Cade
I’d watched Piper walk away, giving her time to process what had happened all those years ago. I believed that she hadn’t known what Will had said to me back then. And, hell, I didn’t even blame the guy all that much. At the time, I hadn’t known what I was doing with my life. Fighting was all I had. But I’d made a decision that day to make something of myself.
I’d put myself through college and had applied to the DEA my senior year. My abilities to read people and my prowess in the ring had helped seal a spot on the Special Response Team just a couple of years into my career.
I had made something of my life, but on paper it looked as if I’d screwed that up and turned to a life of crime. I hated that that was what Piper saw when she looked at me. A washed-up has-been who ran around with members of a drug cartel.
After the fight, I put my gym bag in my dorm room and walked across to the computer room where I knew Ryder would be. He’d fought well that night and was on his way to being a force to be reckoned with all on his own.
Ryder sat at the bank of computers, and Levi sat in a chair next to him. It looked as if he was waiting on me, since as soon as I entered, Levi jumped out of his chair and started pacing.
“Took you long enough.” His voice wasn’t harsh, just anxious, which meant he had news.
“What do you have?”
Ryder stopped stabbing at the keys and whirled around in his chair.
“Your girl is FBI. On an extended leave of absence after her fiancé, a Jake Bishop, was killed by Varga a little over two years ago.”
Piper had been engaged? And the guy had been killed? By Varga?
Small world. And I didn’t like one bit what that meant.
“She’s here trying to hunt him down, isn’t she?”
Levi shrugged. “Looks like it, man. But she’s going to get hurt if she’s not careful.”
“What do you mean?”
Ryder turned around to the computer and typed a few things in. Piper’s face appeared on the big screen over his head. “Her cover is crap. She rented an apartment as Piper Sellers. She’s got a fake ID, but all you have to do is type in Piper and FBI, and her face pops up. She’s too high-profile after her fiancé’s death.”
“Dammit.”
“Exactly. You need to try to talk to her, or she’s going to get herself killed. If Chavez finds out she’s after his man, he’ll destroy her. And you know what that means.” Levi pushed his hand through his short-cropped hair.
“Yeah. Torture. Rape. Death won’t come quickly, if at all. She could be sold to traffickers if he thinks he can make money off her.” And she was definitely beautiful enough to catch any buyer’s eye.
“Right. So, talk to her.”
“Man, she thinks I’m in bed with the enemy. No way will she talk without knowing who we are and what we do.”
Levi sighed and sat back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head.
“Tell her some but not all. You’re working undercover trying to find the person who set us up when that op went to hell. Bond with her over the fact you’re both looking for the same guy. Bring her here, and we’ll see what she has and if we can use her.”
It was the safest option. It kept our cover intact without compromising the rest of the team.
“You got an address for her?” I directed the question to Ryder, who was already a step ahead of me.
“Village Square Apartments. Four A.”
Not the best part of town. What the hell was she thinking?
“I’ll head there now.” I started toward the door.
“Oh, and Cade?”
“Yeah.” I stopped just inside, turning my attention back to my best friend and partner.
“If we know about her, chances are, after last night, Alvaro and Domingo know about her too.”
I cursed under my breath and rushed to my Harley. I needed to get to Piper—and fast. Chances were everything was fine, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention, and that was usually a sign that something wasn’t right.
Breaking every traffic law, I drove the short two miles to Piper’s apartment building. I parked on the other side of the complex, not wanting to draw attention to myself in case someone was watching.
I jogged over to her building and looked up. Apartment four A had lights on, and I saw a shadow move across the front window. She was home.
Bounding up the stairs, I pulled my gun as I approached her door. I leaned in, listening for any sounds that might tip me off as to whether or not Piper was alone. I heard a voice, then a loud smack, followed by a yelp. A female yelp.
Damn. Not good.
I stepped away from the door and pulled out my cell. I typed in a quick message to Levi and Ryder requesting backup. The response was immediate for me to stand down and wait until help arrived. When I heard a louder slap and a cry from Piper, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
I knocked on the door and waited. When no one answered, I called out, “Pizza delivery.” Still no one answered.
I could break the door down; it was flimsy enough. But I had no idea how many men were in there. I banged loudly on the door again, and footsteps finally sounded on the other side. I moved to the left side of the entryway as the chain scraped against the lock, and it opened a couple of inches. A gun peeked out, most definitely meant to scare away the pizza man, but it was just the opportunity I needed.
