Chapter 23 Piper
PIPER
The two days that follow are a blur. I work on one of those days and spend most of my time outdoors on the other, for two very different reasons. One: because I’m waiting on that Chevy. And two: because all of this drama is making me nauseous as hell.
I spend this afternoon alone in Caleb’s house with the two kids. We had to fill out sickness forms for them both. I was iffy about lying to the school about them coming down with something, but come to think of it—me vomiting outside of Bean There yesterday makes the lie plausible.
I’m dreading spending most of the night alone in the house without Caleb tonight.
I left my father at that rancid motel and haven’t heard another peep, no voicemail, nothing.
It sickens me to know that the car is still on the prowl, lurking.
The worst part about all of this is that I don’t know how long they’ve been watching me.
I only caught the Chevy loitering three times.
I’ve been so busy with the fire and moving into Caleb’s, tackling stubborn feelings that won’t go, that I have gaps in my memory.
The car could’ve been following me around for a great deal of time.
Two months, even, if my father is right about how long he’s been living up here for.
“Can I practice a Dutch braid on you?” asks Ellie, padding barefoot into the kitchen with a hopeful set of eyes.
“Soon, sweet pea. Let me just finish my tea and I’ll be right through.” I give her a smile and watch her disappear into the lounge area, where Sonny is watching TV.
My stomach is still feeling unsettled, hence the tea. The tiredness and nausea have got to be symptoms of stress from the case.
The not knowing will send me crazy if James Taylor goes another two days without contacting me. He’s probably busy charging me with insurance fraud as I sit here now trying to contain my sickness.
I tried giving him a call yesterday and the day before that, but had no luck. He seems to have dropped off the face of the earth now that he has my confession.
I only confessed because I wanted him to leave me the fuck alone and drop the case.
Caleb: How are things at home? Have you seen the car? Please let me know. Things here are quiet tonight so I should be able to come home if you need. Take care.
My heart fractures. He’s right about Sonny and Ellie. I can’t put them in danger. After probing about Caleb’s past, I see now why he’s so overprotective when it comes to his daughter.
I reply to Caleb’s text, finish the tea, and abandon it in the sink. I can’t keep my hair stylist waiting. But the nausea revisits now that I’m back on my feet. I slow down, grab the wall for a second until it passes, and slip into the living area.
“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!” Ellie exclaims.
I kiss Sonny on the temple on route to the chair she already has prepared for me.
“Why, thank you,” I giggle as she lays the makeshift cape over me—an old bedsheet that Caleb lets her use. “Lets keep our voices down, yeah? So we don’t disturb Sonny.”
This is one of those rare moments when he’s actually sitting down and not moving. Moments like these don’t come often. Sonny prefers playing to sitting down and watching TV like some of his classmates do. I love him for never being able to sit still.
I make sure the chair is facing the window so I can keep on guard—not like I’m much of a deterrent.
“I still don’t understand why we were sent home from school,” Ellie says, getting started on the braid. “Did we do something wrong?”
“No, of course not. Your teachers tell Caleb and me that you’re good students with a lot of potential. We just…” I stutter. I hate lying to the kids, but it’s for their own good that they don’t know about the stalker. “We felt you needed a rest, is all. You guys work so unbelievably hard.”
Ellie falls into deep concentration as she braids my hair. The relaxing feeling threatens to put me to sleep, but I stay on high alert. It’s twilight. That gives this man, whoever he is, the perfect chance to spy.
“Are you and my dad, like, a couple?”
“No, sweetheart,” I say gently, even though the question has my heart going a thousand miles an hour. My feelings for Caleb are still just as crazy and irrational. I hear both of our names spoken in one sentence and feel that same old yearning pull on my ribs. “Your dad and I are just friends.”
“That’s a shame.”
I see her reflection in the darkened mirror and notice her pouting.
Same, girl.
Another silence settles between us. I focus on Ellie’s soft fingers weaving through my hair and allow my eyes to shut for just a second.
I get into the habit of opening them again in short intervals, just in case there’s activity outside.
After repeating this pattern a dozen times, seeing nothing but darkness outside the window, I allow myself to sink into the relaxation for a little longer.
The past few days have exhausted me, but I go to bed at night wide-awake as usual. I’m an overthinking mess, and every time I see Sonny, I’m reminded that my days with him could be limited.
Up until now, I’ve been adamant about keeping Caleb and Sonny separate.
Caleb doesn’t get to know about his son, because I don’t trust him to stay.
There are times when I question the mistrust. I watch him and Ellie together and see how fucking serious he is about that girl, but I’m worlds away from trusting him again.
Introducing Sonny to Caleb will naturally bring us closer, which is a worry. Him finding out the truth will mean that we’re bonded, officially, as parents. And I’m still not sure about this trust thing. But now, if I’m facing conviction and a possible prison sentence, Caleb should know the truth.
