by AS Teague
He clapped my shoulder and said, “Whatcha got so far?”
I filled him in on everything, which unfortunately wasn’t a whole lot more than what we’d gone over the night before. “You’re right. There’s no evidence to connect them to the prescription pad. I just can’t figure out how they even got it in the first place.”
He rubbed the scruff of his jaw, lost in thought before saying, “Let’s go talk to your brother.”
“Hampton?”
Pieters was already on his feet and headed for the door. “Who else knows better about prescription pads and how to get them than that asshole?”
Piper
“I’ve been dying to try this place,” I said around a mouthful of the fluffiest pancakes ever made.
Smith nodded enthusiastically, his mouth stuffed with bacon. He chewed quickly and swallowed. “Hampton and I were here last week and the moment I tried their omelet, I just knew I had to bring you here.”
I pointed my fork at him and laughed as syrup dripped from the tines. “You, my friend, were not wrong. I didn’t realize how much I needed a day to forget about the real world until this plate of pancakes was placed before me.”
His face grew serious. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
I picked up my champagne flute, taking a sip of my luscious mimosa, and shrugged. “I don’t mind talking about it. I’ve recently been told by a therapist that talking is actually good for me.” I lifted the glass in the air toward him. “Besides, with this drink, we could talk about anything and I wouldn’t care.”
He grinned and lifted his Bloody Mary. “Cheers to that.” We clinked drinks and each took another sip before he asked, “So, the board hearing. That decision was final?”
Sadness washed over me, but I pushed it away. “So it seems.”
He frowned and clasped my hand in his. “But not forever, right?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know. There’s always the chance I can have my license reinstated. The board is making me jump through so many hoops, though. Classes. Fines. Mandatory drug tests.”
His mouth fell open. “Drug tests?”
I scoffed. “I know. Like I was taking those pills myself. I mean, I guess a lot of doctors do that, but Christ.”
“So, you can’t write prescriptions at all anymore?” His face was so full of sadness it made my heart hurt.
“I can’t do anything anymore. I’m no longer a licensed physician.”
His frown deepened and he squeezed my hand, his eyes distant as he murmured, “Well, that’s too bad.”
I squeezed his fingers back. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m going to be okay. Don’t worry about me.”
“Oh, yeah. I know. You’ll come out on top, I’m sure.”
“Exactly. Let’s just enjoy the rest of our day.” I snapped a piece of crispy bacon in half and put it in my mouth, moaning as the smoky flavor hit my taste buds. “You really are the best. Hampton is a lucky man.”
He cut his gaze over my shoulder. “Right. Yeah. Lucky.”
Lawson
“You know I would do anything for Piper, but I can’t help you,” Hampton said, slurping on a jumbo-sized soda. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard and it was a feat in restraint that I didn’t knock the damn cup out of his hands.
“C’mon, man. You have to know where these guys could have gotten a prescription pad from.” Pieters took a pull of his own drink, also slurping.
He and my brother were cut from the same cloth. I was beginning to wonder if I was allergic to the fabric of said cloth, because those two seemed to grate on my nerves more than any other humans on the planet.
“You two think you could quit making so much damn noise? Maybe get a refill?”
We’d met Hampton at a café just outside the hospital during his lunch break and while I’d been too wound up to eat anything, they’d had no problems scarfing down monstrous sandwiches and chips.
“Man, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?” Hampton sniped before pointedly taking one final drink from his straw.
I was just about to kick him under the table when his phone rang. He looked at the ID and declared, “Looks like lunch break’s over.”
I groaned when he put the phone to his ear and looked at Pieters. “Well, that got us nowhere.”
“It was worth a shot,” he replied.
“You’re shitting me,” Hampton snapped, surging to his feet. His sudden movement shook the table and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I smiled triumphantly as I watched his cup topple over. The victorious smile on my face died as I heard the words that came out of my brother’s mouth. “The DEA is currently raiding my office at the hospital.”
Pieters and I jumped out of our chairs at the same moment. “What?”
Hampton’s eyes squeezed shut as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. He pulled his wallet out and threw a fifty-dollar bill on the table and I followed suit, dropping my own stack of bills.
“Guess who’s also been accused of writing bogus scripts?” Hampton snarled over his shoulder as he strode toward the double doors of the hospital.
“Whoa, wait up, man,” Pieters clipped, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him to a stop.
My brother shook his hand off but didn’t resume his march. “You mind? I got something to take care of.”
Pieters nodded. “Yeah, I get that, man. But let’s think about this for a second.” He looked at where I’d stopped beside them and I could almost see the gears turning in his head.
I was blindsided by the fact that not only had my girlfriend been accused of improperly prescribing narcotics, but now my little brother too.
Hampton shook his head. “There’s nothing to think about. This is horse shit.”
“A common thread,” I murmured as my mind worked to sort out all the facts regarding Piper’s case.
“What?” Hampton snapped.
I squeezed the back of my neck. “You ever heard of The Children of the Ministry?”
