by MC Webb
“Are we set to head across the pond tomorrow night?” Piper sat up and watched Ellie.
“Yes.” I touched her shoulder. “You don’t wish to leave?”
“No, it’s not that. I’m excited to see London,” she said, shrugging, the adult version of our daughter. I sat up with her, putting my chin on her shoulder.
“You’re homesick? Missing your mountains and baby delivering?”
Piper giggled and pulled her shoulder away, making my head jerk.
“Your whiskers tickle, but yes, I’m homesick, among other things.” She hesitated, talking in the direction of the waves so I couldn’t read her face. “Ellie wants to go back to school. She brought it up again this morning.”
I leaned back and closed my eyes. The day was setting into my bones.
“You told her she could be schooled with Libby?” I asked, exhausted with the topic.
Ellie seemed to bring up her big New York City school every chance she got. Turning toward me, Piper touched my exposed stomach with one finger.
“Hey, now,” I warned her
“I can’t hide out forever, Ryan. I won’t. As much as I love you, I can’t just sit and wait to be found.”
She turned her face from me again. This had been our only disagreement. Piper felt it would be better if she somehow trapped Jean-Paul. To draw him out from whatever rock he had slithered under.
“I’m not accustomed to being ‘handled,’ Ryan.”
I got up.
“Goddamn it, Piper, the man will stop at nothing to get to you. This time it might mean the death of you. Why must you bring this up again? The investigation…”
“…could take years, Ryan,” she cut in before I could finish.
I stood looking down at her.
“I want you to be happy and healthy. I want you and Ellie to be safe. What could you possibly do to ensure that? How can you stop him hunting you both?” I asked.
I reached to touch her cheek. Turning her head to receive my touch she kissed the palm of my hand.
“What are thinking, Piper?” she said nothing. “I can’t lose you. You know that, right?” I heard the desperation in my voice.
Piper looked up at me. Her expression was unreadable.
“Nor I you,” she said simply, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I fished it out, recognizing the number.
“Shit,” I said to the phone. “I forgot to tell you I have an interview in the morning with one of the more tasteful magazines. The photographer wants pictures of us together. It won’t be printed for a while, if you would like to be photographed with me. Very tasteful stuff. There’s interest in you, love.” I pulled her up to me and began to dance with her. “I see no problem with it. What do you say? It’ll be a nice album for the grandkids.”
Piper allowed me to dip her and then I brought her back up gracefully.
“Can we negotiate my keeping the wardrobe?” she said in her scary business voice.
I shook my head, smiling.
“I’ll ask.”
…
The magazine people were willing to give Piper whatever she wanted to get the first official photos of us. We were packed and ready to head to England as soon as we finished up. The film wrapped, so it was all fun for a few days.
I had plans, one of which started before the dresses were chosen. Rhodes had taken Ellie to a studio room, and they were playing Mario Kart on a Wii. Once she was settled, I went to Piper’s dressing room. The door was open, and the make-up artist was having a field day with her.
“Oh, Lord, honey, your skin is fabulous. I dream of working with skin such as this.” Catching sight of me in the doorway, the tall, thin, bi-racial man said, “Oh la la, Mr. Ryan Knox! You hit the jackpot with this one here.”
I smiled, knowing this already.
“Yes I did, but Jar Jar? Can you give us a minute?”
Jar Jar, with whom I was very familiar, from dozens of shoots through the years, sighed again, placing brushes and powder on the counter in front of Piper.
“Don’t you ruin my canvas,” he warned me, leaving the room.
“Jar Jar?” Piper said incredulously.
“His nickname, because he talks like Jar Jar Binks. You know, from Star Wars?” Piper had no idea. “No, I guess you wouldn’t know, considering you don’t even watch movies in color,” I teased.
Piper stared at old black and white movies like they were lifelines. I enjoyed them, but I was determined to bring her up to date on a few. I shut the door, noticing my palms were sweating. Rubbing them on my pants, I got down on my knees in front of Piper, reaching up to kiss her.
