Fatal Reunion

by Jessica R. Patch

  Luke hurried to Piper, dropped to his knees and cradled her head in his lap. “Piper, talk to me. Anything broken?” He brushed her cheek with his fingers. He could have lost her.

  “He’s getting away,” she groaned.

  “You’re more important. You need a doctor?”

  “Why not? Pretty sure I’ve met my deductible in the last week.” She rubbed the back of her head. “I’m kidding. About going, not about my deductible. Help me sit up.” Her face scrunched in pain as Luke lifted her up and against the couch for support. “I’m sorry. I thought I had him.”

  “Don’t be sorry.” He embraced her with his good arm and laid his head on top of hers. “That scared me half to death.” His heart raced.

  Luke held his wounded arm close to his chest, sweat and blood trickling down his neck. Piper scooted away and clasped his arm. “Let me see.” She gently rolled the cuff up and slurped air through her teeth. “I’m so sick of bleeding.”

  Luke breathed a laugh, wiped the corner of her mouth where a dot of blood had pooled and held his finger up. “Me, too.”

  “You need stitches?”

  “No. I need to call Eric. Do a check and see what that animal stole, if anything.”

  “Why would anyone believe you had anything?”

  He didn’t, but he’d been involved with Piper. That was enough. “I don’t know.”

  After he called Eric, Piper bandaged his arm, and then he did a quick sweep. The kitchen cabinets had been opened and a few dishes shattered. His drawers in the bedroom were pilfered through as well as the cabinets in all three of his bathrooms. The two guest rooms and the entertainment center had been nosed around in.

  Compared to Mama Jean’s place and Piper’s, this was nothing thirty minutes wouldn’t fix. Why not be as thorough? Probably because Luke interrupted him. But something churned in his gut. He was missing something. Question was: What?

  * * *

  Piper’s head pounded even after the ibuprofen Luke gave her should have kicked in. She’d checked her face in the mirror. A split lip and a bump on the back of her head and probably a few bruises on her lower back, but other than that she was sunny-side up.

  Luke leaned against the granite counter, an ice pack on his jaw. Piper studied his house. Nice. Family-sized. Another ache formed. She glanced over at him. He grinned and licked the corner of his lip.

  “This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to have you over.”

  Piper sipped on a bottle of water. “Not the way I wanted to come.”

  “It doesn’t have the charm of your mature neighborhood and homey place, but I think it could be...homey. With the right touch.”

  Piper swallowed. Was he implying something? Did he mean her touch? Impossible. “Do I get a ten-cent tour?”

  “You mean two-cent? Isn’t that what you said about your house?” Amusement flickered in his eyes.

  “My house is a two-cent. This is definitely ten.” Not large like Harmony’s home, but an easy 2,000 square feet, and she’d know thanks to her former life. Another lump swelled in her throat.

  “Come on, then.”

  After touring the living area and a peek into the master bedroom and bath, they went upstairs and he showed her the two bedrooms—one he used as an office—the bathroom and game room. “I have some unfinished attic space. Maybe one day I’ll finish it.” His gaze held hers, and his voice softened. “Maybe put in an exercise room of some sort.”

  Was that another implication?

  Piper’s mouth turned to dried wood, and she slipped by him. “Let’s go back downstairs and talk.”

  “Thought you were all talked out.”

  “I changed my mind. I kinda wish I hadn’t.”

  He chuckled. “Coffee?”

  “Coffee’s good.” Piper sat on the sofa in the hearth room, staring at the bricked fireplace. A wall of windows opened into a decent-sized backyard. “So you used the knife-hand strike. Technically, I saved your bacon again.”

  Luke tossed her a pointed look. “I shouldn’t have told you that. Don’t go getting all cocky.” He closed the distance between them and handed her a cup.

  She sipped it. Perfect. Cream and a pinch of sugar. Of course he’d remember. “I want you to know why I lost my cool the other day.”

  “Okay.” He set his mug on the table next to the overstuffed chair and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, giving her his undivided attention. Blue-green eyes melted her.

