The Rebel's Redemption

by Kira Sinclair

  “Have you?”

  Piper shook her head. “Have I what?”

  “Kissed.”

  Her mouth opened and then shut. Her brain spun and her skin heated. Crap. She couldn’t lie. As Stone had said, she was terrible at it and her expression was going to give her away.

  “Yes.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Not particularly. We didn’t kiss that night and there’s nothing going on between Anderson Stone and myself. There never has been.”

  Madelyn shifted in her chair, settling against the straight back of it, and watched her for several seconds. “I’m not sure who you’re lying to, me or yourself.”

  “I’m not lying to either of us, Ms. Black. I promised you an exclusive interview, but unfortunately, there’s really no story here. At least none the public might be interested in. Both my family and Stone’s family are trying to move past what happened. We’re finding our way. Our families are close, although you can imagine what happened has put a strain on all of those ties.”

  “Oh, certainly. But not enough for you to boycott the welcome home party of the century for your stepbrother’s murderer.”

  “Human relationships are complicated, Ms. Black. People and situations can rarely be viewed through a black-and-white lens.”

  “I noticed your parents didn’t attend the party.”

  “Of course not.”

  “But it’s well-known your stepfather and Stone’s father are still friends. They play golf, attend a weekly poker game and are members at the same country club.”

  “They’re business colleagues, Ms. Black. And adults. They have the ability to recognize punishing each other for the actions of their offspring makes no sense.”

  “Interesting.”

  “What?”

  Madelyn waved her hand. “Oh, nothing. Except I’m not sure what Stone’s father would have to punish Blaine’s for.”

  Piper swallowed. Her fists locked again in her lap. “A simplified expression.”

  “I’m sure.”

  Piper’s chest was tight. Beneath the jacket she’d layered over the pale blue silk shell, her skin was clammy. Had someone turned on the heat?

  A soft knock sounded on the door before Lizzy stuck her head around the edge. She’d decided to stay after Piper had told her about the interview. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you asked me to remind you about your next appointment.”

  Thank God and Lizzy for the little white lie.

  “Thanks, Elizabeth. I’ll be right there.”

  Madelyn stood, holding out her hand across the desk. Piper gripped it, accepting the show of professionalism even as she fought the urge to jerk away. “I appreciate your time, Ms. Blackburn. I’ll be in touch if I have any follow-up questions.”

  “Certainly.” Although, Piper had no intention of being available when or if the other woman called. She’d said as much as she was going to.

  And something told her Madelyn was smart enough to realize that.

  “I’ll show you out,” Elizabeth offered.

  The minute the door shut behind the women, Piper collapsed back into her chair. The casters rattled beneath her. How could a twenty-minute interview leave her feeling like she’d run a seven-hour marathon?

  She’d hoped to end the interview feeling better. Like she’d solved a problem. Instead, there was a huge part of her worried Stone might have been right.

  Had she just made everything worse?

  God, she hoped not. Because there was no part of her that wanted to hear I told you so from him.

  Even the simplest thought of him had her skin burning and her lips tingling.

  Dropping her head against the back of her chair, Piper closed her eyes, which didn’t help when memories of their shared kiss flooded her. She needed to deal with her reaction to what had happened with Stone.

  Why now? Why had he kissed her now?

  For years she’d fantasized about the feel and taste of him. The heat and feather-soft touch of his fingers on her skin. But she’d given up that fantasy a long time ago.

  Even before Blaine.

  Because at no time had Stone given her the impression he was interested in her that way. She was his best friend. Practically his little sister. The first time she’d caught him kissing another girl had felt like a dagger through her chest. The day Colleen Heath had bragged she’d had sex with him, Piper fought against ripping the other girl’s self-righteous smirk right off her face.

  He wanted other girls, but not her. Never her. She’d simply assumed he wasn’t attracted to her.

  But their kiss suggested that might not be the case.

  At least not anymore.

  The question was...what was she going to do with the information? And did it really make any difference?

  * * *

  “I’m thinking about letting a leprechaun rent my place so I can move to Antarctica.”

  Stone shook his head, turning to look at Gray. “What?”

  “Just making sure you were still with me, man.”

  “I’m with you.”

  “I’m pretty sure you didn’t hear a word I’ve said in the last five minutes. Until I threw in the leprechaun at least.”

  Stone was completely lost. Because Gray wasn’t wrong. His brain had been a scrambled mess from the minute his mouth had touched Piper’s.

  But he wasn’t stupid enough to admit that, not even to Gray. Maybe especially not to Gray. “I heard you.”

  “Uh-huh. What did I say?”

  Stone grimaced. “You were telling me how ineffective our cyber contact is.”

  “No, my guy’s the best of the best.”

  “I don’t see how you can claim that since he hasn’t produced any results.”

  “Not his fault. These companies have layers upon layers of protection in place to shield their sources. Shell corporations, untraceable offshore accounts. Hell, he’s pretty sure they used a dummy drop of cash. Who uses cash anymore?” Gray shrugged and shook his head. “They’ve gone out of their way to protect the source of this juicy tidbit. Probably in the hopes they can get more.”

