Finding Freedom (Book 4) (Piper Anderson Series)

by Stewart, Danielle

  As the flight landed, the bumping of the tires gripping the runways and the whining of the engine as it ground to a stop was exactly how Jedda’s heart was feeling. Touching back down to reality with a thud, a tug, and a jolt.

  Jedda realized watching Michael was a strange experience. He’d never known anyone like him. Michael knew which twists and turns would lead to the airport parking garage. He confidently navigated the construction-filled roads leading to the highway. No sweat on his brow, no nerves at all. He knew who should get a tip and how much. Casual conversation with the other passengers about politics or the state of things came completely naturally to him. He knew himself, he knew the world, and he knew the rules. Jedda wondered if he’d ever be like that, or if he’d always walk through life feeling unsure of himself. A little left behind. He and Michael were around the same age, but to Jedda they felt worlds apart in ability.

  “Everything is so different,” Jedda said, running his hand across the shiny sleek interior of Michael’s car. “How do you have so many radio stations? Is this a talk radio station dedicated just to baseball?”

  “Yes. It’s satellite radio. It’s kind of nuts how many stations there are. Something for everyone really.”

  “And earlier you sent a message to Jules just by talking it into your phone? Is it like a recording?”

  “It converts it to a text message that shows up on her phone,” Michael said, handing his smart phone over to Jedda. “You can mess around with it if you want. There’s the Internet on there. I have a bunch of apps too.”

  “Apps, like appetizers. Like recipes?” Jedda asked, looking quizzically down at the small screen.

  “No,” Michael chuckled, “it’s short for applications. There’s an app for everything. I can check the stock market, see what movies are playing at every theater within a hundred miles, and buy tickets right from my phone. Download books instantly. Video chat. Watch movies. Do my banking. I don’t know how I ever lived without one. Everyone’s got one these days.”

  “A lot of this is allowed in prison now, but you have to have the money and the family on the outside willing to get you set up. The Wrights offered last year to get me some device that would let me send emails, but I told them I was all set. I didn’t want to put them out and I wasn’t sure I could even learn any of it. I preferred to just read any book I could get my hands on.”

  “You probably made the right choice. I can’t remember the last book I read, like paper in my hands. I read on a device now. I’m sure you would have picked it up quickly though. I can’t believe what I’ve learned to do with this stuff but it’s really very distracting.

  “I noticed. It seemed like everyone in the airport was fiddling around with one. They looked a little like zombies. I saw a guy walk straight into the ladies room while looking down at his phone. How long has it been like that? People zoned out on technology?”

  “Good question. A couple years now I guess. You won’t see them at Betty’s house. She’s a stickler for good old-fashioned conversation. I sneak away to the bathroom to check my email every now and then but she gives me a look like she’s onto me.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting her. And seeing Bobby. He’s doing good, right? You said he’s engaged to someone and they’re good for each other?”

  “Engaged is a term we use loosely with those two. It’s really a running joke with all of us. He slipped a ring on her finger when she was just out of major surgery and was still heavily medicated. We give him a hard time about how he took the easy way out and didn’t have to say all the mushy stuff the rest of us guys do. It drives him nuts. Piper’s a good sport about it but even she gives him a hard time. They are great together. He’s a bit of a perfectionist and she likes to push the boundaries. They balance each other perfectly. He’s really looking forward to having you down here. Are you still feeling good about everything?”

  “I kind of feel like I’m on overload. So many things have changed out here. It feels like I’m on another planet, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually.” The nervous shake in Jedda’s leg felt completely out of his control. He was antsy, and that rhythmic tapping and shaking of his foot was all that kept him from reaching for the car door handle and jumping out.

  Michael tapped the button on his steering wheel that turned off the radio. “So I asked everyone to let you get settled in. I don’t want you overwhelmed when you first get here.”

  “Thanks,” Jedda said, craning his neck to catch another glimpse at the dozen miniature ponies they just passed. He’d never been in the country before.

  “You didn’t let me finish,” Michael said with an odd smile. “No one actually gives a crap what I say. So I’m imagining they all decided they knew what’s best and they’ll be at Betty’s ready to welcome you. It takes some getting used to, all the attention. I didn’t live that way before I met all of them, but they eventually beat you into submission and make you love it. I won’t lie, at the beginning, they seem crazy.”

  “Really?” Jedda asked, trying to determine what level of crazy Michael might be referring to. Was he using it in the casual sense or were these people actually insane? The question dancing in his head must have shown on his face because Michael quickly corrected himself.

  “They are unique. Not crazy. I promise you will get used to it, then one day you’ll wake up and wonder how the hell you made it all these years without someone in your face reminding you how much they love you, or telling you how stupid something you are about to do is. You start to wonder how you ever survived on your own. It’s this weird soul-deep kind of love. God, listen to me, I even sound like them now.”

  Jedda nodded, trying to act as though he wasn’t intimidated by the idea of what waited for him at the end of this ride. “It’s nice here,” he thought out loud as he turned his body in the front seat of the car to get a better look at the world passing by him. Sprawling patches of grass, fences that seemed to go on forever.

