Page 13 of Christmas Wedding
“She’s going to the bank with him. I’m going to kill the fucker!” Tag moved to run after Piper, but Sawyer stopped him.
“He said that he was taking her to the bank? You’re sure?” Sawyer whispered.
Tag nodded, “I’m sure.”
“Well, that’s perfect. I’ll call it in and have my guys waiting for him there.” Tag grabbed Sawyer’s hand as he reached for his cell.
“No fucking way, man. You’ll put Piper right in the line of fire,” Tag protested.
Sawyer smiled at Tag. “This isn’t my first gig, Tag. I know what I’m doing. Trust me?” Tag seemed to hesitate, then reluctantly nodded his agreement. “Good. We’re going to make that fucker think that he’s getting exactly what he wants, and then we’re going to nail his ass to the wall.” Sawyer called the station and filled them in on the change of plans, telling them exactly what to do. There was no way that he was going to risk Piper’s life; Lorna would kill him. Letting Joe think that he had the upper hand was the only way to keep Piper safe and make sure that Joe never hurt anyone else in his family again.
Joe arrived in town with Piper and made her drive around the block twice. He had her drive so that he could keep his gun on her and be able to watch for anything suspicious. He didn’t see her bodyguard all day, and that put his guard up. The overprotective goon didn’t usually leave Piper alone, though he did have Lorna to deal with. Beating up Lorna turned out to have been his best decision yet, since it diverted Sawyer’s attention from protecting Piper. Hell, he was so busy watching over Lorna, he all but forgot about Piper and her security.
“Pull behind the building into the alley, there,” Joe ordered. He pointed to a spot next to the bank’s back door. That would give him a quick escape if someone got in his way. Piper did as he asked. He got her out of the car and hid his gun in his coat pocket.
“Do anything stupid and I’ll shoot you just like my brother shot your parents. Do you understand?” Piper gasped and nodded. The fear in her eyes told him that she wasn’t aboutto give him any trouble. “Good girl. Let’s go. You’re going to ask the nice bank manager to transfer the money into my bank account. Tell him that I’m your uncle Joe, from New York. If you give me away or do anything to tip them off, I’ll kill them too.” Piper nodded again, taking a deep breath.
“You’re no different from them, are you? You’re exactly like your brothers,” Piper sobbed.
“See, now you’re catching on. All those years, I had everyone fooled, including my two big brothers. They thought that I was too stupid to know that they were robbing that place. I knew what they were doing—hell, I secretly wished they let me go in with them, but they told me to stay in the car. I watched as they shot your parents and that cashier, and it made me want more. It was like I found my calling that day. I knew exactly who I wanted to be. I claimed to be innocent, and my brothers even swore that I had no idea what was going on in that store. They didn’t know that I snuck in the back and watched. I still served time, even though I didn’t pull the trigger or take anything. I was punished. So, I thought, why not? If I’m going to do the time, I might as well have some fun committing the crimes.”
“You’re a monster! You just let my parents die, and you did nothing?” Piper was trembling, and he took some satisfaction from knowing that she was terrified of him. He nodded, not dignifying her question with a response.
“After I got out, I took odd jobs. You know, for people who didn’t want to get their hands dirty but had no problem paying someone to do the dirty work for them. I made a few bucks here and there, always scraping by. But then I saw how your dear old grandma left you millions. More than you can spend in one lifetime. So, I thought to myself, why not? I worked out the details, and here we are. You’re about to make me a very rich man, and then I’ll let you go back to your hubby. Don’t fuck with me, Piper, or you’ll be sorry.” She shivered at his threat, and hepushed her towards the entrance of the bank. He was so close to having what he wanted, he could almost taste it.
Sawyer watched from the empty storefront across the street from the bank. The manager who was helping Piper transfer money to Joe’s account was a deputy from town. Piper didn’t let on that she knew him, so things were going as smoothly as they could, given the circumstances. The deputy stalled to give everyone time to get into place. They were able to forge the documentation so that Joe would believe that everything was on the up and up. Piper and Joe stood to shake the bank manager’s hand and then made their way to the back of the bank. He was going to leave through the back door, which played right into Sawyer’s plan. Joe turned and said something to Piper, and then he disappeared through the back door. At least the asshole kept one promise—he left Piper behind after he got what he wanted. Piper stayed inside the bank, and Sawyer gave the signal to go.
Once he walked through the door into the alley, Joe didn’t know what hit him. Sawyer had five officers surrounding him, forcing him to surrender. They cuffed him and had him in the squad car by the time he and Tag found Piper. She was huddled in a chair, rocking and sobbing. Tag pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his body. Sawyer couldn’t watch them together. Piper was so raw it nearly broke him. He was supposed to keep her safe, but instead, he let her fall right into the hands of a murderer.
“I’m so sorry, Piper.” Sawyer went out through the back door and found his boss. He had a shit ton of paperwork to do, and then he would hand in his resignation to Piper. If he couldn’tkeep her out of harm’s way, she would need to find a bodyguard who could. He would stay on with the Sheriff’s Office, but Lorna was his priority now. Having her in his life distracted him, and he couldn’t let that fuck up his abilities to take care of Piper. She deserved better.