I reached out and grabbed the gun and the hand holding it, twisting until I heard the bone snap, the gun falling to the ground with a clatter. Kicking it away, I moved in front of him—my gun raised and trained on the spot between his eyes. He cradled his arm, sniveling like a baby.
“You broke my freaking wrist, man! Who the hell are you?”
I recognized him as one of Chavez’s fixers, Mario Lacosta. I kept my gun trained between his eyes, glancing quickly around the room. There was no one there except Piper, who was duct-taped to a chair in the center of the room. Her eye was swollen shut, and she had a cut above her lip. Blood ran from her nose, and her head hung loosely, her chin resting on her chest.
Motioning with the gun, I nodded at the guy. “Get down on your knees.”
“Don’t kill me, man. I’m just doing my job, man.”
“I said, on your knees!” My voice rang through the quiet room, and the fixer dropped to his knees. His wrist was cocked at an odd angle, but I already knew it was broken. It would make tying him up a bit more difficult. After that, I wasn’t sure what to do with him. He’d seen my face, and I couldn’t allow him to blow my cover.
The tape he’d used to tie Piper up was lying on a table that sat between the kitchen and living room. It was an open floor plan, and I could see that there was only one door off to the right, which must be Piper’s bedroom. The place was tiny and impersonal, which made sense since she was only there temporarily.
I holstered my gun and approached Lacosta. He sniffled, as if he was crying.
You’d think Chavez would hire someone with a little stronger constitution.
When I reached him, he lunged for my knees, knocking me down to the floor. He straddled me, his left hand on my throat as he tried to choke the life out of me. Unfortunately for him, he was using his non-dominant arm, and his other one was broken. I shot my head forward, hitting Lacosta in the face with my forehead. Blood spurted outward, spraying from his crooked nose, and I pushed him back. He flailed, the momentum sending him sprawling to the floor where he forgot about his shattered wrist and tried to catch himself.
An ear-splitting shriek filled the air, and I moved quickly to grab him and pull him up to standing position. “That’s for her nose.”
I landed a blow to his middle and then to his face, his eyebrow splitting open on contact.
“That’s for her eye.”
I gave a quick uppercut to his chin, his teeth biting through his bottom lip. Blood flowed from the wounds on his face. Lacosta sagged against the wall, barely conscious. It hadn’t been much of a fight. I’d tie him up and leave him for Levi and the guys. We’d have to find a place to keep him until the case against Chavez was closed.
As I bent down to retrieve the tape, a blinding pain pierced my side. My eyes rose to meet his and then back down to where Lacosta had stabbed me with a knife. The blood running down his face had fortunately blurred his vision enough that I was sure he hadn’t hit anything vital, but it hurt like a mother.
He lunged again, and this time I caught his arm, turning it so that the knife faced him. Enraged, Lacosta lunged forward as I shoved backward, the knife plunging into his chest. Blood poured from his mouth as he gurgled his last breath and sank to the floor. After a few moments, his body was still, blood still trickling from the wound in his chest.
It was only then that I let my attention go to Piper. Her eyes were wide with fear and something else—relief maybe? It was clear she wasn’t certain whether to be grateful I’d arrived or fear my presence, and since I’d just killed a guy in front of her, I couldn’t much blame her.
Pulling my knife from the holder on my hip, I slowly walked towards her. “I’m going to cut you free, okay?”
Piper blinked a couple of times, and her voice was hoarse when she answered, “Okay.”
When I reached her, she was trembling, her skin clammy and cold. I cut her binds from around her wrists and ankles. She moved them to get the blood flowing again, hissing at the pins and needles I knew were stabbing her extremities.
“You need to grab everything you can so we can get out of here. I’ll take you to the hospital and then we can regroup. When he doesn’t report back, Chavez will send someone else.”
She opened her mouth, probably to protest, but I shook my head.
“Questions later. Right now, we need to move.”
Nodding, she stood and went to her bedroom. She stopped inside the doorframe, turning her big green eyes on me. “No hospital.”
I understood. Neither of us were big fans. “We’ve got a medical trainer on staff at the gym. I’ll have him look you over.”
She dipped her chin in agreement, and I stepped inside her room, typing a quick message to Levi and Ryder that she was safe and that we’d need to send someone to take care of the dead guy in the apartment. Levi replied that they’d stay out front until we left, just in case Chavez sent more men.
Piper pulled a duffel bag out of the closet, but her nose was still dripping blood, as was the cut above her eye, and she had to keep wiping it as she tried to work the zipper on the bag. I gently touched her hand. “Sit.”
