weren’t wanted.”
“Oh, they were wanted.” She breathed out roughly.
God, what would she have done if they hadn’t poked their noses in?
Watching the landscape roll by, Piper realized they were only miles from the inn now.
“Do you think Dawg will be there?”
He was going to be so hurt, and she knew it. He wouldn’t understand her need to breathe,
to have done this alone, even though it hadn’t been the chance she had believed it
was.
“Why were you in New York, Piper?”
She’d wondered how long it would take him to get to the one question she knew he wanted
to ask.
Forcing back tears of disappointment and humiliation, she let a bitter smile pull
at her lips. “I thought I was going to get an offer for a showing of some of my designs,”
she finally admitted.
“Thought you were?”
“It didn’t work out.” Staring down at her hands, she wondered whether he would consider
it no more than she had deserved for the childishness she had displayed in the deceptive
way she left.
“What happened, baby?”
The gentleness in his voice and the fact that he hadn’t told Dawg when the hospital
had called him had her raising her eyes as she shifted in her seat to look at him.
Thank God it was dark. The last thing she wanted was for him to see the tears she
had to blink back.
“There’s this famous designer sponsor,” she told him, clearing her throat to hide
the hoarseness of the hurt she fought to hide. “He showcases several designers a year,
helps them put on a show, and he’s never had one who didn’t become successful. I received
a letter from him last week that he wanted to meet with me after seeing some of my
designs that I sent in.”
He nodded, showing he was listening as they moved ever closer to the inn.
“I could have had the show and sponsorship if I’d agreed to be his little sex toy
until he got tired of me.”
As though revealing that much opened a floodgate, Piper told him about Eldon Vessante,
and the fact that his pants and his opinion of himself were overstuffed.
His expression never changed; the tension in his body didn’t visibly increase. None
of the signs of vengeful anger that Dawg and her cousins were known to display were
present.
“Two attacks in one day then.” He breathed out heavily, the concern in his voice easing
something inside her she hadn’t known had been knotted with tension.
Piper nodded. “Fortunately, his butler or whoever he was, was there. Some guy named
Broken or something. A hell of a name for a person. He kept Eldon from actually hitting
me and helped me get away.”
“Do you think this Vessante guy was behind the attack at the hotel?”
Piper shook her head. “I don’t remember what was said, but he wanted something.” She
wished she could remember, wished the harshly grated demand would come into focus
within her memories. “I can’t remember what he said, Jed, or what he wanted, but it
didn’t have anything to do with Eldon Vessante.”
Broecun.
Fuck
.
The security field was a close-knit one, especially for those agents of John Broecun’s
caliber. Jed knew Piper had taken the sound of the name literally, but Jed knew the
other man, as well as the spelling of his name. And he knew if Broecun was with this
Eldon Vessante, either the man was important to some very influential government types,
or he was under investigation by them.
At least he had a place to start, and a face to shove his fist into. Eldon Vessante
may not have been behind Piper’s beating, but the only reason he hadn’t been was because
Broecun would have stopped him.
Broecun wouldn’t stop Jed from teaching the other man how to treat a woman. And blackmailing
Piper with her dream of a big-time fashion show and an exclusive sponsorship was something
Jed would exact a little atonement for.
“Well, you’re home now.” He pulled into the Mackay Inn’s lot, parked the truck, then
shut it off.
“Oh, they were wanted.” She breathed out roughly.
God, what would she have done if they hadn’t poked their noses in?
Watching the landscape roll by, Piper realized they were only miles from the inn now.
“Do you think Dawg will be there?”
He was going to be so hurt, and she knew it. He wouldn’t understand her need to breathe,
to have done this alone, even though it hadn’t been the chance she had believed it
was.
“Why were you in New York, Piper?”
She’d wondered how long it would take him to get to the one question she knew he wanted
to ask.
Forcing back tears of disappointment and humiliation, she let a bitter smile pull
at her lips. “I thought I was going to get an offer for a showing of some of my designs,”
she finally admitted.
“Thought you were?”
“It didn’t work out.” Staring down at her hands, she wondered whether he would consider
it no more than she had deserved for the childishness she had displayed in the deceptive
way she left.
“What happened, baby?”
The gentleness in his voice and the fact that he hadn’t told Dawg when the hospital
had called him had her raising her eyes as she shifted in her seat to look at him.
Thank God it was dark. The last thing she wanted was for him to see the tears she
had to blink back.
“There’s this famous designer sponsor,” she told him, clearing her throat to hide
the hoarseness of the hurt she fought to hide. “He showcases several designers a year,
helps them put on a show, and he’s never had one who didn’t become successful. I received
a letter from him last week that he wanted to meet with me after seeing some of my
designs that I sent in.”
He nodded, showing he was listening as they moved ever closer to the inn.
“I could have had the show and sponsorship if I’d agreed to be his little sex toy
until he got tired of me.”
As though revealing that much opened a floodgate, Piper told him about Eldon Vessante,
and the fact that his pants and his opinion of himself were overstuffed.
His expression never changed; the tension in his body didn’t visibly increase. None
of the signs of vengeful anger that Dawg and her cousins were known to display were
present.
“Two attacks in one day then.” He breathed out heavily, the concern in his voice easing
something inside her she hadn’t known had been knotted with tension.
Piper nodded. “Fortunately, his butler or whoever he was, was there. Some guy named
Broken or something. A hell of a name for a person. He kept Eldon from actually hitting
me and helped me get away.”
“Do you think this Vessante guy was behind the attack at the hotel?”
Piper shook her head. “I don’t remember what was said, but he wanted something.” She
wished she could remember, wished the harshly grated demand would come into focus
within her memories. “I can’t remember what he said, Jed, or what he wanted, but it
didn’t have anything to do with Eldon Vessante.”
Broecun.
Fuck
.
The security field was a close-knit one, especially for those agents of John Broecun’s
caliber. Jed knew Piper had taken the sound of the name literally, but Jed knew the
other man, as well as the spelling of his name. And he knew if Broecun was with this
Eldon Vessante, either the man was important to some very influential government types,
or he was under investigation by them.
At least he had a place to start, and a face to shove his fist into. Eldon Vessante
may not have been behind Piper’s beating, but the only reason he hadn’t been was because
Broecun would have stopped him.
Broecun wouldn’t stop Jed from teaching the other man how to treat a woman. And blackmailing
Piper with her dream of a big-time fashion show and an exclusive sponsorship was something
Jed would exact a little atonement for.
“Well, you’re home now.” He pulled into the Mackay Inn’s lot, parked the truck, then
shut it off.
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