18. Piper
EIGHTEEN
PIPER
The inside of the black SUV smells like leather and expensive cologne.
I sit as close to the door as I can, my hands folded tightly in my lap to hide how badly they’re shaking.
My father sits beside me, calm and composed in his tailored suit, one leg crossed over the other like we’re on a casual Sunday drive instead of me being dragged back into the nightmare I spent weeks running from.
The driver is silent up front. The mountain road winds down below us, and every turn takes me farther away from the only place that has ever felt like home.
I didn’t want any of this.
I didn’t want to leave Boyd. Of course I didn’t.
I love him. I didn’t want to walk away from the Sunday dinners, the laughter, the women who had become sisters to me, or the man who had become my entire world.
But I had to. I had to protect the family I had started to love so desperately at Haven 7.
If staying there meant more gunfire, more danger, more risk to the people who had given me safety and kindness, then I had to go. Even if it broke my heart.
My father hasn’t said much since I got in the car.
He simply looked at me with that cold, satisfied smile and told the driver to head back toward Denver.
Now the silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating.
I remember Mason’s words right before I left the lodge.
He had pulled me aside for a moment, slipped a small recorder into the pocket of my jeans, and spoken low and urgent.
“Try to get him talking. Anything he says about the accounts, the orders, the attempt on your life. We need his voice on record. This could be what puts him away for good.”
My heart beats faster as I glance at my father. The recorder feels like it’s burning a hole in my pocket. I have to try. I have to get him to talk.
I clear my throat, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why did you do it? Why send people after me? I was just trying to do the right thing.”
He turns his head slightly, looking at me with those sharp, calculating eyes. “You were never supposed to see those books, Piper. You were supposed to stay in your lane. Curious girls who dig too deep tend to have accidents. It’s unfortunate, but necessary.”
I swallow hard. “Necessary? You tried to have me killed. Your own daughter.”
He sighs, as if this conversation bores him.
“You left me no choice. You threatened everything I built. The money, the connections, the power. I couldn’t let you ruin that.
But now you’re coming home. We can put all of this unpleasantness behind us.
You’ll go back to work. You’ll keep your mouth shut. And everything will return to normal.”
I press him gently, trying to keep my voice calm even though my pulse is racing. “Normal? You mean the offshore accounts? The shell companies moving money for criminals? The payments to officials so they look the other way? That kind of normal?”
He chuckles softly, a sound that sends ice down my spine. “You always were too smart for your own good. Yes, that kind of normal. The kind that keeps the family wealthy and protected. The kind that you will learn to accept if you want to stay alive.”
I keep my eyes on the road ahead, but my mind is spinning. The recorder is catching every word. I need more. I need him to say it clearly.
“You had the black SUV run me off the road,” I say, voice quieter. “You gave the order yourself. You told them to make it look like an accident.”
He turns to look at me fully now. His expression is cold, almost amused.
“Of course I did. You were becoming a liability. I told my men to handle it quietly. They failed. But now you’re here, and we can correct that mistake.
You won’t speak of this again. Not to anyone. Or the next accident will not fail.”
The confession lands heavy in the air. I feel a strange mix of terror and triumph. He said it. He admitted everything. The recorder in my pocket has it all.
The SUV continues down the mountain. We’re almost at the bottom when my father’s phone rings.
He answers it, listens for a moment, and then smiles.
“Good. Once I’m down the mountain you can destroy that sorry excuse for a compound.
” He hangs up and looks at me. “You didn’t think I would let them go, did you? ”
My heart slices in two. However, I stay silent, heart pounding. We pull into a small gas station at the base of the mountain. My father tells the driver to fill up. I see my chance.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
My father narrows his eyes. “You can’t go alone.”
I look him straight in the eye, forcing myself to sound calm. “I already came back. I’m not going anywhere. I just need to use the bathroom. Please.”
He studies me for a long moment, then nods once. “Fine. But be quick.”
I grab my crutches and make my way inside the small convenience store. The clerk behind the counter looks up, surprised to see someone on crutches. I limp over to him, keeping my voice low.
“Excuse me,” I say, trying not to sound as desperate as I feel. “Can I use your cell phone? It’s an important call. I’ll be quick. Please.”
He hesitates, then hands me his phone. I move into a small alcove. I dial the number printed on the back of the recorder Mason gave me. My hands shake as I wait for it to connect.
A professional voice answers. “US Marshals Office.”
I swallow hard. “I need to speak to Mason Cole. It’s urgent. Please.”
They patch me through after a short wait. Mason’s voice comes on the line, calm and alert. “Piper?”
“It’s me,” I whisper, turning away from the counter. “I got it all. He confessed. The accounts, the orders, the attempt on my life. Everything is on the recorder. Come and get me. I’m at the gas station at the bottom of the mountain. Please hurry.”
Mason’s voice is steady. “We’re already moving. Stay where you are. Don’t go back to the car. Help is coming. You did good, Piper. You did really good.”
I hang up and hand the phone back to the clerk, my heart racing. I limp to the bathroom and lock the door behind me, leaning against it as tears slip down my cheeks.
I did it.
I got the evidence.
Now I just have to stay alive long enough for them to reach me.
Outside, I can hear my father’s voice calling my name, growing impatient. I close my eyes and pray.
Please hurry.