t. Things should go according to plan. Always!” he suddenly roared, spit flying from his mouth.

“What—”

At the sound of car doors closing, Z’s head snapped to the side. Unmistakable loathing took over his face, twisting it. The gorgeous man became a memory replaced by ugliness. “Speaking of, it’s the man of changes. The man who couldn’t stick with a plan. Even now, he’s fuckin’ shit up. You were supposed to break things off at Hyde and he was supposed to move on. Why don’t we help him out with that, huh?”

Please, turn away Jake. Just cut your losses and go!

“How should we do that?”

“Crush him. Tell him you need someone different, someone better. Oh,” he said with a maniacal, humorless laugh. “Tell him you want to be with James here.” He nudged James’ shoulder with the tip of his shoe. “No, I’ve got better. Tell him you want Blake. Say you want someone closer to your own age, working a better job. He’s so insecure about that shit.”

“Why do you want to hurt him?” I asked, but Z talked right over me.

“He’s talked to us before about how he worried you’d change your mind about slumming it with him. Classy chick like you with a glorified mechanic? Young, beautiful, clean woman with a dirty old man? He thought you’d wake up one morning and regret everything. He’s used to bitches wanting to fuck their way up the food chain. It’s all he’s ever known. But you? No, not his sweets,” he said with a sneer. “Won’t that fuck with his head, huh?”

“Z, why are you doing this?” I tried again. My heart was breaking just thinking about what he was asking me to do.

I’ll just figure out some way to signal to Jake that there is something wrong. He’ll fix it. He always does.

“That doesn’t matter now. Open the door, Doll Face. And if you say anything, I swear to fuck, you’ll regret it.” He raised the gun and shook it. Like I could forget it was there. “If I even catch a hint that he thinks something’s going on, I’ll shoot Jake and Kase and make you watch. Got it?”

There goes that plan.

I nodded, deep breathing.

I was again thankful for my mother’s lessons. They prepared me to act as though my heart wasn’t being ripped out and shredded to pieces.

*******

After putting on what had to have been an Oscar worthy performance, Z pushed me to the window. His fingertips dug into my jaw painfully as he forced me to watch Jake and Kase outside.

When they finally left, he used his hold to move me towards my bedroom. Panic gripped me and I screamed inside.

Once in my room, he let go of me. I stumbled and almost fell to the ground as my legs threatened to give out.

Z grabbed my suitcases from the closet and threw them on the end of my bed. Opening my dresser drawers, he dumped clothes in one handed while his other gripped the gun.

“Sit. I’m just gonna pack you some stuff and then we’ll be on our way, okay? Then things will be like my plan. I said sit!” Z barked, his face back to harsh.

I jumped and scurried up my bed. Pressing my back against the headboard, I tried to put as much distance between us as I could. The bed shook from the force of my tremors.

As I watched him pack, I wished I was cool and calm. I tried to think of ways to escape, but I had nothing. Short of throwing the lotions and vibrators I had in my bedside drawer, there were no weapons within my reach.

I’m thinking dildos flying at his head wouldn’t be enough to make him drop the gun and run for his life.

“Why?” I asked again, trying to keep my voice upbeat as if I were simply curious.

He stopped rifling through my drawers and turned to me with a smile. His grin made his handsome face near breathtaking. He almost looked like the old Z, except his gray eyes were crazed and his movements erratic. “‘Cause you’re mine, Doll Face. That was the plan. I saw you and knew right away you were mine. When you needed work done, I knew it was fate. Jake wasn’t even supposed to be in that morning. He wasn’t supposed to see you but he did. I thought he didn’t like you much. But I saw the way you were watching him. I couldn’t tell you that you were mine then. Not when you were practically presenting!”

Terrified, I pushed against the headboard until it squeaked in protest. My heart pounded in my chest as I worked to steady my breathing.

Z’s face went soft as he tamed his crazy. “I could’ve done your speakers the first time, but I needed you to come in again. Jake was supposed to have a meeting with the parts distributor, but he cancelled. He never cancels anything. Hyde is his life. We all knew he did it to see you. I figured he’d move on after a couple days. But he didn’t, Piper. Why did he have to change the plans?”

