by Jen Talty
“As I told your associates, I got an anonymous tip.”
“How’d you know where to find me?” Jaden used a PO Box for his mail, and only a handful of people had his personal cell phone number. Finding him would take some serious grunt work.
“Again, a tip.”
“Where did this tip come from?” Jaden asked.
“If I answer, will you let me go?” Toby asked with an arched brow.
“We’re not holding you hostage, but we will call the authorities if you don’t answer our questions. You were trespassing on private property. We have the right to detain you until they show up.”
“Wow. You’ve changed,” Toby said with a grin. “You used to be a bit sheepish.”
“Ten years in the military will do that to a man. Now answer my question.”
“Shortly after the shooting at Cowboy Cal’s residence, I got an email that said you had stormed in and taken Piper to Montana.”
“But Piper, not more than five hours after that incident, made a statement that she was checking herself into rehab. What did your source have to say about that?”
“I had actually ignored the first email. I didn’t even respond. I figured Piper had enough going on in her life, and I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if she came running to you.”
It had been Toby that helped destroy the story about Jaden having an inappropriate relationship with Piper. Toby had been instrumental in proving that the images that hit the tabloids had been doctored. As paparazzi went, Toby was a decent enough guy.
“So, what changed?” Jaden asked.
“I got a second email about Piper’s mother going missing and that they thought you might be behind that as well. I, again, ignored. She’s not a story I want to chase, and I didn’t think you’d have anything to do with it. Besides, I didn’t hear any buzz about any of it.” Toby’s face hardened. “It was the third email that got me on a plane to this frozen tundra.”
“And what was in that third email?”
“Images of you with Cal a few months ago. My source said he changed his will, leaving a large portion of CC Music to you, but that you had forced him to do so and then killed him and were planning on making sure you gained controlling interest,” Toby said.
“And what have you found out?” Jaden glanced at the screen on the digital camera. “What am I going to see when I look at the pictures you took?”
“Not much. Your cabin wasn’t easy to find and by the time I got there, you and Piper were headed out the door.”
Jaden wasn’t sure if he believed Toby or not, so he flicked on the camera and started scrolling, grateful that Toby had been telling the truth. “Did you tell anyone about this story? The cops?”
“I did some asking around, but I couldn’t find much information. Honestly, I didn’t believe half of it. You know how much I respected Cal and Piper. I always tried to do right by them, and you. I think I wanted to find anything but what the emails were saying, so I kept it mostly to myself.”
“Who’s your source?”
“I don’t know.” Toby raised his palms.
“What was the email address?”
“[email protected].”
“Fuck.” Jaden set the camera down. “We need to check all this equipment for tracking devices. Where’s your car?”
“I left it in town and rented a four-wheeler. Why? What’s going on?” Toby asked with wide eyes. “Who sent the emails?”
“I can’t get into this right now, but I don’t think you’re safe on your own. I’m going to put you in a safe place with one of our men at your guard.”
Toby stood. “Listen. If I’m in danger, I think I have a right to know what the hell is going on.”
“And Piper has a right to her privacy, but you photographers don’t always give it to her.” Jaden stood. While Toby’s job required him to snap unsolicited pictures of famous people, he wasn’t one of those that went to any length to get it, so why did he trespass on Hank’s property? “You’re not telling me something. What is it?”
“I’ve told you everything I know.” Toby’s left eye twitched.
Jaden stepped closer. “I can’t protect you, or Piper, if you’re leaving something important out.”
“I don’t know what this means.” Toby reached in his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. “After the second email, some of my checking was poking around Derek and Rebecca.” He handed the memory device to Jaden.
“What’s on this?”
“Pictures of Derek and Rebecca having coffee the day after Cal’s murder and the day before the funeral. I didn’t think much of it. It’s a small town, and she was married to Cal.”
“So, why didn’t you give this to me before?”
Toby snapped his mouth shut.
“I seriously need you to be honest with me. Piper’s life depends on it.”
“Because I’ve been seeing Rebecca romantically for the last few months.”
“What?” Jaden blinked. “You don’t act like you’re concerned about her disappearance.”
“Honestly, I am. That’s why I came here. I wanted to see if she was here, although it wouldn’t be the first time that woman took off without a word. Last time it was to get an eye lift. But this time, it felt different, and I’ve suspected she’s been cheating on me for a while. Although, I’m not sure she ever thought we were exclusive, but whatever.”
“You think Rebecca and Derek are having an affair?”
Toby let out a short breath. His jaw tightened. “I don’t know, but she’s been acting weird for weeks, and I just don’t want to be made a fool.”
Well, fuck. “That email addy that you just gave me. It belongs to Derek.”
“You’ve got to be joking.” Toby’s face flushed red.
“I wish I was.”
“Well, then you’re going to want to go to my car and get my computer. I’ve been following him for a couple of weeks. The pictures seem harmless to me, but maybe they will help you in finding Cal’s killer.”
“They are really cute.” Piper handed the photograph back to Amber.