“Oh no no no! You will mess up Jar Jar’s canvas,” she said, smiling.
I chuckled nervously.
“Why did I agree to this?” she asked.
“Because once the market is saturated with your flawless skin, the paparazzi hunt will die down, at least in comparison to what it is now. That, and you need some exposure before we legally change your name.”
She smiled down at me.
“Speaking of which, you are a little naked you know,” I said.
“I’m not wearing this, silly.”
She gestured to the robe she was wearing. I took her delicate hand in mine.
“I meant here. You are naked,” and I kissed the top of her hand. “Piper, will you do me the absolute honor of being my bride?”
I placed a new ring with old diamonds on her finger. I swallowed my emotions, trying not to be so soft, trying instead to be the cool actor I was meant to be. Piper’s rich brown eyes filled with tears.
“The diamonds are your grandmother’s. I had them reset for your ring. Nathan gives his blessing.”
She said nothing as she looked at the ring, tears now sliding freely. I reached for a Kleenex, now unsure of my design.
“If you don’t like it, I can have the diamonds placed back into the original.”
Piper hugged me, and I sighed with relief.
“Oh, Ryan! It’s gorgeous. How did you do this?” She was a little breathless. Pulling away from me she blotted her eyes. “You realize how old these diamonds are? They were my great-great-grandmother’s. You have made me so happy,” she hugged me harder.
Jar Jar knocked on the door. Not waiting to be told to come in, he swung it open.
“Time’s up,” he started to say, then went into an angry Latin rant about Piper’s makeup, or at least, that’s what I guessed it was about. He began nudging me out the door.
“Wait!” Piper said, before the door shut. I pushed it open against Jar Jar’s force.
“Yes,” Piper told me, her hand over her heart.
I was still laughing from nerves and excitement when Jar Jar shut the door in my face.
The photo shoot went beautifully. The photographer, Maximus Bryant, bargained with Piper on this and that, having her change dresses several times. I watched mostly, and loved doing so. Maximus was an artist, and I had confidence this shoot would show Piper in a much better light than over-exposed pap shots, or cell phone pictures taken while we took Ellie for ice cream.
The photo shoot would be a good thing, I hoped. The speculation about who Piper was to me would, for the most part, be made clear. Maximus was a gentleman of his trade, and one of the few photographers I trusted. He was taken with Piper instantly, commenting on the color of her deep brown eyes and ivory skin.
After Piper briefly explained one of her new tattoos, and that it was to cover an “injury,” the photographer began to beg for nearly nude photos.
“No. No. They will be tasteful. I will not push you, darling, but think of it as a road map for other women from abusive relationships,” he assured her, knowing all too well what the scars were.
Piper looked at me, nervous.
“What is it you want her to do?” I asked him, while watching her face.
“We will have her out of the dress like this,” he demonstrated, “and again like t
his,” again showing us. “No breasts, no buttocks, I promise, but the body with the scars and tattoos. It is genius. I want a photograph of you, fully dressed, in front of her, naked. The knight and his lady,” he said in his heavy French accent. “You are a very beautiful woman, but have endured much. No? I see it in your eyes, darling. Same as my mother, God rest her.”
Piper smiled sadly and asked what I thought. I shrugged, but Piper looked uncomfortable.
“It’s just your tattoos, and it’s really is a good idea. You might actually help someone. You’re gorgeous, Piper, but it’s your call. Of course, I’m going to say go for it. So long as it’s tasteful.” I added, eyeing Maximus sternly.
He again assured us it would be “Art in its purest form.”
I looked at Piper, watching her face but spoke to Maximus.
“You’re aware of the bounty?”
Maximus made a distasteful sound with his lips.
“But of course,” he said dryly.
I kept my eyes on Piper as I spoke.
