Chapter 2
Holt
In a perfect world, Piper should be able to open her cafe alone.
In a perfect world, Piper should be able to walk down a dark street, in the middle of the night, alone without being worried.
We are NOT in a perfect world. Piper seems oblivious to the danger she is constantly putting herself in.
If she doesn’t find some help soon, I’m going to do it for her.
I put the muffin in my saddle bag for later and drain my coffee. I put that in my empty saddle bag too. I’ll throw it out later. I straddle my Harley and pull my helmet on quickly. I’m late for a surveillance job.
“Anything happening there yet,” he asks. He doesn’t even say hello. That is Carter, all business. I appreciate it though. Small talk is bullshit and annoying as hell.
“Not yet, I’m not sure what this guy thinks is happening. We need to set up a camera here. We have other shit to do,” I say quickly.
“Agreed, I’ll get over there today at around lunch and put a couple up. We don’t need to waste anymore time. Besides, you are busy being Piper’s shadow these days,” he needles.
“Shut up man, you know as well as I do that her schedule is crazy and dangerous. Plus, she hasn’t dealt with that situation from last month. The girl is a ticking time bomb,” I try to explain.
“I’ll see you at the office later today,” I say and hang up. There is no need to prolong our interaction. Carter doesn’t need to know that I have become obsessed with the woman.
Her sandy brown hair and curvy body keep me up at night. Which has been wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule. I don’t think I have gotten more than 5 hours a night since I met her. Which doesn’t help my real job.
My private security company needs me at the top of my game.
I can’t be distracted. High Ridge doesn’t exactly have a highly skilled police force, a lot of what would normally be under their umbrella falls to my company.
Our tiny mountain town may not have the crime stats of a larger city, but it can still be dangerous.
People have a tendency to let their guard down, and outsiders know that. They use it to their advantage.
Before heading out, I decide to make one more call. My brother should be awake by now, and I need him to do me a favor. He owes me— plenty.
“Yeah,” Sterling answers after the 3rd ring. His gruff voice is quiet. I hear the rustle of what sounds like sheets. Looking at my watch I see that it is almost 9:00 AM.
“You just getting out of bed, old man,” I ask jokingly. Sterling is only a year and a half older than I am. I still love to give him shit about it.
“Shut up, asshole,” he says a little louder. The tone of his voice lets me know he isn’t as serious as he could be.
“Meg had a rough night, we were up late. I finally got her calmed down and asleep at around 4 this morning,” he explains. I can hear the concern in his voice.
“Shit, of course she is still having a hard time. That’s actually why I was calling. Has Meg talked to Piper lately,” I ask.
“I think the question you should be asking is when haven’t they talked. Those two are constantly texting and calling each other,” I hear Sterling starting the coffee in the background as he answers.
“Well, Piper seems jumpy and I’m sure she hasn’t said anything to Meg. I think she is having a bit of a hard time too. Maybe they should get together and talk about it,” I suggest in a laid back way. I’m hoping Sterling will take the bait. He is overprotective of Meg— I can’t say that I blame him.
“It couldn’t hurt. I’ll see what I can do. Don’t think I’m not going to give you shit about Piper,” he hangs up before I can respond.
I suppose I would deserve it. It’s not like I didn’t do it to him. I totally understand why Meg has him wrapped around her little finger. They fit together and she is adorable. I shake my head as I pull on my helmet. I need to get a fucking grip.
Pulling out of the parking lot, I make note of another spot for Carter to hang a camera. It is probably for nothing, but better safe than sorry. I turn back in the direction of Doe’s. I need a refill on my coffee, and want to see how Piper is doing after the morning rush.