She sank onto the bed, exhaustion rolling off her, and I hurried to the bathroom and took a washcloth from the pile in a basket on her counter. After waiting for the water to turn warm, I wet the cloth and took it to her.
“Here.” Piper looked up at me, her green eyes wild and unfocused. She was in shock. I needed to get her out of there and quick.
“Tell me what you need.”
She nodded, and when she directed me to her closet and drawers, her voice was quiet and husky as if she hadn’t used it much. I wondered if the creep had choked her. Looking up, I glanced at her neck and saw the bruises starting to emerge. It took all the strength I had not to turn around and kill the bastard all over again.
I rushed around filling the bag, and when it was done, I helped her stand. When we reached the door, I put up one finger, indicating for her to wait. Her head jerked once in agreement. Taking my gun out, I checked right and left before giving her the okay to follow me.
We made our way down the steps and caught sight of Levi and Ryder sitting in one of the black SUVs the team owned. I gave a quick nod to Levi, and he turned the engine over.
“My car.” She stopped next to a killer 1975 Mustang convertible, and I felt my brows rise in surprise.
“This yours?”
Piper tried to smile and winced when it pulled at the cut on her lip. She shrugged.
“What can I say? I love powerful cars.”
And if that wasn’t sexy as hell, I don’t know what was.
“Keys?”
She dug in the purse she’d grabbed on our way out and threw them to me.
“Get in. I’ll drive.”
I wondered if she’d argue with me, but she didn’t. Just slid into the passenger side. “Wait here.” I jogged over to the SUV, and Levi lowered the window. “She okay?”
“A little beat-up, but she’ll survive. Can you drive my Harley home? I’m parked on the other side of the building.”
“Sure thing. Is that blood?” Levi motioned to my side where the guy had knifed me, and got out of the car.
“Just a scratch.”
Levi didn’t argue with me. “Have Cruz take a look at it when we get back, yeah?”
“Sure thing.” Ryder rounded the SUV to the driver side.
Levi nodded. “I called in a team for cleanup. They’ll take care of the mess.”
“Thanks. It was self-defense.”
“No doubt.”
I tossed Levi the keys to my bike and ran back to Piper’s Mustang. Sliding in, I turned the key, enjoying the roar of the engine.
When I looked over at Piper, she had a smile on her face. “Fun, right?”
I couldn’t help my answering grin. “Very fun.”
We just watched each other for a moment before reality kicked back in for both of us. Piper’s face fell, and I cursed under my breath. She’d been through a hell of an ordeal, and here I was ogling her and complimenting her on her badass car.
The drive to the gym was quiet. I was anxious to get Piper inside to assess the damage. I didn’t think she needed to go to a hospital, but I’d let Cruz look her over to get his assessment. Cruz had been in the marines, special ops, stationed all over the world, and his military background had given him some medical training. He’d also taken a few more classes as an athletic trainer so he could take care of all our guys after fights. He’d know whether she needed to go to the ER.
I hit the button for the automatic gate behind the gym, and parked in one of the spare spaces in the lot. Levi was right behind me on my Harley and pulled into my usual space, while Ryder brought up the rear driving the SUV back into the covered garage we’d had built for our equipment and team vehicles.
Piper turned in her seat, looking at me as if she wanted to say something.
“You okay?” I peered into her shimmering eyes, watching for any sign of shock.
“Yeah. Just, thank you.” She hesitated, her mouth opening and closing. “I mean, what you did for me and then that guy. Wait! You’re bleeding. Are you okay?”
Piper’s attention was solely on me, lifting my shirt to check my wound. I stopped her hand, gently squeezing it. “I’m fine. I’ll have Cruz look at it. If it needs stitches, he can do it.”
“But don’t you need a hospital?”
“Nope. I’ve had worse than this. I’m a fighter, remember?”
She mumbled something under her breath that sounded a lot like, “How could I forget?” but I decided to ignore it. We could discuss my life path after she’d been cleaned up.
“Let’s get you inside.”
I got out of the car, waiting on Piper to walk around, and took her hand as we entered in the back door of the gym. Levi was waiting on us.
“When you’re ready, meet us in the conference room. I’ll get the rest of the guys. We have a lot to talk about.”
I could see the confusion on Piper’s face, but her questions would have to wait.
“Can you let Cruz know we’re here?”
“Sure.” Levi clapped me on the shoulder then extended his right hand to Piper. “Levi Slater. Nice to meet you. Sorry it’s under such crappy circumstances.”
