Chapter 16

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Pipe woke up and knew exactly where he was, who was lying in his arms, and what they’d done. All night.

They’d slept for a bit, then woke up and made love again. He’d never been so ravenous for anyone. Honestly, he was surprised he’d been able to get it up as many times as he had. Without a doubt, he wouldn’t be able to do that every night, but for their first time, he was pleased that he’d been able to pleasure Cora as much as he had.

Looking down, he saw the mark she’d made on his chest. It was red and blotchy, and easy to see even with the tattoos under and around it. She was pressed against his side, one arm over his chest, one leg over his thigh, and she was drooling a little against his bare skin.

Closing his eyes, Pipe wished they could stay there forever. Wanted this every morning for the rest of his life.

Even as he had the thought, Cora stirred against him. Pipe waited for her to realize where she was and what they’d done. He wasn’t sure if she’d be embarrassed, or if she’d maybe pretend that it was no big deal. But that wasn’t true. Something big had happened.

Pipe had fallen head over heels in love.

“Morning,” she mumbled as she snuggled closer.

For a moment, Pipe was surprised. Pleasantly so. He tightened his hold around her back and pressed her harder against him. “Morning,” he returned.

She sighed then. “I needed that. You,” she said.

Pipe nodded and turned to kiss the top of her head. “Me too.”

“But we need to get up and get Operation Get-Lara-Away-From-Those-Wankers started.”

Her words startled a snort out of Pipe. “Yeah,” he agreed.

But neither moved.

“Pipe?”

“Yeah, love?”

“Last night…that was…I’m not usually like that.”

“Like what?”

“So lusty.”

He chuckled. “Me either.”

Cora lifted her head so she could see him. “I don’t believe that. You ooze sexuality.”

“Nope. You bring it out in me.”

“We bring it out in each other,” she countered.

“Apparently,” he said with a shrug.

“I…I don’t regret it. I just wanted you to know.”

Pipe’s respect for this woman grew. “Good. Because if you did, I wouldn’t be happy. Last night was…” He searched for the right word. “Perfect,” he finally said.

“Yeah.”

“And since we’re being honest…I’m gonna want to see where this goes after we find your friend.”

She smiled at him. “I like that. Both the idea of continuing this, and how certain you sound that we’ll find Lara.”

“Good. Go ahead and take the bathroom first. I’ll text the guys and see what’s up.”

“Okay. Pipe?”

“Yeah?”

She stared at him for a while, then gave him a small smile. “Nothing.”

“You can tell me anything. You know that, right?” he asked.

“I do. It’s just…if I am pregnant…not that I think I am, but if it happens…I won’t hold you to anything.”

Pipe frowned. “What did I tell you last night?”

“I know, but I thought maybe that was just the heat of the moment.”

“It wasn’t,” he said firmly. “I will be a part of my son or daughter’s life…just as I want to be a part of their mother’s life. I’d never turn my back on my own flesh and blood. Ever.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

He expected Cora to be shy when she got out of bed. She didn’t have a robe and wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. Of course, he’d examined every inch of her body the night before, and loved everything he’d seen, but now it was morning and she wasn’t in the throes of passion anymore. But he was surprised again when she flipped back the sheet and climbed out of the bed, heading for the bathroom without even trying to hide from him.

Pipe felt his cock twitch, and he shook his head in amazement.

She turned at the last minute, giving him a frontal view of her naked perfection. He could see the mark he’d left on her chest clearly. It was dark red and huge and she was clearly right, her skin was extra sensitive. He’d have to keep that in mind the next time he gave her a hickey. And he was determined that there would be a next time.

He could also see small bruises on her thighs and waist from where he’d held her a little too tightly. She wasn’t walking as if she was in pain, and he assumed she’d tell him if he was too rough, so he let himself feel a smidgen of male pride that he’d been the one to mark her. Not only that, as she stood there staring at him, Pipe saw a bead of their combined come slowly make its way down her inner thigh.

She wrinkled her nose, then said, “No matter what happens. No matter if we find Lara or not, I’ll never forget or regret last night. You made me feel wanted, Pipe. Loved. Thank you.” With that, she turned and disappeared into the bathroom.