I curled into myself further when his thundering voice filled my room.

“I don’t think he knew the plans, sweetheart,” I said. “Why don’t you tell them to me?”

The contempt he has for Jake, the deep hatred? I can’t believe how well he’s been able to hide it.

“See? I knew if I just got you away from him, you’d be so sweet to me. You’d look at me like you looked at him. You’d love me and I’d protect you. And I did, Piper. James came here to tell you that he loved you and to make you feel bad. And I stopped him. I did that for you, Doll Face.”

I nodded my head. “I know. Thank you,” I lied through the lump in my throat.

“I’ll always protect you. I’ll die for you. I’m sorry you had to see me hurt him but you weren’t supposed to be here. You weren’t supposed to see what I have to do to protect you. Why were you here? Why? Answer me!” he demanded as he ran his hand over his head. His hair was in disarray, no longer the perfectly coiffed pompadour.

For some reason, seeing that hit me hard.

How symbolic.

Down to his fucking hair, he’s not the same guy I thought I knew.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” I had no clue what I was apologizing for, but it seemed the best choice.

I knew I was right when, just like that, he was back to soft Z. “It’s okay. I kept you safe this time. I’ll always keep you safe.”

“I know, sweetheart. What’re the plans? I don’t want to mess them up.”

“You’re so good to me. I love you so much, Doll Face. That’s why I did all of this. I needed you to need me. Not Jake. Not the bank. Me!”

I flinched when his hand that was holding the gun hit his chest for emphasis.

“What about the bank?”

“That’s another way I knew it was fate. Imagine my good fortune when I found out you did your banking at the same place I did. I followed you in all the time. You were always in your own world, so oblivious.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he shook his head. “You need to pay attention, Doll Face.”

Ain’t that the fucking lesson of the century?

“I let it slip a few times to the bank manager about how irresponsible you were with money. I told him you kept baking after partying so everything was burnt and that I was surprised you hadn’t started a big fire yet. Now you need me and I can take care of you, right?”

That solves that mystery.

“Right,” I agreed softly.

“I’ll always take care of you.” He smiled at me lovingly before his lips curled in disgust. “That’s why that bitch Chloe had to die.”

I never thought I’d say this, but poor Chloe.

“That’s why James had to die,” he continued nonchalantly, as if killing two people was no biggie.

Definitely poor James.

A sob wracked my body, but Z didn’t notice. Completely absorbed in his rant, he didn’t seem to even know where he was.

I braced in the bed, waiting for any opportunity to make a run for it. I barely scooched when his eyes snapped back to me, cutting off my escape before it’d even begun.

“Chloe went off plan. She tried to fuck me like I wasn’t already yours. She called me over today and said she was horny. Things weren’t working with Jake and she thought she could get me. When I turned her down, she said she’d run to Jake and tell him everything. Just like that, months of work would be for nothing. I couldn’t let that happen, could I, Doll Face?”

“No.” My hands clutched the sheets as I watched the gun move haphazardly as he started grabbing things from my closet.

“She didn’t want Jake to be happy with someone else. Her pride couldn’t handle him giving someone else what he’d never given her. She just wanted to be back in the circle. To get invited to the parties and bars without everyone ignoring her. She didn’t even care who she was fucking to get her there. And she thought she’d get me? That bitch was insane,” Z muttered, shaking his head.

Uhh, psychotic pot meet batshit crazy kettle.

“I’d told her the plan when we walked out of Hyde that day she got in your face. Fuck, she was a stupid bitch. Jake wanted sweet, not a bitchy ballbuster. All her fuckin’ scene did was make him want you more. I told her to be sweet and offer him everything he liked. She’d get him, I’d get you, and everyone would be happy. But he didn’t go. He didn’t even acknowledge her. I had to grab his phone to send that text.”

Yet another mystery solved.