  “You told me that first day in the hospital with Mama Jean that you didn’t know what to call what I did to you back then. I’ll tell you what to call it.”

  Luke’s nostrils flared. Was he holding back emotion or was he angry? Still peering into her eyes. Still relaxed with his elbows on his knees. Emotion. This was going to be rough. Because once she shared the truth, that was it. Closure to their past.

  Too much between the lines to make a go of it again.

  “What would you call it?” he whispered.

  “Love.” Her eyes pooled with moisture. “I wanted out. So bad. I hated lying to you. I was afraid you’d leave me if you knew I was involved.”

  “But I didn’t.” He took her hand and kissed it, making things more difficult. “When you finally came clean and told me you knew they were running burglaries, I didn’t leave you.”

  “In the end, you did. You saw me, called me a liar and then you told me to leave...to run.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, but she held her hand up. She had to get this out while she felt brave. “When you told me you were an undercover cop and that you loved me, after I told you the truth about my involvement... I tried. For a minute, I thought everything you said could be true. But I was wrong. And so were you.”

  Luke furrowed his brow and shook his head.

  “I told Chaz I wanted out. That I was done.” She closed her eyes, feeling Chaz’s meaty paws grip her neck, squeezing until it burned.

  “You don’t get to make that decision. If you leave, I’ll kill you. Right after I slit your grandma’s throat and put a bullet through what’s-his-face’s head. You leave when I tell you that you can. I let you have him as a play toy to occupy your time. But when I say it’s over, it’s over.”

  Sly had come in on that scene, and the tip of his blade pierced her skin. He’d accused Luke of being a cop. Piper had lied, kept Luke’s cover. If they’d found out, Luke would have been dead for sure, right along with Piper and Mama Jean. There was no way out.

  “He threatened you.”

  She nodded.

  “You could have come to me. I’d have protected you.” Luke gripped her hands. “You just had to believe.”

  “I was nineteen. All I’d known for five years was Chaz Michaels and Sly Watson and their world. I knew what they were capable of.”

  “Why the bogus address, Piper? I could have busted them. You could have testified at any time.”

  “Oh, yeah. And seal my death sentence? Go into witness protection if it came to that...without you.” She bit the inside of her lip. “They suspected you. Thought I was your informant.” Which was true, in a sense. “Told me you were using me, but I held fast, Luke. I didn’t snitch. And not because of what he did.”

  Luke’s eyes flashed hot. “What did he do to you?”

  Piper shook her head. Didn’t matter now. “It’s over. But I knew if you showed up at that house, he’d kill us. Wouldn’t matter that you were a cop. And I couldn’t be the reason you lost your life. All I did was make trouble for you. Even now...”

  Luke knelt before her, framed her face with his hands. “I wish you would have told me all of this that night.”

  Piper rested her hands over his. “Why should I have had to? Why didn’t you know in your heart that I’d done it for a good reason? To protect you for once. Why did you say
run when all I wanted to hear was stay, I love you and I forgive you?”

  Luke’s shoulders sagged and devastation flooded his eyes. “Pip—”

  Piper’s phone rang. Rehab center. This late? “I have to take this. It’s Mama Jean’s rehab center.” She answered.

  “Miss Kennedy, this is Angela at Baptist Rehab Center. Your grandmother spiked a high fever. The doctor’s been in.”

  Luke’s phone rang and he answered while Piper continued listening to the nurse.

  “She has a urinary tract infection, but with the elderly comes additional side effects. She’s having some confusion, which is normal, but I thought you’d want to know. We gave her a sedative and an antibiotic. Tomorrow, she ought to be feeling better.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that, hon. I just wanted you to know.”

  “What time? Did he say?” Luke asked. A grim line slid across his forehead. Whom was he talking to?

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Piper hung up and waited for Luke to end his call. She explained Mama Jean’s situation.

  “Okay. I’ll take you over there.”

