Piper

by Zena Jae

  Now he had to try to empty his bladder so as not to embarrass himself again by needing to piss in another thirty minutes.

  As he stood in front of the toilet, aimed at the bowl, thoughts of Piper’s luscious lips came to mind as she made love to her spoon. How he wanted to kiss those sultry lips.

  Damn, he had to get rid of his boner. What was he doing thinking about her again? Peeing was going to be out of the question unless he wanted to hold up in the bathroom for a good ten minutes, which would cause her to pound on the door, wondering if he’d drowned himself.

  Think other thoughts, he told himself.

  In the meanwhile, Piper poured them both another glass of wine. In five minutes, she downed her second glass and poured herself another.

  What the hell was taking Marcus so long? Did he drown in the toilet? Men normally were in and out so much faster than women unless they’re doing number 2, of course, in which case they could take forever, especially with a magazine in hand. Wait, add a number 3 to that and ditto the magazine but make it a naughty one.

  Well, since she didn’t keep magazines in the bathroom, that couldn’t be it. Should she go check up on him? Did he pass out? But how could that be?—he hadn’t drank enough wine to do that yet.

  But the same couldn’t be said about her—she sure was getting woozy in the head—not enough to pass out, but enough to start acting strange. She wondered if Cotton felt this way—the poor thing. In Piper’s case though, the wine made her feel nice and toasty—and umm—uninhibited.

  Crap, she never could handle her liquor, but tonight she needed it. It’s not every day her pet gets strung up on a rope, her friends go missing—possibly murdered in the most horrendous of ways—and a killer posts a note threatening to do the same to her.

  She was about to go knock on the bathroom door when he finally emerged.

  “Sorry, I had some difficulty,” he said with a blush to his face.

  “What? Your prostate giving you problems?” she boldly asked.

  Marcus could see she had just one too many.

  “I don’t feel like talking about my prostate if you don’t mind.”

  She handed him his glass. “Here, I poured you another.”

  Unlike Piper, he could handle his liquor, so one more, or even two, wasn’t going to hinder his sensibilities. But he wasn’t planning to have more than that—he needed to stay sober—to protect her and keep her safe in case the perp paid a visit.

  Piper got up and put on some music. She held out her arms to him and said, “Dance with me.”

  How could he refuse? But he knew what snuggling close to her was going to do to him. He took her in his arms anyway and they danced to Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers. She loved that song, even if it was an oldie; it was her favorite.

  The room was dim, lit only with the moonlight peering through the windows and the crackling fireplace. The mood was romantic and with her head nestled against his chest, he wondered if she could hear the rapid beating of his heart. Surely, it would give away his feeling for her.

  Fuck it. Right now, this was where he wanted to be, holding her, caressing her warm, sexy body and inhaling her sweet scent.

  Her face tilted up to look upon his. His eyes basked in the glow of her beauty until they rested on those luscious, pink kissable lips.

  As he was about to bend his head to meet hers, the doorbell rang.

  Shit. It was a bit of a startle and made them both jump. Who the hell could that be?

  “You expecting anyone?” he asked her.

  She shook her head.

  “Wait here, I’ll answer it, but I’m gonna get my gun first.” Marcus broke from her and headed for the dining room. He pulled his gun from his holster and proceeded to the front door.

  Piper still stood where he’d left her. When he got to the door, he looked through the peephole. What the...? Nobody was there.

  Cautiously, he opened the door. The doorbell didn’t ring itself, so obviously someone was here but ran off. Was this a prank?

  With his gun poised and ready, he stepped outside the doorway onto the porch. His eyes immediately spotted the tiny silver-foiled box at his feet. Without another thought of it, he continued to scan the area to his left, then to his right, finally descending the porch steps. There wasn’t a sign of life anywhere—the woods were still and peaceful.

  He reconsidered checking further into the woods because he figured whoever it was wasn’t about to stick around since his SUV gave away his presence. Even though they knew a cop was in the house, they still wanted to drop off their present. Gutsy, he’d give them that.

