“No. I need to go.” I pick my phone up again and download the Uber app. I’ve never used it before, but I don’t have time to wait around for the bus tonight. I go through the motions, answering what feels like a million questions about myself. Clicking through stupid informational messages without reading them.
“I can drive, you know.”
“No.” I don’t bother to look up. I’m too busy linking my debit card. Besides, this isn’t his mess, it’s mine.
“Piper.” Rex puts his hand on my phone.
I sigh, my body shaking in fear. This, Cooper being at Bane’s, is all my fault. I don’t know why he’s there, but if Cooper is that torn up to go to him, he must be in a bad way. “I need to go home.”
“It’s not a big deal. I’ll take you.”
I shake my head. “Not that home. My old one. Cooper’s in trouble.”
“And it’s your job to save him, why? He’s a grown man, Piper.”
Rex can’t understand. From the first night terror when I was eight years old, Cooper was there, rushing into my room before his parents. He held my hand in the hallway at school every day that year, not giving a damn about spiteful third graders, who quickly learned to keep their mouths shut. He’s had my back time after time. He knows everything I went through as a kid and never once judged me. In fact, I think my hardships made him love me more. He loved me because I was broken. I think Cooper felt it was his job to fix me. “Because he’s always had my back when I needed it. Even when I didn’t want him to. It’s my turn.”
Rex mulls over my words a few moments then nods. Whatever it is that makes him understand I’m glad. I don’t have the energy to argue right now.
“I’m driving.”
“No, Rex. It’s not safe.”
“And that’s exactly why you’re not going alone.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re parked in front of apartment 2A. Bane’s place is nicer than Monica’s. The paint outside is fresh, powder blue with only a handful of sprayed tags on the side. The potholes in the parking lot were filled last spring, and the landlord attempted to landscape the first floor with shrubs. They died because no one watered them and now it’s just twigs out front. Still, for the area, it’s the nicest complex around.
I turn the knob without knocking, a death wish in this part of town. Bane’s frozen in the hallway that separates the bathroom and bedroom from the living space. He stands, one foot behind the other at an angle, a pistol pointed at us.
Rex notices it before I do. His hand curls around my waist, pulling me three steps backwards. He steps in front, physically shielding me in case things go wrong. Brave, but stupid. Rex is going places; he can’t be putting his life on the line for me like that.
“Fucking hell, Piper,” Bane says slipping the pistol beneath the band of his pants again. “I could have killed you.”
I step around Rex and fist bump Bane. “You wouldn’t have shot me.”
“No, but I damn sure would have shot this one,” he says looking at Rex. “Fucker is huge.”
Rex chuckles. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He holds out his hand. “Rex.”
“Bane.”
“And I’m Piper.” I say sarcastically.
Bane smirks and flips me the bird. I wrinkle my nose and stick my tongue out at him. We both laugh, remembering a time when life was simpler. When all we had to worry about was staying out of gang turf and not getting mud on his mama's carpet.
Silence slips its way into the room until the cha-ching of a cash register sounds. Bane pulls his phone from his pocket and frowns. “We gotta move fast. Someone saw you.”
20
Rex
Piper’s an idiot. No girl, especially one as beautiful as she is, should be in this part of town alone. She could get mugged, or raped, or even killed. As much as I hate knowing she shares a bed with Cooper at night, I’m glad she’s not living here anymore.
I look out the door. The street’s dead, illuminated by a single lamp with three women standing under it. Skinny, frail looking women who need to put some clothes on. I don’t care who you are, a lady should have more respect for herself than to walk around in their bra and a scrap of fabric that’s supposed to be a skirt. Outside of them, I don’t see anyone. I think Bane’s full of shit. No one saw us, and even if they did, I don’t see how it matters. We’re here to collect Cooper. Nothing more.
I shut the front door and follow Piper and Bane. She leads the way, twisting the knob of the bedroom, opening it like she owns the place. I don’t like how comfortable Piper is here. They obviously have history, and I can’t help but wonder how far it goes. I give Bane a once over, sizing him up. Dude’s tall, but not as tall as me. Every inch of his arms is covered in colorful ink, making his muscles even more defined. I could take him, but it would be close. I push those thoughts away. For now, Bane and I are on the same team—team Piper—and until he becomes a threat, I’m just gonna have to deal.
Piper kneels beside the bed. “What happened?”