Resisting Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 2)

by Rae, Nicki

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, confused.

  “I didn’t like the way we left things. I came to visit you and Phoebe told me where you were, so I thought I’d surprise you.”

  “Well you succeeded. Come on run with me, my adrenaline is already pumping, I can’t stop now.”

  “Pipe, I can’t run. I’ll just meet you back at the house.”

  “Ok.”

  Confusion spreads as I try to figure out why Shane decided to drive two hours to see me. I’m sure Phoebe told him I was only going to be gone the weekend, so whatever needed to be said could have waited…or he could have called. Nothing he does surprises me anymore. When I think I know what he is going to do next he does something completely different. I don’t know what it is with me and indecisive men but they are giving me a migraine.

  Speaking of migraine, I’m not sure what I am going to tell my father. He knows Shane is the guy who laid the bruise on my neck. When I tell him he is here he will go ape shit. Hell, I don’t even really want him here and I could kill Phoebe for telling him where I am. I guess I will have to tell him I’m fine with him being here. Otherwise, he will kick him out.

  Dread and excitement tingles as I see the finish line in sight. My father is standing there waiting for me, laughing and checking his watch. His smile eases my nerves a little as I know I can tell him anything. He may be upset at first but eventually he comes around.

  “I thought I was going to have to come looking for you,” he jokes.

  “Well I took a detour to the tree house. I wanted to see if anything had changed.”

  “I think you needed a break,” he lifts a brow in question. The smile that spreads on my face answers his questions since words fail me. “Who the hell is that?”

  “My friend, Shane. You didn’t see him when he came in?”

  “I did not. Is this the friend that you’re afraid of? Why is he here?”

  “He won’t cause any trouble. I’m sure he is only here to try and impress you and apologize to me.”

  “That better be all, Piper. I won’t allow him to hurt you.”

  “I’ll never hurt your daughter again, sir,” Shane replies once he finally reaches us.

  “You better not,” my father says and the tension begins growing. I need to defuse this situation.

  “Shane, which direction did you come from?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “Well, I kind of got lost trying to find the place, so I parked over on the other side of the property.” He points to the south, adding, “My car is parked over there, I will move it later.”

  “So you literally just got here?”

  “Yes, just a little bit ago.”

  “Oh, ok. Come on guys, I will make us breakfast.” With my adrenaline still pumping, I take off back toward the house, leaving the guys behind. I don’t know how good of an idea that was but I will find out shortly.

  Crossing the gravel drive, I run up the three steps that lead to the deck. The built-in fire pit and lawn furniture is new but I will check that out later as my stomach is screaming at me for food.

  Excitement returns at the thought of getting to cook in this fantastic kitchen. It’s exciting to have room to move around. My kitchen is so small that Phoebe and I can’t cook at the same time, so we take turns each night. Which is fine, we can’t cook at the same time anyway, we do things so differently that we usually just end up getting snippy with one another.

  “What are you making us, Pipe?” Shane asks, while rubbing his belly. The conversation must not have been too bad if Shane is still here.

  “Her specialty is pancakes,” my father answers.

  “Pipe, how have we been friends for four years and you have never made me pancakes?”

  “You’ve never been at my house in the morning,” I say and heat immediately fills my cheeks as I realize the implication of that statement.

  “I don’t want to hear this. I’m going to take a quick shower, be back in ten.” He kisses me on the forehead before leaving the room.

  “Grab the milk, butter and eggs out of the fridge,” I ask, while I grab the dry ingredients.

  “I’m excited for homemade pancakes.” His face lights up like a young child and I realize I miss my best friend. Before the drugs, it was nothing for us to spend all day together and never be tired or annoyed with each other. We would go to fairs or concerts and spend most of our time laughing or people watching. I felt safe with him. Most guys would try to make a pass or flirt with a girl they are with all the time but he didn’t. He was genuine. I could ask him anything and we could talk about anything.

  “Here’s the milk but I don’t see the eggs,” he questions, catching me staring at him. The corners of his mouth pull up and his eyes soften. “Do you like what you see?” he winks and just like that, he crushes my heart. I realize we will never be the friends we were. He has mixed feelings in with our friendship and I just can’t reciprocate.

  “Did you look in the drawer?”

  “What?” he asks.

  “The eggs. Did you look for them in the drawer?”

  “Oh, no I didn’t. Most people don’t keep them there,” he laughs.

  “We always have. Mine are in my drawer at home.”

  His eyes never leave mine while he pulls the eggs from the drawer. He sits them on the counter next to me as he boxes me to the counter with his arms. My heart begins pounding and I’m not sure if it is from excitement or fear.

  “Do you remember when we could hang out all day and never be tired of each other?” I ask.

  “Of course. But I’m still not tired of you, Piper. Do you know that?” The sadness in his smile brings tears to my eyes. I never wanted this for us. I saw us growing old as friends, double dating and our children playing together.

  “I know but you have to understand how difficult this is for me. I want my friend back but you want a relationship that just can’t happen.”

  “Is this about Fenton?” He scans the room, adding, “I don’t see him here begging for your forgiveness.”

