“If it makes you feel better,” Tank laughed. “I was surprised, too.”
“Um, no actually it doesn’t,” Piper shook her head. “I’ve known that woman for… ten years. And I never knew.”
“It’s okay,” Sapphire replied, still laughing. “A lot of people were shocked when they saw Magnus walking out of her bedroom the first time.”
“Fucking hell,” Piper muttered.
Ring… Ring… Ring…
Piper grabbed her phone from her pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Looking around the room, she put up a finger to everyone – instantly quieting the room.
“Hey, Chris,” Piper said walking over to the window. “What’s up?”
“What’s up?” Sable screeched. “Are you serious?”
“Um, no?” Piper had no idea why her sister was so upset.
“I came into the office this morning, and do you know the first thing I was hit with?” Sable demanded. “Do you?”
“No.”
“Everyone asking if my sister was okay!”
Shit!
Piper never even thought to call Sable. With her sister being a high-level attorney, she should have known that word would get back to her. When someone attempted to kill a cop, news traveled fast.
“Shit,” Piper said out loud. “I am so sorry. With everything that happened, I completely forgot to call you.”
“Forgot?” Sable’s voice went dead. Piper knew she had said the wrong thing.
“Chris,” Piper started to apologize, but was interrupted.
“No, it’s okay,” Sable said. “I get it.”
Piper could clearly hear the hurt in Sable’s voice. She should have called her. Piper was the only one Sable maintained contact with; the two of them had always been close. Sable should have been her first call. And now, Piper felt horrible because she had forgotten her.
What kind of sister am I?
“Anyway,” Sable said. “I will let you go. I’m glad you’re okay. Please tell Sapphire and Scarlet hello for me and I hope they too are well.”
“Sable?” Piper said, but there wasn’t a reply. Sable had hung up.
“Fuck!” Piper hung her head after sliding her phone back into her pocket.
“What was that all about?” Sapphire asked.
“I forgot to call Sable and tell her about what happened.”
“And?”
“And, she is upset and hurt,” Piper replied like the answer was obvious.
“She’ll get over it,” Sapphire rolled her eyes.
Something about Sapphire’s attitude toward Sable rubbed Piper the wrong way. She understood that Sable had crossed a line and hurt Sapphire. She truly did, but at the same time, she knew the dark place Sable was in. Piper was the only one who knew the truth. That bothered her.
“Listen,” Piper began. “I understand you are still pissed off at her but move on. You have your man, your life, your family, and your happiness. Sable had all of that ripped away from her. All of that pulled out of her grasp and her world shattered into a million pieces. And if you were half the sister you thought you were, you’d already know that instead of looking at me like a deer in the headlights.”
Piper was hot. Her temper was flying in all directions. This was her family damn it! What the hell was wrong with these people? She knew her mother would be so disappointed by the way things had turned out.
“What are you talking about?” Sapphire demanded, standing behind her desk. “What the fuck happened? And where the hell did all that anger come from?”
“It’s Sable’s story to tell,” Piper replied. “As far as my anger, that I can explain. Look at us? Four sisters that barely speak to each other unless something is wrong. And you and Sable. That is totally unacceptable.”
“She…” Sapphire started to reply, but Piper put up a hand.
“No,” Piper said. “I don’t want to hear any childish ‘she started it’ bullshit. You both are grown ass women. She needed us, and we all failed her. We all hurt her. That’s on us, not Sable.” Piper made it a point to make eye contact with both of her sisters.
“I didn’t know,” Scarlet mumbled.
“How are we to know when something is wrong, if she didn’t say something,” Sapphire defended.
“Really?” Piper asked, annoyed. “We are fucking sisters, for Christ’s sake. We can always tell when something is wrong with each other!” Piper’s voice raised.
“Whoa,” Raven said closing the door. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
“Nothing,” Piper replied, shaking her head. “I need some air. And to figure out how to fix this shit with Sable.”
Walking past the guys, Piper opened the door. Taking a deep breath, she walked out closing it behind her. Looking forward, she steadily made her way down the hall and through the living room without incident. Stepping outside, she took another deep breath and let the air steady her.
How could they have been so blind?
Piper still didn’t understand. How could they look at Sable and not know that something was wrong? That something was off? That they were slowly losing her? That she was closing in on herself?
How the fuck could they NOT know? Piper wanted to scream.
“Babe?” Piper turned to see Aidan walking towards her.
“What?” she replied. She was suddenly pissed off at him too.
“You okay?” he asked hesitantly.
“Okay?” Piper repeated. “No. I am not okay. I have sisters that are so wrapped up in the own selves that they totally disregarded when one of us needed the others and a boyfriend who decided it was completely okay to hide half of his life from me and who the fuck he really is. So, no. I am definitely not okay.”
“Piper,” Aidan began.
“No,” she interrupted. “There is no excuse, Aidan. I have been making a fool out of myself for days. Here I was thinking I needed to protect you and what? You were just having a big ol’ laugh, at my expense?”
The more she talked, the madder she got. How dare he keep something like that from her? She could have been spending her time worrying about real shit, instead of concerning herself with his welfare.
