by Grant, Livia
“Are you hitting on my girlfriend?” Nolan chuckled.
“She’s Piper Fucking Kole. Of course, I’m hitting on her,” Wendy retorted.
“I’m not his girlfriend. And what’s this?” Piper said, holding up the gross looking beverage.
“Bossman told me you might have a wee hangover this morning, so I detoured to pick up my magic cure on the way over.”
“What’s in it?”
“Don’t ask. Truly. Just pinch your nose and drink it down. Think of it as medicine.”
Nolan snuck in another bite of bacon, enjoying watching the women meet.
“Did you pick up all the stuff I asked for?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? I had to go to two places for the one item. It was a real pain in the ass.”
Piper chuckled.
“What’s so funny over there?”
“You. You have a type, you know that, Mr. Boeing?”
“Oh? And what type is that?”
“Strong, smartass women.”
Nolan looked back-and-forth between Piper and his assistant and chuckled. “You may be right about that, but I can assure you, I only plan on boning one of you.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I don’t swing that way. Now, Ms. Kole…”
“That’s enough, Wendy. Thanks for bringing over the supplies I asked for. When are the others going to arrive?”
Piper had just got the question, “Others?” out when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get that,” Wendy offered cheerfully. “You two kids eat up. Your pancakes are getting cold.”
After she’d left the kitchen, Piper leaned forward and whispered accusatorially, “What the hell? You invite over the whole neighborhood?”
“Not quite, but I can throw a barbecue tonight if you’d like to meet everyone.”
“Smartass.”
Wendy was back, this time with an older Hispanic man in tow.
“This is Julio,” she announced.
“Thanks for coming so quickly.” Nolan didn’t bother standing. “Wendy, can you show Julio to my bedroom, please?”
“You got it, boss.”
Piper turned in her chair and watched the pair leave before turning back to him to pin him with a glare. “Something you want to tell me, Boeing? First, a lesbian. Now you have her taking another man to your bedroom. You need me to leave?”
“Baby, you misunderstood. Julio is here for you, not me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sure. I mean, I didn’t really specify if they should send a woman or a man. I didn’t think it really mattered.” He let her confusion last a few seconds. “He’s here to measure for the new blackout drapes I’m having installed this afternoon.”
“Seriously. You called a drapery installment company before nine on a Monday morning, and they just ran over?”
“Technically, I called Wendy. Wendy called him before nine. You’ve met her—she can be very persuasive.”
“Certifiable.”
“You mean, charming.”
Less than a minute passed before the doorbell rang again.
Piper’s eyebrow rose adorably. “Who is it this time, the pool man?”
“Naw, the pool service came last Thursday.”
“Don’t bother getting up! I’ve got this.” Wendy called out from near the entrance.
“What a smartass.”
“Like I said, you really do have a type.”
“Are you admitting you’re a smartass, Ms. Kole?”
He adored the smile that lit up her face as she teased back, “I refuse to answer on the grounds I might incriminate myself.”
“Likely story.”
They could hear Wendy talking with someone as they approached the kitchen. Nolan looked up to see Wendy coming in with a burly bodybuilder-type guy trailing behind her.
What the fuck. This wasn’t going as he planned.
“I thought I told you to get the best available,” he pressed his assistant.
“You gave me exactly thirty minutes. I got you the best available within a ten-minute drive from your house. This is Peter.”
Nolan looked the guy over, getting angrier by the minute. He wanted someone to help him pamper her, but he hadn’t planned for muscle-boy.
“And what exactly does Peter do?” Piper looked confused as she started making wild guesses. “Install closets? If so, I’ve meant to redo my master closet for a while now. Can you leave your card?”
Wendy pinned Nolan with a glare he recognized as her ‘you really are a jerk’ look. “Peter is the best. And for the record, he bats for the other team like I do.”
Nolan looked back at the bodybuilder, only to find him making eyes at him, not Piper. He hated how relieved he felt.
“Fine. He’ll do.”
“And what exactly is it that he is going to ‘do’ again?” Piper interjected again.
Peter patted the bag he had slung over his shoulder before answering, “I’m going to make you feel very relaxed, Ms. Kole.”
“Oh, really? You got some Xanax in that bag of yours, do you?”
Nolan chuckled. “No, but he might have some of those fancy essential oils or some shit like that. He’s a masseuse, here to give you a massage.”
“A massage. Here. In your house.”
“I can ask him to setup out by the pool if you’d prefer.”
“Let me get this straight. In the time it took me to shower, you arranged a drape installation and a massage?”
“Don’t forget the hangover medicine.”
She would never admit it in a million years, but he saw it written all over her face—she was happily surprised.
Score.
“I just want you to relax and feel at home.”
Piper hesitated, glancing at Peter and Wendy, then back at him.
“I really should go home.”
“Sure. I’ll take you after your massage. No sense letting Peter’s talents go to waste.”
“I know what you’re doing.”
“Making you happy?”