“But she got cocky and ran her mouth. She had to brag to that stupid bitch, Rachel. No one fuckin’ believes Rachel. And then she wanted to hurt you. As payback, she’d said, for stealing her man and then punching her in the face. She wanted me to record her and Jake fucking and force you to watch. Then while you were held down, she wanted her chance to hit you. Like I’d let anyone hurt you. I protect you!”

I’d known Jake hadn’t sent that text. If he hit his head, got all sense knocked out of him, and decided to cheat on me, it would never be with Chloe.

Thinking about the screen shot I’d seen, I realized the message had to have been sent when we were at the police station. I’d called Ray because Jake didn’t have his phone. We were leaving, shaken and upset, because of what he had gotten in the mail.

As if on cue, Z’s packing stopped as he opened my underwear drawer. “I can’t even tell you how good it felt covering your come with mine. When I did the walkthrough of your house, I’d passed by your hamper and there they were. I wanted to be in your bed, smelling you, but I didn’t want you to worry about me. You always worried when I was gone too long.”

What? Since when?

Before I could ask what he was talking about, he kept ranting.

“So I pocketed them, knowing what I was going to do. I was there, you know, when Jake opened the package. I got to watch him feel what I felt seeing you two together. Rhys told us later that Jake hadn’t even noticed the special addition that I’d made to the panties. He said that Jake broke a table.” Z’s gleeful expression quickly turned angry again. “But you let him fuck you, Doll Face. All the time. His office reeked of it. We could hear you sometimes. We’d get to the hallway and you’d be in there, moaning and screaming for him. I needed to see what you were letting him do to you. How you were a whore for him. I needed to know what to punish him for. I couldn’t protect you if I didn’t watch you. That’s why I wired cameras in his office and the break room.”

Holy fuck. I was right that something felt off. Why didn’t I listen to my instincts?

Oh yeah, ‘cause they also demanded I jumped Jake.

Which crazy ass Z watched, like the fucking creeper he is.

“I loved to see you in the break room. You looked so fragile when you curled into yourself and drew. You were pure. Then you’d walk across the hall, and instead of being my good girl, you were Jake’s whore. But I had to watch.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “In fact, let’s see how Jacoby is taking things.”

He touched the screen a few times and turned it for me to see when Hyde appeared. The men, my boys, were sitting in Jake’s office, but he wasn’t with them. Z touched the screen again to switch to the break room.

Jake was standing in front of the couch, and he wasn’t alone.

Standing close to him, Rachel held his arm. She turned and pulled him out the door, though he didn’t look like he was putting up any kind of fight.

I gulped back tears, the pain of seeing him with someone else stabbing through me.

“It’s about fuckin’ time, am I right?” Z chuckled as we watched Jake and Rachel leave the room, my kitchen, together. “Finally he goes with the plan but it’s too late. He’s already made things get this far. I tried to end this earlier because I didn’t want you to get hurt. That’s why I started stealing parts.”

Another mystery solved.

This is like the world’s creepiest freakin’ episode of Sherlock.

“They were expensive, custom parts that set him behind and cost him a fortune. I thought he’d break things off nicely ‘cause he needed to focus on Hyde. It was his business, his pride, everything he’d worked for. But he didn’t give a shit. He just kept fucking you at work, as if shit wasn’t going wrong. As if the answers to all of the shop’s problems were hidden in your cunt. So I kept messing shit up while no one was looking. I thought you’d get sick of him working long hours, but you didn’t. You were so sweet. And do you know what Jake did?”

“No,” I whispered. My chest ached as I thought of what he was most likely doing at that moment.

“Nothing. Not one fucking thing. He worked with a smile on his face as if everything was perfect. Instead of putting in more hours to try to fix things, he started leaving earlier to go see you.”

Hearing that was bittersweet, warming me even as it eviscerated me.

“I sent Rachel after you. I made sure Chloe went to the Boston event. I thought if you saw the trash he normally fucked, you’d realize you were too good for him. But you were sweet about that, too. When nothing else worked, I started telling Green about the way you fucked Jake. The way you’re such a whore for him, screaming and begging. Green wanted you anyway, but after he heard about that? I hated to see him try to touch you, touch what’s mine, but I already knew my good girl wouldn’t fall for it.” His expression darkened. “He’ll pay for every sick word that came out of his mouth.”