  Piper appeared at the doorway. “Did you see anything?” she asked.

  As Marcus ascended the steps, he shook his head. “They’re gone,” he replied.

  With his thumb and middle finger on the opposite corners of the box, he picked it up, careful not to touch anywhere else. Then with his free hand on Piper’s stomach, he gently nudged her back into the house.

  In the shadows of the trees, a figure dressed in black watched the couple until they disappeared from view, then snuck away through the back areas of the woods whence they came.

  After locking the front door, Marcus put the box down on the coffee table. Their eyes fixated on it as if it were the only thing in the room.

  “The box is cold, as though it were refrigerated,” he told her.

  There was a moment of silence as their imaginations went wild.

  Piper finally spoke. “Do you think it’s a finger?” She was still tipsy, but with this recent event, she tried to get control of her clarity. “Or an ear?”

  What would one expect from a writer of thriller? But wouldn’t those come to mind for most anybody? It did for Marcus too.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  Her eyes went wide as she nodded. Could she stomach viewing a chopped finger or ear? Well, she’d soon find out.

  Marcus held the opposite corners of the lid in the same way he had done with the box and slowly lifted it.

  They held their breath.

  What the...?

  They both stared at the content and let out their breaths.

  Wrapped in red foil was what looked like a heart-shaped valentine chocolate. Under it was tucked a note—this time typewritten.

  ‘You thought this box contained something morbid, didn’t you? I’d expect no less from a thriller writer. Well, sorry to disappoint, but this chocolate morsel is my treat to you. Laced with poison, it’s your ticket out of a painfully torturous death. It’s only because I like you that I’m treating you special. Enjoy.’

  Piper’s eyes went wide and her mouth hung open. She couldn’t speak—she just stared at the red foil glistening in the firelight.

  When her gaze finally met Marcus’, he noticed her dilated pupils. At that moment, she looked as vulnerable as a child.

  He put his arms around her and as he held her tightly, all he could think was...

  I’m gonna get this son of a bitch if it’s the last thing I do.

  Chapter 11

  The smell of bacon and coffee permeated Piper’s bedroom as she stretched her arms and legs, awakened to a new day. Still groggy from last night’s drink fest, she swung her legs to the bedside, yet hesitated to stand to her feet. She looked down at her garments—she was still in yesterday’s clothes.

  Cotton, she thought, and quickly headed for the living room to check up on her.

  She wasn’t in her doggie bed.

  Her second instinct was to follow her nose, so she headed for the kitchen. As she peeked into the doorway, she saw Marcus flipping pancakes. Then the rat-a-tat-tat of tiny paws hit her ears as Cotton trotted over to her for her morning petting.

  “Hey, I thought you’d sleep for another hour at least,” Marcus said when he spotted her out of the corner of his eye. Then he looked at her directly. “Grab some coffee. You look like hell.”

  “Gee, thanks. Just what a girl likes to hear.”

  He laughed. “Well
, regardless of how you look, you know I still loves ya.” Then he corrected himself. “I mean...you know...like a sis.”

  But she didn’t want to be like a sister to him. She wanted to be more—much more. Last night, while they danced, she felt it—it was in his eyes, his rapid heartbeat—there was a surge of electricity that passed through them and he was about to kiss her before that damn doorbell rang. She was sure of it...or...was it just a dream?

  She poured herself a cup and then leaned her back against the counter watching him. “Did I zonk out on you last night?” The last thing she remembered was staring at the red foil gleaming at her, then gulping down her wine.

  “Yeah, after you finished off your last glass, you were out cold. I had to carry you to bed.” That devilish glint appeared in his eyes again. “You better lay off them snacks, I nearly had a hernia.”

  Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. “Oh my God, you didn’t just say that?!” She put her cup down and pretended to beat him up by fisting light small jabs to his shoulder.