“I want you to cash in on it. I want the money from it to be placed in a fund I will later name, but label it Matthew Logue.” I looked away then, back to the photographer. “You do that, and we will do as you wish. Agreed?”
Maximus blinked, confused.
“Of course, Ryan, if this is your wish, I will do this for you.”
I nodded.
“It is our wish.”
Knowing Piper and the love she had for me, I was utterly unthreatened by a man dead and gone, even if he was so obviously still a big part of Piper. If Matthew Logue loved her half as much as I did, then he was worth remembering.
In the end, the photographer outdid himself. I was very proud of my soon-to-be wife. The marks on her showed where she had been, and where she, by all accounts shouldn’t be, but truly was.
“Soon people will know who your Piper is, Ryan. Congratulations to you both. I will send you proofs soon,” Maximus promised as we said good-bye.
After we finished up, Piper and I, with Ellie and company in tow, boarded a studio jet and headed to London. I laid Ellie down on a reclined chair. She had fallen asleep on my lap. I covered her with the suit coat I’d worn at the photo shoot. Titan, Bryce, and Rhodes were seated in the rear of the jet.
They were not speaking, but instead read a magazine, or typed on their phones. I readied myself to bring up the subject I knew Piper did not wish to discuss.
“You’re so quiet. What troubles you, my love?” Reaching for her hand, I said, “Tell me.”
Piper shrugged and glanced at our bodyguards.
“The same. I just want Jean-Paul located. I can’t rest, thinking of him getting to Ellie or you, or anyone I love.” She looked away and said, “Ellie wants to return to New York. You know that. My being her mother prevents her from having normal things, or the things she wants.”
I squeezed her hand.
“Piper, you can’t help the way things are right now.”
She looked at me, and for the first time I saw anger in her eyes.
“Can’t I?” she challenged.
I took her other hand, forcing her to keep her face toward me.
“This is temporary. You’ll see,” I tried to reassure her, although I was not sure I believed it myself.
There was something, some thought, that was taking physical form right in front of me through Piper’s dark eyes, whether fear or resentment of the situation, I didn’t know, but I would do my best to keep her from drowning it. Her face turned soft again.
“I feel him, Ryan. I know he watched my house from the woods when I believed him away working. He watched me with Matthew when we were young. I feel him watching us now. Waiting. I can’t just wait for him to harm one of us. Josh is lucky to be alive, and Ellie…”
She stopped, barely able to think of what Jean-Paul would do to her.
“Don’t you think if I could somehow trap him? Ryan, he killed Maria, and I couldn’t stop him. All I see at night is him doing that to Ellie. I won’t let that happen. I will do something before that becomes a possibility.”
I got on my knees in front of her, mad now. “You listen to me, damn it. There is nothing, NOTHING you can do. We will be safe together, and Ellie will go back to school when the investigation finally turns up something solid on him, something we can get him put away for. Piper?” I said, a little sternly, but pushed by the fear she would do something stupid and end up dead. “Do you hear me?”
She nodded, but I was unconvinced. I sat back in my seat, too tired to argue and afraid of what she might say in response. We spoke very little the rest of the flight, choosing instead to be peaceful and loving. I believed we would be okay, or I was hoping we would be. I didn’t want to think about the full extent of the dangerous situation we were in.
We were being hunted, something I was somewhat used to, although being hunted by cameras was obviously minor in comparison. Yet, I was so used to being “hunted,” that it didn’t seem strange to me. Roger and I agreed, along with Josh, that exposure might be a good thing for my family. If tabs were being kept on us so closely, that just might make someone rethink harming us.
Only later did I remember the saying, You will only find tomorrow on the calendars of fools.
chapter thirty-four
Piper made the cover of Prestigious Profiles magazine. The spreads were incredible. Maximus kept his word and showed the world the graceful beauty that would be my wife. Soon after the photos, Piper was a regular in print. Sometimes she was captured with me, other times walking just behind Titan. The tabloids were crawling all over each other, trying to get shots of her.