  “He doesn’t really have a need to ask for forgiveness.”

  “Piper, I know our friendship will never be the same but I want to make things right between us. I traveled here to show you I’ve changed and to show you that even if you’re just my friend, I want you in my life.”

  “You can handle only being friends?” He’s already proven he can’t, so it should be interesting to hear what he has to say. “Here, mix the eggs, milk and butter in this bowl,” I add, going for distraction. It doesn’t work, of course, but it was worth a shot.

  “I never thought about us being more than friends. You were my girl but in a platonic way. When you started seeing Fenton, it made me realize that deep down I did want you all to myself. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be just friends or more but I knew I didn’t want you with someone else. I’m aware how selfish this sounds but I had to give you a glimpse of my thoughts.”

  I mix the batter as quickly as the thoughts are moving through my head. After a few seconds my hand begins cramping. I stop to rest my hand and begin to warm the griddle. I pour the batter onto the hot surface until it’s the size I want and my mouth has already begun watering. All I wanted to do was have a nice relaxing weekend not having to worry about any of this. Why did he have to follow me here? Why couldn’t he respect my wishes? Furthermore, why did Phoebe tell him where I was when I told her not to? She will be hearing about this.

  I flip the cakes to the other side once the bubbles begin forming on the top. I feel the pair of expectant eyes burning a hole in the back of my head waiting for an answer.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say. Let’s just see how it goes today, ok?”

  “Sure, I can do that. Can I ask one thing though?”

  “Ok.”

  “How much is it going to affect the pancakes if I forgot to add the butter?” My head whips to the side and his childish snickering makes me laugh.

  “Oh my gosh, Shane! How could
you forget the butter?” I smack at his chest, playfully.

  “I don’t know what is going on in here but I love the sound of my daughter laughing.”

  “Well, we were making pancakes but someone forgot to add the butter.” Shane’s hands go up in mock surrender and everyone in the kitchen begins laughing.

  “They’ll be fine,” I say, flipping the cakes on a plate. Shane and my dad take their plates to the table while I gather the syrup, forks and butter. Once I have everything, I sit down and relish in the irony of eating breakfast with my father and Shane.

  Chapter Ten

  Fenton

  Dark clouds swirl in my mind as my head rolls from one shoulder to the other. Its heavy pounding is making me sick to my stomach. Lethargy is taking over but I have to fight it. I can’t figure out where I am if I’m passed out.

  The room is deafening quiet. My breathing halts briefly so I can make out the faintest of sounds. Nothing. Sweat beads on the back of my neck as I try to pull my hands from the binds that hold them behind my back. The more I pull at them the more my wrists burn. Good. I need the pain. Pain brings clarity and in my current state, clarity is welcome.

  The clarity is beginning to vanish. I shake my head to gain some composure but it only makes it worse as it only moves slightly and then stops. It’s too much movement for my lack of energy. As the haze begins taking over, her silhouette glows with goodness. I try to reach for her but my bound hands put a stop to that. Her long strands of dark hair hanging over her beautiful shoulders become clearer as she moves closer. Her intense brown eyes stare back at me, full of sadness. She brings comfort as her hand cradles my cheek.

  “It will be ok,” her soft voice assures me.

  “Piper, I can’t move. Help me!” I plead.

  “Shhh! You have to help yourself; I can’t do it for you. Just know I’m standing with you and you can summon strength from me.” She bends and her soft lips graze mine so gently that I’m not sure if it really happened.

  “I have faith in you.” Her brown eyes twinkle with gentleness and it’s the most calming experience I have ever encountered. However, it only lasts a few seconds.

  “Piper?” I call out as she turns to walk away. “Piper, I love you! Don’t leave me!” The warmth begins sliding down my cheeks as she moves farther and farther away. I begin pulling at my bounds. I don’t care if I rip my hands off, I need her. I need to stop her before she leaves me.

  “For the last time Piper is not here and I’m really tired of cleaning up your fucking blood. Stop trying to get out of those binds because it’s not happening.”

  His voice swirls around me, attacking my incoherence. I begin having flashbacks from last night when Decker was spewing his venom at me in the car. That’s the last thing I remember. I don’t remember walking in here or when we got here or even where here is.

  I try to open my eyes but intense pain shoots through my head.

  “Relax, my friend. All in due time,” he whispers and I think I am going to be sick.

  “What the fuck? Where am I?” Rage begins pouring out of me. If my damn hands weren’t tied to this chair, I would murder him right now. I’d really like to know how he got me in here. His laughter fills the small room at my lack of ability and my heart rate picks up at the thought of him laughing at me.

  “GODDAMN IT, DECKER! WHERE AM I?” I scream and immediately feel pain in my left cheek from his large hand.

