Page 32 of Burning Bridges

“I know.” I sigh. I think Tony believes his heart is in the right place, but I’m not even that sure about it anymore.

“You have no idea what I have been through to protect you, Piper. What I still do every day to make sure you and your daughter are safe in that town full of traitors. Because we are family, and we stick together no matter what. You need to remember that,” he spits at me like I’m the enemy.

“I appreciate everything you do for us,” I mutter, not sure what else to tell him. I feel so trapped in this situation. I want to help my brother, but the more I get to know Leo, the harder it is to betray his trust, especially after last night. It felt like he was almost using my desire for him to get me to admit to what I was up to. And at times, I was close, so desperate to be with him the way I've always imagined that I nearly let it all slip out.

“Go and get the information I need then. I will call you again tomorrow.” He disconnects the call before I have the chance to say I have work all day, then Hannah with me this afternoon, and there’s no way I will be able to make that happen.

I glance at my watch, seeing I only have ten minutes before I need to leave for the salon. I make a beeline for my room. I showered at Leo’s this morning, but in my panic to pack an overnight bag yesterday, I hadn’t put in anything I could wear to work today. So, I quickly throw off the dress I’m wearing and find a black T-shirt-style top and a pencil skirt, wiggling into it before doing up the exposed metal zipper.

I’m also running extra late because, to my surprise, we shared breakfast in his kitchen before I left. It all felt so normal, so comfortable. There was no sign of his brothers, so it was just the two of us. And part of me is left feeling so confused now as to why he was so nice to me, why he treated me like I am someone special to him. I saw his reaction when I admitted I thought we were always meant to be. I don’t even know how those words slipped out of my mouth. I was high on how good he was making me feel. It clouded my judgment, and I just said exactly what I was thinking without a thought to how it would look to him. The fury in his eyes said it all. He thought I was messing with him, throwing out lines to manipulate him, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every time I see him, I find myself falling for him more. I believe the words I said, even if I didn’t mean to share them with him.

He was also correct, and I am hiding a whole lot from him. And I already know when he finds out about Tony, I will lose him forever. So, for now, I have to hang on to whatever I can.

I grab my bag, and with not so much as a second glance at my appearance, I run out the door.

Iwrapmyarmsaround Hannah in a big hug. I have missed her face around here the last couple of days. “Go put your bag in your room, monkey, I want to talk to your dad.” She takes off for her room happily. Her clothes are messy from a fun day at school, and her hair is in a half-fallen-out ponytail. It looks like at least one of us has had a fun day. My day at work was hectic from the moment I walked in the salon, and with the lack of sleep last night—actually, the last two nights—I’m really starting to feel the effects this evening.

Axel looks me over, his judgmental eyes scrutinizing my appearance. “You look tired. Did you have a big night?”

I narrow my eyes at him, wondering how he already knows what I was up to last night. I know he is just dying to find out why I was really at Queen of Hearts two nights ago. “Nope,” I say innocently. He’s my ex-husband, I don’t have to tell him shit. And I know it’s only going to give him reason to have a go at me, so what would be the point?

He shakes his head, looking disappointed in me. “What game are you playing, Piper? You know how dangerous Leo is. Don’t you? And you can’t hide the fact the two of you are clearly seeing each other. I bumped into you at his club, remember?” I hate the pity I see in his eyes. Just because he has his shit together, with the perfect fiancée and baby on the way, that doesn’t give him the right to judge me for how I choose to live my life.

“I know exactly what I’m doing. I don’t need you looking out for me or whatever this is you're doing. I have been taking care of myself for a long time, and I can handle whatever the Riveras throw at me. Besides, like you're one to talk. I know you and the brothers are working together these days. I should be asking you the same question.” I throw it back at him, trying to act more confident about my statement than I am. At this point, it’s just a hunch, but if I can get out of Axel what I need to know, I don’t need anything from Leo today. And this might be enough to get Tony off my back. Besides, Axel's right, he was at the club as well.

His guilty eyes meet mine, and I know I have him. “There is a lot you don’t know, Piper; this thing is all bigger than old family grudges.”

And without even knowing it, he just told me exactly what I needed to know. “I have eyes, Axel. It’s not hard to work out what’s going on around here. What did he offer you?”

