Chapter Nineteen
Tag felt helpless as the car pulled up to the address that Piper programmed into the GPS.
He knew that whatever happened today could change everything for her.
He just hoped that their relationship wasn’t one of the things that changed.
He agreed to her plan, but he didn’t think that it was the best thing for her.
Piper was right about one thing—she needed to find a way to move forward.
If this was the path that led her to find healing, he would walk down it with her, hand in hand.
He moved to get out of the car when Piper placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Tag, I need to do this by myself. I appreciate that you want to help me with all of this—I wouldn’t have the courage to do any of this without you.
But this next step is mine. I need to find my way through this alone.
” Tag hesitated, not quite sure what to do.
He understood her passion for wanting to make it through this by herself.
But he wanted to be there for her. They were a team, and she needed to remember that.
“Honey, I admire your courage. You are probably the strongest person that I have ever known. But you need to remember that we are a team now. You made me promise not to go off and do anything stupid, and you promised to trust me. I need you to give me a chance to be there for you. Otherwise, it’s still just you against the world.
I’m your partner in crime now, remember? ” Piper nodded.
“I remember,” she said, her hand still on Tag’s shoulder. She paused, staring out the windshield. “What if you hear something that makes you change your mind about me—about us?” Tag pulled her hand from his shoulder and cradled it in his.
“Honey, there is nothing that anyone in this whole wide world could ever say to make me change my mind about you or us. I told you that I’m in love with you; that’s not going to change.
Just let me be there for you, Pipe.” She nodded again, and Tag relaxed some.
He knew there was no way that he was going to let Piper go it alone, so it would be easier if she finally agreed to let him in.
“Well, Officer Kennedy is waiting for me. Let’s not keep him.
” Tag breathed a sigh of relief as he got out of the SUV and rounded the car to Piper’s side.
He just hoped that this captain would be able to talk some sense into her.
The last thing he wanted to do was watch the woman he loved face the monsters from her past. They needed to find another way to move forward together. Their future depended on it.
Piper wasn’t sure what she expected to gain from meeting with Captain Kennedy.
After he recovered from his initial shock of hearing from her after all these years, he told her that he stayed with the department and worked his way up to captain.
Now that they were in front of his house, she wondered if this was all worth it.
When she got the information that she needed to contact him, she was afraid to call for fear that he wouldn’t want to meet with her.
She needed to at least tell him how much she appreciated everything that he did for her all those years ago.
When Piper explained the purpose of her call, Captain Kennedy seemed hesitant to meet with her.
He mentioned something about the dangers of dredging up old ghosts.
The problem was that she lived with those ghosts every day.
They consumed her life, and that needed to change.
How else would she and Tag be able to move forward if she couldn’t banish them?
A part of her was scared to death that Tag insisted on going into the meeting with her.
She didn’t want to rehash her demons with him listening on.
She also knew that she couldn’t do this without him.
He was right—she had agreed to them being a team.
She couldn’t shut him out now and still hope for a future together.
Piper needed to clean the slate and move forward, hopefully with Tag by her side.
Tag wrapped his arm around her, and she felt herself lean into his side as if she needed the extra support.
He always seemed to know exactly what she needed.
Why did it take her so long to realize it?
“You got this, Piper. I’m just here for support.
” Tag reached out to ring the doorbell of the little townhouse that belonged to the captain, and she thought that her heart was going to burst out of her chest. A few moments later, she was standing face to face with her past. Her knees buckled, but Tag was right there.
“Captain Kennedy?” Piper didn’t need to clarify that the man standing before her was the same police officer who saved her all those years ago.
He had the same kind face, just a little older, and his hair a little grayer.
The captain nodded and opened the screen door.
She could see the unshed tears in his eyes, and she couldn’t help herself; she pulled him in for a hug.
By the time they both let go, tears were rolling down both of their cheeks.
She knew that she had made the right choice in seeking him out.
They both needed the closure that neither found the first time they met.
She introduced Tag, and the two men shook hands before the captain pulled her in for another hug.
“I’m so sorry, Piper. I feel like I should have done a better job for you,” he said. Piper shook her head, not quite sure that her voice wouldn’t betray her.
“Don’t say that, Sir. You found a scared little girl sitting on her parents’ suitcases and took her in.
You protected me until my aunt could get to me.
You made sure that I felt safe even though my entire world was ripped out from under me.
” Piper swiped at the hot tears that were now streaming down her face.
“I came here today for two reasons. The first was to say thank you. You have no idea what you did for me all those years ago. Before you found me, I was thinking about running into that store and confronting the killers, but I was too afraid. I thought about chasing them down that back alley and wanting to hurt them the way they hurt my family. But I was too afraid to move from my suitcase. If you didn’t come along, I wouldn’t have found the courage to move forward.
You took my hand and showed me such kindness.
I could never repay you.” Captain Kennedy pulled Piper into his arms and wrapped her in a huge bear hug.
“You never need to thank me, Miss Flynn. It was my pleasure. I just wish that I could have done more. I should have checked on you, but your aunt told me that it was better that I leave you alone. You were just a kid, so I had to respect her wishes. She was kind enough to send updates through the years. I am grateful to her for that.” Piper knew that Lorna had taken measures to protect her through the years.
She didn’t know that Captain Kennedy tried to stay in touch.
Honestly, it was probably for the best that Lorna shielded her from anything or anyone from that horrible day.
It took everything in her to just keep moving forward.
If she had reminders of what happened, she never would have found any semblance of a life.
