When You Became Mine

by AS Teague

  “What do you mean?” Piper questioned, her eyes guarded.

  I sucked in a deep breath through my nose. “I told you a few days ago that I work for the Federal Government. And I do. But when I told you I was sent back here to get a new office up and running, that wasn’t true. The office was already established. I was sent back because I needed to be close to the local agency office while we investigated a case.”

  Piper wrinkled her brow. “What kind of case?”

  Pieters glanced at where I was standing and I nodded at him to explain. “We’ve been following a group of people who have been conning people out of money. And I’m not talking about the usual ‘this is the IRS, send us a thousand dollars or you’re going to jail’ scam. These guys have been swindling people out of their life savings. We’re talking millions of dollars.”

  Piper sucked in a breath. “That’s terrible.” She looked at me and then back at Pieters. “But I don’t know what that has to do with me.”

  It was my turn to try to explain. “The names of the prescriptions that were written under pinged the moment Wheeler here said something. Although they aren’t exact matches for them, the names are one of the aliases we’ve been following for the last few months,” I told her. “It could just be a coincidence.” I cut my eyes to where Pieters was standing. “But I’m willing to stake my reputation that this is somehow related. And, if it is, if these assholes are somehow using you in their schemes, I swear to God, I’m not going to stop until we have every last one of them in custody.”

  “So, what do we do now?” she asked.

  Pieters looked at where she sat, her blue eyes round with fear as she chewed her bottom lip. Then he glanced back at me, asking permission for what he had to do. I gave him a quick jerk of my chin. I knew there was no way Piper was involved in this of her own accord. But we had to cover all of our bases, and do it the right way, to be sure she was going to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

  I settled into the chair across from her and reached my hand out. She slid hers across to me and I squeezed when our fingers met. “Pieters has to question you.”

  Guilt washed over me as I watched the fear that had been in her eyes spread, her face going ghostly white. “Question me?”

  I nodded. “It’s standard procedure.”

  She shook her head and jerked her hand from mine. “No. I don’t want to be questioned.”

  He took the seat beside me, and in a voice I had never heard from him before, gently assured her, “I promise. No one here thinks you’re guilty of anything. But we’ve got to do this the right way. And, it’s either right here, right now. Or, we file a warrant and have you brought down to the office for questioning.”

  Mr. Wheeler had remained silent, but now he turned to his client and leaned close to whisper in her ear. After a moment, Piper looked back at where we both sat, and though she was glowering at us both, she said, “Okay. Question away.”

  Pieters began by reading her her rights and my stomach churned as I listened to the familiar words being directed at my girlfriend. “Piper Kelley. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand your rights?”

  She didn’t answer, instead peered at me, her eyes imploring me to tell her what to do.

  “Just say yes, you understand.”

  When she still said nothing, I whispered, “You trust me, right?”

  When she nodded, I said again, “Just say yes, you understand.”

  She cleared her throat and barely more than a whisper told Pieters, “Yes. I understand my rights.”

  “Miss Kelley, are you familiar with an individual named Josiah Matthews?” Pieters asked.

  Piper shook her head. “No. I’ve never heard of him.”

  Pieters nodded. “What about Matthew Shadblow?”

  Again, she denied knowing anyone by that name.

  On and on the questioning went, Piper denying knowing anything about the individuals we were investigating. It was no surprise to me, or to anyone sitting around that table, though.

  Finally, when Pieters had finished his interrogation, I murmured to no one in particular, “I just can’t figure out how she’s connected to all of this.”

  “I’m not connected to anything!” she sputtered, disbelief lacing her words. “I’m not a criminal! I’m a doctor!” Her eyes filled with tears as she said more to herself than anyone else. “Or, I was.”

  I was on my feet and at her side in the blink of an eye, my arm wrapped around her shoulders and holding her close as she continued to sob.

  Pieters cleared his throat and then said to Wheeler, “I need some air. Want to come outside with me?”

  I didn’t see them leave but heard the chairs scraping the floor as I held Piper. “I promise you, your career is not over. I am going to figure this out. I’m on to something here, I just have to find that one common thread.”

  She nodded and pulled away from my shoulder, swiping the tears from her face. “I never thought I’d have my rights read to me. Even though it was just a formality, it was terrifying.”

  I pressed a kiss to her forehead and then pushed out of my squat and into the chair next to hers.

  She wiped the moisture from her face once more. “What do I do now?”

  “You let me figure this out.”

  Her smile was sad. “I know you want to fix this. But I don’t think you can.” Her eyes were red-rimmed but dry, and she’d taken on an eerie calm. “I just need to come to terms with the fact my life is going to be different than what I had imagined it would be.”

  I gripped her hand. “It’s not!”

  She pulled her hand from mine and stood, clapping her hands together. “Okay. Enough of the crying. I’m done with that.” She began to pace back and forth, pushing a hand through her hair. “Let me think a minute.”

  I watched her warily. Her sudden surge of optimism wasn’t fooling anyone, but I let her have her moment.

  She finally stopped wearing a path in my floor and turned to me. “I know what I’ll do.”