Pipe wanted to get up and go to her. Tell her that she was loved. That she was wanted. But they had stuff to do. And if he admitted his love for her, they’d probably end up back in bed. While he didn’t regret what they’d done either, and was anxious to do it again, he also felt the pressing need to find Lara. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the clock was ticking.

They’d made the first move, and Michaels had to know Cora wouldn’t turn around and leave town just because his goon wouldn’t let her see her friend. No, he’d be panicking, trying to fix the situation to his benefit. And Pipe had a feeling that wasn’t good news for Lara.

He needed to talk to Owl and Stone and see what, if anything, they’d found out last night at the strip club. Then they needed to make their move. Before Michaels could make his.

* * *

After meeting Owl and Stone for breakfast, they all headed upstairs to Owl’s room to discuss what the two men had learned the night before.

Cora sat in the only chair in the room, while Pipe found himself hovering near her. Owl was propped up against the headboard of the bed, and Stone paced back and forth.

“It was weird, man,” Stone said. “I went in there fully expecting to find out that Michaels had a favorite girl, and that’s why he was spending so much money. You know how it goes, a guy showers money and gifts on one of the girls because he has the delusion that they’ll marry and live happily ever after…and have really great sex for the rest of their lives. But that’s not what Michaels is doing. Yes, he’s throwing around money, gift cards, and crap he’s bought from those high-end stores as if he’s the money-fairy. But he gets lap dances from all the girls. He hasn’t shown a preference for any of them.”

“That’s not exactly true. He likes all the ones with big tits,” Owl said mildly.

“Does he have a schedule? When he goes to the club?” Pipe asked.

“Yeah. Every night. He’s only missed a few nights here and there in the last month,” Stone said.

Pipe frowned. “Was he there last night?”

“Nope,” Owl said.

“Bloody hell,” he swore, running a hand through his hair. “We freaked him out.”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” Stone agreed.

“Where does that leave us?” Owl asked.

“We could try going back and asking to see Lara again,” Pipe said. “Or we could see if we can break into the house and find her ourselves. Or call the cops and bring our concerns to them, see if they’d do a welfare check.”

“I’m thinking Brick wouldn’t be thrilled with the second option,” Cora suggested.

Pipe nodded. “Maybe not, but he also wouldn’t be surprised. Besides, who said we’d get caught breaking in?”

“Uh…alarms, cameras, bodyguards,” Cora said with a shrug.

“I’m sure we could work around them, if we really needed to,” Owl said dismissively. “Should we go over the list of employees Tex sent?” Owl asked. “When I got back last night, I looked it over and there are some people who we could maybe use to our advantage.”

“Wait, what time did you get home last night?” Cora asked, the concern clear in her tone.

It was one more thing Pipe loved about her. How she was always worrying about others.

“Around two. Couldn’t sleep. It’s not a big deal. Anyway, after asking around at the club, it seems the same bodyguard always accompanies Michaels to the Blue Moon. Arlo Harvey.”

“Arlo. What kind of name is that?” Cora mumbled.

“What’s his background?” Pipe asked, trying not to laugh at Cora’s question.

“He’s twenty-seven. Was in the Marines for a few years right out of high school. Was injured, fell while walking across the base where he was stationed and broke his wrist pretty badly. Got a medical discharge and got a few jobs doing security at warehouses and businesses, before being hired by John Michaels after the lawsuits began to roll in for that drug he’d manufactured. He’s been with Ridge for a couple of years now,” Owl told the others.

“And?” Pipe asked.

“And what?”

“That’s it? What’s his background? Does he have any convictions on his record?”

“Normal background. Good childhood. Was a decent Marine. No convictions. He seems to be loyal, makes sure no one hassles Ridge, follows him where he wants to go and keeps his mouth shut.”

“Well, that seems like a dead end,” Cora sighed. “He has to know if Lara’s in the house, right? I mean, if he’s that close to Ridge, shouldn’t he know?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Owl said. “He doesn’t live at the estate. He shows up when requested and for his scheduled shifts, and that’s it.”