Even though he’s a douche and an asshole, no one deserves Z’s version of payback.

“I overheard him and his friends talking about how they pictured you when they jacked off. Being the good friend that I am, I told Jake today.”

Z fell silent as he grabbed another suitcase and started throwing random lotions and creams from on top of my dresser into it.

I had no plan. I knew he wasn’t going to let me just walk out of here. If I had any chance at getting away, I needed to stall.

“Why?”

“Jake’s fuckin’ crazy when it comes to you. I knew he’d be a dick and push you away. He couldn’t help himself. You were so sweet, so forgiving, but even you’d have a breaking point.” He looked at me over his shoulder and smiled. “Now you’ll be sweet to me, right?”

Before I could answer, his face clouded as anger took over.

“You didn’t notice me. You didn’t care when the pervert’s date was hitting on me. You laughed. You were supposed to feel what I felt. But you didn’t. Now you’ll love me. You’ll need me. You’ll listen and stick to the plan!”

Watching Z walk around with his gun bouncing, I swallowed down my panic and tried to stay calm.

His mood was mercurial, his expressions changing rapidly between fury, disgust, crazy as fuck, and obsessive love.

It was the love that was scaring me the most.

“I tried to be patient,” he started again, staring into my dresser drawer before looking back to me. “I tried to wait. But all the while, you were letting him fuck you wherever. Like up against the wall in Boston. Anyone could’ve seen you. Heard you. You let him fuck you in a car at the side of the road. That’s what whores do, Piper. They suck dick and fuck in cars at the side of the road. And that’s what you did.” He picked up a fistful of my panties and nighties. “You were a fuckin’ whore! Why, Doll Face? Why’d you do that?” he screamed as he pulled at the delicate fabric, tearing it apart.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“I tried to save you from him. I tried to remind him how young you are and how much more experience he had, wanted, needed. The trash he usually fucked talked about how he liked it. At least he wasn’t as bad as Rhys. Thank Christ you didn’t get with that pervert. Still, I thought even if Jake did go for it, you’d run from him when he did that stuff. But you couldn’t get enough. You were fucking begging for it. I heard you. Literally begging. Like his dick was magic. Like you needed it to breathe.”

It’s not his dick I need to breathe.

It’s only him.

“And, fucking Jacoby.” The hate twisted his face again. “All of a sudden he couldn’t get enough. He wasn’t jumping to anyone else. Girls, exactly his type, would come on to him, but he brushed them off like they were pests. Nothing more than annoying gnats. He wasn’t even tempted.”

Based on him leaving with Rachel, I’m guessing that’s done.

“He didn’t go with the plan. What’s so addicting about that pussy, Doll Face?” he asked softly. As his eyes travelled my body, his arousal became evident. Dropping the tattered panties, the scraps fluttered uselessly to the ground.

I knew what was going to happen if I didn’t find a way to distract him. “You never told me the plans. You started packing ‘cause we’re going, right?”

Z walked towards the side of my bed, his eyes bright with twisted pleasure. “You hurt him so badly, he’s not coming back, Doll Face. He’s probably fucking Rachel already. You told him how you really feel, didn’t you? You were over him. No one could fake being that mean, that cold. Tell me you don’t love him. Tell me!”

Even in the face of his crazed rage, I couldn’t force myself to say the words.

A pained yelp burst out instead when Z pulled his arm back and backhanded me. The force slammed my head back to collide with the headboard. Lights burst behind my eyes, and a dazed nausea followed.

“I told you to say it. We need to stick to the plan. You weren’t supposed to love him. He wasn’t supposed to love you. And now he’s hurt you. It’s his fault and he’ll die, Doll Face. Just like Green. Just like James. You weren’t supposed to be here. I have to do things to protect you. You weren’t supposed to see.”