“Nolan…”
“Piper…”
It only took a few seconds for her to give in. “Fine, but only because I’ve been trying to fit a massage into my schedule, anyway.”
“Of course.” He waited for her to stand and turn to leave before he pulled the small gift box out of the top of the bag Wendy had set next to him on the counter. “Wait. Before you go, I have a small gift for you.”
Piper turned, glancing between him and the gift-wrapped box he was holding out toward her. It took a few seconds for her to walk back his way and reach out for the present. Their fingers brushed in the hand-off, and he was relieved to feel the electricity still charging between them.
“You shouldn’t have. I don’t need anything.”
“Wrong. You definitely need this.”
Piper hesitated long enough, he wasn’t sure if she was going to open it or not. When she started ripping the bow and wrapping off, he leaned forward with interest. The second she recognized what was in the small box, her eyes snapped up to pin him with knowing glare.
“I told you it would be something you were gonna need.”
“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” she accused as she pulled the sleep mask out of the box and held it up for him to see.
“You can leave it with me,” he grinned. “I’ll put it on your side of the bed. I’m sure you’ll put it to use later tonight when you test out the new drapes.”
* * *
Shane startled awake sometime later when Sarah placed the nasal cannula into Nalani’s nose to give her additional oxygen. He was grateful the movement didn’t wake her. She needed as much rest as possible to help her heal.
As tempted as he was to hide in Nalani’s room, Shane extricated himself and pushed to his feet. He really needed to make some phone calls. He couldn’t rest until they had Ainsworth behind bars.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“That’s good. I can tell she is comfort
ed by you being near.”
He let her comment go unanswered, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her bruised forehead before picking up his shoes and heading down the hall toward the living room.
If anything, it was more chaotic in the house than before his nap. More police had arrived. Jaxson and Miguel had several laptops open, doing something at the dining room table. Emma and Avery were in the kitchen, making snacks for everyone.
Everyone seemed to have a job doing something helpful except Shane, and he hated it. He felt neutered, unable to assist the woman he loved.
Chase snuck up on him, handing his now charged phone out to him, along with a piece of paper with a list on it.
“Here you go. I’ve taken some messages for you and made a list of people you need to reach out to. I’d start with your mother if I were you.” The men’s eyes met as Shane grabbed the phone and paper.
“Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”
They may not know each other well, but at that moment, he suspected Chase really did have a pretty good idea of what he was going through.
“And FYI, the police chief stopped by. He’s ready to kick your ass for not waiting for the ambulance, but he let us know he got a judge to sign off on the search warrant for Henry Ainsworth’s estate. They’re headed there now. I’ll let you make your calls, but let me know if you need anything.”
Things were moving along quickly, which suited Shane fine. The room was too warm… too crowded. He weaved his way through the dining area and slid open the sliding glass door to the patio. The temperatures had been in the high seventies in the afternoon, but mornings could be chilly. The brisk February morning was exactly what he needed to wake up.
He was grateful for the privacy the secure estate provided as he made call after call, trying to find someone—anyone—who had seen this violent side of Henry Ainsworth in the past. In his gut, he knew men Ainsworth’s age didn’t just wake up one day and turn into a violent rapist. He’d heard the gossip of what an asshole he was to work with. Shane used his network to put the word out he was looking for other victims to come forward.
When a Google alert blew up his phone, he hung up on his agent to open the TMZ story titled Shane Covington carries mystery victim into the ER. A grainy photo of him carrying a broken and beaten Nalani into Cedar-Sinai in his soaking wet jeans, covered in her blood, filled his screen.
Fuck.
Reading on, his blood began to boil. Despite them bringing her to Jaxson’s house and the HIPAA laws, it was clear someone on staff at the hospital had been bought—the reporters knew Nalani was a housekeeper at Runway. While it stopped short of naming her, they might as well have doxed her since there couldn’t be more than a handful of housekeepers that worked there.
A picture of his mom replaced the story. He’d avoided calling her, not knowing how he could explain all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Don’t hey, Mom me! Why haven’t you been answering your phone? What in the world is going on? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why were you at the hospital?”
“Mom… slow down. Let me get a word in here.”
She paused for all of two seconds before urging him, “Well? I’m waiting.”
“I’m not hurt. At least not physically.”
“What does that mean? How else is there?”
Where the hell did he even start? He hadn’t been seeing Nalani long enough to have told his family about her.
“It’s complicated.”
“We didn’t go on the shore excursion, so I can talk all day.”
Oh, yay.
“Fine. Just promise me you’ll stay calm.”
“I’m always calm.”
He refrained from calling her a liar.
“I met someone.”
“Wait. As in a woman someone?”
“Technically, I meet women every day, but yeah, as in a woman someone.”
“She isn’t another one of those gold diggers, looking for her fifteen minutes of fame, is she?”
“Ma… please. I’m not in the mood for this.”
“Fine. What’s her name? And what does this have to do with the pictures of you going into a hospital?”