  “Edenville also takes some adjusting to. I think it will be a good fit for you. Half the technology and changes that have happened to the world, all the things you’ve missed, still haven’t come to Edenville. It’s a nice slow pace.”

  “What brought a guy like you down here? You seem to fit better in New York.”

  “That’s a long story for another day. How I got to Edenville is tricky, but why I stayed is about to become abundantly clear to you. Betty’s house is right up here.”

  Jedda twisted the string on the hood of his sweatshirt around his finger nervously. He held his breath and let the tightness around his finger take all of his attention.

  “I’m scared out of my mind,” he muttered as he closed his eyes. His heart was racing, thudding against his ribs. His hands felt tingly and his mouth was painfully dry.

  “Everyone here is in your corner, Jedda. I promise.”

  “I’m not worried about that. I’m terrified I’m going to let them down. I know it sounds like a no-brainer, getting out of prison, but that place was all I’ve known for half my life. There’s structure in there. I knew what every day would be like. Now I have no idea what I’m doing five minutes from now. What if I can’t hack it out here? What if letting me out was a mistake?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that,” Michael admitted as Betty’s house came into view. “All I know is if I were in your shoes this is where I would want to be. This place, and these people, this is your best shot.”

  Jedda pried his eyes open and shook his head in agreement, trying to convince himself that Michael was right. He let his eyes focus on the long dirt driveway. The house was surrounded on three sides by tall trees that looked like ancient sentinels keeping watch over everything. There was a stone wall lining the driveway, and Jedda watched as squirrels danced in and out of the holes in it. The house wasn’t like any he’d seen up close. He was more accustomed to high-rises. This one reminded him of something he’d watched on the old black and white movies that used to run on basic television when he
was a kid. It was country, and seemed completely welcoming, just as Michael had assured him.

  Judging by the cars lined up next to the house, Michael’s request for a quiet arrival had indeed been ignored. As they pulled in, Jedda felt the sweat begin to bead on the back of his neck and forehead. New people. New place. New life. He should feel like the luckiest man in the world, but in reality, he felt like everything was spinning out of control.

  He and Michael stepped up the creaky front porch steps and were greeted by an older woman wearing a pink flowered dress and an apron. Her caramel-colored hair was streaked with gray, and her smile was as warm and sincere as anything Jedda had ever seen. She was small in stature but stood with a stance that said, “Watch out, I am deceivingly formidable.”

  “Jedda, we’re so happy to have you here,” she sang in a southern drawl as she stepped aside for Michael and Jedda to pass her. Michael leaned in and kissed her cheek as she patted his back. Again, Jedda froze. Was he supposed to kiss her cheek, too? Was that what everyone did or just what Michael did? Before he could get too lost in his own insecurity, Betty was pulling him into a tight hug and patting his back affectionately.

  “What a journey you’ve been on,” she whispered to him as she let him go. Jedda hadn’t had a lot of hugs in his life and especially from someone he just met. But the rumors were true, he could see it already. There was something different about this woman. Something indescribably distinct. Sometimes it’s not about the expression on someone’s face as they look at you, it’s about how they see you. That’s all Jedda could think as he took in the woman who’d thrown her arms around a killer without a moment’s hesitation. She was seeing him in a way he hadn’t been seen for a very long time. It felt like she was looking at the boy he used to be rather than the man who’d taken lives.

  “I’m Betty. I’m sure you’ve heard loads of wonderful things about me. They’re all true.” The kitchen and small breakfast area was full of people and uncomfortable silence. The only one ignoring that air in the room was Betty. She might as well be wielding a knife and cutting right through the awkwardness. “I’ll do the introductions. This here is my daughter, Jules, and she’s carrying my granddaughter who, if my daughter loves me at all, will be named Françoise after my grandmother.”

  “Ma, I thought we put that to rest already,” the red-headed beauty with the beach-ball belly said as she rolled her eyes and perched her hands on her hips. “She’ll be the only kid in kindergarten with an old lady name.” After some huffing and puffing passed between Jules and Betty the attention turned back to Jedda. “Sorry about that, Jedda. Ma thinks she knows what’s best for everyone all the time,” Jules said as she extended her hand and smiled warmly at him. “You’ll see.”

  “Don’t go warning the boy about me like I’m not standing right here.” More knowing looks passed between the women while Jedda tried to keep up with what was good-hearted humor and what was real tension.

  When everyone was quiet again, Jedda stuttered for the words he’d rehearsed over and over again in his head on the plane ride. He had a message for Jules and hoped it would come out halfway normal. “Thank you for allowing Michael to be away as long as he was. I know you bought a house and even put off your wedding twice. I’m very grateful.”

  “It’s me who should be thanking you,” she replied in her heavy southern drawl as she looked over Jedda’s shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Michael. “You see my fiancé here is a whiz-bang of a lawyer as I’m sure you were witness to. He’s charismatic, knows the law books inside and out. Impressive really.”

  “Yes,” Jedda said, nodding his head in agreement, but before his lips could curl into a smile Jules changed her tone.

  “Now here at home is another story all together. Here he’s a moron. You keeping him up there is probably what’s allowed me to stay engaged to him.”