  Stone couldn’t suppress the growl that rumbled through the back of his throat.

  “Piper isn’t a juicy tidbit.”

  Laughing, Gray clapped a hand against Stone’s shoulder. “You sure about that? Even if the media didn’t think so, you obviously do.”

  Stone stared at his friend and seriously contemplated decking him. Two things stopped him. One, Gray wasn’t necessarily wrong, even if Stone might want him to be. And two, the man was a fricking powerhouse with his fists. He might look relaxed as hell in a power suit, but the man had moves like Ali and had dominated the underground fighting circuit they’d had going on the inside.

  A knowing smirk played at the corners of Gray’s mouth. Bastard.

  “My guy isn’t giving up. It’s just taking him a little longer than anticipated. We’re not his only project.”

  Stone didn’t like that at all. “That’s a problem. What’ll it take to make this his highest priority?”

  Dropping into a large leather armchair, Gray steepled his fingers and studied him for several seconds. “I’ve gotta be honest, I’m not sure there’s a benefit to throwing more money at this now.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course there is. I need this story to die so I can get on with living my life.”

  Gray rubbed a hand over his face. “You’ve never given me the details about what happened.”

  Unlike Gray, who’d eventually shared everything with him and Finn, and Finn, who’d been all too happy to boast about his exploits even when no one was asking, Stone had never shared. Not even with his closest friends.

  “You never asked.” And as far as he was concerned, that had made their bond even stronger.

  “I
didn’t need to know. I recognized a man with integrity and trusted that whatever happened, you had good reasons for what you did.”

  A pregnant silence filled the space between them. Stone’s teeth ground together, tightening his jaw against the words that inexplicably wanted to come out. It would be easy—and natural—to share everything with Gray. For ten years they’d been as close as possible given they were both locked behind bars. On more than one occasion Stone had literally trusted Gray with his life. Instinct and history told him he could trust his friend with the whole truth now. Something he’d always known.

  But it wasn’t his story to tell.

  And the more people who knew what had happened the more likely that something would slip.

  “Are you asking me now?” he finally asked.

  “I don’t really have to, man. I know you well enough to fill in some of the blanks. What I can’t figure out is exactly what her stepbrother did...but I can guess.”

  Goddammit. Gray was too smart for his own good. Stone racked his brain for some response that wasn’t the truth, but wasn’t a lie.

  Gray beat him to it.

  “It doesn’t particularly matter. Finding out where the photograph came from is potentially a moot point—so giving our hacker more money isn’t going to solve anything. The article from your girl’s interview is going to hit the press in about—” Gray flipped his wrist over to look at the heavy platinum watch “—two hours.”

  “What?”

  “That’s actually what I came by to tell you. My guy might not have uncovered our source, but he did discover the Associated Press is about to run with a major story based on the interview she granted to that hungry reporter with the sleek hair and perfect tits.”

  What the hell was wrong with her? “I warned her not to give the interview.”

  “Hmm, something tells me she decided to ignore you. Shocking.”

  “Fuck off. How bad is the damage?”

  “Bad enough. Instead of diffusing the conjecture, it sounds like she added fuel to the fire. The article is full of speculation that you and she were in the middle of a private affair that her stepbrother walked in on and went ballistic over. Adding another juicy bone to the already meaty pile is an anonymous source providing details that Piper and Blaine weren’t close. And that he was actually pretty terrible to her.”

  Stone wanted to throw something. Break something. A dark pit churned in his belly. How many times was he going to have to save her from herself before she realized he knew what the hell he was talking about?

  “The shit’s about to hit the fan.”

  Stone’s mouth twisted in a wry grimace. “No. Really? The question is what can we do about it? I assume your guy’s already tried to kill the story?”

  “No point. He could throw a kink into things and delay the release, but the information is out there and they’ll just find another outlet. Too many to police them all. You could attempt a lawsuit to prevent the release, but you and I both know you don’t have a legal leg to stand on. The best that does is gain you some time.”

  “It also makes the story look even more damning.”

  “Exactly.”

  He and Piper were both about to become media magnets. Bigger than they already were. Piper thought the frenzy outside her office was bad before...it was about to get ten times worse. Thanks to Anderson Steel’s security team he had some insulation. And while Morgan could offer her help, he assumed Piper would be her stubborn self and refuse.

  The woman was infuriating.

  And that was before his brain had short-circuited from the taste of her. Right now, even though he was irate enough to chew through nails, mixed with that anger was a ribbon of white-hot need he couldn’t seem to ignore.

  Or rationalize his way out of anymore.

  “So, what are you suggesting?”

  “How likely is it that she’d agree to disappear for a while?”

  Stone laughed, the sound brittle and harsh. “Piper doesn’t understand the phrase lay low. She’s stubborn as hell and doesn’t like to be told what to do.”

  “And, yet, you keep trying. Maybe you should attempt another tactic?”

