The Rebel's Redemption

by Kira Sinclair

  “Stone!”

  Right, letters. “I didn’t want to read them, so I sent them back.” Maybe if he hadn’t currently been in the throes of torture he’d have found a subtler way of responding. The stricken expression on Piper’s face hurt to watch, but when she turned from him, he realized his straightforward response might be a better solution to his problem in the long run.

  He’d known from the minute he walked through the front door to his parents’ estate that he would have to face Piper. She obviously had questions and plenty of anger to direct his way. And he’d been dreading it for days.

  A small part of him had hoped the distance that had grown between them would keep her away. But he knew her well enough to realize that wasn’t a possibility. Aside from the apparently continued harassment by her stepbrother, he’d never known Piper not to meet any challenge head-on.

  It’s one of the things he’d admired most about her back then and there was no reason to think she’d changed so drastically since.

  Perhaps his words were the single punch that would put them both out of their misery and end the torture. Because no matter what, he couldn’t have Piper in his life.

  Even if she didn’t see a monster when she looked at him...he did. And not just because of what he’d done to Blaine. It was everything he’d done since then, too. And everything he hadn’t. His life had stalled ten years ago while Piper’s had flourished. She’d become successful. She’d fought against the aftereffects of what she’d gone through.

  And he was so proud of her for that.

  But he didn’t want to be a constant reminder to her and he had no idea how to prevent that. How could she be in the same room with him and not flash to that night?

  So, he’d come to the conclusion that Piper had been through enough and he couldn’t be the source of more pain for her.

  Unfortunately, hurting her right now was the best way to prevent more misery later.

  * * *

  His words lanced through her, although it was nothing more than she’d expected. What other explanation could there be? Obviously, he blamed her for his life going to hell. Stone never would have been in that prison if it wasn’t for her.

  Shaking her head, Piper tried to breathe through the tightness in her chest. Losing her composure right now wouldn’t help. For several seconds, she stared at Stone.

  What the hell was she doing?

  She wasn’t sure anymore what she’d hoped to accomplish by forcing this conversation.

  No, that wasn’t true. She’d wanted to see him with her own eyes. She’d needed to see him. To know if the craving was still there.

  And, dammit, it was.

  She’d lied to herself, convincing her gullible mind that she’d wanted nothing but closure. Not the fantasy that he’d take one look at her, scoop her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her, confessing he’d always wanted more.

  Unfortunately, it was clear that fantasy had been hers alone. Stone had never given her any indication he wanted anything other than friendship from her.

  So, in the end, closure was what she was going to get. There was nothing between them to revive, not even the friendship.

  Forcing words past the uncomfortable lump in her throat, Piper said, “Hearing you say that hurts. But I understand and I won’t bother you anymore.”

  Gritting out a sickly smile, she started to push past him, her only thought to reach the door and get out before all the emotions roiling inside her erupted in an embarrassing bout of tears. The last thing she wanted Stone to see was her vulnerability.

  Her vision tunneled down to the ornate door in front of her. Escape. Which was why she wasn’t prepared to hold back the involuntary gasp when the hot, heavy weight of his hand wrapped around her upper arm and jerked her still.

  “Piper.” The single low word scraped across her nerves, making her scalp prickle.

  He held her still, his body crowding close without actually touching her. She purposely kept her gaze pointed away from him when she asked, “What do you want from me, Stone?”

  Her heart raced, thumping so hard she was certain he could hear it in the heavy silence that stretched between them. He didn’t move, not even a twitch of his fingers around her bicep. The seconds ticked by and that tingle cascaded down her spine, energizing and uncomfortable all at once.

  When she couldn’t take it anymore, Piper finally cut her gaze to the side and looked at him. And what she saw staring back had everything inside her stilling. Such anger, despair and hope filled his dark, tawny eyes. She wanted to reach out and brush her fingers across his face. To soothe him at the same time she assured him everything would be okay.

  But that wasn’t her place.

  “I don’t want anything from you, Piper.”

  “Then let me go.”

  Now his fingers flexed and she thought he was going to do exactly what she’d asked. Instead, his grip tightened.

  His lips parted, but she never found out what he would have said because her smart watch thumped against her wrist. Suspended midair between them, the glowing light of the awakened screen drew their attention. The tension between them snapped when their gazes disconnected.

  But anxiety of a different sort blasted through her when she read the words scrolling across the small screen.

  I’d like to talk about your brother’s death. Give me a call so we can set up a time for you to tell your side of the story.

  Piper’s whole body went cold at the same time a clammy sweat popped up across every surface of her skin. The last thing she wanted to do was speak to a reporter about Blaine.

  She’d come to terms with what had happened, but that didn’t mean she wanted to talk to someone who would tell the world. And there was no question that’s exactly what would happen if she met with a reporter.

  This wasn’t the first one who’d contacted her in the last couple months with questions about Stone and Blaine.

