My laughter was loud and long. Phrases like that proved Austin wasn’t romantic. It was a good thing I’d grown out of that phase.
Chapter 54
Piper
Austin clearly didn’t believe I was over romance. Since he would be out of town for Valentine’s Day, he’d been trying to romance me each day until he left for Seattle. It started with a dozen red roses delivered to me at work. I’d rolled my eyes and done my best to pretend I didn’t like them, but it’s hard to not appreciate getting flowers sent to you. I’d figured that was it, but it had just been the beginning. He’d sent jewelry, a teddy bear, and even convinced Xander to deliver a singing telegram to me. I’d grumbled and accused Austin of acting like a fool, but it was really awesome. I still wasn’t ready to admit I was the romantic type, but I loved the attention.
With Austin leaving the next day, he’d planned a special night for us. There are benefits to dating a rich guy. Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can rent out an entire restaurant overlooking San Francisco for a date night.
“I can’t believe you did this.” I looked around as I finished off the last of my triple chocolate cheesecake.
“Why not?” he asked. “You deserve to be wined and dined.”
“You could have done that without reserving the entire restaurant,” I reminded him.
“I could have, but it wouldn’t have had the same wow factor,” he explained.
I laughed at his response. “Wow factor? That sounds like something Harley would say.”
Austin flashed me a sheepish smile. “I may have gotten a little advice on how to romance you.”
“You are really sweet,” I told him.
“Because I don’t know how to be romantic and needed help from my bandmate to plan this date?” he asked.
“Because you care enough about making me feel special that you were willing to go to Harley for advice,” I explained.
“You should know by now that I’d do anything to see you smile,” he murmured.
My knee-jerk reaction was to laugh off his sappy words, but they were sweet. I also suspected there was a lot of truth to his words. “What are you doing to me?”
“Making you fall in love with me again,” he replied with a hopeful expression.
“I already love you, Austin. You must know that.”
“I do, but I’m a greedy man who wants more,” he confessed. “I want you so in love with me that you’ll forgive me whenever I do something stupid.”
With a raised eyebrow, I asked, “Are you planning to do a lot of stupid things?”
“Given my history, it would be foolish to believe I won’t,” he admitted.
“I never would have guessed I’d end up in this situation,” I mused.
“I didn’t expect to end up like this either, but I should have. All these years, I figured I was avoiding relationships because of my guilt over hurting you. There was also a part of me that never got over you. When I called you a child and sent you away, it was because I thought it was wrong to want you.”
“You did the right thing when you rejected me the first time,” I admitted. “We wouldn’t have lasted, even if you hadn’t pushed me away.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” he replied thoughtfully. “It would have been harder back then, but we were always meant to be together. We’re soulmates.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“Too sappy?” he asked.
“Definitely too sappy. Did you really rent a hotel room here?”
“I didn’t want to wait to get you home,” he replied.
“Why don’t you show me the room?” I suggested.
“Absolutely,” he said with a grin.
Chapter 55
Austin
The nice thing about traveling by tour bus was that I could nap. After my early Valentine’s Day date with Piper the night before, I definitely needed to catch up on my sleep. Luckily, she had the day off. Neither of us had gotten much sleep. I’d just dozed off when Harley clapped her hands loudly near my face.
“Go away,” I grumbled.
“Not until you tell me about your date last night,” she insisted.
“I’m dying to hear about that, too,” Xander added as he sat beside Harley on the sofa closest to the one I was sleeping on.
“Should we all paint each other’s nails first?” I asked in a dry tone.
“Don’t be such an asshole,” Harley told me.
“You know he can’t help it,” Xander added.
“Is Austin going to tell us about his date with Piper?” Bentley asked as she joined the group, dragging Gage along behind her.
“Austin is going to take a nap,” I grumbled.
“Has anyone else ever noticed how Austin refers to himself in the third person when he’s tired?” Gage asked.
“He does,” Harley agreed.
“I do not,” I argued.
My friends naturally ignored me.
“Do you think it’s because he’s a bigger asshole when he’s tired?” Xander asked thoughtfully. “Or does he have multiple personalities when he’s tired?”
“Why does it have to be an either-or situation?” Harley asked. “It’s possible he’s a bigger asshole with multiple personalities when he’s tired.”
“Good point,” Xander agreed thoughtfully.
With a frustrated sigh, I asked, “If I tell you about my date, will you let me get some sleep?”
“Of course,” Harley agreed with a grin. “Did my plan for the ultimate romantic night out pay off?”
“Based on how tired he is, I’d say it paid off,” Xander answered for me.
“Piper liked it,” I assured them.
“Did she admit to liking it?” Bentley asked. “Piper isn’t big on romance.”
“She used to be,” I muttered. “I’m the one who screwed that up. Piper enjoyed the evening, so did I. I’m surprised you didn’t ask her about our date.”
“I did,” Bentley admitted. “Piper said she was exhausted and promised to call me later.”
“I figured you were right here, so why not wake you up,” Harley added.
“Lucky me,” I grumbled, but I didn’t mind. Knowing my friends cared so much about my relationship made me feel good.
