My entire body went cold. My chest cracked open, and my heart fell onto the floor for everyone to see.
Christian spoke again, his voice less harsh but still loud enough for us to hear. “I get it, Hayley. I think your mom is a piece of shit and she deserves nothing from you, but babe, I get it. You have to start trusting me. You don’t have to be alone anymore. Why can’t I make you understand that?”
A tremble of pain skittered over my skin, like the whisper of a ghost. Goosebumps broke out along my arms. There it was—that reminder of my mom that I often pushed away so I didn’t have to feel its effects. It was one of the reasons I began to bury myself in girls and partying, only to move onto racing in the end.
That scar on my heart was as open to the world as a wound on my very skin, but the other scar—knowing my father wasn’t my real father—was buried deep under the skin. Both scars always snuck up on me and hit me at the worst of times.
“Is that why you’re so understanding of all of this? Why you’re so adamant about helping me?”
Piper’s voice was like a light in the dark. The softness of her words helped soothe the hurt that was cutting me deep. “Is it because you get it? Is it because, if given the opportunity, you’d do the same? You’d try to save someone you love?”
I followed Eric’s body as he quietly left the kitchen, leaving me and Piper alone. I was thankful, because I needed to be alone for this, I thought.
I turned toward her. Her green eyes were locked and loaded on mine, ready to swallow up all my deepest, darkest secrets—and there was no one else I’d rather share them with.
Piper.
She and I.
Me and her.
We understood each other.
A small thud sounded as she hopped down from her barstool. Her feet padded over to me, and before I knew it, she was easing her way in between my legs and reaching her arms around my body. I stilled, not knowing what to do other than to submit to her. I wasn’t sure if there was ever a time that we had truly hugged each other. We’d touched each other before, of course. Just last night, she curled next to my body. I’d even had her naked body in my hands once, but this was different. This was something deeper.
Piper’s warm breath coasted over my skin. “Is that why you’re helping? Is that why you’re racing for Tank? Is that why you’re helping me pay him back?”
My voice sounded like I’d swallowed glass. It was almost painful to talk. “No.” Piper pulled back quickly, her face faltering. “I’m helping because it's you, Piper.” Didn’t she understand I’d do anything for her? Couldn’t she see that she was the first person I looked for when I walked into a room? Didn’t she feel this?
Her head shook back and forth, small strands of her hair falling from her ponytail. “But this is my problem.” Her eyes clenched shut, and suddenly, I was back to feeling cold. I wanted her eyes on me. The connection between us was beginning to be what I lived for. “I need to find a way to get you out of this. I hate that you're involved. I hate that I’m involved.”
“Hey.” My voice was almost merciless. I needed her to understand what I was saying. As soon as she locked onto me, I drove my eyes into hers as I wrapped my hands around her face. “This may have started with you, but I can promise you that it’ll end with me. Tank will have no fucking part in your life, or mine, soon. You got it?”
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Piper’s eyes bounced back and forth between mine, and right before Christian and Hayley walked back in the room, hand in hand, she gave me one short nod.
Whether Piper believed me or not, I knew I was good for my word.
This would end.
There would be no more of Piper breaking into trailers; there would be no more of me racing. Tank had no idea…but I was coming for him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Piper
My body felt funny. My head was fuzzy. My blood felt spiked with something potent. There was too much going on, too many emotions over the last day and a half. I was all over the place. Ollie and I kept teetering over the line we had drawn so long ago, and it was doing weird things to my head. I kept peeking at him, my cheeks flaming every time he caught me.
“Well, so now we know that we can’t just pay this guy outright, so we need to exhaust our other possibilities.” Eric rested his elbows on the counter and dropped his head. “So, you owe over 10k, and then once that’s paid back, he’ll just let your brother go? What? Does he have him chained up? Or is your brother just a complete pussy and afraid to leave?”
“He must have something on him. I’m not sure. I know my brother is afraid of him, though.” Ollie didn’t bother looking up. He kept his head straight in line with the cabinets that stood on the back kitchen wall. I wasn’t going to lie; having him sit beside me as I continued talking about Jason made me feel a little better.
“I don’t know how my brother ended up in Tank’s trailer in the first place. I don’t know if someone lured him there. I don’t know if Tank threatened him. But…” My pulse thudded painfully loud in my ears. “He also threatened that he’d feed my brother drugs and blame it on an overdose if he didn’t get his money back.”
Christian hissed, and Ollie stayed still. He didn’t even blink.
“Who the fuck is this punk?” Christian’s hand slapped against the bar top.