  Ten years ago, she’d been nothing more than a footnote to the story since Blaine’s death had happened at her graduation party. No one had linked her to what had happened. Not really. There’d been plenty of speculation—a woman, drugs, a business venture gone bad—but no one had considered she might actually be at the center of the controversy surrounding the scandal. Which had worked in her favor.

  Now the vultures were looking for any morsel of information they could take to turn Stone’s release into a national sound bite.

  “What the hell?” His deep voice hardened even as he jerked her arm closer so he could get a better look at the words on her wrist. Piper didn’t even attempt to regain control of her arm, but let his movements pull her closer to him.

  It was selfish, and she’d regret it later, but she was weak enough to soak in the warmth of him while she could get it.

  Stone’s already drawn mouth tightened even more. “Want to explain?”

  “Not particularly.”

  Letting out a grunt, Stone said, “Start talking anyway.”

  Piper shrugged. “Reporters have been bothering me for months.”

  “Why am I just now hearing about this?”

  “I don’t know...because you’ve refused to talk to me for ten years and I didn’t think you’d give a damn?”

  Raking long fingers through his hair, Stone paused to pull at the ends as if he wanted to rip it out by the roots. His obvious frustration shouldn’t have restored her sense of equilibrium, but it did. There was something soothing about seeing him as off-kilter as she’d been feeling.

  But that was a petty reaction, so Piper pushed it away.

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with you, Stone.”

  “The hell it doesn’t.”

  “Not really.”

  Stabbing a finger in the direction of her wrist, he said, “That’s your private number, Piper.”

  “I�
�m well aware of that.”

  “How’d they get it?”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Piper tried not to let his words cause a reaction she couldn’t control. “I’m easy to find. The nature of my business means I need to be accessible.”

  A sound that resembled a growl rolled through Stone’s chest. It had Piper rocking back on her heels for a second. God, the man was infuriating and confusing.

  “A few minutes ago, you were in the process of kicking me out of your life permanently, so let’s just pretend you didn’t see that text and go back to me walking out that door.”

  “That text changes things.”

  Raising a single eyebrow, Piper said, “It changes nothing.” She spun on her heel intending to leave, suddenly needing space. “I don’t owe you anything, least of all an explanation about what’s happening in my life right now.”

  Piper’s hand landed on the doorknob, but before she could twist and jerk, the flat of Stone’s palm connected with the surface, a loud smack reverberating through the air between them.

  He crowded into her personal space, applying pressure against the door so it didn’t budge when she pulled.

  “That may be true, but we’re going to talk about this anyway.”

  Throwing him a glare over her shoulder, she said, “Or what?”

  “Or I’m going to toss you over my shoulder and lock you in a room until your temper cools.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  “Try me, Piper. I murdered someone to keep you safe. You don’t think I’m above some high-handed tactics to ensure you stay that way?”

  His tone seemed to indicate he thought what he’d done was terrible. But Piper wouldn’t ever be able to think of him as a murderer, or as anything other than her savior that night.

  Suddenly, she just felt tired. Exhausted down to her bones. It had been an emotional few days. She couldn’t remember the last night she’d slept the whole way through. It had been weeks, maybe months.

  “It’s just a reporter, Stone. I’m perfectly capable of ignoring whomever it is.”

  Stone shifted behind her, the open lapels of his jacket brushing against her back. The overwhelming urge to just lean into him and let him infuse her with his strength was difficult to deny. But somehow she found the will to ignore it.

  Scooting sideways, Piper dipped under his arm and away from the tempting heat of him. She straightened her shoulders, purposely tipped her chin up and with measured steps walked back to the chair she’d been sitting in before.

  When chaos was swirling around her, the one sure way to maintain her calm was to control the things she could—like her posture and actions.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “You said reporters have been contacting you for months. Why?”

  Piper tilted her head to the side and gave him an “are you serious” look. “I don’t know, Stone. Maybe because with your release everyone is interested in the story again.”

  “I know that. The PR group at Anderson Steel has been fielding inquiries daily. I meant why you. Why now? They left you alone before.”

  Piper opened her mouth to make some smart-ass answer, but stopped herself when his words actually registered. Snapping her lips together, she studied him for several seconds, narrowing her gaze as she watched him.

  “How do you know that?” she finally asked, each word slow and precise.

  “How do I know what?”

  “That they left me alone before.”

  “Dad told me.”

  “Because you asked or because he was just imparting information?”

  His jaw tightened and for a second she thought he wasn’t going to answer her. “Because I asked.”

  Piper stared at him, unsure what to make of that confession. She wanted to ask him, but was afraid he wouldn’t give her an honest answer. Or that she wouldn’t like what he said.

  “My guess is they’re fishing. I was of little consequence before because I was an eighteen-year-old kid. Now, I’m a successful adult. With a psychology degree. Not only could they get insider information, they could also get an expert with a professional opinion.”