“Is he married? Have a girlfriend?” Stone asked.

“No and no.”

“Hmmmm. What about that guy who answered the door yesterday?” Pipe asked.

“Carter Grant,” Owl said, looking back down at his phone. “He’s also Michaels’s bodyguard. But he was hired by Ridge himself, not his father. From what Tex could find out, they met online. Carter was interested in bitcoin from Michaels’s company and they started talking. One thing led to another, and Michaels hired him to be a bodyguard when Arlo wasn’t on shift. Not married, no girlfriend, and his background is actually pretty boring. Thirty-five years old, a handful of not very interesting jobs, no college degree. And no, before you ask, no convictions of any kind.”

“Wait—Carter Grant?” Cora asked with a small grin.

“Yeah, why? You know him?” Owl asked, sitting up straighter on the bed.

“No, I don’t know him at all, but it’s just a little funny. I was calling him Creepy Guy in my head, because, well, he was creepy. It’s just a little ironic that his initials, CG, are the same as the initials for Creepy Guy.”

Pipe’s lips twitched. This wasn’t funny, not at all, but somehow Cora’s observation eased some of his tension. His friends also smiled and shook their heads.

“Anyway, sorry, go on. Arlo and CG are bodyguards. CG obviously knows about Lara because he didn’t seem confused when we asked to see her, and he had that excuse about her being sick ready to go. Does CG live on the estate?” Cora asked.

It was a good question. Pipe wanted to hear the answer too.

“I’m guessing so, yes, as there’s no address listed for Grant. And you’re right, after what you said about the encounter with him yesterday, he’s obviously in the know about Lara, or what might have happened to her.”

Pipe frowned. He’d avoided even thinking that Lara Osler might be deceased. He didn’t want Cora to dwell on that at all. He’d rather keep thinking that this was a rescue mission and not a body recovery.

“Yeah,” Cora said quietly, and Pipe tensed. It hadn’t escaped her notice what Owl meant.

“Anyway, there are others who live and work in the house. Sarah Latimer is the chef. She lives onsite, which makes sense, since she’s responsible for all the meals. Alice Green is the head housekeeper. She’s responsible for the other hourly employees who come in to clean and do laundry and anything else involved with keeping the place spotless. Steve Browning does maintenance. Neither he nor Alice live onsite, but they’re close by and their rents are paid by the estate. Nora Walker is in charge of the grounds, Joel Ackerson is both a driver and the pilot for the chopper. He flies Michaels, and his father when he’s in residence, to conferences in California and Vegas, or when they decide they want to go to dinner in Flagstaff or on other frivolous outings. And Benjamin Fox is the estate manager. He oversees all the employees and generally makes sure things run smoothly. He’s also responsible for mundane things like paying the utility bills and ensuring the trash people are picking up the garbage.”

“So once again, the question is…do any of these people know anything about Lara?” Stone asked.

“If you’re asking me, I don’t know. It looks like, other than Grant, they were all hired by Daddy. But if anyone knows, it would most likely be one of the live-in employees. Even when Ridge isn’t there, they retain their schedules and keep the place ready for members of the Michaels family to show up at a moment’s notice,” Owl said.

He looked up from the phone and said, “But you might be more interested in knowing that Michaels’s Bitcoin company…” He paused dramatically for effect.

“Spit it out,” Stone growled.

“It’s toast. Apparently, he’s a shit CEO and spent more money than he made. It’s hemorrhaging cash left and right. He’s managed to maintain his outward appearance of being loaded, but it’s pretty much bullshit.”

“Which explains why he needs Lara’s money,” Cora said.

“I think so,” Owl agreed with a nod.

“That, and the fact that his daddy cut the money he’s getting every month to almost nothing,” Pipe added.

“Since I’m on Lara’s account, do you think I’d be able to go in and cancel her cards? Make it harder for him to use her money? He might let her go if he can’t access her money.”

“Or he could decide that since she’s no use to him anymore, he needs to get rid of her,” Stone said bluntly.

Cora’s face turned white. It was obvious to Pipe that Stone’s suggestion was a surprise. He was kind of mad at his friend for not using more tact.