His brow bunched. “The what? What is it? Like a cult?” He glanced between Pieters and me. “Look, guys, I gotta get up there and tell those DEA agents to go fuck off.” With that he turned on his heel and began his march back to his office.
I looked at my partner. The answer was right in front of us, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. How could this all be linked together?
As if it were divine intervention, the answer hit me, and it hit me so fucking hard it nearly knocked me off my feet. I looked at Pieters and breathed, “Smith.”
Hampton stopped in his tracks and spun. “What about him?”
“He’s our perp,” I whispered as Pieters asked, “Where’s Piper?”
42
Piper
My phone began to ring for the fourth time and yet again it was Lawson. I was just finishing my third mimosa, so I drained the contents of the champagne flute and put the phone to my ear.
“Lo?”
His voice was tight as it came across the line. “Piper? Where are you?”
Smith quirked a brow from across the table and I rolled my eyes before mouthing “Lawson” at him.
“Heyya, Lawson. How are you today? I wouldn’t know since you were gone by the time I woke up this morning and then didn’t answer any of my calls earlier.” My brain was a little fuzzy from the champagne and I giggled a minute and then cleared my throat. “Anyway. I’m finishing brunch before heading off to a spa day with Smith.”
If I’d thought his voice was tense before, it was downright murderous as he growled, “Get away from him.”
My brows wrinkled and I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at it as if I could see Lawson peering back at me. “What? Why do you want me to—”
He cut me off. “Shut up and listen to me.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
“Are you listening?”
“Mmmhmmm,” I mumbled through my closed lips. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was supposed to answer him if I was also sup
posed to shut up. I again giggled at the thought.
He cleared his throat and dropped his voice. “Tell him you have to go to the bathroom. Or outside for fresh air. Or, whatever. I don’t care what you tell him. Whatever you do, just make sure you get up and walk away from him. Now.”
I huffed. “I don’t understand.”
It was apparent that Lawson’s contempt for Smith hadn’t gone away despite them getting along so well during game night. I was actually a little disappointed that Lawson had reverted to being an ass. Smith was trying so hard to get along with his husband’s family. And I thought they’d finally turned a corner.
“Please,” Lawson croaked. “Please just do it.”
There was a desperation in his voice that I couldn’t deny, so I covered up the speaker of my phone and told Smith, “He needs to talk about something important. Apparently, he doesn’t care about my relaxing day.” I winked. “Meet me outside after you pay the check?”
Smith nodded, his eyes skeptical, but I blew him a kiss and said, “See you in a second.”
When I got outside, I put the phone back to my ear and hissed, “What the heck is your problem, Lawson? Smith just treated me to a very nice breakfast and next we’re going to the spa.”
His voice was muffled and I realized he was talking to someone else.
“Hello! You made me get up and leave and now you’re talking to someone else?”
“Where are you?”
I turned the corner of the old brick building and leaned my back against the cool surface. “Bo Peep’s.”
“Did you drive?”
I shook my head. “No, Smith picked me up.”
He let out a string of curses and I heard him murmur, “She’s on Fifth Street. Hurry up.”
My patience had long since run out with Lawson and his inability to tell me why the hell he was worked up about something. Between last night and this morning, I’d had my fill. So, my voice was more shrill than normal when I shouted into the phone, “Tell me what the hell is going on, or I swear to God, Lawson!”
“It’s Smith. Smith is the missing link. You have to get away from him. He’s dangerous.” His voice was an octave higher than normal, but even with the obvious distress I laughed.
“You’re kidding, right?” He had to have lost his mind. “Smith is the missing link? For what?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just start walking east down Fifth and head toward Parliament. We’re on the way. And whatever you do, if you run into Smith, do not go anywhere with him. Tell him you feel sick. You need air. Just do not get in the car with him.” Lawson was breathless by the time he was finished barking orders.
“I know you don’t like him, but Smith is harmless. He’s an actor, for God’s sake. You think he’s gonna hurt me?” I laughed again at the thought and then felt guilty for making fun of my friend.
There was rustling and then a voice that was decidedly not Lawson’s barked into my ear. “Dammit, woman, listen to your man!”
“Excuse me? Who is this?”
He growled, “It’s Pieters. Listen, we just left the hospital where the DEA is currently raiding your best friend’s office because he’s been accused of the same shit you were.”
My heart sank. “Hampton?”
“Yes, woman. Jesus. Now you’re listenin’ to me?”
My voice was barely more than a whisper when I said, “Is Hampton okay?”
“He’s with us now. He’ll be more okay if you do what Lawson told you to do and get your ass outta there.”
“East?” I whispered.
I didn’t hear his response because I was interrupted by the sound of Smith’s silky smooth voice behind me. “Everything okay, Piper?”
I whirled around, my stomach doing somersaults, and shook my head. “No. Hampton’s being investigated by the DEA.”
I watched as every bit of color drained from Smith’s face and then just as quickly he recovered and said quietly, “I think you need to hang up the phone.”