  He laughed even louder than before. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Geez!” he surrendered. “You’ve got a great body.” Oops, he didn’t mean to say that. Well, he meant it, but didn’t mean to say it aloud.

  She stopped jabbing him. “How would you know? You left my clothes on and didn’t undress me.”

  He shot her a glance. “Are you kidding me? If I had undressed you, you would’ve killed me. I don’t see the big deal though, I’ve seen you in a bikini, so what’s the diff?”

  “A bikini is a big diff. Lingerie is...is...well, more revealing.”

  “Oh, your bikini revealed a lot, trust me.” Jesus, where the hell were all these confessions coming from? Somehow, today he was feeling a lot bolder with her. Maybe because some psycho was threatening her life and it scared him shitless.

  This talk about her body made her blush, yet she had to admit—it made her horny as heck. Never had Marcus made such bold comments about her in that way before. Definitely not things a brother would say to a sister, so was he seeing her as a man does a woman now? Was the childhood friendship finally turning into what she’d always hoped it would be?

  Even though she wanted to hear more, to find out if he felt the same way about her that she did him, she changed the subject. “I hope you slept in Trevor’s old room and not on the couch.”

  He had finished scooping the last pancake onto a plate and turned off the burner. “The couch was just fine. You know me, I can sleep anywhere.”

  And yes, that was Marcus. When they’d go camping, the minute he laid his head down on his sleeping bag, he was out. She wasn’t so lucky. She’d be staring at the tent’s ceiling for an hour, sometimes even longer—tossing and turning, sighing in frustration—before she’d finally pass out.

  Her brother was the same as Marcus. They both seemed to have an on-and-off switch in that way. She envied that about them, amongst other things.

  Marcus looked at his watch. “I’ve gotta head out to the station in a few minutes.”

  “Aren’t you going to have breakfast with me? You made all these pancakes.”

  “I downed a few while I was flipping ‘em, so I’m good.”

  “How about your uniform? You want me to freshen it up, or are you going home to change before you head to work?”

  “Why? Does it look wrinkled?”

  “Surprisingly, it looks good.”

  “That’s because unlike you, I took it off and slept in my underwear,” he confessed.

  “Good thing I was passed out then. I might’ve had a nightmare had I seen that,” she teased, chuckling to herself.

  “Ha ha, very funny.” He decided to let her have the last witty comment. He’d made her blush a couple times already and as much as he’d like to do it again, his thoughts went to the perp’s note.

  “I’m taking the perp’s gift to the station and have it analyzed.” He picked up the plastic zip bag with the silver box inside it and stuck it in his pant pocket.

  Bringing up that subject gave her spine a chill. She didn’t want to think about it but she knew there was no avoiding it. This was a major threat to her life and it wasn’t going to go away until they catch the perp.

  “I’ll call you when my meeting is done,” he told her.

  “I’ll be ready.”

  He grabbed a piece of bacon, stuck it into his mouth and put on his holster.

  “Where’s your gun?” he asked her.

  “I have it in the study.”

  “You need to wear it once I leave.” His expression was serious.

  She nodded. “I will.”

  He bent down to give Cotton a rub. “You watch over this lady and warn her if you hear anything suspicious outside, okay, Cotton?”

  Cotton’s tail wagged excitedly.

  “She looks good today. Seems she’s back to her normal self,” Marcus said as he gazed up at Piper.

  “Thank God,” Piper replied.

  When Marcus stood full height, Piper wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks, Marcus,” she whispered in his ear.

  He squeezed her tight. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. I promise.”

  But how could he make that promise? Nobody could make a promise like that no matter how much they wanted it to be so.

  When they broke their embrace, she smiled her appreciation even though she didn’t feel any safer than she did yesterday.

  Once Marcus was gone, Piper grabbed a few pancakes and three bacon strips and headed to her study. She had only one thing on her mind...to see if the troll had posted a new message.

  With her pulse pounding in her temples and a queasy stomach, she clicked on the link to her forum.