  “Who was that on the phone?” Piper said as they climbed inside the Durango and backed out of the garage.

  “Turns out Holt McKnight talked with a guy over darts at Riff’s, and Boone’s name came up in a conversation about Derone. They both stay in apartments close to the Mississippi line. Off Highway 51 and Chester Drive.”

  “He could have Harmony there. We have to go now.” But Mama Jean needed her, too. “Or you need to go now.”

  Luke rested his hand on her knee. “Holt’s guys are doing a drug bust tonight. Finally taking down Derone. If Eric and I go snooping, we could scare them off. Ruin everything he’s worked for.”

  Piper frowned. “But what if Harmony’s there? What if she’s hurt? Another day is too long.”

  “We need a game plan—”

  “Easy. We go in there, your guns blazing and my feet ready to wipe the floor with that piece of work.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of something with a level head. If Boone is in there, and we go all guns blazing and feet stomping, he might kill Harmony if...”

  Piper rubbed her temple. “If she’s not dead already. Okay. It’s like no end is in sight.”

  “Everything has an ending.”

  Unfortunately. Not all of them happy. “Luke, Harmony is my best friend. How long are you going to have to wait?”

  “Maybe first thing in the morning. I don’t know. McKnight’s gotta have all the key players in place. I’ll call you as soon as it’s done.” He pulled under the lit awning at the rehab center. “Piper.” He hooked her chin, forcing her to make eye contact. “We’re not done talking, okay?” He caressed her cheek, smiled until she hurt inside.

  She nodded.

  “I’ll make sure you get home in the morning. Bring you breakfast.” This seemed like more than doing his duty to protect and serve.

  She slipped from the Durango, turned when she made it inside and waved, knowing he’d be watching until she was safe.

  He waved and zoomed away. To form a game plan with Eric. Guns blazing might get Harmony killed. But waiting until daylight might, too.

  * * *

  Mama Jean had been sleeping soundly for the past hour. The nurse said she’d be out all night and Piper could go home and not to worry.

  Piper held Mama Jean’s hand, kissed it. Somewhere out there Luke was forming a game plan, and Harmony was slipping away.

  Harmony had been her only friend. After Piper left Memphis, she’d lost all contact with her. With everyone, including Mama Jean for a short time. But when Piper turned twenty-one, Harmony had called on her birthday. They’d both left their sordid teenage years behind for better things. But Harmony had made a connection. Not even Luke had.

  Losing Harmony would be like losing a sister—if Piper hadn’t already lost her. No. She couldn’t think like that. Piper could only hope that Harmony was doing whatever it took to survive. They were, after all, survivors.

  The gnawing and anxiety climbed her like a cat running up a tree. She bobbed her knee, tapped her foot, chewed her nail.

  One peek. The cops might ruin a drug bust, but a nobody like Piper could easily get in and out of an apartment complex, and she had the skills to slink around in the dark, to find Boone’s apartment. Wasn’t proud of the skills. No choice. Harmony had no other family.

  She called a cab and stood outside until it arrived. Once it dropped her off at Harmony’s, she changed into dark clothes and whipped out of the driveway at light speed.

  Hitting the interstate, she kept to the speed limit until she exited at State Line Road. Chester Apartments were the only ones in the area. Now to find Boone’s. She couldn’t call the apartment manager and ask. He or she might tip off Boone.

  God, please forgive me. This time it’s for a good cause. And keep me safe if You don’t mind... I’m scared, but I can’t do nothing.

  Piper drove through the complex. Single-floor apartments lined two sides of a street that opened into an elderly, run-down neighborhood. She parked near one of the houses.

  The half-moon was enough light to see, but easy to blend in with the shadows. Piper glanced up. Yep. A pair of shoes hung from the telephone wires. Sign that within the vicinity was an easy score for drugs.

  I’m coming, Harmony. Just hang on.

  Trees over the apartment rustled. Cars from Highway 51 whooshed. Cackling came from three apartments. She just needed to find Boone’s apartment, to look. Wasn’t as if she was going inside. Not unless Harmony was in danger. Luke would kill her. And she was working to build trust between them. Not sure why when she was going back to Jackson and he was staying here.

