CHAPTER FOUR
“What aren’t you telling me, Ms. Reece?” Kevin Ralston asked. Anger simmered in the Cherry Hill detective’s eyes. “I’ll charge you with obstruction of justice if I find out you withheld pertinent case information.”
“I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” Piper’s patience ran thin. Her face hurt, Liam was still being detained, and Piper wanted out of this hospital.
“But you suspect something else. I need every bit of information I can get.”
“Why?” She refused to apologize for her cross tone. “The kidnappers are dead. I’m safe.” Except Liam wasn’t convinced that was true. Remembering his concern made goosebumps surge up her spine.
The man wasn’t one to overreact to anything. After hearing his comment to the county cop, Piper understood why nothing rattled Liam. Snipers had legendary icy control in order to do their jobs under extreme conditions.
Although excellent at his job, Liam’s feelings ran deep beneath the surface. But Piper had caught a tantalizing glimpse of them on the roadside tonight. For an instant, his control slipped as he held her in his arms. One revealing statement. I’ve got you. A possessive tone, the relief, the almost desperate hold all added up to a man more emotionally invested in their relationship than he’d let on. The little sneak. She wished he’d let on that he felt more than mere friendship. Would have saved her several sleepless nights.
“I have loose ends to tie up,” Ralston insisted. “I need to be sure your boyfriend wasn’t behind the kidnapping attempt.”
Piper froze. Did the detective know about Gavin? No way. She hadn’t seen Gavin in years. Why had he called her? That question plagued her during the abduction, rescue, and subsequent medical care. She and Gavin hadn’t parted on amicable terms. Why turn to her now?
Matt stirred. He’d remained quiet during the police questioning. “You’re accusing Liam of setting up Piper’s kidnapping?”
Piper stared at the small-town cop.
“He has the skills to pull it off.” Ralston glared at Matt.
“Why would he do that? He and Piper have been dating for months.”
A shrug. “Impress the girl.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “He already impresses me by being who he is. He doesn’t need to set up a fake abduction and ride to the rescue. Liam has been out of town. How would he have arranged a kidnapping when he didn’t know the day or time of his return to the area?”
“Men have egos. Maybe he felt the need to prove himself.”
“No.” Matt’s eyes were filled with anger. “He didn’t need to do that. Piper knows what he does for a living. Those men used weapons. One of them hit Piper. Liam would never endanger someone he cares about. We have lethal skills, Ralston. We’re trained by the best military and black ops people in the business. We’re not teenagers out to impress a gullible woman. We don’t play games with people’s lives.”
“How well do you know McCoy, Rainer?”
“I’ve spent five years in the trenches with him. You get to know the people at your back in a firefight. I trust him with my life and have on more than one occasion.”
“A lot of loyalty is built in foxholes,” Ralston said. “That doesn’t mean he’s the man you think he is in a more personal arena.” He turned his attention back to Piper. “How well do you know McCoy?”
“Liam isn’t behind the kidnapping. I trust him.”
“He used lethal force on the highway, shooting a man pressed against your back. The man you trusted with your life could have had faulty aim and shot you instead of the alleged kidnapper.”
Matt shook his head. “Liam doesn’t miss his shots. He wouldn’t have pulled the trigger unless he knew he could make it.”
Fury flared inside Piper. “He did what was necessary to save my life.”
A snort. “You don’t know that. McCoy is a killer for hire, Ms. Reece. I hope you wise up before you end up dead.” Ralston reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. He pressed it into her hand. “Call me if you think of anything else or if you need help.” His intense stare left Piper in no doubt as to what kind of help he expected her to need.
The detective paused with his hand on the door knob and glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t wait too late, Ms. Reece. I’d hate to investigate your murder.” With those parting words, he left.
Piper sank further into the pillow, suddenly exhausted. Man, all she wanted to do was sleep. If Liam was in this hospital room, she would probably take a nap.
A moment later, Simon peered inside. “Nick Santana is here.”
Matt turned to Piper. “You ready for another round of interrogations?”
“Interviews,” came the correction in a familiar voice accented by the detective’s Hispanic heritage. “I leave interrogations for the criminals.” The dark-haired detective eased into the room behind Simon and walked to the bedside. “How are you feeling, Piper?”
She smiled. “Not bad considering I was kidnapped, tossed into a van, and ended up in an accident within one hour’s time.”
Nick moved a chair close and sat. “I know you talked to Detective Ralston. Go through the same information. Don’t leave anything out, even something minor. If you need a break, tell me and we’ll talk about my beautiful nieces and nephew or my drop-dead-gorgeous wife for a few minutes.”
His brown eyes were kind as he took in her appearance. She had no idea what she looked like in the aftermath of the past few hours, but she wasn’t at her best.
How much should she tell him? Piper trusted Nick and Josh Cahill but she’d promised Gavin to keep silent. He’d stressed that no one could know where he was.
Gavin might not be involved in what happened. Knowing the type of work he did, her kidnapping could be connected to Liam’s job.