“He didn’t offer me anything.” He pauses, staring me down, and I can see his internal struggle. Just like Leo, Axel doesn’t trust me. “He’s trying to turn this town around, much like Hendrix and I. For once I sided with him because I agree with what he's doing,” he admits.

“He’s doing what?” I ask him, genuinely confused. This is the first I've heard of anyone trying to turn this town around. From where I’m standing, Leo looks like he is just as bad as my father or Tony, out for the power he gets off on or the income it brings him. He’s not helping anyone. Is he? The conversation with the drunk in The Joker a couple of weeks ago comes back to me. He was convinced Leo and his brothers were heroes. Maybe there is a lot more going on than I considered.

“I thought you had eyes. Looks like you only see the bad in people, not the truth. He’s fixing problems your family created after years of dodgy deals with corrupt police and the old-school way of doing things, you know, kill first then ask questions later. I might not be able to stand the guy, but he isn’t the lowlife scum your brother was. And I agree with what he’s doing.”

I raise a brow, getting annoyed now. How dare he put Tony in the same category as my father. “Ourbrother, or have you forgotten that little fact,” I spit back at him, feeling protective.

“He stopped being my family the day he turned his back on me and Hendrix when we tried to help him.”

“Blood is blood, Axel,” I say, sounding just like my father. The thought is sickening.

I’m also forced to see the truth written all over Axel’s face. He heard it too, the way I took what my father used to use against us as kids, to try to manipulate him in the same way. “Not everyone sees it that way, and you know it. You know your brother would have done anything to destroy me. He killed himself trying. You may not like the new reality you find yourself in, but trust me, this is the best for everyone. What kind of a world do you want our daughter growing up in? One run by guys like Ace, who are all about money and power, not caring who they have to destroy to get it? Or one run by people who want a better world, one that is safer for all of us.”

His words stab at me. He’s calling me selfish and implying I’m a bad mother. It would have hurt less if he actually took a knife and jabbed it into my flesh. “I always put our daughter first, don’t throw that at me.” I glare back at him, feeling hurt.

I let his words sink in. He’s wrong about one thing. If what he's saying is true, then this is the reality I want. I want what he's talking about as well, it’s what I have wanted my whole life. I never agreed with what the Acevedos were doing. It's why I tried to run when I found out. But I have been stuck here ever since, and I find it hard to believe that what he's saying is true. Leo’s not some Mother Teresa type. He has killed people to get where he is today, I’ve seen him do it. “You don’t make any sense. First you’re telling me to stay away from Leo because he’s dangerous, and now you’re making him out to be some sort of hero or something. Which is it, Axel?”

“He’s dangerous for you, Piper. I know you better than anyone, and I know what he means to you. You might not have admitted to me the way you felt about him when we were younger, but I knew it. I saw the way you looked at him. He’s not the kind of guy that will be able to give you what you want. You need to stay away from him.” He looks so serious, like he really wants to help me and warn me away from Leo because he will hurt me in some way. But Axel can’t know how I really feel about Leo. He doesn’t know what it’s like when we're together.

And as I say the words even in my own head, I realize what I’m saying. I’m trying to justify what we have as being something, some sort of relationship, when I know what it is. It’s just an arrangement. One that will get me what I want in the end, the answers Tony needs to get back what was his. I need to get all the crazy distracting thoughts out of my head and focus on what I need to do.

“You don’t know what I want, Axel, and you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” I say to him, trying to assure not only him but myself that what Leo and I have isn’t something real. It can’t be. Because the rest of the world might be joining forces and going for team Rivera because they are now offering some new reality that I haven’t heard of until today, but I can’t. I have to stay strong and support my brother like he always did me. Even if part of me knows what Axel is saying is true, and the reality he is talking about would be better for everyone. Including me. I drew my line in the sand a long time ago, and I can’t cross it for anyone.

Chapter 19

LEO

Asroundtwobegins,the tension in the arena is palpable. Jett circles Hammer warily, knowing that he's notorious for his one-punch knockout power. Kobe and I sit in the front row, cheering him on. There has been no sight of Piper, and I’m grateful she kept her word to stay away.

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