  Chapter 12

  TheTroll: ‘I presume it’s only you and me in here now since the others haven’t chimed in for a while. But that’s okay because it’ll suit my plans better anyway. Did you open my present? Of course you did. You’re a cat with a curiosity. I hope you kept it and the cop didn’t take it from you. It would be a shame if you didn’t have it when the time came. BTW, I have another present for you. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to post it with my chapter snippet.’

  Piper looked at the post’s timestamp, then at the current time. Fifteen minutes to go—that is, if they’re on schedule. They were early to begin with because yesterday the troll said that the next video would be ready tonight, but it’s only morning and Piper had a hunch that the ‘present’ was the video.

  Dread swooped over her. It was going to be of Saul. Who else would it be since he was the only one missing? What did the troll do to him? She didn’t even want to imagine—maybe she shouldn’t watch the video.

  For crying out loud, whom was she kidding? She had to watch it—she had to know. It was like when she was a kid watching a horror movie; she’d cover her hands over her eyes, trembling, scared shitless, but she’d slowly spread her fingers, peeking through them, catching sight of the ultimate horror. Yes, she’d have nightmares later, but it didn’t matter, the next time she’d do the same thing. She couldn’t help herself.

  Not even two minutes had gone by, yet Piper squirmed in her seat and hit the refresh button on her web browser. Why did time go by agonizingly slow when one waited for it?

  To sit there and stare at her laptop was driving her crazy, so she decided to take Cotton out for a poop. She didn’t want her going outside alone anymore while the perp was still at large. With her Beretta clipped to her hip, feeling adequately safe, Piper took Cotton out through the backyard to the woods, staying within viewing proximity of her home.

  Cotton scampered around, wagging her tail as though nothing had happened to her yesterday. Piper surmised that Cotton probably hadn’t experienced any psychological trauma if the perp tranquilized her before tying her up. Thank goodness for that.

  As far as Piper’s own psychological state—she was definitely feeling a bit traumatized. Who wouldn’t in her situation? The perp’s threat weighed heavy on her mind.

  After Cotto
n did her thing, they headed back to the house, but as they got to the back porch, Cotton started barking.

  Footsteps approached from the side of the house.

  Piper unsnapped her holster, put her hand on the gun handle and held her breath, her eyes anxious to see who would be rounding the corner any second now.

  As the dark-haired man wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and a diamondback rattlesnake belt came into view, she let out a sigh.

  It was Lloyd Gardner from her critique group.

  “Whoa, girl, I come in peace.” The 35-year-old stopped dead in his tracks with his hands up in surrender. A smile curved his lips.

  “Sorry, Lloyd. I’m a bit edgy these days.”

  He dropped his arms and joined her on the porch.

  “I don’t blame you. We all need to keep our guards up.” He looked at Cotton. “I was on my way home and thought I’d stop by and check up on you. Also to find out if you’d heard anything more about Kerri or Saul.”

  They sat on the porch chairs.

  “Thanks. I don’t know why this troll is targeting us.” She frowned. “And no, as far as I know, the police still have no clues to their whereabouts. Marcus and I checked out Saul’s place yesterday and we’re going to Kerri’s today. The only thing that we could surmise is that Saul might’ve known the perp and let them in, or went outside to meet them.”

  “Really? So it could be someone living here and not an outsider who visits your forum?”

  She nodded.

  “To think a psychopath lives amongst us,” he said.

  “And they seem to have a grudge against our group.”

  “Seems so.” Lloyd looked out on the garden and laughed as Cotton chased a butterfly. “Looks like Cotton doesn’t have a care in the world.”

  “Yeah.” She smiled, feeling lucky that the troll had spared her pet. “Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got some lime iced tea.”

  Lloyd turned his attention back to Piper. “No thanks. Actually, I’ve gotta get going. I’ve got a lot on my plate today.” He rose to his feet. She did too.

  “Thanks for stopping by, but next time call first to let me know you’re coming. I’ll be less apt to draw my gun on you.” She laughed.