I couldn’t keep up with his tirade. It was a safe bet that no one but the voices in his head could.

I tried my best to appease him. “Tell me the plans. Please. I want to make sure I’m doing the right stuff.”

“I love you. I knew you’d love me, I just had to get you away from him. He had you blinded and fooled. But it’ll be fine now. We’re going to disappear together, anywhere you want. Just the two of us at first, but we’ll start a family soon. Jake didn’t want kids, but you’d make such a good mother. That’s another way I’m protecting you, by giving you everything you deserve. Where do you want to go?” Sitting on the side of the bed near me, his hand rubbed my tight cheek.

Holding back the urge to scream and move away, I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. I could feel my blood dripping down my fingers.

I forced a smile. “Somewhere far. If we’re going to be together, we need to go now. Just the two of us, we’ll leave all this behind.”

If I can’t get away, I’ll make him take me far from here. To keep Jake and everyone safe, I’ll do anything.

I jolted back, hitting my head again, when Z lowered his head and sloppily pressed his lips to mine as he climbed on top of me. I could feel him hard, thrusting against me. Tears pooled in my eyes as I battled to control my retching stomach. My mouth filled with saliva.

“I have to feel you again, Doll Face. I have to see what made Jake go so far from the plan.”

Again? What the hell is he talking about?

“We should leave. Please, before someone shows up. We’ll just go,” I begged, trying to prolong what was clearly an inevitable.

When Z set his gun down on the side table, I lurched up in a feeble attempt to get it.

His hand closed tightly around my throat. Using his hold, he pushed me down onto my pillow.

My stomach heaved as I tried to breathe around the pressure.

“We’ll leave when I’m done and my scent is on you. After it’s me you’re screaming for.” Getting up onto his knees, his hand pressed harder against my throat while he focused on undoing his pants.

As my head started pounding and my lungs burned from lack of air, I fought hard.

Not against Z, or what he was trying to do. His grip was too tight and his body pinned me in place.

I fought against instinct.

When the black around the edge of my vision started creeping in, I welcomed it. I knew what was going to happen, whether I was awake or not.

I chose not.

I heard a final muffled noise. Then blissful nothingness.

Jake

“I gotta grab my keys from the office,” I said to Rachel as she led me from Piper’s kitchen.

When we entered the room, the men were still in there.

Probably discussin’ the best way to handle me losin’ my damn mind.

At the sight of Rachel hangin’ on my arm, they looked ready to physically take me down.

“Brother, I know you’re hurting but are you out of your fuckin’ head?” Eli asked.

“Rachel, believe me, I mean all the offense in the world when I say this because I truly do think you’re a cock-juggling thundercunt,” Kase started before lookin’ at me. “Dude, if you’re wanting what Rachel’s gonna give you, you’d be better off dipping your dick in honey and sticking it down a fuckin’ fire ant hole. You’ll still get that burning sensation, but it’ll save you the embarrassing trip to the doctor for a large dose of penicillin.” He looked back at her. “Once again, Rachel, I mean that in just the absolute worst possible fuckin’ way.”

“Fuck you, Kase. You’re just jealous we never hooked up,” Rachel spat, movin’ closer to me.

“Damn, you’ve figured me out. I’m totally heartbroken.” Kase sighed dramatically. “My secret fetish has always been to fuck a chick with fake titties. Especially one whose snatch is probably so loose by now that it’d be like throwing a hot dog down a hallway.”

“Are you gonna let him say that shit?” Rachel asked me, crossin’ her arms under said fake tits.

“‘Course not. Kase, there’s nothin’ wrong with good fake tits.” I watched as she started to smile smugly at Kase. “That bein’ said, Rachel’s are seriously jacked up. But don’t lump all fake ones together. Plus, man, if you think I’m dippin’ my dick in anythin’ but Piper, you’re outta your mind. Rachel’s only here ‘cause my gut’s sayin’ Chloe and her are up to somethin’.”

“I don’t know shit,” Rachel denied, clearly lyin’ as she moved towards the door. Xavier and Eli were already positioned in front of it, no doubt to block me from leavin’ with her.