  I lifted a brow and slowly asked, “You do?”

  A quick jerk of her chin in affirmation and she was back to the pacing. “I’ll become a nun.”

  “Ahhh…I’m not sure you’re allowed to have sex when you take an oath to be married to God.”

  She frowned. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll invest in myself. You know, I was listening to this podcast the other day, and the lady was going on and on about making yourself a priority. Now that I won’t be saving the lives of children, maybe I should start taking better care of myself.”

  I leaned back in my chair, settling in for what I was sure was going to be an entertaining time of Piper going off the rails. “Investing in yourself, huh?”

  She didn’t disappoint as she immediately began bobbing her head. “Yep. First things first, no more Thai food.”

  I squinted at her, not understanding her logic, but didn’t have a chance to ask her why she was swearing off basic food groups.

  “And then, I’ll hike the Appalachian Trail. What’s that called again?”

  “I believe the word you’re looking for is torture.”

  She pivoted on the ball of her foot. “Nope. It will be eye-opening. Mind-blowing. Life-changing.”

  I nodded. “Life-changing for sure. As in, your life will be changed because you’ll be dead the first day.” I pushed out of my chair and stopped in front of her, gripping her shoulders to keep her from sprinting away. “You almost had a heart attack when a frog jumped on your foot the last time we went camping. And you think you can survive hiking, in the mountains, for thousands of miles?”

  She waved a hand. “I was a kid when that happened. I like frogs now.”

  I shook my head. “No, you don’t.”

  Her face fell. “Okay, so hiking is out.” She stepped out of my grip and jabbed a finger in my chest.
“You keep shooting my ideas down. What do you think I should do?”

  She poked my chest once more, but this time I grabbed her hand and pulled her close.

  “For starters, you could stop trying to drill your finger into my heart.” I smiled at her but was met with an eye roll, so I finished. “You could quit freaking out and take it one day at a time.”

  “I’m not freaking out. Just weighing my options here. And I have plenty of options, you know.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “I could do anything I wanted. I’m smart. I’m healthy. I’m capable.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  Her voice cracked. “So, why does it feel like my life is over?”

  I brushed the pad of my thumb across her trembling lip, and then cupping the back of her head, pulled her into my chest. Her arms wrapped around my waist and she squeezed so hard I had a hard time breathing. But as she stood there squeezing me with the strength of ten pythons, I told her, “It may feel that way now, but I swear to you, it’s not over. And your career isn’t over. So, if you want to invest in yourself in the meantime, then by all means, go for it. Give up Thai food, although I can’t figure out why you would ever want to do that. You want to hike the Appalachian Trail? Start off by taking a stroll through the neighborhood. Do yoga. Read a self-help book. Watch the sun come up. I’ll support anything you want to do.”

  She tipped her head back, the tiniest of grins on her face. “Anything?”

  I nodded. “Anything and everything.”

  “Even becoming a nun?”

  I frowned. “Do they ever let you leave the convent?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Don’t think so.”

  “Then I guess I’ll just have to go to seminary school and make sure we end up in the same place.”

  The tiny grin was now a full-blown smile as she said, “I think the only place we’re going to end up in is hell.”

  I winked. “As long as we’re together, I don’t care how damn hot it gets in the summer down there.”

  39

  Piper

  The days were a blur, so much so that I wasn’t even sure how many had passed since that board hearing. Despite my best efforts, I was thrust back into the days after Jack’s death, when we had all tried to find our new normal and had failed so miserably at it.

  The death of my career wasn’t the heartbreak losing my brother was, but it was a loss all the same and I was finding I couldn’t shake the despair that had settled into my bones. I knew Jack would never be disappointed in me, but I still felt like I was letting him down. My parents had lost one of their children. Wasn’t it my job to live my life for the both of us?

  I hadn’t wanted to admit it at the time, but Lawson was right. I needed to deal with my brother’s death. Now that I’d found myself with more free time than I could possibly occupy on my hands, I should have made it a priority. But I was somewhat ashamed to say I hadn’t.

  The week following the board hearing was filled with appointments with my attorney, conversations with Pieters and Lawson that felt more like interrogations and more frustration than I’d ever experienced.

  Not having a rigid routine, something that had been a part of my daily life since I’d graduated high school, was making the depression I’d sunken into even worse.

  At the urging of everyone, mainly Lawson who I was beginning to think was getting tired of me, though he would never admit it, the second week was filled with mindless tasks meant to keep me busy enough that I wouldn’t realize I was depressed.

  It didn’t work.

  But I had to admit, I’d felt better the last few days and with each passing day, the fog that had been clouding my mind was lifting. I’d even begun fulfilling my promise to Lawson that I was going to invest in myself. I’d started with an appointment to a therapist that had come highly recommended from a former colleague. It had been difficult, to put it nicely. I’d ended up crying for the entire hour, and then needed to kill time before going home so as to not raise Lawson’s suspicions. Or worse, make him worry. I’d done enough of that the last few weeks.