Lawson
“Motherfucker!” I roared, throwing my phone onto the floorboard of the car Pieters was driving. “Go. Faster.”
He didn’t even hazard a response, just pushed the accelerator even harder. I checked the exit sign on the interstate and saw we were only two miles from where Piper was currently alone with that maniac.
It may as well have been a thousand.
Everything was in slow motion. Everything except the thundering of my heart.
But I didn’t have time to think about anything other than what I was going to do with that piece of shit the moment I got my hands on him. And, the drive over had given me enough time to plan the order in which I was going to rip his limbs from his body.
He’d picked the wrong family to mess with. It was bad enough that he’d gone after Piper, but marrying my brother as his way in and then trying to ruin his career as well?
The moment Hampton had turned to head for the hospital, the family dinner Piper and I had snuck off flashed into my mind. Smith had been in the bedroom with our stuff.
With Piper’s purse.
And her prescription pad.
He’d tried to play it off as being lost, and I’d been so wrapped up in Piper I hadn’t stopped to question it. Guilt washed over me when I realized I could have stopped it all along, but I shoved the feeling aside as Pieters took the exit and barely tapped the brake as he turned onto Parliament Street. We were three blocks away when traffic came to a standstill.
“Goddammit!” I shouted, slamming my fist into the dash.
From the back seat, Hampton finally spoke up, “You’re wrong about Smith.”
I took his face in through the rearview mirror and despite his words to the contrary, his face was bleak. Even he couldn’t deny that all signs pointed to Smith.
“Fuck it, I’m getting out of here.” I shoved the door open and threw a leg out just as Pieters caught my shirt. “Whoa, slow down. We’ll be there in just a minute.”
“I’m not waiting another second,” I said, shaking his hand off.
But instead of loosening his grip, he held on tighter. “Don’t fuck this up, Lawson! I know you want to get to Piper, but don’t risk the whole case.”
“Let. Go,” I bit out through clenched teeth, my gaze meeting his. He must have seen the sheer terror in my eyes, because his hand immediately released my arm and he simply said, “Go. We’ll catch up.”
As I slammed the door I heard Pieters growl a warning at my brother to stay in the car and with those words, I was off. I sprinted down the sidewalk, dodging the people who were out enjoying the sunny day.
I rounded the corner of Fifth Street just in time to see Piper sliding into Smith’s passenger seat, her face white as a sheet. The only thing that could have drawn my attention away from her terrified face was the shiny object that glinted in the sunlight that Smith was holding in his hand.
My heart raced, panic and fear igniting in my veins.
I wouldn’t let her go.
Piper was mine. And if he thought he could take her, he was about to learn a very valuable lesson.
He was shutting the door, his back to me when I dove forward, tackling him to the ground in a single fluid movement.
His scream told me he never saw me coming.
I didn’t stop the murderous smile that crept over my face.
Piper
“Lawson!” I screamed as I watched him take Smith to the ground.
I’d seen him when he came around the corner and the determination in his face was the only thing that kept me from passing out as the door clicked shut.
Smith had cornered me. I’d had no choice but to do what he said when he’d revealed the silver blade of his knife.
I’d stalled for as long as I could, bile creeping up the back of my throat as I’d asked him what he was doing. And better yet, why he was doing it. But eventually he’d tired of my pleas and pressed the knife to my chest hard enough that the tip had nicked my skin.
I
t was when I saw the droplet of blood welling around the steel of the blade that I realized the Smith I thought I knew and loved was not the man he’d claimed to be.
He’d come unhinged.
And worse, he was desperate.
And that made him downright dangerous.
I shoved the car door open and stumbled out just as Lawson landed a punch on Smith’s jaw, his head snapping to the side. “Lawson, stop!”
I grabbed at his arm as it reared back again but wasn’t able to get a grip on it before it flew toward Smith’s face again. The sickening thud of knuckles on flesh ripped another scream from my throat.
“Please, stop!” I sobbed, tears flowing down my face as he ignored my pleas and continued to pummel him.
Smith fought back, his own fist connecting with Lawson’s face a time or two, but his punches were nothing more than an annoyance that only served to fuel Lawson’s rage.
A crowd had gathered and were murmuring to themselves, cries of shock with every blow.
“Please, stop. Please. You’re going to get in trouble. You’re going to ruin your career.”
It was as though he didn’t even hear me, but I couldn’t stop myself from pleading with him to quit before he ruined everything.
“Lawson, stop, dammit! I can’t lose you.”
And with those words, he froze. And while his eyes were still wild and blazing with fury, they connected with mine and he jumped to his feet, leaving Smith in a heap on the ground.
“Fuck.” He clipped out before shoving his split and bloodied hand through his hair. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
His arms opened and I threw myself into them, not caring that his shirt was bloody. Or that he had nearly killed a man who less than an hour ago I considered family. Or that I was glad Lawson had beaten him to a pulp.
He was still holding me against his chest, my tears mixing with blood that could have belonged to either man when Pieters appeared at our side, two uniformed officers behind him.