She froze. If her kidnapping was related to his work, Liam was in danger. Did he know or suspect the root cause of his troubles might lie in his background instead of hers?
“Piper?” Matt touched her hand. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry. I zoned out for a minute.”
He didn’t look convinced. A lame excuse and Matt knew her well enough to recognize she wasn’t telling him everything. The medic was observant.
Piper turned her attention to Nick and walked him through the events. “Matt and Simon brought me here to see Dr. Anderson.” She wrinkled her nose. “The doctor admitted me for observation.”
“You should be released tomorrow morning,” Matt said.
“Why were you closing the shop early?” Nick’s pen hovered over his notepad.
Piper’s heart sank. She was a terrible liar. The other policemen hadn’t asked her that question because they didn’t know the shop’s hours. Nick did.
“Who are you protecting?” Nick asked, his voice soft.
Matt stiffened. “You’re protecting someone?”
“A former friend.” Piper focused on the detective as her cheeks heated.
“Name?”
“Gavin James.”
“Was he involved in your kidnapping?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him in three years, but he called me a little after five tonight, begging me to meet him. Nick, I have to get out of here. Please talk to Dr. Anderson and convince him to let me leave.”
“In my line of work, we don’t believe in coincidence. Gavin called you for the first time in three years, then two men kidnapped you, demanding that you give them information or they would hurt your boyfriend. Obviously, they didn’t have Liam. Who is Gavin James to you?”
Piper felt Matt’s gaze on her, but she hadn’t acted without honor. “I told you the truth. We used to be friends.”
The detective raised an eyebrow and waited.
“We used to be more than friends,” she finally admitted. “We dated for a year, but I haven’t seen him.”
“What did he want?”
“For me to meet him. He sounded scared and made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone. I broke my word to him.”
He shrugged, not looking the least apologetic. “No secrets in a police investigation. You parted ways amicably?”
Piper flinched. “Not exactly. I found out he was having an affair with my best friend. I confronted him in a restaurant.” Her cheeks heated at the memory. “Not my finest moment.”
“Did he want to continue your relationship?”
She nodded. “Gavin said he made a mistake and begged me to take him back.”
“Did you?”
“No. I couldn’t trust him after that. If he slept with another woman while we were dating, what would stop him from continuing that behavior? I told him to take a hike. I deserved better treatment from a man who was supposed to be on his best behavior while trying to win my heart.”
“How did he take the news?”
“Not well. He yelled at me and said that if I gave him what he wanted, he wouldn’t have to find another woman to take care of his needs.”
Matt stared. “Let me get this straight. Gavin was angry because you wouldn’t sleep with him?”
She nodded. “You know what’s worse? He was enjoying a late, intimate dinner with yet another woman in a secluded corner of a restaurant I’d been wanting to go to for months. She had no idea Gavin was dating me and my best friend.”
Nick’s eyebrows rose. “How do you know?”
“Anita came to see me at work the next day. She convinced me to go to lunch and we talked. Anita thought she was the only woman in Gavin’s life. Anyway, Gavin tried for months to get me to take him back. He finally must have gotten the message because I didn’t hear from him again until tonight.”
“After what he did to you, you were going to meet him anyway?” Matt asked.
“He was terrified. Gavin wouldn’t tell me much, but I know his voice when he’s afraid. I heard that exact tone a handful of times when he encountered a spider. Eight-legged creatures are his kryptonite. I need to get out of here. Please, Matt. Help me.”
The medic scowled. “First, Liam would have my hide if I convinced Dr. Anderson to spring you before he thought you were ready. Second, I have no intention of being in my friend’s crosshairs for letting you waltz into a meeting with the man who may be responsible for your kidnapping.”
“It’s not Gavin. He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Yeah? Bet you said the same thing before you found out old Gavin was cheating on you.”
Hurt and anger spiraled through Piper. He was right. Didn’t mean she liked having the truth thrown in her face.
“Stay in the hospital until Dr. Anderson says you’re ready to leave,” Nick said. “Where and when were you supposed to meet your ex-boyfriend?”
“At Wilmington Resort off Highway 18 outside of town. He rented a small cabin.” She gave the detective the necessary information. “Did someone find my purse?”
“Delilah has it.” Matt patted her forearm. “She’ll bring it to you tomorrow along with a change of clothes.”
“Thanks.” She looked at Nick. “What are you going to do?”
“Have a chat with your friend.”
“Hurry, Nick. Gavin said it wasn’t safe for him to stay in one place for long. He might have been spooked when I didn’t show up.”
Nick stood. “I’ll let you know if I find him. I’ll be in touch soon. In the meantime, when you leave the hospital, drop by the station and sign your statement.”
He handed his business card to Piper. “If you need me, call.” His lips curved. “I think you’ll have plenty of people looking out for your safety. Just the same, I want to know when something else happens.”
Piper’s breath caught. When something else happened, not if. Liam wasn’t the only one who thought the danger wasn’t over.