“Thanks. I still can’t believe it sometimes, considering everything Shamus and I went through. When I left this town, I never thought I’d see him again, much less be married with twins.”
“Jaden tells me you were high school sweethearts.” Piper reached for her glass of water, trying to keep her fingers from shaking so badly, afraid she would drop it on the floor. Small talk hadn’t been her strong suit, especially with strangers. Having grown up on the road, and then in the studio, she had very few girlfriends. She’d been homeschooled or tutored her entire life. She never went to prom, homecoming, or graduation. Her social interactions happened on the tour bus, backstage, or at the local bar her father owned.
“We were. But life happened, and it wasn’t until I ended up in a strange plot to destroy Shamus that brought me home.” Amber’s smile filled the room. “It’s still a bit surreal, and I imagine that you might feel the same way about seeing Jaden?”
“Surreal might be an understatement. But he and I don’t have that kind of history. I might have known him most of my life, and worked with him for years, but we never dated.”
Amber leaned in, resting her hands on her lap. “It’s obvious Jaden has always cared about you. Anytime he talked about you, his eyes lit up like a blanket of stars in the dark sky. He once sang ‘Rough Around the Edges’ to the twins, telling them that the prettiest girl in the world wrote that song.”
“Now you’re just being kind, because no way would Jaden ever say something like that.”
“Oh, but he did, though he didn’t know I was watching. He even showed them a picture of you.”
Piper swallowed her breath, clearing her throat. “He’s always given me all the credit for his hit songs. I might have written them, but he had to make them hits.”
“He says the exact opposite,” Amber said, leaning back in the oversized leather chair. “So, how are you holding up?”
/> Piper didn’t know how to answer that question. She wasn’t dead, but everything about who she was seemed to have changed in less than an hour, and she still couldn’t shake that there was a slight possibility she wasn’t Cal’s daughter.
No. He was her father in every way that counted. That was more than her biological mother could say.
“I’m scared and confused, but that sounds like I’m spewing words, not actual emotions.”
“I remember when Shamus and I were hiding out. It became impossible to assign words to what I was feeling or even thinking. But the key is to keep an open mind to all the potential threats, whether you believe them or not.”
Piper squelched her desire to tell Amber not to push Jaden’s agenda. It was kind of Amber to come and sit with Piper while Jaden questioned whoever had been perched out on the mountain, spying on her, a concept she’d accepted. She’d learned to ignore the tabloids and their opinion of her choice in dress at the CMA awards, or her hair color, or even the shape of her nose. She rubbed her finger across the bridge.
Her father had a large nose with a similar shape, and she’d often been told the color of her eyes was more like her dad’s than her mom’s.
She had to be Cal’s daughter because if she wasn’t, her entire identity would change. She’d become the daughter of a crazy woman and a business manager that had shady practices. It wouldn’t only alter her future, but it would destroy her past.
“I think the hardest thing for me to deal with is who I can trust, because it seems everyone I’ve ever loved has lied to me.”
“Did Jaden keep something hidden from you?” Amber asked.
“He did so at my father’s request and while I want to hate Jaden for keeping the secret, I understand why he did. I would do the same thing if I were in his shoes. Same thing goes for my dad.”
“Then who is it you’ve trusted that you don’t think you should have?”
Piper appreciated Amber’s bluntness, and her husband put his life on the line for other people all the time. The least Piper could do was be honest.
“My ex-lover who also has worked for my dad since before I was born.”
“Do you want a glass of wine?”
Piper glanced at her watch.
“Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere.” Gracefully, Amber made her way across the living room to a small bar against the wall. She pulled open a mini fridge and poured two glasses of wine. “Shamus doesn’t tell me much about the cases he’s assigned to, or anyone else’s. I know what he does can be dangerous. But without men like him and Jaden, people like us, who find ourselves in trouble, would be dead.” She set a full pour in front of Piper. “We can talk, or we can drink, or we can do both. I’m being selfish because my in-laws have the kids right now, and I don’t get much girl time between work and being a mom. The choice is yours.”
Piper held her glass up. “I don’t know what girl time is, but I like this so far.” She took a large gulp. “I was only eighteen when Jaden left for the Army. He used to tell me how being a country singer was a stepping stone into making a decent life. One he could be proud of.” It wasn’t that he didn’t value his country career, or what her father had offered. But Jaden needed to be true to himself.
Just like she had to be when she gave up being a singer for songwriting.
“You were in love with him back then, weren’t you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. But he needed to leave and as he pointed out this morning, I wouldn’t have left with him.”
“Shamus and I loved each other in high school, but it wasn’t our time. We needed some space to find out who we were as adults. While I made some mistakes, and so did Shamus, I don’t regret spending some time apart. It makes this life that much sweeter.”
“I didn’t have anything other than friendship with Jaden. I mean, I threw myself at him, offering up my virginity, but he passed, then left and for years, I never heard from him. Now, he tells me that he might have had feelings, but couldn’t act on them. But he did in one hot make-out session. Sadly, he got cold feet.”