Since he can obviously take care of himself. Mr. Spy man.
“Piper.” There was a warning tone in Aidan’s voice. “Stop it.”
“Stop?” Piper asked. “Okay. Consider it all stopped.” Piper walked off and left Aidan standing there, dumbfounded.
Fuck him and his halfass truths.
I don’t need that shit!
Piper kept walking. She needed to get away from everyone for a while. So many things started bombarding her at once and she realized, she never stopped to analyze anything that happened in her life lately. It had been one thing after another and Piper had just hit her limit.
Taking a trail that led off into the woods, Piper wandered down the path, surrounded by the beauty of nature. She could hear the creek they played in as kids, flowing a few yards away. Back then, she used to run through the woods with her sisters until their mom would finally call them in for dinner.
Piper smiled to herself. Can I just go back to those days? When things and life were so much simpler?
Continuing to walk, Piper took the trail to the left until it reached the creek she had heard a few moments ago. The log the girls used to use to get across was long gone, but that was okay. Piper sat on the bank, took a deep breath, and let the recent events roll over her. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face. She wanted her mom. She wanted… she didn’t even know.
To not die, would be great. Piper could always rely on sarcasm to get her through.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Piper just sat there staring off into the water. So many emotions swarmed through her. Anger. Frustration. Fear. And it was the latter that kept her on edge. Someone had tried to kill her and for what? All she was trying to do was her job. When did this world get so fucked up?
“Are you just going to sit out here and pout?”
Startled, Piper jumped to her feet and turned toward the sound of the voice. She had sat there so long that night had started to fall. As she tried to get her heart rate to slow, the shadowy figure stepped out of the tree line.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you the woods were dangerous at night?” the voice asked.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to sneak up on someone?” Piper countered.
“Probably. But sneaking was always fun.”
“Sable, what are you doing here?” Piper asked.
“Actually, Sapphire called me,” Sable replied. “Which kind of threw me off a bit. But when she told me you flipped shit on everyone and walked off, I came to find you.”
“And you just happened to know where to find me?”
“I didn’t just happen to know,” Sable rolled her eyes. “This is the same spot you always ran off to when we were kids and your mind was heavy.”
Piper watched as Sable walked over to where she was standing and sat in the cool dirt at her feet.
“Sit.” Sable patted the dirt next to her.
Piper complied, sitting next to her sister. Her favorite sister if she were honest, not that she would tell Sapphire or Scarlet that. But Sable always seemed to understand her. She could read Piper like a book, even when she was hiding.
“So, talk to me,” Sable said, bumping her shoulder against Piper’s. “What’s going through your head? What had you flipping out on everyone?”
Piper wanted to tell her everything, but she knew it would upset Sable if she knew that Scarlet and Sapphire were so incredibly clueless regarding her life and emotional state. Also, she didn’t know how much she could put on Sable without her sister breaking.
“Pippy, don’t worry about me,” Sable grinned. “I’m okay. I’m a little better than okay. So, talk.”
Piper took a minute to really look at Sable. To look into her eyes and find the truth she knew her sister was hiding, but all she could see was honesty. Sable was, by her definition, okay. So, with that in mind, Piper unloaded it all. It felt like a dam had broken. The moment she opened her mouth, the words just poured out. Her frustration over the sisters not understanding Sable. Aidan’s withholding of the full truth. And then, to add to it all, the fact that someone was trying to kill her because of the case she was working on and its connection to Sapphire’s kidnapping years ago.
“Wow,” Sable shook her head. “That’s a lot for one person to shoulder.”
“Ya think?” Piper asked sarcastically.
“Don’t be a bitch,” Sable rolled her eyes. “I was being serious. That is a lot of shit going on.”
“Yeah it is.”
“Okay,” Sable paused. “Let’s look at this one at a time. One, Sapphire and Scarlet have their own lives. Not to mention, I have never really been close to either of them; not like I am with you. Therefore, them not knowing or understanding, it’s whatever. Two, Aidan is a little bigger of a pill to swallow and I really cannot say anything there without being salty. So, I’ll skip that. Three, if you want to find out who is after you – solve the case. Pretty simple really. Solve the case, end the bullshit surrounding it.” Sable made it sound so simple; however, Piper knew it would be anything but that.
The two sisters sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of nature around them. In the far distance, they could hear the panther that was said to be in the woods. Nobody knew if it was true or not, since it had never actually been seen; however, you could hear its cry echo throughout the trees most nights, like tonight.
“I have always loved this place,” Sable said. “A small piece of nature within the city.”
“Me, too,” Piper replied.
“We should probably get you back to the clubhouse,” Sable said, standing, dusting herself off.
“I guess,” Piper sighed, standing and doing the same.
“Everything will be alright,” Sable said, sliding her arm through Piper’s. “Just take everything one day at a time. Solve one problem at a time. Trying to fix everything all at once will only lead to more frustration.”
“I know,” Piper grumbled.
“My suggestion,” Sable offered. “Solve the issues with your man first. Then go from there.”