  Gray had a point. Piper hadn’t exactly been open to his suggestion last time. In fact, she’d run right out and done what he told her she shouldn’t. Maybe this time he wouldn’t suggest.

  He wouldn’t give her a choice.

  Stone needed her out of the spotlight. Far away from the media so she couldn’t make things any worse. The best way to do that was to isolate her. For a little while.

  An idea formed in Stone’s head. He flipped it over a few times, poking holes at it and testing for weaknesses so he could be certain.

  “I’ve seen that light in your eyes before, man, and it usually doesn’t lead to anything good. What are you thinking?”

  “Just that you’re right.”

  “Why doesn’t that give me the warm and fuzzies like it’s supposed to? Last time you had that calculated, determined expression on your face I ended up in the infirmary with a gaping hole in my side and you were in solitary for a week.”

  “Yeah, but it was worth it, right?”

  Gray tilted his head and studied Stone for several seconds before slowly nodding. “Yes, to see the expression on G-man’s face was totally worth it. But I’m not certain we’d feel that way if it had turned out differently.”

  “But it didn’t. Trust me.”

  “Oh, I do. That doesn’t mean I don’t think whatever you’re planning is going to include a ton of trouble.”

  “You like trouble.”

  “Lucky for you.”

  Eight

  Exhaustion pulled at Piper. Her entire body felt like she’d gone a couple rounds with an MMA fighter. And her brain was just...done. For the second day she’d had to cancel all of her appointments. And that pissed her off. Her patients hadn’t asked for this mess. Although, none of them had complained. But that didn’t stop the guilt. They had enough trouble dealing with the drama in their own lives. They didn’t need to be dealing with hers, as well.

  She’d held it together all day, but the minute she’d walked through her own front door all she’d wanted was to collapse, cry and potentially drown her sorrows in an entire bottle of wine.

  While she’d counsel any patient that coping mechanisms were fine, an entire bottle of wine was probably excessive. So she’d compromised.

  After a single glass and a long soak in a hot bath, she was feeling a bit more centered. Still drained, but less like she was about to collapse under the weight of everything.

  Snuggled up in her most comfortable, and oldest, pajamas, she’d decided to indulge a little more with a good romantic comedy on TV, a quick salad for dinner and the chocolate fudge brownie she’d been saving. Chocolate fixed everything. At least for a few minutes.

  She was just about to click Play when her front door reverberated beneath the solid pound of a palm against the heavy surface. Piper practically jumped out of her skin. One of the benefits of living in the cottage was that not many people just showed up at her door.

  Unfortunately, that also meant no one had ever seen the benefit of installing a peephole. The only way she could discover who was on the other side was to yell or open the door. She was about to yell when Stone saved her the trouble.

  “Open up, Piper. I know you’re home.”

  Standing a few feet away, Piper crossed her arms and glared at the door. “No. Go away. I’m not in the mood for another lecture.”

  Or kiss.

  She wasn’t strong enough to handle that right now. And, to be honest, one of the reasons she refused to open the door was because she didn’t trust herself to keep her hands to herself if he crossed her doorstep. Her defenses were already too low.

  Piper braced for an argument that she had no intention of losing. This was h
er home, dammit, and she decided who came inside and who didn’t.

  But a few seconds ticked by. And then a few more. A minute with no response from Stone. She took a step closer, straining to hear anything, but there was no sound. Finally, with a shrug she turned back to her spread in front of the TV.

  Maybe for once he was listening.

  Her butt had just hit the cushions of her sofa when the front door swung open. Piper yelped, upending the plate her brownie sat on.

  Stone’s wide frame filled the doorway. Light from her porch backlit him, giving the illusion of a halo surrounding his dark head. Please. There was nothing saintly about the man.

  “What the hell!” Piper growled, glaring down at the brownie, fudge icing side down, at her feet. “I’ve been saving that.”

  Without a single sign of remorse, Stone swept inside. He scooped the brownie up off the floor, deposited it back on the plate and said, “Good as new.”

  “Hardly. Leave.”

  “Sure.”

  Piper’s belly flipped. Yeah, right. Nothing with Stone was ever that easy.

  Wrapping an arm around her waist, Stone turned and headed for the door, sweeping her along with him. Instinctively, she rocked back onto her heels, digging in and trying to stop his momentum. “Let me go.”

  “Absolutely, once we’re somewhere safe.”

  “What do you mean, safe?” Piper spun out of his grasp. “Stone, stop.”

  “That interview you granted is about to make life even more difficult than it already was. You need to disappear for a little while.”

  “And you thought the best way to do that was sweep in and just take me?”

  Stone shrugged. “Pretty much.”

  “It didn’t occur to you to discuss this with me? Ask my opinion?”

  “Sure, but the last time I asked you not to do something you did it anyway. And made things worse. I figured this time I’d just jump straight to what needed to happen.”

  A frustrated sound rolled through her chest. “You’re infuriating. You know that, right?”

  “So I’ve heard. That doesn’t change anything, Piper. When that article hits the streets you won’t have any peace.”