Piper smiled shyly. “Piper Collins. Thanks for that.” She motioned over her shoulder with her thumb as if uttering the words of what had happened were too much. I knew Piper was no wilting flower. She’d been in the FBI for ten years, after graduating college in just two, and I was sure she’d seen quite a bit in her tenure. She wasn’t a desk jockey, from what Ryder had pulled up on her. But fighting bad guys, and being held captive and beaten by them were two different things. It would take some time to adjust.
I took Piper’s hand again and led her down the hall to my room. When we entered, I closed the door behind her. “The bathroom’s this way.” I motioned towards the small adjoining bathroom that was equipped with all the necessities. “Towels and washcloths are here. Go ahead and get a shower. When you’re out, I’ll have Cruz look at your nose and throat and make sure you don’t have a concussion.
I opened the bathroom door, reaching in to get a towel and washcloth for her. When I turned around, she was so close I could smell her vanilla and jasmine scent and wanted to bury my face in her hair and inhale.
Piper took the towel from me, and, with her duffel bag strapped over her arm, stepped inside the bathroom. She turned to shut the door. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
I heard the water turn on and tried not to think about the fact that the girl of my dreams, the one I’d never fully gotten over, was standing naked in my shower. I shook the thought from my head and answered the knock at the door.
Cruz stepped inside, medical bag in hand.
“Heard you got caught on the wrong end of the knife.”
I snorted. “Yeah—thought the guy was pretty much unconscious. Didn’t check him for weapons. Stupid mistake.”
Cruz lifted my shirt and took a peek, then motioned towards the bed. “Sit. I don’t think it needs stitches, but I need to clean it and bandage it.”
Obeying his orders, I sat on the edge of the bed while Cruz knelt beside me. He looked closely at the wound and then opened the bag, taking out a squirt bottle and gauze before squirting the liquid inside the wound. I hissed slowly at the burn; it wasn’t intolerable, but it didn’t feel good either.
“So, this girl—” Cruz looked up at me with a grin on his face.
“What about her?”
Cruz laughed at the gruffness of my voice. “Slater says she’s important to you.”
“Foster sister.”
“Oh, yeah—that’s all? I thought she was like the one that got away or something like that.”
“Something like that.” My voice came out a growl, which only made Cruz laugh harder. “Roger that. I read you loud and clear, brother.”
Cruz put a couple of butterfly bandages on the cut to hold it together, then placed gauze over the top, taping it to my skin.
When the final piece was in place, the door to the bathroom opened, and Piper walked out—her wet auburn hair braided over one shoulder, her cheeks pink from the shower, but the rest of her face was puffy and swollen and already multiple colors of the rainbow. The bruises on her neck stuck out in stark contrast to her pale skin, and I was suddenly very glad I’d killed the prick who’d touched her. Her smile was tentative, and I realized I was staring.
Cruz realized it too, if the cocky grin he had on his face was any indicator. I punched him in the shoulder, and he grunted in response. He chuckled and stepped forward.
“Cruz Ortiz.” He put his hand out for her to shake, and she took it.
“Piper Collins.”
“Care if I take a look at your injuries?”
She shook her head, and Cruz motioned towards the bed. I waited beside them, holding my breath for any bad news he might give her. Cruz checked her nose, asking her questions about what hurt. He went through the concussion protocol with her and then gently pressed on her throat. After a couple of minutes, he stood to his full height.
“Ibuprofen should help with the pain. No broken nose—you’re lucky there. And your throat is bruised pretty good, but there doesn’t appear to be any permanent damage. You’ve most likely got a concussion, but not a serious one. Besides hurting like hell, I think you’re going to be just fine.”
Cruz picked up his bag and turned to walk away. “Meet you in the conference room?”
I nodded as he closed the door, and I sat down next to Piper, taking her hand.
“How’re you doing?”
She shrugged. “I’ll live. Thanks to you. Want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Piper lifted one eyebrow, and it occurred to me that our original plan to give her the bare minimum just might not work on her. She was inquisitive to a fault. Always had been. And it was obvious she wasn’t buying the whole criminal MMA gym owner and fighter bit.
“You feel up to meeting the rest of the guys?”
“Who are the guys?”
“You’ll see.”
“Is that all you’re going to give me?”
I grinned. I loved the banter between us. “Pretty much.”
Sighing, she stood and walked towards the door. “Then let’s get in there so I can get some answers to my questions. ’Cause I know for a fact there’s more going on here than meets the eye.”
You better believe it, sweetheart.