“I know you’re a bitch, but that doesn’t mean you’re not smart about this shit. No way would you go along with anythin’ unless you were sure you’d get somethin’ out of it. Edge and his woman already said you were spoutin’ shit about Chloe hookin’ you up with someone. What made you think she’d be able to pull off that miracle?”

“Even if I knew anything, why the fuck would I tell you?” Her lips curved up as she put her hands to her waist. “Especially after all this?”

“See? You just proved my point. You won’t do shit unless there’s somethin’ in it for you. And I’ve got somethin’ to offer you that I know you’ll want. But you have to tell me what Chloe’s plan is, and I mean every detail.”

Her eyes lit gleefully. She’d happily rat out her girl for whatever she could get. “What is it?”

“I won’t call the cops.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Why would I care? You can’t prove I know anything.”

“True,” I agreed. “However, you either took a fuckin’ bath in vodka or you’re drunk, ‘cause it’s honest to God burnin’ my eyes just breathin’ in. Plus, I’m doubtin’ that white powder under your nose is makeup. And, if you drove here on your bike, my security cameras recorded it.”

Rachel’s eyes went wide as she brought a hand up to rub at her nose. “I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you what I do. Just don’t call the cops, okay?”

I glanced at Key who already had his phone out.

He looked up and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

I nodded at Rachel.

“Promise. Before I say a word, swear it.”

“I promise no one will call the cops.”

She’d driven drunk and coked out in the middle of the afternoon. There was no way we’d turn a blind eye to that shit. While no one was callin’, I knew Key was textin’ Detective Oscar. I’d given everyone her number, just in case.

I tensed at the reminder of the detective and why everyone needed her contact information. “Fuck! Someone give me their fuckin’ keys.” I moved to my safe as Xavier tossed me the keys to his bike.

“What is it?” Kase asked, all humor gone from his face.

“I left Piper alone,” I pointed out. I heard the men curse but I turned back to Rachel. “What the fuck was Chloe up to?” Opening the safe, I pulled my gun out and checked it. Grabbing the shoulder harness, I slid it on and holstered the gun.

“Is that real?” she asked, a mix of fear and lust in her eyes.

“No, it’s a squirt gun.” I turned away and pulled on my leather jacket.

“Why do you have a gun?”

“I own a multimillion dollar custom garage near a major city. What part of this isn’t obvious? Talk.”

“Multimillion?” she breathed.

“Bitch, fuckin’ talk!”

Rachel jumped before she started talking so fast I was having trouble following. “Chloe said she was working with some dude that wanted your bitch. A lot. She didn’t tell me who, just that he was positive he’d get her. She made it seem like it was someone you were close with ‘cause he easily fucked with you all the time. That’s all I know, I swear.”

“Keep her here ‘til the cops pick her up,” I said as I opened the door.

“You said you wouldn’t call!” I heard Rachel screech just before it slammed closed behind me.

“He texted, you selfish…” Kase said, the rest of his words trailin’ off as I ran to Xavier’s bike.

*******

I fucked up. Shit, did I fuck up.

Weavin’ in and out of traffic, I went as fast as I could. I knew somethin’ was wrong. I felt it in my fuckin’ gut.

I’d fucked up.

Piper was right when she’d said I didn’t trust her. Now she could be in danger and it was my fault.

I was missin’ some link between today, the shit with Chloe, and Piper’s stalker. If Rachel was tellin’ the truth, that connection was someone we knew. My mind worked as I tried to figure out who’d do this.

Not just who would do it, but who could.

Sweet as she was, there was no way Piper would’ve stayed and let things between us continue because they’d spiraled. If she’d wanted out, she would’ve been gone. She definitely wouldn’t have said she loved me and agreed to marry me if she thought we were just havin’ fun.

Thinkin’ of Piper with anyone but me made my gut clench and temper rise. I breathed in deep and tried to think it through logically.

Even if she was endin’ things between us, there was no way Piper would go with James. Maybe she’d be into Gage or Jet, but definitely not Blake Green.