“I don’t even know where to begin there,” Piper said honestly. “Like, I… I don’t know.”
“Do you love him?” Sable asked.
“Yes,” Piper answered. “And before you say, ‘it’s too soon’, I have been in love with Aidan since the moment I saw him. It was kind of like how Mom said it was when she met Dad.”
“Instantaneous,” Sable nodded. “And I wasn’t going to say anything. I am the last person who needs to say anything to anyone about who or how they love. I mean, look at me. I fell in love with a guy who was supposed to be my best friend and let him rip my heart out and throw that bitch in a blender.”
“Chris,” Piper sighed.
“No,” Sable interrupted. “It’s okay. I mean, I am getting over it. One day at a time.”
Piper wanted to kill the guy who hurt Sable; like with her bare hands. In all her years, Sable had been strong, confidant, independent, and probably the biggest bitch Piper had ever met. And now, her sister was a shell of her former self. Ramon had brought Sable to her knees. Piper would never forget the day she walked into her sister’s condo to see her on the living room floor, curled in a ball, screaming into a pillow with tears streaming down her face. Piper’s heart had nearly exploded. The ache so great, she couldn’t even imagine what Sable felt. She sat there for hours, holding her. Rocking Sable like a small child while her sister begged for death. Begged for anything that would make the pain stop. All because Sable had given everything to a man who returned nothing. Nothing but hurt and pain, and complete devastation. Yes, Piper could definitely kill the bastard.
“You know,” Piper swallowed hard. “One day, someone will come into your life and make you realize why it never worked with anyone else, right?”
“Are we quoting Facebook now?” Sable giggled. “Lawd have mercy! What has this world come to?”
“Oh hush!” Piper smacked her arm. “It’s a good quote. A true one.”
“Of course, it’s true,” Sable laughed. “It’s on the internet.”
Piper rolled her eyes at Sable’s comment but said nothing more. It was great to see and hear her sister laugh again. And honestly, if Piper’s life had to go to hell to witness a smile on Sable’s face – well then, sign her up for a one-way ticket to Satan’s Playground.
Chapter Sixteen
Aidan
“Why didn’t you tell her the truth to begin with, Aidan?” Rayden asked. “If there is one person who should have known outside of the group – it was her.”
“I know!” Aidan yelled.
Pacing, Aidan berated himself for the hundredth time since Piper stormed off. He should have told her. It wasn’t that he lied, no matter how many times Piper tried to tell him he had. He hadn’t. He just didn’t tell her everything.
Intentional omission is still a lie, her voice rang in his head, again.
“Listen,” Rayden said, voice completely void of emotion. “If you want to be pissed off at someone, then be pissed at yourself. You created this. You fucking fix it, asshole.”
Aidan stared at his brother’s back as he watched him storm out of the room. What could he say? Rayden was right. Aidan had created this, and now he needed to figure out how to fix it. He needed to figure out how to get Piper back. When she had left him standing there on the porch, Aidan about lost it. He wanted to chase her. He wanted to pick her up and carry her inside. He wanted to push her against the wall, bury himself inside of her and remind her of who he was. But he couldn’t. All he could do was stand there like a total idiot and watch the love of his life walk away from him.
“I’m going to go check on him,” Scarlet said, walking towards the same door Rayden exited.
“Where the hell could she be?” Aidan asked for the millionth time.
“She will get home whenever she gets home,” Sapphire replied.
“You should worry more about how you are going to get your girl back,” Raven said. “And less on where she is at the moment.”
“Are you kidding me?” Aidan demanded. “Have y’all forgotten that someone tried to kill her?”
“First of all,” Raven stood from her seat and walked over to Aidan. “I suggest you change your tone when speaking to me. And second, she is fine. She is safe. And she is still on Angel property. Now, calm the fuck down and figure out how you will get your girl back.”
“I don’t see how not telling about my past job…”
“Past job?” Raven asked. “No, Aidan. It wasn’t just a past job. We aren’t talking about bagging groceries at the Piggly Wiggly. We are talking about being a spy for the U.S. government. Two completely different things.”
“But…”
“No buts,” Raven held up a hand. “What if your past would have come back for revenge? What if the past collided with your present? With your future? And Piper wouldn’t have known shit. She would have been unprepared to protect herself from it.”
“Fuck!” Raven was right. He did fuck up. As agents, we heard all the time about some country finding out spy information because of leaks. It easily could happen to him, too. And by keeping Piper in the dark, she was a sitting duck. He put her in more danger than her current case had put her in.
What a dick move, asshole!
“I have to make this right,” Aidan said out loud, mostly to himself. “Now, if I just knew…”
Aidan stopped speaking when the sound of Piper’s laughter reached his ears. He turned just as the door to Sapphire’s office opened and Piper walked through it. He wanted to run to her. He wanted to pick her up and hold her close. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness. He wanted… hell, Aidan just wanted her.
“Piper,” he breathed.
“Aidan.” He knew she was holding herself back. Piper had built a wall.
Piper: Iron Angels MC, Book Two Page 11