“I can actually understand where Jaden is coming from, but for different reasons.”
“I know why he didn’t act on any attraction to me. But what I don’t understand is if he has felt something for me for the last ten years, then why didn’t he reach out?”
“Because he hadn’t found himself. Nor had he accepted that no matter how much space he put between the two of you, he couldn’t forget you. I know this because it was me. I’m the one who ran out on Shamus. I’m the one who gave up on the idea of us. Not him.”
“There was never an us and now that he knows I had a short-lived affair with Derek, who could be behind all this, he’ll never forgive, much less forget.”
“You don’t know that,” Amber said with her sweet, positive voice. She reminded Piper of her step-mother, Regina. Always finding the brighter side of things. “But the real question is: what do you want when it comes to Jaden?” Amber asked.
“I don’t have an honest answer for that. Right now, all I want is to avenge my father’s death. After that, I don’t know what the future holds.”
“But you see it could include Jaden?”
If Piper were completely honest with herself, her life, in her mind, always included Jaden in some capacity. Only, she never let herself see that future with a romantic element.
Until today.
Chapter 7
Jaden leaned against the wall with a laptop tucked under his arm just outside the room where Piper and Amber had been chatting for the last couple of hours while he dealt with the intruder. He’d thought about going through the information on the flash drive and computer alone, but he knew Amber had only a short period of time before she needed to tend to her children.
But it had more to do with keeping his promise to Piper.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he stepped into the living room.
Piper snapped her attention in his direction with a gasp as she nearly spilled her wine on her lap. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Me too.” Amber stood, setting an empty glass on the coffee table. “I should head back. My in-laws can only handle the twins for so long.” She stepped around Jaden and gave Piper a hug. “I hope to see you again real soon.”
“I’d like that. Thanks for sitting with me,” Piper said.
Jaden’s heart tightened as he stared at Piper, ignoring Amber’s knowing smile as she glided across the floor and disappeared into the hallway. Lusting for Piper he understood. Caring for her made sense. He’d always felt protective, and there hadn’t been a time when he lived in Nashville that he hadn’t considered her a dear friend until the one night she practically begged him to sleep with her, telling him how much she desired to be with him.
Ten years later, longing to find out what might have been—what could be—filled his soul like the adrenaline that took over during a dangerous mission. Only this sensation hadn’t left him. It might have been shoved so deep that he could deny his affection because all he had were a few pictures and memories of Piper.
Now she was standing before him, flesh and blood, and he couldn’t lie to himself anymore.
“Who was out there? Was it the shooter?” Piper inched closer, her arms folded across her middle, hugging herself. The fear that filled her dark eyes twisted his gut into a tight knot.
“It was Toby Gretchen.”
“The photographer?” She tilted her head. “How did he know where I was?”
“Let’s sit down.” He guided her to the sofa, setting the laptop on the table.
“You’re going to tell me it was Derek. That he tipped him off, aren’t you?”
“He got an anonymous tip from the same email that Derek used to contact me, only he told Toby that I was holding you against your will.”
She shook her head. “If he got pictures of us this morning, he would have figured out I was here on my own accord.”
“Thankfully, he didn’t c
apture that on film, but he does have some other interesting images and information.” He flipped open the laptop and first clicked on the images of her mom and Derek. “Take a look.” He set the computer on Piper’s lap and decided a drink might do him some good. He wasn’t a big wine drinker, but since a bottle had been opened, he helped himself.
As he sipped, he watched her click through the images. There weren’t that many, so he figured she examined every detail, but the silence was killing him. “Did Derek and your mom often meet?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Piper said softly. “These are recent. Derek did mention he tried to talk her into coming to the funeral, but he never said he did it in person.”
“Toby has more pictures. I haven’t looked at them yet. Thought we could do that together.”
“What kind of pictures?” She lifted her gaze, her thick lashes fluttering like a butterfly over her whiskey eyes.
He made his way back to the sofa, sitting so close their legs touched. “Turns out, Toby and your mother had an on-again, off-again relationship.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I know. Weird. But he’d become suspicious she’d been seeing someone else, so he started following her and Derek, so he could confront Rebecca and be done with her. He said the pictures appear harmless, but maybe they might mean something to us.” He reached across her and tapped a few keys, opening the file marked Rebecca.
“Shit, there are five hundred pictures. God, I hope there aren’t any naked ones of my mother,” she said.
“I remember when she tried to get Playboy to feature her. She went so far as to do a nude photo shoot and send them to the editor.” Jaden wished he’d never clicked that link on the internet. Those were images he could never unsee, and he sure as hell wished he could.
“That’s up there with one of the most embarrassing moments in my life,” Piper said. She clicked the arrow, moving through the images slowly. Pictures of Derek getting coffee. Walking across the street. Hanging out with friends at a bar. Sitting in the park with some man. “Go back to that one and zoom in.” He squinted but had no idea who the man was. “Okay, go through that series.”