“You said that you were here for two reasons. What is the second?” Captain Kennedy looked leery, as if he knew what she was going to ask next.
“I want you to get me in to meet with my parents’ killer.
I don’t—I don’t even know his name. But I need closure, and I think that facing the monster that destroyed my family might give me that.
I want to show him that he might have taken my parents, but I survived.
He didn’t break me.” Tag wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his body.
She was thankful that he was there. His strength gave her the courage that she needed to get through this.
The captain shook his head as if he couldn’t find the words that he needed.
“Piper, I’m sorry, but he’s gone. He was killed in prison about three years after he went in.
Your parents weren’t the only people that he killed.
He murdered five others before we were able to catch him.
He pissed off some powerful people, and they made sure that he paid.
” Piper wasn’t sure how to process the fact that the monster that killed the two most important people in her world was dead.
A part of her was relieved that she wouldn’t have to face him.
Still, the woman that she became, the one that didn’t want to be afraid of monsters anymore—she wanted the chance to stand up to the man that took her world away from her.
Tag wrapped his arm tighter around her as both men seemed to wait her out.
“He’s dead?” Her voice sounded shaky even to her ears. “He’s gone? Why didn’t anyone contact me to let me know? All these years, I could have had the satisfaction of knowing that. No one told me.”
“I called your aunt when it happened. I guess she felt that you were too young. She told me that you were doing well. You must have been around fifteen or sixteen about then. Maybe she didn’t want to open old wounds.
I just figured that she knew best and left it at that.
” Piper nodded. She wasn’t in a good place at that point in her life.
She was a difficult teenager who shut herself off from the world, or at least as much as her aunt would allow.
Lorna knew that telling Piper any news about the man who’d killed her parents would have sent her over the edge.
She couldn’t fault her aunt for wanting to protect her from the truth.
She would have done the same thing if the tables were turned.
“So, that’s it then—he’s gone. I guess that will have to be my closure, knowing that monster no longer draws breath.
” Piper leaned into Tag, finding support and comfort in his loving arms. She wanted to be brave, but knowing that she would never be able to face the evil that took so much from her gave her little hope.
She wondered what her next step should be.
How could she move forward without facing her past?
“I know it’s not the news that you were hoping to hear, Honey. But maybe it’s for the best.” Tag tried to console Piper, but she still felt lost.
“Miss Flynn, may I offer another suggestion?” Piper hesitantly nodded, not sure that she was going to like what she heard.
If the captain was going to tell her to just go home and try to find happiness, she was going to lose it.
She already tried that and it didn’t work out.
“Have you thought about going back to the place where it all happened? I know that when someone is traumatized by an event, often returning to that place and facing their fears helps. It worked for me,” Captain Kennedy said.
“I don’t understand. You think I should return to the store where my parents were killed?” Piper questioned.
Tag pulled her hand into his own. “Just hear him out, Pipe, this might work.” Tag nodded at the Captain, signaling for him to continue.
“You see, Miss Flynn, eight years ago I was injured. I was chasing down a drug dealer, and he shot me. He also shot an innocent little boy who was out for a walk with his nanny. The little boy died while I recovered from my gunshot wound. Although I have to use this thing now.” He motioned to the cane next to his chair.
“It took me almost two years to move past the trauma and helplessness that I felt. It should have been me who was dead, not a four-year-old little boy who was just out enjoying the afternoon. I couldn’t leave my home for months, and it wasn’t until a therapist told me to face my fears that I found my way forward.
I went back to the scene of the crime and spent the day crying and mourning the little boy who didn’t get to grow up.
I forgave myself for not being able to stop the monster that killed him.
I was able to move on and even return to work.
I remembered that the people that I saved outweighed the lives that I lost. That is what I hold onto when I face each new day.
” Piper found herself nodding with each of the captain’s words, knowing that she had nothing to lose by taking his advice.
She was ready to try just about anything to move on, even if that meant having to go back to the same place that haunted her nightmares.
“I’ll support you no matter what you decide, Honey.” Tag linked their fingers.
“You should know that the store is no longer there. They tore it down about five years ago and put in a pharmacy. But, it’s still worth a try.” Captain Kennedy shrugged. Piper took a deep breath, making up her mind.
“I’ll do it.” She looked over to the Captain. “Thank you so much for everything, Sir. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you agreed to meet us today.” She stood with Tag by her side.
“Thank you for coming to see me, Miss Flynn. It’s so good to see that you’ve grown into such a fine young woman.
” Captain Kennedy walked them out to her car, and Piper hugged him, promising to keep in touch.
Tag helped her into the car and ran around to the other side.
Piper fidgeted with her seat belt and turned to find Tag watching her.
“You don’t have to do this, Pipe. We can figure something else out if you need to. I just want you to be happy.” Piper reached up to cup Tag’s face with her shaking hands.
“I know that, but I need to do this. I want to find closure so that I can move on. I want to finish this for us. We deserve a fresh start, Tag. I owe this to me and you.” Tag nodded, pulling her in for a soft kiss.
“Can we go back to the hotel and order room service?” Piper asked.
She felt on the verge of collapse. Today drained her, and the only thing she wanted was to eat a greasy cheeseburger and watch some mindless television with Tag, preferably in bed.
“We can do whatever you need, Honey. As long as we do it together.” Tag gave her another quick kiss and nodded to the driver.
“Thank you, Tag. I just need a day or so to get myself together. Then, I’ll face my past, and we can move on with our future.” Tag smiled at her, and she knew that she had no other choice because she would do just about anything for him. She would start with banishing her demons.