A white light pierces through my eyelids. I snap them open and shield a hand over my eyes, adjusting to the crazy bright light that’s strong enough to do brain damage.
“Ouch! That’s so bright,” Ellie says.
“Cover your eyes for a second, sweetheart.” I leap up from the chair. “We’ll resume in a moment, okay? Both of you—stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Grabbing my phone, I zoom into the kitchen and out the front door, where I’m blinded once again by the pair of headlights. Granted, there are no streetlights out here, but the full beam really isn’t necessary, especially when it’s shining straight into the windows of our house.
Is my father’s stalker finally choosing to reveal himself?
I stand on the porch, my heart in my throat, and manage to shoot Caleb a quick message before descending onto the lawn.
Caleb: Stay indoors and make sure all windows and doors are locked. Send the kids upstairs. I’m on my way.
I locked the front door behind me, but I decide I’m gonna see what the prick wants.
I really should’ve armored myself with a kitchen knife before doing this, but the kids are most likely watching from the window.
I can’t exactly cause a scene even though the spike of adrenaline in my blood is forcing me to.
I shield my eyes as I grow closer.
That’s when the headlights snap off, and I’m dazed once again by the darkness. It takes me twice as long to reach the end of the lawn.
I bump into a body I don’t see coming, and almost lose my footing.
At least one thing has been set straight—my father wasn’t lying about the shit he’s in.
The man blends seamlessly into the night. The all-black outfit and the mask over his face is definitely something a stalker would wear.
“I have no contact with the man you’re looking for,” I tell him. “I’m afraid to be the one to tell you this, but all you’re doing is wasting gas.”
“Tell me where he is.”
I gulp as he turns his head to the side. I just know that he’s seeing the kids through the window.
It hurts to know that my father, even after nine years of distance, is still the same man from before. A small, regrettable part of me was hoping that he’d eventually wake up and see the light. But he’ll never see that if I save him.
Perhaps a prison sentence would sort him out. A bit of restorative punishment could set the record straight for him again. Unfortunately, law enforcement won’t get the chance to sentence him if this dude reaches my father first.
I can’t see any weapons, but I smell bloodthirst, and I know he has his beady eyes on the kids still. Maybe coming out here to confront him was a bad idea.
Men like him don’t lose.
“Tell me,” he repeats. “Where is your father? He owes a great deal of money to one of my clients, and has now been given one too many chances to pay that money back.” He makes a point of glancing through the window, where the kids are probably staring, making themselves known.
“One of them is yours, isn’t it? The boy.
And the girl—she belongs to the man whose house this is.
You’ve been staying at his place, I take it. Since the fire.”
Oh, he’s a nasty piece of work that needs putting in his place, only I’m not the right fit for that job. If the kids weren’t here, I’d be confronting his ass about the break-in.
But I have lives that aren’t my own to protect.
“Taking them out of school won’t stop me from getting to them.”
Great. So now he’s watching my every move.
Was this really about finding my father, or about him keeping a close eye on me, gathering data so he can use it as leverage and make me crumble?
It’s working, I must say.
I cross my arms, buying more time. “I hope this guy, whoever he is, pays you well to be a fly on the wall in other people’s lives. I couldn’t imagine throwing away my own life to watch someone else’s.”
“People go to extremes just to land a bit of cash.”
Okay. So now he somehow knows that I was intending to commit insurance fraud.
“Last chance,” warns the man, speeding up the conversation. I wasn’t done diverting from it yet. “Tell me now or I go in there and—”
“Good luck doing that with two broken legs.”
Caleb appears behind the man and wrestles him to the ground. This is a lot of drama for the kids, considering they’ve never seen him in a fight before.
Come to think of it, neither have I. But I like to imagine he’ll win, given how fucking buff he is. I stand back, astonished, as Caleb dives to the ground, taking the stalker with him.
“Leave her alone, and don’t come here again,” he barks, sharp enough that it lights something feral within. I’ve never heard Caleb raise his voice like this before. And it’s pleasantly surprising.
I’m startled for the hundredth time tonight as I watch Caleb punch the stalker in the literal eye.
“Bother her again and you lose vision in the other one.” He stands back to full height, swiping a fallen piece of hair from his eye. “You should be thanking me that I didn’t break your legs. Might I suggest it’s time for you to use them and get the fuck off my property.”
Jesus Christ.
I can’t decide what I’m out of breath from—the shock of tonight, or the incredible man standing in front of me.
Caleb turns to me and reverts back to his calm, collected self, sliding his hand through my hair to offer me some reassurance.
He really just did that. Showed up and gave a shit.
I think that shocks me most above all else.
“Let’s go back inside.” He clutches my hand and leads the way.