He shouldn’t have answered her call. He wasn’t prepared for the third degree. He got enough of that with the police interview.
“Her name is Nalani. And while I was at the Oscars, someone broke into her apartment and…” His voice trailed off. He didn’t want to say the words. It was horrific enough to think them.
“Shane?” Her voice had softened. “Please tell me she’s okay.”
His heart hurt. Nalani was certainly not okay. What scared him the most was he didn’t know how she ever would be again.
“She’s alive, but…” Shane’s voice cracked with emotion, he hoped she hadn’t heard.
“I don’t understand. Why wasn’t she at the Oscars with you?”
He swallowed over the lump in his throat before he could answer.
“We only met a few weeks ago. She wants to take things slow.”
“Oh, goodness, I like her already. None of those girls from your past would have ever done that.”
While his mother’s observation was true, he couldn’t deal with this interrogation right now.
“Mom, I gotta go.”
“Wait! What happened?”
“I can’t do this right now.”
“Shane, talk to me. I can hear it in your voice. You’re upset.”
Hell, yeah, he was upset. He closed his eyes, and all he could see was the fear on Nalani’s face the first day he’d met her—the day she’d run into his arms as she was trying to run away from Ainsworth.
His hands were shaking. There on the quiet patio, with only the sound of the birds overhead, Shane finally let the wave of anguish he’d been trying so hard to hold back crash over him.
His adorable submissive had needed him, but he hadn’t been there for her. He let his mind take him back to that tiny apartment above the vape shop where he’d found her—the kitchen chair that had been tipped over, the blood on the table, trailing to the bathroom.
His first sob escaped as he remembered the terror he felt seeing her crumpled body on the floor, not sure if she was dead or alive. If there was any doubt his feelings for Nalani were genuine, they evaporated as he let himself mourn what they’d lost.
It was insane the word innocence came to mind because the dirty things he’d loved to do to that sinful body of hers were anything but innocent, yet in an odd way, the word fit. They’d been bouncing along, having fun, not realizing how hard life could get.
He rejected the temptation to feel sorry for himself for what he’d lost as he let tears fall for the first time since he was a child. As angry as he was for himself, it was Nalani who’d paid the highest price. The thought of Ainsworth touching her, let alone raping her… beating her…
His heart was racing so fast, it felt like he was having a heart attack.
“Oh, Shane, I wish I was there to give you a hug.”
He’d been so lost in his own despair, he forgot his mom was still on the line. He should be embarrassed, yet somehow knowing his mom was there for him did help a tiny bit. He lifted the hem of the T-shirt Jaxson had loaned him and wiped his nose.
He was grateful for the silence she gave him as he worked to pull himself together again. She really did understand him, and that was oddly comforting.
“He hurt her, Mom. Bad.”
“Who hurt her?”
“You don’t know him. He’s a bigwig exec. A moneyman. I’m so afraid he’s going to be able to buy his way out of justice.”
“So, he’s not in custody yet?”
“Not yet. But the cops are moving pretty fast. They have the arrest warrant out and have a search warrant. I feel so damn helpless sitting here, waiting for other people to go out and find him.”
“Thank goodness they are. You need to let the professionals handle finding him. I’m su
re Nalani needs you with her, anyway.”
“She’s finally resting, thank God. Mom, I’m so lost. I don’t know what to say to make it better.”
“Honey, I don’t have all the details, but sometimes, there are no words that can make things better.”
“Then what am I supposed to do? I failed her once already by not protecting her. I don’t want to fail her again during her recovery.”
“You haven’t failed anyone, least of all Nalani. You are a good man, and I can tell you love her. The best thing you can do now is tell her that. Show her you love her by holding her when she cries or has a nightmare. Stand by her through the media coverage that is sure to explode as more details get out.”
Speaking of media coverage, his phone beeped with an incoming call from his publicist.
“Thanks for listening, Mom. It helped.”
“Any time, honey. I mean that. I’m going to talk to your dad. We’re gonna come home early. Please call me if anything changes before I get there.”
He should feel guilty for them cutting their trip short, but he didn’t.
“Will do, and mom… safe travels. I can’t take anyone else I love getting hurt right now.”
Chapter 23
Who knew a massage could relax her better than a Xanax? Peter was one talented masseuse. Piper had nabbed his card before he left. Even when whatever the hell this was happening between her and Nolan had run its course, she’d at least have Peter to show for it.
It took a lot to impress her, but she reluctantly admitted, Boeing had outdone himself this time. As if spending a hundred grand on her the day before wasn’t enough, she appreciated his efforts today even more.
Piper took a minute to flip from her back to her front, reaching behind to pull the string to her bikini top so she wouldn’t get a mark across her shoulders from the sun. It had been a long time since she’d been able to lounge next to a pool and have people wait on her. As she sunbathed next to Boeing’s impressive pool in the late afternoon sunshine, she reviewed her day.