“Oh, shit, I hadn’t thought of that,” Cora whispered. “So what do we do? I hate the idea of Ridge draining her accounts, but I don’t want him to freak out and hurt her if he can’t access her money anymore.”

“I’m thinking we go back to the house,” Owl said. “Maybe this time I go with you. Make sure Michaels and his goons know that this is about more than Cora wanting to talk to her friend.”

“So we threaten him,” Stone said sternly.

“Yeah,” Owl agreed.

“But they could still refuse to let us see her,” Cora said. “I mean, I’m happy to have you there, Owl, but how is that going to make CG or Ridge give in and let us see Lara?”

“It might not,” Owl said. “But we make it clear we aren’t leaving until we see her, and if they don’t bring her to us in a timely manner, we’ll call the cops. It’s not like they’ll call the police themselves and say we’re trespassing. I’m guessing they don’t want the cops anywhere near the estate.”

“And we’ll be armed,” Pipe told her. “In case they try anything.”

Cora’s face leeched of even more color. “Oh, God, this is getting out of hand,” she muttered.

Stone walked over to where Cora was sitting and crouched down in front of her. He didn’t touch her, but he definitely had her attention. “You think we can’t handle ourselves? That we can’t protect you and Lara?”

“It’s not that,” she protested.

“Then what is it?”

She took a deep breath. “When I decided to try to win a date with a representative from The Refuge at that auction, I didn’t think this is where we’d end up. And I don’t want any of you to get in trouble or—God forbid—shot because of what I’ve asked you to do,” Cora said.

“We aren’t going to get shot,” Stone reassured her.

“No way,” Owl added. “Stone and I may not be quite as good as the others when it comes to certain aspect of special forces training, but we aren’t slouches either.”

“It’s not that, I just…” Cora sighed. “You guys believed me almost from the start. You might’ve had some doubts, but you never treated me as if I was crazy or blowing things out of proportion. I’ve never…I can’t…I’m not used to this,” she blurted.

“Used to what?” Pipe asked, nudging Stone, who got the message and stood up and took a step back, letting Pipe take his place in front of Cora. He immediately reached out and put his hands on her knees. He needed to touch her, needed her to know he was there for her.

“Feeling supported. Or believed. Or important. And letting you walk into potential danger is no way to repay you.”

“We support you, Cora. We believe you. And you’re very important. Your worth isn’t determined by who your parents were, how much money you have, or what kind of job you do. It’s what kind of person you are. And you, Cora Rooney, are a shining light in what can be a dog-eat-dog world. Your loyalty is…” Pipe shook his head as he tried to come up with the best word.

Owl beat him to it. His friend had shifted so his legs hung off the side of the bed and his eyes were glued to Cora. “Everything.”

Pipe nodded. “Yes. Your loyalty is everything. It’s worth a little danger. We’re going to find Lara. Get proof of why Michaels kidnapped her. He’s going to pay for what he’s done. If you believe nothing else I tell you, believe that.”

“We aren’t scared of this Michaels guy. Or his so-called bodyguards. Owl and I have been through hell and back, and we aren’t going to let these rich assholes get one over on us,” Stone said firmly.

“I want to say something, but Pipe gets weird when I do,” Cora said.

“Pipe is weird no matter what,” Stone said with a laugh. “Say it.”

“Thank you,” she said, the sincerity coming through loud and clear. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you guys weren’t here.”

“You would’ve figured it out,” Owl said. “From what I know of you, you’re stubborn and resourceful.”

“True,” Cora said with a small laugh. “So…Plan B is to go back to the house and knock on the door again?” she asked.

“Tryin’ to keep it simple,” Stone told her. “I think adding Owl to the mix is good though. A show of force isn’t a bad thing.”

“Not to mention a little threat thrown in for good measure. I’m guessing Michaels isn’t going to want a bunch of cops tromping through the house. There’s no telling what he’s hiding in there…besides Lara.”

“Is it weird that I feel a little bad for his dad? I mean, he probably doesn’t even know what his son is doing,” Cora asked.

