Page 42 of Burning Bridges

Chapter 24

PIPER

Ilockthedoorto my salon and check the handle twice. All my other staff have left for the night already, but I stayed back to finalize last month’s paperwork. I’ve fallen behind in all my ordinary work since Tony started giving me orders again, and Leo has been consuming so much of my personal time. And tonight, Axel had a family thing with Jasmine and her sisters, and he didn't want Hannah to miss out, so I gave him the extra night with her. I feel like that has been happening a lot lately. I feel guilty if she doesn’t get to go, but I miss her when she’s not with me. Finding a balance is so hard.

Even with the lack of distractions and no one to go home to, I didn’t get nearly as much done as I would have liked. I couldn’t get the fight I had with Leo last night out of my head. How did we start out so angry with each other but finish fucking like we're actually in love? And I know that’s what it was. He can’t deny it, and neither can I anymore. It’s no wonder he is consuming my thoughts. It’s all so confusing. I have never felt like this about a man before. Maybe because he has always been on my mind. In one way or another, he’s been stuck there since I kissed him in that classroom back in high school. I didn’t know then what we would have to go through to make our way back to each other, and I couldn’t have expected it would all start up again as a way to get insider information about him, but now that it has, I couldn’t stop what is happening between us even if I wanted to. I have fallen down the rabbit hole into a different reality, and I don’t want to find my way back home. I want to stay here for as long as I can.

Outside the salon, the evening air has a real chill to it, and I throw my jacket over my shoulders as I hurry down a back street to the parking lot. The smell of a freshly-stubbed-out cigarette fills my nostrils, making me think of Leo. Yet again. I swear I have a one-track mind lately. I wouldn’t put it past him to be hanging around the salon spying on me. Even after our chat last night, I don’t see him backing off. If anything, he is probably here to kidnap me and make good on his threat to keep me locked up. He’s that much of a control freak.

I glance back over my shoulder up the road, half hoping to spot him. The lights from Antonio’s are still on, but the street is empty. Disappointment washes over me. I’m not sure what I was expecting to see, maybe him standing there waiting for me with open arms. I told him that’s not what I wanted.

The lone streetlight flickers not far from my car. It’s been doing that all week. I must remember to report it to council tomorrow; I don’t want any of my staff out here in the dark. This town is too dangerous for that.

Right as I think it, the damn thing goes out, and I’m shadowed in darkness. I curse out loud as I rummage through my bag, trying to find my phone.

A cold shiver runs over my skin as I feel a definite presence behind me. “Leo, stop messing around with me,” I call into the night like I’m not scared shitless. I have made this very trip to my car thousands of times before, but for some reason, tonight I feel a little creeped out, like someone is watching me. Not the normal someone, either.

My hand settles on my phone, and I wonder if I should grab it or the gun next to it. I decide on my phone and swipe my finger over the screen, unlocking it. Feeling comforted by the sudden light on my face, I make a run for my car, pushing the fob on my keys and hopping in as quickly as I can, locking myself in.

As I try to get my racing heart under control, I glance back up the street and see a shadowy figure standing under the now-blackened streetlight. A fresh wave of goosebumps runs over my skin. I was right, there was someone watching me. It’s too dark to see who, but from the height of them, it’s a guy. I’m going to kill Leo for scaring me if it’s him. I dial his number, needing to know it's him, because my gut tells me this is different, and if it is, I need to get the hell out of here.

As soon as I hear the line connect, I yell at him, “Stop messing with me, asshole. Don’t you have something better to do with your time?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he yells back down the line.

I sit in stunned silence. The shadow hasn’t moved to answer a phone. They are still standing in the same position, looking toward me. Could Leo be tricking me? Or is it one of his men checking up on me instead of him, so he doesn’t break his promise? I wouldn’t put something like that past him.

“Piper.” His voice is filled with concern.

Panic takes over. I feel like the wind has been knocked from my lungs. Leo kept telling me I should be worried about something, but no one has told me what or who it is. The shadow moves, walking toward my car. “Fuck,” I stammer out, grabbing my keys and starting the engine in a rush. I put my foot on the gas and speed out of the parking lot as quickly as I can, my heart racing so hard I can hear it in my ears. Who the hell was that?

“Piper, what the fuck is going on?” Leo yells, getting frustrated with me.

I can barely catch my breath, let alone talk. “S-someone was following me,” I stutter. “Then the light went out and—”

He cuts me off. “Where are you?” he demands, sounding panicked, and I hear his car start up. This definitely wasn’t him or anyone who works for him. “I’ll come and get you.”

“No, don’t. Go back to work. I’m sorry to have bothered you. I just thought it was you, that’s all.”

“You asked me to back off, and I’m trying to respect your wishes,” he snips, sounding even more irritated.

“Of course. I’m okay, I just gave myself a fright. I thought it was you, and when I worked out it wasn’t, it freaked me out. I’m just a bit jumpy with all that’s going on.”

“I’m glad you’re finally taking this seriously.”

“There was someone there, I saw them, standing under the streetlight. Then they started coming toward my car.”

“Are you kidding me?”

I glance back over my shoulder to make sure I’m not being followed home, but the road is empty behind me. “No. It freaked me out enough to call you.”

“Why don’t you drop in here on your way home. I’m at The Joker. I’ll send Jett down there to have a look around.”

Part of me wants to run right to him, for him to wrap his arms around me, tell me I’m safe. Tell me he will always be here to protect me from the lowlife scum of this town—or the high-class scum as well, they're just as bad. But I can’t run to Leo every time something scares me, even if that is what he wants me to do. It would prove what he was saying last night is right and I need protecting. I don’t. I’m stronger than that. I proved it tonight. My intuition told me something wasn’t right, and I got myself out of there.

“No, it’s okay, I’m just going to head home. It’s been a long day, and I’m nearly there now.”

“Are you sure? You sound pretty worked up. I would be happy to drive you home later when you’re feeling better.”

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