  “I said all in due time.” His voice is smooth, not affected at all by the situation. He’s the same Decker from all those years ago. It didn’t matter what kind of assignment we were on, he kept that cool demeanor the whole time. Even when we were running for our lives and bullets were flying. His voice still lingers in the back of my head telling me if I die, it’s my own fault because if I follow the rules I will always be on offense. That’s the goal of any scenario, being on offense or in charge of the outcome. The moment you give up control of the outcome, you’re finished. This man can walk into any situation no matter what it is, and come out on top. Even when he doesn’t know what he’s walking into. I envied him back then and even now I wish I could be in control of every aspect of my life without having to worry about repercussions. The only problem with the life he leads is sometimes you end up in situations like these, where you are holding your friend hostage. I never had luck with those situations and that’s why I would never have made it in his life as long as he has.

  “We were partners, Decker…”

  “I thought you knew by now alliances belong with the highest bidder. You made it clear yesterday you walked out on the life a long time ago. Old partners or not, I can’t place trust in someone who gives up so easily. Remember this,” he walks over to the door, adding, “use those street smarts I taught you all those years ago and you may survive.” He slams the door behind him.

  The room is silent. I wish I could say the same for the pounding in my head. I wish Piper would show her face again. Although I know she was only here because of my drug induced dream, I will take any comfort she is offering. I need her strength, her strong will to do the right thing in life. I’ve never known someone who had so much passion and strength. She sees something she wants and she takes it. I can’t imagine what she went through going to school to be an architect; a field that is dominated by males. I do know whatever she felt no one knew about it as she always keeps her head held high with confidence.

  Just thinking of Piper builds my strength. I raise my head and scan the room for anything that may be of use. There’s nothing, it’s completely empty. I don’t know why I thought he would leave me anything useful. He wants me to go crazy as he knows being caged is one of my worst fears. Although it may not seem this way, I need control in my life and if I am locked in this fucking cage, I can’t keep Piper or Cam safe. I can’t continue my plan to catch Gibson’s killer. In essence, I can’t bring some semblance of peace to my life.

  “FUCK!” My voice echoes in the small, bare room. How did I get myself in this situation? I never get in the car with anyone for this very reason. I’ve watched shit happen that would never have gone down if people weren’t so trusting. I lived my life this way and somehow managed to stay alive. The one time I let my guard down, look what happens. In my defense, I never thought I’d have to worry about Decker. Yes, he’s as unpredictable as they come but I thought I was exempt. But according to his logic from earlier, I’m only another pawn in his game and that sucks.

  I move my wrists slightly to gauge how tight he’s tied the knot. He hasn’t left much give. I didn’t expect it. First things first, I need to figure out how to get out of this damn chair. The back covers the bottom fourth of my back which is going to present a small challenge but I’ve been known to take on bigger. If I can gain enough momentum, I should be able to stand. However, whether or not I can bring my arms from behind the chair at the same time is a different story. Actually, I’m a little surprised my feet aren’t tied together as well but thank God for small miracles.

  Sliding my feet to the side, I take a couple deep breaths so I can build momentum. With my head being so foggy this could be dangerous. Normally, I would take my own advice but I have no time, I need to figure out a way to get out of here.

  Once my feet are to the side, I sit back a little and push myself forward. I try to plant my feet flat to keep my balance but all I accomplish is making myself dizzy. Instead of continuing, I try to catch my breath. This is going to be more difficult than I thought. With the room spinning around me, my head rolls to the side and I decide to let it rest on my shoulder until I can stop the pounding that is making my eyes hurt. I don’t know what Decker gave me but fuck!

  “I expected better from you, Fent. You’ve seen this scenario too many times to rush it. Granted you were on this side but you should know better than to try to make a run for it before you are able. Let yourself heal and try again when you’re able.”

  “I don’t understand. You drug me, tie me in this chair and now you’re giving m
e advice on when to escape? I don’t follow, Decker.”

  “I will explain when it’s time, trust me.”

  “I thought I could trust you but evidently not. I left the life. I don’t know why you would take it so personal. We were partners, Decker. I would have given my life for you and you know what? I probably still would have and this is how you repay me.”

  “As I said earlier, my allegiance lies with the highest bidder. It’s your turn not to take it personal. If it weren’t you, it would be someone else. We just happen to have a past.”

  He leans against the wall while I sit here trying to gain my composure and figure out a plan B.

  “Please tell me you’re not going after Piper or Cam?”

  “Why are you so worried about Cam,” he asks, cocking his head to the side. “I didn’t think the two of you were together?”

  “We aren’t but that doesn’t mean I can’t worry about her.”

  “No, there’s more to it than that. What am I missing?”

  “Nothing. You just seem to care about no one but yourself so I want to know what to expect.”

  “You forget you’re an awful liar and that I know that about you.”

  “Just know that when I get out of these bounds, and I will get out of them, I will slit your throat if I find out either of them are hurt. Either way, you have an ass kicking coming.” He laughs and it infuriates me.

  “We’ll see. I’m going now but can you do me a favor? Make sure the next time you try to get out of that chair you aren’t just making yourself look like a fool.”

  Piper

  “One…two...three…FREE PARKING! YES! Give me my money!” I shout as I move my car to the hottest spot on the Monopoly board.

  “Piper, we’ve been over this a thousand times. You don’t get the kitty money when you land on free parking.”