  “You’re not talking to them.”

  It irritated her that there wasn’t a question mark at the end of his statement. “You’re hardly in a position to be issuing orders.”

  His hands went to his hair again, tugging. Apparently, he’d picked up a new habit since she’d last seen him. One that surfaced when he was frustrated.

  “Please, then. Don’t talk to them.”

  Suddenly, the exhaustion was back. A wall that she couldn’t push through anymore. Shrugging, she said, “Why would I?” It was easy to give him what he wanted considering that’s what she’d planned to do anyway.

  Finding her feet, Piper pushed up from the chair. With precise steps, she crossed the room. “Well, this night hasn’t gone as planned. I’m going home.”

  “No, you’re not. We’re not finished with this conversation.”

  Giving him the ghost of a smile, she reached for the door. “Watch me.”

  Three

  For the second time that night, Stone stood at the balustrade looking out over the crowd of people below. Only this time he had a purpose other than procrastination.

  His gaze was glued to Piper as she maneuvered through the people they’d known their whole lives. She stopped and smiled, talked and laughed. Acted as if the last half hour hadn’t even happened.

  Part of him marveled at how completely she could keep herself together while he was struggling not to punch a fist-sized hole in the wall behind him.

  Honestly, he wasn’t certain which part of their conversation had him more upset. Hurting her feelings had been more unpleasant than he’d ever expected. It was one thing to know he was going to have to do it, but another to see the pain flickering deep inside her pale blue eyes and know he was the cause.

  “So, as bad as you expected?” Gray Lockwood asked as he slipped up beside Stone. Draping his arms over the banister, Gray mirrored Stone’s stance, staring down into the swirling people below, and waited. They’d both gotten pretty damn good at waiting.

  “Worse.”

  Gray laughed, the sound carrying a self-deprecating edge to it. “Yeah. Tell me about it. At least your people threw you a party. My family wants nothing to do with me.”

  “That sucks, man.”

  He, Gray and Finn had met in prison and after a few rocky moments, had become closer than friends. They were brothers, and had spent the last several years watching each other’s backs. Gray had been the first of them to be released, about eleven months ago, after serving a sentence for embezzling forty million dollars from the family company. Which was laughable considering the guy was worth at least half a billion without the company money. Even after paying back twenty mil, which Gray swore he didn’t actually steal, he still had enough mad money to buy and sell several developing countries.

  The courts had only been able to seize the assets needed as evidence, those they could prove were gained as a result of the crimes or what was needed for reparation. So, they’d all been able to keep most of their wealth.

  Gray shrugged. “It is what it is. I’ve made my peace with it.”

  His friend might have convinced himself that he had, but Stone still heard the bitterness he couldn’t quite hide.

  “It gets easier,” Gray promised.

  Well, that was a relief.

  “Good, because if every day on the outside is like this, I think I’d rather be back in.”

  Gray spun, pressing his back to the railing, and tossed him a wry grin. “Bullshit.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “You gonna tell me who the beautiful woman in the killer dress is?”

  Stone knew exactly who he was talking about, but decided to play dumb any
way. “There are lots of beautiful women down there. Be more specific.”

  “Maybe, but there’s only one you’ve been staring at like you expect her to impersonate a magician’s rabbit and disappear at any second.”

  “Ha! Where do you come up with this?”

  “Stalling will not work here, man.”

  “She’s no one important.”

  “So you wouldn’t mind if I went down there and asked her to have dinner with me?”

  There was no explaining the rush of possessive anger that overwhelmed him. “She’s off-limits, Gray.”

  “Hmm. That’s what I thought. Let me guess. Piper?”

  He could lie, but there was no point. Gray could find out who she was if he wanted and the moment Stone made a big deal out of this his friend would start digging.

  “Yeah.”

  “Is she responsible for the combination of anger, irritation and kicked puppy filling your expression?”

  Dammit, he’d thought he had his mask in place. Apparently not. Or maybe Gray just knew him well enough to see beneath it. He could lie, but there was no use. “Yeah.”

  “I assume the reunion didn’t go well.”

  “Let’s just say it ended with her pissed and storming out of the room.” Which was what he’d wanted, right? So why did he feel like a combination of a complete ass and that kicked puppy?

  “What did you say to her?”

  “Nothing that didn’t need to be said.”

  Shaking his head, Gray bounced on his heels. “Have I mentioned that you’re an ass?”

  “Not lately.”

  “Well, you are.”

  “Doesn’t matter anyway. My plan was to leave her alone, but that’s not an option anymore.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because she’s too stubborn to realize she’s putting herself in harm’s way.”

  “You realize she’s not your responsibility, right? You’re not required to slay every dragon in her life, man. She’s too beautiful to be alone. Let whoever’s occupying her bed take care of the problem.”

  Stone was just as surprised as Gray when he found his fists twisting Gray’s crisp white shirt. “Don’t make snide comments about her like that again.”