She didn’t even like his music.

But they were meetin’ often and with everythin’ Z told me…

No.

Not Z.

No way he’d do this to me. No fuckin’ way.

It’s gotta be someone else.

It’s gotta be.

Even as I tried to convince myself otherwise, the pieces fell into place like a fucked up puzzle.

The men liked their jobs and they worked hard. I never had to babysit any of them, but I knew where they were most of the time since we worked side by side.

Except Z.

He did the wiring in a different room at the shop. He’d had access to Piper’s phone and computer. More importantly, he’d know what to do with them.

I asked her fuckin’ stalker to protect her from himself.

I’d been grateful when Piper told me he’d gone into her house to check things out. I’d thought he was bein’ a good friend.

That was probably when he grabbed her fuckin’ panties.

At the reminder of the package he’d probably just fuckin’ set on my desk, I accelerated the bike faster.

Parkin’ a few houses down from Piper’s, I jogged the remainder of the way. I didn’t hear any noise as I climbed onto the porch. My heart halted in my chest as I eased the front door open to reveal a pool of blood soakin’ into Piper’s carpet.

Pushin’ it fully open, my breath hissed out when I saw James lyin’ in the blood, his eyes on me.

“Room. Gun. Cops coming quietly,” he rasped. He lifted the phone in his hand slightly but the effort to talk or move clearly pained him.

I jerked my chin up. Unholsterin’ my gun, I switched the safety off.

“Take care of her,” he forced out. His eyes closed as his head dropped back to the floor.

My heart was poundin’ in my throat as I moved slowly towards the bedroom. I pushed tight against the wall and heard the low rumble of Z’s voice from Piper’s room.

Gettin’ closer, I carefully inched the door open so I could peek in.

I’m gonna kill that fucker.

Raisin’ my gun, I steadied my aim. Z was so preoccupied that I could’ve walked right up to the bed.

One of his hands was around Piper’s throat while his other worked at his pants. His gun was set to the side, almost out of reach.

I squeezed off a round, the sound echoin’ in the small room. Blood spurted out as the bullet entered Z’s thigh, forcin’ him to roll to the side and fall off the bed.

Steppin’ to where he sat on the floor, I pressed my gun flush to his temple.

When Piper’s chest rose and fell steadily, I felt relief so strong it took everythin’ I had not to sink to my knees.

I looked down at Z, his blood oozin’ from his thigh all over Piper’s rug. I waited, expectin’ him to give some excuse or explanation. To at least say somethin’.

He didn’t even look at me.

His eyes stayed glued to Piper as he stared at her with guilt, longin’, and anger. He watched her as if he weren’t currently bleedin’ all over my woman’s floor. As if I didn’t have a gun pressed to his fuckin’ head.

I was vaguely aware of more noises fillin’ the house as I tried to remind myself that there was some downside to pullin’ the trigger and blowin’ his fuckin’ brains out.

I trusted him. I trusted him with my woman, with my business. I treated him like a brother. And this is what he does? He scared my woman. He watched her. He touched her. Every word from his fuckin’ mouth, voiced like a concern, like he had my fuckin’ back, was to take Piper away from me. To take my sweetness. He hurt her.

I didn’t protect her, and he hurt her.

“Piper needs you.”

Those words flipped a switch and broke me from my thoughts. I looked to the side and saw Detective Oscar standin’ close with her gun aimed at me. There was another cop next to her with his pointed at Z.

“Don’t do something you’ll regret, Jake. You can’t see Piper every day if you’re in jail,” she pointed out. “We’ve got this, okay?”

I looked down at Z again. Despite multiple guns pointin’ at him, he hadn’t moved. His eyes were still locked on Piper.

My Piper, pale and unconscious because he’d hurt her.

“Piper needs you” Detective Oscar repeated.

Droppin’ my arm, I handed my gun off to a startled cop.

Climbin’ into the bed, I pulled Piper carefully into my lap. I pressed my lips to her head, the smell of cake filling my nose.