One week, it was reported we had been secretly married for ten years, and the next week, they said that we were fighting all the time. Only one magazine made reference to Ellie, but it did not stick, thank God.
I was not ready to share my daughter with the world. We were extra careful with her. Rhodes and Bryce would accompany her wherever she went. By late April, Piper, Ellie, and I had adjusted to life in London. Even knowing it would be brief, it was nice.
Piper and I attended the red carpet premiere of Douglas while there. The crowds were crazy, and showed their love for Piper. At our makeshift home, we read scripts together, shopped, and I rented a cinema just for us, for an entire day, while we caught up on movies. Yet the heaviness was still in Piper’s eyes no matter how happy the times.
I watched her become distant and vacant some days. I knew she was waiting for something to happen. Whenever I saw her do this, I would touch her face and say, “Everything is all right.”
This only put her at ease for a moment. Bee and Sheldon helped with Ellie. Their girls treated her like a sister. Roger flew out to stay with us, bringing Rebecca with him, and followed a couple of days later by Nathan, Dixie, Dee Dee, and Josh.
On a cloudless April day in England, church bells rang in the city. I was up early, having already planned the day. I was a nervous wreck trying to keep everything quiet. It would go one of two ways, and for my sanity’s sake, I prayed it would go my way.
Ellie and the others were at Sheldon and Bee’s house and would meet us later. I took Piper to breakfast and then down an alleyway I knew she would love.
“Look around,” I told her, nodding towards the ancient doors. “There is something here you told me you wanted to see one day.”
She gave me a sheepish grin.
“That could be a number of things.”
Piper glanced down at the brick way then the lamp sconces while walking arm in arm with me. Titan was a few yards back, giving us privacy. Most of the time, I didn’t even know he was there. We walked slowly down the ancient stone alleyway. Piper looked curiously from the doors to the windows.
“I give up,” she said, just before something caught her eye. “No way. Ryan is that…” She let go of my arm, and walked to the heavy, tarnished door knocker, touching it in amazement, as if it were pure gold. I walked to her side.
“The door knocker th
at inspired Dickens’ greatest novel?” I said in answer to her unfinished question.
Piper watched A Christmas Carol year round, any version.
“Wow,” she breathed, as bright-eyed as Ellie would get. “Wow. I thought its location was unknown?”
I chuckled.
“That’s what they say, but it’s because they don’t want this thing ruined or worshipped. Lovely, isn’t it?”
Piper nodded.
“Thank you. A Christmas Carol is my favorite.”
I glanced at my watch and back at Titan. He walked ahead of us to make sure our path was clear. Once he returned, and nodded to me, I took Piper by the hand.
“We have somewhere to be, but it’s a surprise.”
Piper giggled.
“Another one?”
She gave the old knocker one last look, then began to look around for a new treasure.
“It’s not Jack the Ripper stuff, is it?” She wrinkled her nose at the thought.
I shook my head.
“Not today, love,” I teased.
“Tell me then.”
I chuckled.
“Nope. Not until we are inside,”
I led her a few yards away, to an old wooden door. Opening it, I pulled her in with me. Titan remained outside for the moment.
“What is it?” Piper whispered.
“A church, love,” I told her.
I led her to a balcony where she could see. Once she caught sight of everyone, her breath caught and she placed a hand over her mouth. I took a deep breath.
“You did say yes?”
On the floor below was Roger seated with Rebecca, Viola, and Dee Dee. Nathan stood to the side with Josh. Bee fidgeted with Ellie’s hair. Sheldon was talking quietly with the priest.
“Your dress is there,” I said, pointing to a closed door.
Piper looked a little panicky, and for a second, I doubted my plan.
“Piper, we filed the papers months ago. We have the license here as well. Today, not far from here, the world is watching royalty say their vows, so I thought, why not do it while everyone is focused on them? We can do this, and it can be ours. Not intruded upon by strangers, but say the word, and we can do it another time.”