  And although I hadn’t given up Thai food and was currently heating up leftovers for the third day in a row, I’d just gotten back from a yoga class. I considered the fact I’d even worked up the nerve to go as a victory, even though I was never going to go back. Apparently, you had to be flexible to do seventy-five percent of the poses and I was about as limber as a pine tree.

  I was contemplating going for a walk when I heard Lawson’s office door creak open. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to make good on that idea. It was hot outside, and it seemed that mosquitos thought my blood was nectar of the gods. I shouted down the hall. “Making dinner. Want some?”

  I was answered by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. When he rounded the corner, his nose crinkled and he shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever eat pad Thai again. Aren’t you sick of it by now? How about if I order a pizza?”

  I shrugged as I shoveled a forkful of noodles into my mouth. “Just enjoying as much as I can before I’m sentenced to years of prison food.”

  Lawson sighed and propped a hip against the counter. “You’re not going to prison.”

  I took another bite, and pointing my fork at him, said around a mouthful of chicken, “The magic eight ball I consulted last night said that all signs point to yes.”

  He reached over and snagged a shrimp and popped it into his mouth.

  I slapped at his hand. “Hey! I thought you said you didn’t want any.”

  “Where did you get a magic eight ball?”

  “After my spin class I went to the toy store and bought some stuff.”

  His eyes bulged as he choked on the crustacean he’d stolen from me. I refrained from telling him he deserved it as he said, “Spin class? Since when do you go to spin class?”

  I huffed. “What? I can’t go to spin class? I wanted to work up a good sweat. It was a great workout. You should try it sometime.” I poked him in the ribs. “You’re getting a little soft in the middle, ya know.”

  He wasn’t.

  He was so sculpted, it was as though he were made of granite. I was baffled by how he maintained his physique when I never saw him work out or even leave for the gym.

  “You’re deflecting,” he drawled, snapping my attention back to our conversation and away from thoughts of running my fingers over his abs.

  “Oh, all right. I was out with my other boyfriend.” I dropped my chin, working hard to keep the smile that was my tell out of his sight, but he just tipped my head back and narrowed his eyes at me.

  “Still deflecting.” His eyes roamed my face as he tried to figure out what I was hiding from him. “Anything new happen with the case yesterday that you haven’t told me about?”

  “What case? There is no case anymore. I’m guilty. I wrote drugs for people I wasn’t supposed to and they took my medical license from me,” I snapped.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. “What happened?”

  “You’re such a pain in my ass, you know that?” I snapped again. “I went to see a therapist, okay?”

  His brows shot up, the surprise of my confession evident.

  “Please don’t make a big deal about it.”

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to know. As a matter of fact, I was going to tell him eventually. Once I decided if it was going to help or not. Instead, here I was, mentally kicking myself for not being a better liar.

  “Big deal? Why would that be a big deal? I went to see my therapist yesterday too.”

  “You did?”

  He grinned and shook his head. “Nah. I don’t have a therapist here. Just trying not to make a big deal.”

  I shoved his shoulder but breathed a sigh of relief that I wasn’t going to have to tell him it had been a brutal hour. “Asshole.”

  He nodded. “Heard that one before.” Glancing over my shoulder, he asked, “Is that the mail?”

&nb
sp; I picked up the stack I’d already looked through and handed it over before popping a shrimp into my mouth and stifling a groan at how good it was.

  My hand was halfway to my mouth with another one when Lawson interrupted with a shout. “What the fuck is this?”

  He waved a folded sheet of paper at me, his face a mixture of outrage and fear.

  “What?” I dropped the shrimp and took what he was offering and looked it over. “Oh, this is the kid I sponsor.”

  His jaw fell open before he clamped it shut so hard I was convinced he’d broken a tooth or twelve. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

  “Is there something wrong with sponsoring kids?” I asked incredulously.

  The paper had a picture of a seven-year-old boy from the Philippines attached, smiling with a mouth full of missing teeth and the cutest dimple I’d ever seen on his cheek. The first time I’d seen him, my heart had melted into a puddle of mush and I’d immediately filled out a hefty check for a donation.

  “Sponsoring a child is fine. Sponsoring a child for The Children of the Ministry is not. Jesus Christ, Piper. How long have you been sending these people money?” The more he talked, the deeper the shade of red across his cheeks grew. Even though I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong, I was starting to feel like I was in trouble.

  I couldn’t think with him so clearly agitated, so I sputtered, “Uh, uh. I don’t know. Like, uhm, I think, maybe—”

  Lawson fisted the paper in one hand and with the other one tapped his temple. “Think, Piper. How long?”

  “Why are you yelling?” I cried.

  “Because!” he clipped. When he spoke again, his voice was much softer but was just as urgent. “Please, just think. When did you start sending them checks?”

  I blinked. And blinked again. “I started sponsoring John Mark a few months ago. Like, I don’t know, six maybe? I can’t remember when exactly. Why?”

  Lawson screwed his eyes shut and blew out a harsh breath. “Let me think for a minute.”

  He read over the now wrinkled paper again as he stalked back and forth in front of where I stood.