  Jedda pursed his lips shut and leaned over slightly to the side so that Jules’s dagger-filled eyes were able to reach Michael better.

  “I said I was sorry a dozen times already. You’re being too sensitive.”

  “Too sensitive,” Jules crowed as she charged forward, pushing Jedda aside slightly. “You called your very pregnant wife fat. I don’t think people would consider me too sensitive.”

  “It was almost a month ago and I did not call you fat. I said that I hadn’t seen you in a few weeks and you were bigger than I thought you would be.”

  The whole room drew in a tight breath as though they’d just witnessed a horrible unavoidable accident with lots of carnage.

  Jules’s jaw fell open as she shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you just repeated that. I swear to God, Michael Cooper, I will make you pray for death if you don’t shut your mouth and—”

  “Jules,” Betty said softly, resting her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Please punish the idiot later. You’re scaring our company. Now where was I?” Betty turned to a man in the corner of the room. “This is Clay. He’s my companion. He’s from up in New York just like you. He’s a chef and moved down to Edenville to start up a restaurant with me. It’s always been a dream of mine and I know with his help it will come true.” Betty swooned as she rested her hand on Clay’s shoulder and grinned.

  The stout balding man tipped his head in greeting and went back to busying himself with the corn he’d been husking. “We’re happy to have you here, Jedda, and I’m extra happy about it because it means I’m not the new guy in the house anymore. Make yourself at home here.”

  Betty leaned in and kissed Clay’s cheek affectionately before she continued. “You of course, already know Bobby,” Betty said as Bobby sprang forward and pulled Jedda into a tight hug, their bodies thudding together.

  “This place comes with built-in commotion, so I thought I’d give you a minute before I rushed you,” Bobby said, slapping Jedda’s shoulder and looking at him again as though he couldn’t believe he was actually here. “Congratulations, Jedda. I’m so happy you’re out. It took all my willpower not to tackle you when you came in the door, but I didn’t want to interrupt Michael getting his ass handed to him by Jules.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me, Bobby. What you’re all willing to do for me. I’m not sure how I’ll ever pay you back but I—”

  “For the love of Pete, Bobby, you brought us another one? Jedda, my boy, sit down here.” Betty gestured to a chair at the breakfast nook and shooed Bobby out of her way.

  “Another what?” Bobby asked, looking confused as to why he’d been shoved aside.

  “Now listen here, Jedda. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. When we met Piper over there I wasn’t as direct as I needed to be.”

  Michael let out a burst of air as he interrupted, “Yes, that’s what you’re known for Betty. Not being direct enough.” He had to duck to avoid the dishtowel Betty resolutely tossed at his face.

  “You best hush your mouth or I won’t save you from her next time,” she threatened with a nod toward Jules. “Now, as I was saying, I know you won’t really hear this when I tell you, but I’m going to say it anyway right from the get-go. You aren’t here because we owe Bobby some debt. Trust me, that boy owes me more than he can ever pay back. You aren’t here because we’re a bunch of big-hearted charitable do-gooders. You’re here because you’re a part of this. Someone we care about cares about you. You belong here and you don’t owe us anything. I know that won’t sink in right now. Every other word out of your mouth will be I’m sorry or thank you. But you need to know the sooner you realize you deserve to be here, the better off you’ll be.”

  Jedda hung his head and let his eyes fix on his brand new white shoes. Betty was right, he wasn’t ready to believe that, but it was still nice to hear. “Can I ask you something?” He was still looking down and speaking just above a whisper.

  “Anything,” Betty said crouching down slightly to meet his eye.

  “What smells so good?” His head rose and a smile broke across his face. Jedd
a loved food. Cooking was one of the only real freedoms he’d had in prison and as hard as he tried to decipher what Betty might have in the oven, he just couldn’t figure it out.

  The woman who’d been sitting next to Bobby smiled and answered his question. “She didn’t know what you liked so she made one of everything. Italian food, southern food, French. She wanted to be sure there was something here you’d enjoy. That’s just how she is,” she said as she stepped forward and put her arm around Betty. “It’s nice to meet you, Jedda. I’m Piper. You’re a very important part of Bobby’s life. That means you’re important to the rest of us. We’re glad to have you here and we’ll help you any way we can.”

  Piper was not at all what Jedda had expected. The way she’d been described by Michael and Bobby, you’d think she was this fierce ball of terror, plowing her way through life, kicking ass and taking names. But she seemed pretty normal. Though there was a flash of something in her eyes. A kind of knowing. He’d gotten the short version of what Piper had lived through, but looking at her now made him want to hear more. He wanted to understand her better because there was a chance she might be more like him than any of the others in the group. And if she could be this happy, then there might be hope for him after all.

  One thing was already abundantly clear. The meal was truly a smorgasbord of different types of food, each one delicious. Pasta. Pot pie. Grits. And so much more. An endless buffet lined up on the kitchen counter for everyone to enjoy. The food was good, but the company was even better. It was a stark contrast to eating in the chow hall. That was where the politics of prison played out—the drama and the danger. You ate quickly and left even quicker. This meal was relaxing, fun even. He didn’t have to look over his shoulder or shovel his food so fast that he risked choking.