CHAPTER TEN
Another week passed, and Christmas Eve was just three days away. Lorna was off bed rest and got the all-clear from the doctor to go back to her daily activities. She called Piper every day since they caught Joe, but Piper refused to talk to anyone, including Sawyer. He went up to the cabin to help Tag put things back to normal, and Piper wouldn’t even look at him. She seemed lost in herself, and he was afraid that even Tag wouldn’t be able to help her. She went to a few therapy sessions, and Tag said that they were helping. He told Sawyer that she felt some closure for the first time since leaving New York. He was happy that she was able to find some positive outcome from the whole shit fest, but he also needed to talk to her to tell her how sorry he was. He needed to ask her forgiveness. If they were going to both be a part of Lorna’s life, he wanted a clean slate.
Tag told him to give her some time and that she would come around. Still, Sawyer worried that he caused a rift that might not be repairable. He helped Lorna around the house, getting ready for Christmas, and when she took a shift at Scrumptious, he would try to go with her. The Sheriff’s Office wanted him full-time, but he didn’t want to accept their offer without workingthings out with Piper. He needed to help her find a replacement who would be able to protect her. He was at the house making dinner when Piper walked into the kitchen. Tag sent him a warning text that she was on her way over, and he appreciated the heads-up.
“Hey Piper, how are you doing?” He crossed the kitchen, wanting to hug her, but hesitated. Were they at that point? Hell, she felt like family, and now that he was going to marry Lorna and have a kid with her, Piper was his family. He broke with protocol and pulled her in for a hug. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, patting his back.
“Hi, Sawyer. I’m doing better. Actually, I’m feeling pretty darn great.” Sawyer pulled back to look her in the eyes. How was she doing great? Joe abducted her just over a week ago, and she was great?
“Okay, care to share?” He pulled out the kitchen chair for her and sat down across the table to face her.
“Listen, I know what you are thinking, what everyone must be thinking. But I really am good. I’ve been dealing with my parents’ deaths for a long time now. Joe was always a missing piece. You see, I only knew of two men who were there that day. I was so young that after I’d pointed out the two in a lineup, they let me leave with Lorna and come back home. About six months later, I testified to what I’d seen that day. At the time, since I was a minor, they let me videotape my testimony that put away both of Joe’s brothers. My therapist convinced the judge that testifying in person would damage the progress that I’d made in getting past witnessing my parents’ murders. I was never in the courtroom and never knew that Joe was a part of everything.” Sawyer nodded, wanting to understand where Piper was going with this story. He already knew most of it, but only from what Lorna told him. Hearing it from Piper made him want to keep her safe from every threat that she would face. She became morethan just a job to him; she was his friend and would soon be family.
“Capturing Joe helped me to feel some of the closure that I was looking for in New York when I met you. I always felt like there was a piece of the puzzle missing, and now I know that I was right, that my instincts were right. This whole ordeal has made me feel—stronger.” She reached across the table and took Sawyer’s hand. “I have you to thank for everything, Sawyer.” He pulled his hand free and stood, causing the chair to scrape across the floor.
“No, I failed you, Piper. I let a murderer show up at your doorstep and hurt you and your husband. I couldn’t stop him from taking you. I need to step down from being your bodyguard. I have too many distractions to be good at my job anymore. You deserve better.” Piper shook her head and stood to face Sawyer.
“No, that’s complete bullshit, Sawyer. I needed some time to work out my shit, and now that I have, I find that you’ve just been wallowing in self-pity this whole week. I’m not going to let you fucking quit. I hired you to do a job, and you have. Now I need you to pull your head out of your ass and get on with protecting my family. Your assignment was never just to keep me safe. My grandmother’s money put targets on all my family and close friends. You are the one who came up with a plan to capture Joe and kept everyone around me safe in the process. So I don’t want to hear another word about you quitting.” Sawyer looked at Piper. She was furious with him, and all he could do was stand there and smile at her. He knew he must look like a fool, but he didn’t care. Piper was as fierce as his Lorna, and he loved her even more for it. One thing was for sure: this family was going to keep him on his toes. He laughed and pulled Piper in for a hug, squeezing her tight until he could feel all the anger and tension leave her body.
“I’m sorry, Piper. You’re right, I was being an ass. If you still want my protection, you’ll have it,” Sawyer offered.
Piper nodded, “Good, because now you’re going to have two new people to keep safe.” She waited for him to catch on as she palmed her flat stomach. Finally, it hit him—she was pregnant too.
“You and Tag?” He picked her up, spinning her around. She giggled and slapped at him to put her down. She did look a little green.
“Whoa, there. Unlike my aunt, I have morning sickness, something awful. And yes, Tag and I are expecting just a few weeks after you and Lorna. We haven’t told anyone else yet.” Sawyer kissed her cheek and released her. She sat back down at the kitchen table, seeming to need a minute. Sawyer made her a cup of hot tea and set it in front of her.