“You’re lucky,” Xander added. “It must be nice to have someone love you like Piper does.”
“It is,” I agreed. “I’m not going to lose her.”
Chapter 56
Piper
I was in the office with Mercy, finishing up the closing paperwork after a very successful Valentine’s Day at Euphoria.
“These cookies are amazing!” I praised as I took another one from the plate. This was Mercy’s treat for me. She was a great boss.
“Thank you,” Mercy replied with a grin. “My original dream was to open a small café. Nothing fancy. I just planned to serve sandwiches and baked goods. I love baking.”
“What happened to that dream?” I asked.
Mercy shrugged. “The opportunity to buy The Frisky Beaver came up, and I jumped on it.”
“Do you think you’ll ever open your café?” Mercy worked too many hours already, so she would definitely need to give up one or both of her other businesses to accomplish that.
“I don’t know,” Mercy replied with a shrug. “I hadn’t thought about it for quite some time, but then we got an offer to sell The Frisky Beaver.”
“You did?” I asked.
Mercy nodded. “My business partner wants to take it. The offer is really good.”
“How is it that your partner is hardly ever at The Frisky Beaver?” I asked. “I was shocked when you told me she was working tonight.”
“She’s there more than you think. You don’t go over there often,” Mercy pointed out. “Shelly’s been more behind the scenes in the last year. I’m not surprised she wants out. I expected her to ask me to buy her out months ago. She wants kids with her new husband, and she doesn’t want to tell them she owns a strip club.”<
br />
“Club management of any kind isn’t good when you have kids,” I remarked. “The long hours and unpredictable schedules are hard enough without adding kids to the picture.”
“Very true,” Mercy agreed. “I considered getting a cat, but I’m not even home enough to keep my plants alive.”
“This offer on your other club could be a good thing,” I told her. “You’re always working. I have no idea how you do it.”
“You do a good job of keeping Euphoria running so I only need to be over here part of the time. Besides, what am I going to do if I don’t work all the time?”
“Date,” I suggested. “Get some hobbies. Spend more time baking cookies for me.”
Mercy grinned at my last suggestion. “I’ll bake cookies to keep you happy. We should probably head out. I’m surprised Jeff hasn’t come back to see how much longer we’ll be. He hasn’t complained, but I’m sure his wife didn’t like him working late on Valentine’s Day.”
Jeff was the bouncer assigned to stay at the club until we were ready to leave. About fifteen minutes earlier, he’d come back to the office to let us know he was walking the other closers out to their cars. I suspected he’d be pushing to leave soon.
I grabbed my purse and turned off the lights in the office before heading out to the main club area. When I walked into the room, I froze. Jeff was lying unconscious on the floor, bleeding from a head wound. There were also two masked men with guns.
“I told you at least one of these bitches would be back there,” one of the guys said with a sneer. His voice was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
The other guy laughed before saying, “You were right. This is a good fucking night.”
The Project had been robbed at gunpoint when I worked there, but I’d been off that night. While I’d had training to handle this type of situation, I still stood there, frozen with fear. Men were pointing guns at us, and I was terrified.
“I assume you’d like us to open the safe.” Mercy’s voice was calm as she took charge of the situation. She had to be afraid, too, but she wasn’t showing it.
“We’ll get to that,” the first guy who’d spoken said as he moved closer to us. “First, let’s have a little fun.”
When he was standing directly in front of me, he brought the gun close to my head and leaned in until his face was close to mine. I nearly gagged from the smell of stale beer and cigarettes on his breath. “You want to party with us, don’t you, Piper?”
Before I could answer, his friend laughed again. “That bitch thinks she’s too good for you. I’ll bet you’d get frost bite from her frigid cunt.”
“He’s right, isn’t he?” the guy in my face growled. “You think you’re too good for me, don’t you?”
I still couldn’t place his voice, but he knew me.
“Why don’t you let me open the safe so you can be on your way?” Mercy suggested.
I could practically feel the rage pouring off the guy in front of me. He stalked toward Mercy.
“You think you’re in charge here, slut?” he demanded before backhanding her. When Mercy stumbled back, he pointed the gun at her. “I’ve got a better idea than us taking the money and running. Why don’t you open the safe, and then you can strip for us like the whore you are?”
“Please,” I begged. “Don’t do this.”
His attention shifted to me. “Oh, I like that. You aren’t so high and mighty now, are you?”
Mercy moved to my side, slipping an arm around my waist. “The longer you stay here, the more likely it is you’ll get caught. Let me get you the money so you can go.”
His friend practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of a siren in the distance. “Let’s take the money and go,” he urged. “I don’t want to go to prison again. We came for the money.”
The guy pointing the gun at me and Mercy snapped, “Fuck that! These bitches owe me more than what’s in that safe.”
That’s when I figured out who he was. While I didn’t have much experience with robberies, I was certain these guys weren’t experienced thieves. For all his bravado, Seth looked as nervous as his friend. He took several deep breaths. His eyes locked on me when he told his friend, “Go back to the office with the blonde bitch and empty the safe. If she does anything stupid, shoot her. I’ll wait out here with Piper.”