  Reaching the first four doors of the first unit, she ducked behind a bush and cocked an ear. A kid cried. A TV blared. A woman’s voice chattered as if on the phone.

  She crept around to the other side and strained to hear. Silence. She edged up under a window, swept the area, then inched up, trying to see in between raggedy plastic miniblinds. Too dark, but a light from the hall was on. She noted the number on the door.

  Slipping from apartment to apartment, she’d noted six possibilities. One with a dog barking inside.

  “Hey, bro, where you been?” A big guy with cliff-sized shoulders stood about two apartments down. Another wiry guy sat on the stoop, smoke billowing in the air. Maybe cigarettes, maybe not. But the wind would blow the aroma, and she’d know in a minute.

  “Kendra’s.” He laughed.

  Wiry guy laughed with him. “You want somes of this?”

  The shoulders. So wide. “No, man, I’m straight.” He held up a paper sack. Probably a nice big bottle of Colt 45 inside. “Hey, check it.” He got inside the car and neon lights spun around the wheels.

  Tricked-out Caddy. Wheels. Derone! She so owed him a punch in the face.

  No sign of Boone.

  How much time until the drug bust? She had to move quickly. Piper slipped around the building to make her way down the opposite side. About the fourth complex someone stepped out of the shadows, and she backed into the brick.

  “Hey,” wiry guy hollered.

  Busted. Piper stepped out, hands up. He might have a gun on him. “Hey, no harm. Just looking for Boone.” She dropped one hand and rubbed her nose back and forth, sniffing. “I...I’m needing him real bad.”

  Wiry guy hooted. “I’m sure you do.”

  She sniffed again and twitched. If he thought she was a tweaker, he could be useful. Most pushers like Derone and this guy didn’t sell meth. Pot. Cocaine. Ecstasy. Boone? Yeah, he’d sell meth. Just as long as Derone didn’t wander over. He might recognize her.

  “Whatchoo into, girl?”

  S
he twitched and clawed at her arms and face. “I need... I just need Boone.”

  Wiry guy took a drag of his smoke and laughed at her again. “I know whatchoo after. Boone ain’t been around a few days. But he stay over there sometime.” He pointed to the apartment with the dog. “If he ain’t around, you come back over here and I can hook you up.”

  “Yeah. Yeah. I’ll do that.” She scratched relentlessly and kept her face hidden. He’d know she was lying if he saw smooth flesh not destroyed by the effects of methamphetamine.

  Apartment with the dog.

  Fantastic.

  Time to get clever. Piper stumbled across the street to Boone’s apartment complex. She turned back. Wiry guy was gone.

  She listened at the door. Nothing. Not even a bark. Maybe Harmony wasn’t here. Piper slipped around back and crouched under the open window, all ears. Quiet. The wind picked up, blowing bent metal miniblinds. From a dim light in the hall, Piper had the chance to look inside the bedroom.

  A pop sounded and she jumped and turned. Someone’s car must have backfired. The street was silent.

  But she couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were on her. Watching. Waiting. As if knowing her next move before she did. Adrenaline raced, but she kept her breathing deep, even but inaudible.

  No sign of Harmony. Or Boone.

  One more peek then she’d get out of here.

  A gust of wind gave her the chance to steal another glimpse.

  Piper’s heart vaulted into her throat.

  A hand lay in a pool of something dark.

  Blood.

  What choice did she have? Harmony might be dead. Or she might barely be hanging on. What if she needed CPR?

  God, please forgive me!

  With a forceful shove, the screen gave way, but she caught it before it clattered to the ground, bringing in the dog. Wouldn’t it be nice if it was a Yorkie-poo like Ms. Wells’s dog, Tootsie? Piper laid the window screen by the bushes and hoisted herself up and into the window.

  Lifeless eyes gaped back at Piper.

  THIRTEEN