Page 56 of Captivated

“Wh-what did it say?” I can hear the tremble in Piper’s words as she waits for a reply.

“It said they know where you are.”

“Oh, God.” Piper chokes out before sounding more frantic. “But Mom, they can’t possibly. Maybe.. maybe they’re just saying that to scare you, to try to get the money out of you.”

“Pfeiffer, I don’t know if it’s worth the risk. Your father refuses to give into the demands for Mason’s debt. We should never have been involved in this mess in the first place.”

“I know, I’m so sorry, Mom. This is all my fault. But… I can’t leave.”

“Pfeiffer, I know you’re making a life out there, darling. But this isyourlife we’re talking about here. Your father wants you to know that we’re on high alert.”

“Did he call the police?”

“Yes. They are aware and he filled in more details after last night. They know that you’ve been relocated, but this is still the Montevallo’s we’re dealing with here, Pfeiffer. These people have no morals. They are capable of anything.”

As I shift on my feet to try to hear better, my foot makes a noise on the hardwood floor.

“Uh, Mom, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back later.” Piper ends the call as I quietly race back to the bedroom door as quickly as I can. Stumbling back down the hall, pretending like I just woke up, I rub my eyes as Piper comes around the corner of the kitchen.

“Good morning,” she greets me, still a bit flustered I can tell, but she’s trying to play it cool.

“Morning, sweetheart. How’d you sleep?”

“Really well. Your body is like a heater,” she says before encircling my neck with her hands and giving me a quick kiss.

“Glad I could keep you warm. Are you okay?” I ask, hoping maybe she’ll admit to the conversation she just had that has clearly scared her. “I thought I heard voices.”

“Yeah, I’m great. No one here but me. I did just realize I don’t have much food in here though. I need to go to the store. Maybe we can get dressed and grab some breakfast instead of eating here. Then I have a bunch of errands I need to run before I go back to work tomorrow.”

She’s rambling, and it’s unnerving. My intuition about Piper hiding something was right on the money, and I’m cursing myself for not listening to my gut. But now, I’m head over heels for this girl, but she’s keeping something from me, and so many questions rack my mind, I don’t even know where to go from here.

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

We get dressed and make it through breakfast in comfortable silence, reliving the announcements we were a part of last night as I realize the contentment I felt with Piper yesterday has almost been completely wiped away this morning.

When we part ways, I kiss her goodbye, comforted by how her kiss still connects me to her, but there’s an obvious shift in our mental connection from both of us.

After getting dressed in my uniform and driving to work, I arrive at the station about a half hour early, debating whether what I’m about to do right now is the right move. Birdie has encouraged me not to go here, but after the conversation I overheard this morning, my doubt is too high.

Pulling a print I lifted from my truck on a piece of tape, I scan it in the system as I search Piper Davis in the computer. My knees bounce and my hands are shaking while I wait for the results.

And when the face of the woman I thought I knew pops up twice on the screens with two different names, my heart sinks down to my stomach.

Piper Davis is really Pfeiffer Winters. And I’m about to puke.

Chapter 21

Piper

Eight Months Ago

“Dad, I think you’re overreacting.” The dark blue eyes I inherited from him stare down at me with the most fear I’ve ever seen my father exhibit.

“There is no such thing when it comes to the safety of my daughter. I will not stand here and wait to see if they are serious. Mason has messed with the wrong people, and as a result, our family’s safety is in jeopardy—but most of all,yourlife is in danger.” His hand is shaky as he lifts his glass of scotch to his lips, taking a sip in an attempt to calm his anger and nerves. One brush of his free hand through his white hair, and then he crumbles in front of me. “I will not let them take my only daughter from me, Pfeiffer. Your mother and I have sacrificed everything for you. They can have money, but they can’t have you.” Tears stream from his weathered eyes down his wrinkled skin, and my heart drops along with them.

“So then just pay them off! Give them what they want so we can clean up this mess!”

“But that’s the point—it’s not about the money. Because if I give in and pay them off, who’s to say that Mason won’t keep gambling? Now they know he has a weak spot. They know that they can use you as collateral to get what they want from him. The minute he mentioned our family’s name and the fact that you’re engaged to him, he put a mark on you. You have to leave. I don’t know what else to do.”

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