Mercy looked like she was going to argue about leaving me with Seth when he added, “If you aren’t back in five minutes with the money, I’m going to shoot this bitch.”
Mercy nodded, and Seth’s friend led her from the room.
“Five minutes should give me time to have a little fun with you,” Seth snarled as he tucked his gun in the back of his jeans and backhanded me. The force of the blow knocked me back, and I cried out. I didn’t fall with that first hit, but the second sent me to the ground.
Five minutes seemed like an eternity as Seth taunted and kicked me while I lay curled in a ball on the floor. I felt weak and afraid. I didn’t even hear Mercy enter the room, and I had no idea how she managed to get behind Seth and grab his gun. It was enough for Seth to stop kicking me and turn, ready to raise his hands in surrender.
The next thing I heard was the deafening boom of a gunshot.
Chapter 57
Austin
I felt a twinge of jealousy as I watched Gage and Bentley cuddling on the sofa across from me. I wanted that, and I was pretty sure that, even if she hadn’t needed to work, Piper wouldn’t have come to Seattle for the benefit show with us.
“What’s bothering you?” Xander asked. “As if we don’t already know.”
“I’m just tired,” I replied with a shrug.
“Bullshit!” was Gage’s response.
“You miss Piper,” Xander added around a yawn.
“I think it’s sweet that the two of you are working things out after all these years,” Bentley remarked with a wistful smile. “It must have been hard being away from Piper on your first Valentine’s Day as a couple.”
I shrugged, not interested in discussing my sudden desire to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Bentley’s phone buzzed, and she pulled it out. Her face paled when she looked at the screen. “It’s my mom’s number. I’ll be right back.” She quickly stood and moved to the back of the bus to take the call. Gage was right behind her. It was obvious she was nervous. I understood. A call from a parent at this hour was rarely a good thing.
We all waited in silence until Gage finally came back out. “There was a robbery at Euphoria tonight.” His eyes locked with mine. If Bentley’s mom was calling, something had happened to Mercy. Still, my mind was focused on Piper. She’d been working with Mercy.
Xander put a hand on my shoulder.
“What happened?” I asked, having to force the words past my lips.
“Mercy was shot,” Gage replied.
“Shit,” I muttered. We were a couple hours away. I could only imagine how upset Bentley was. At the same time, I was glad Piper was safe. “I should call Piper.”
“Not yet,” Gage told me. “Bentley’s mom said Piper is at the hospital, too. I don’t have any details. Bentley’s mom was too upset to tell us everything.”
“She’s fine,” I said, mostly because I needed to hear the words. She had to be fine.
Chapter 58
Piper
I hadn’t looked in the mirror yet. There was one in the bathroom, but I’d carefully avoided looking at it. The police had photographed my bruises, and a nurse had catalogued them out loud as she’d gone over my chart. She had definitely been my least favorite nurse. I didn’t want to think about the bruises or how I’d gotten them.
Four hours after being admitted, I still didn’t have any details about Mercy. I should have kept her phone so I could call her mom. My own phone wasn’t in my purse, so it must have fallen out at Euphoria.
Delaney peeked her head around the curtain in my room. “Hey,” she greeted me in a soft voice.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
<
br /> “She’s out of surgery,” Delaney replied in a tired voice. “The surgeon that came out to talk to us said she should fully recover, but it will take some time. She’ll have to take it easy.”
That earned a weak laugh from me. “I wonder how they’ll make that happen.”
Delaney forced a smile. “It will be a challenge. I wanted to update you on Mercy and check on you before I head home. How are you doing? Can I get you anything?”
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “Sore, but I wasn’t shot. I can’t believe they haven’t released me yet.”
“Better safe than sorry,” she said nervously.
“I look horrible, right?” I asked. She was doing her best to avoid looking at me.
“No, but I hate that someone hurt you.” She rushed to the side of my bed to hug me with tears in her eyes. “Sorry. I came over here to try to make you feel better, not to cry all over you.”
“It’s okay.” I was fighting back my own tears. “You’re worried about Mercy. That makes sense.”
“And you,” she added. “Last year, one of my husband’s exes came after me with a baseball bat. It’s different from what happened to you, but I still felt helpless after it happened. I hate that you’re going through all this. I want to help, but I’m not sure what to do.”
That’s when I finally lost the last of my composure and cried.
Chapter 59
Austin
I’d never had a longer bus ride. At least, it seemed longer than any I’d ever been on. Piper wasn’t answering her phone. Each call went straight to voicemail. I kept reminding myself that her phone could be out of charge. She also might not have it with her.
Delaney had given Bentley some details on Piper to pass on to me. She was going to be fine, but she was still at the hospital. I felt helpless being so far from Piper when she needed me.
The tour bus let me, Gage, and Bentley off at the hospital. We’d all insisted Xander head home.
“It’s going to be okay,” Gage assured Bentley.
I really hoped he was right.
Rock & Regrets (Reckless Release Book 2) Page 15