Pipe hadn’t moved from his crouch in front of her. “Don’t,” he said a little too harshly. When Cora frowned, he took a deep breath and did his best to moderate his tone. “I don’t know how many houses that family has, but they made money off the people in this country and beyond who took the drugs John Michaels pushed. Yeah, they’re legal, but he had to know how addictive they were long before it was announced to the world. There’s no telling how many people moved on to more hard-core drugs when they couldn’t get prescriptions for the shit he developed. And through it all, he’s still flaunting his wealth. I mean, he has a bloody helicopter. For what? It’s excessive and unnecessary.”

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind having a chopper,” Stone said as he laughed.

“Right? Think about how fast we could get to Albuquerque if we had one. Maybe we can convince Brick to add a landing pad and hangar,” Owl agreed.

“Tax write off!” Stone exclaimed. Then he got serious and said, “You know, I hadn’t thought I would ever want to fly again. But after that mission to save Reese from those asshole drug dealers, I realized how much I’d missed it.”

“Same,” Owl said with a nod. A look passed between the two men. They’d been through hell together, and it was obvious they were on the same page now.

Pipe turned back to Cora. “If you aren’t comfortable with this, Owl and I can talk to Michaels and his goon by ourselves.”

“Nope. No way. If there’s even a one-percent chance this will work and they’ll let us see Lara, I’m not missing it.”

“That’s what I thought, but I had to offer.”

Cora stared at him and bit her lip.

“What?” Pipe asked.

She shook her head and asked quietly, “Is this what it feels like to have family? I mean, to have people willing to help you when shit goes south? To have your back no matter what?”

“Yeah, love. This is what it’s like,” Pipe told her, his heart breaking that she’d never had this kind of support before.

“Yep, we’re your brothers now,” Owl told her with a grin.

“Annoying older bros who’ll meet your date at the door with a shotgun and make sure he knows that if he doesn’t return you before your curfew, he’ll have us to answer to,” Stone added.

Cora’s eyes were twinkling when she looked at Pipe.

“I’m not your brother,” he told her with a small growl.

Her grin widened. “I would hope not.” She giggled.

Owl and Stone laughed at them both.

“All right, no more sitting around,” Pipe said, as he stood and held his hand out for Cora. “We have work to do.”

“Hey, some of us were working late into the night,” Owl retorted.

“Oh, we were working too,” she replied, her smile huge on her face. “Working hard.”

Pipe couldn’t help but love how unembarrassed Cora was about the two of them. It boded well for their future relationship.

“Happy for you guys,” Stone said. “And it’s about time.”

At that, Cora’s smile slipped. “We haven’t known each other that long,” she hastened to add.

Stone waved off her trepidation. “When you know, you know. And if you’re thinking we’re going to judge you, stop,” he told her. “With guys like us, with the shit we’ve been through, when we find the right person, we aren’t gonna hesitate to act. Life’s too damn short to not go after what you want.”

“Damn straight,” Owl agreed.

“Right,” Pipe added with a nod.

For a moment, Cora looked a little surprised, but relief crossed her face. “Right,” she finally said.

“On that note, let’s get going. I’m not feeling comfortable with the fact that Michaels didn’t follow his usual routine last night by going to the Blue Moon. If he’s panicking, he could be packing right now to head out of town, and that’s the last thing we want,” Stone said.

Pipe was in full agreement. The sooner they made it clear that they weren’t going away, and that the jig was up and Michaels might as well produce Lara, the better.

He squeezed her waist before reaching for her hand, loving that she didn’t shy away from holding onto him. “Let’s do this,” he said firmly. “Owl and Stone, we’ll meet you at the car. I need to stop and get my pistol before we head out.”

His friends nodded and Pipe headed for the door. He wanted to find Lara almost as much as Cora did at this point. For her own safety, but also so he could give Cora peace of mind…and bring her back to The Refuge, spend more time getting to know her. He had no idea what would happen between them, if they could figure out how to be a couple long-term, but he was going to do his best to make that happen.

Stone was right. Life was too short to not go after what you wanted. And Pipe wanted Cora. He just prayed she wanted him right back.