Chapter 21

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

Cora sat on the rooftop deck of Pipe’s cabin at The Refuge. To her surprise, he had replaced the two separate Adirondack chairs with a cushioned love seat shortly after they’d returned. He said it was so he could sit closer to her. It was adorable, and considerate, and was even a little hard to believe. Cora had never had a man who wanted to be by her side. And Pipe being so sweet was hard to get used to.

Her arm was in a cast and she’d been given painkillers for her cracked coccyx. She’d literally broken her butt. It was ridiculous. But Pipe had gotten her a wedge cushion to sit on and the drugs cut down the pain significantly.

The helicopter ride had been terrifying and painful, but what had been even scarier was staring down the barrels of a dozen weapons after they’d landed. Owl and Stone had managed to land on a helipad at a local hospital, but since the landing was unauthorized and no one knew who they were or what was happening, the police had been called.

It had taken nearly an hour to straighten everything out—with the help of Tex, Brick, Lara’s parents, and even Owl and Stone’s former commander—but eventually they were allowed to enter the hospital.

Cora was discharged that same night after x-rays and getting the cast on her arm, but Lara had stayed for two nights. Owl didn’t leave her side. Every time he so much as tried to get up, Lara freaked out. For some reason she’d latched onto him, and when he wasn’t in her line of sight, she became hysterical.

Her parents had come to the hospital, and even their presence hadn’t calmed her down much. They were obviously glad to see her and know that she was alive, but distraught by everything that had happened. They were filled with guilt over ignoring Cora’s warnings…guilt made even worse when Lara didn’t seem to want them to stay. Cora suspected it would take a while for their relationship to mend, if it ever would.

Owl wasn’t fazed by Lara’s need to have him by her side. He had an unending well of patience, holding her hand for two days straight, only reluctantly letting go for the occasional bathroom break.

“You all right?” Pipe asked.

It had been less than a week since their ordeal in the basement, and Cora swore Pipe asked her that question at least twenty times a day, but she truly didn’t mind. Him asking meant he cared, which was the best medicine she could’ve had.

“Yeah. Just thinking,” she told him.

“About?”

“Him. Creepy Guy.”

Pipe scooted closer and put his arm around her shoulders. He couldn’t pull her into his lap with her broken tailbone, but he didn’t hesitate to touch her whenever he could. “He’s going to be found.”

Cora appreciated his confidence, but she wasn’t so sure. After all, the FBI hadn’t been able to find him before. What made this time any different?

“They will,” Pipe insisted, as if he could read her mind. “Someone like that? Someone evil down to his core…he’ll make a mistake.”

“I just…he’s going to hurt some other woman. Or women.”

Pipe sighed. “Yeah.”

That was all he said, but as much as Cora hated him confirming her worst fears, she appreciated that he wasn’t brushing off her concerns.

“Tex hasn’t found out any more info?” she asked.

“No. And he’s still super pissed that Unknown hacked into his computers.”

Cora huffed out an amused breath.

“You don’t know him. He prides himself on being the best of the best when it comes to tech shit. And this anonymous person has not only done what he wasn’t able to do—three times now—he did it by hacking into Tex’s system to get information.”

“But he’s been helping us. I mean, he unjammed those phone signals so you could talk to Stone. And he figured out who Creepy Guy really was.”

“I know. But Tex still isn’t happy.”

“Who do you think it is?” Cora asked.

“I have no clue.”

“Not even a guess?”

Pipe sighed. “Not a good one. I’ve talked about it with the guys, and previously we’d thought it could be someone from our pasts. One of our teammates, a commander, someone else we worked with. But Stone brought up an excellent point, one we can’t dismiss…that it’s more likely someone connected to The Refuge.”

Cora gasped. “Really? Like who?”

“It could be anyone. Robert, Jess, Savannah, Ryan, Jason, Luna…even one of the men or women who deliver food and supplies up here. Anyone who might’ve overheard what was going on with Reese, then Lara.”

“Seriously? You think Robert’s a closet hacker?” Cora asked with a small laugh.

“Everyone has stuff they don’t share about themselves. But I think Stone’s right. It has to be someone who knows what’s going on here at The Refuge.”

“Are you mad?” Cora asked.

Pipe shrugged. “Yes and no.”

“I kind of like the thought of having an anonymous benefactor looking over us,” Cora declared as she leaned into Pipe’s side, feeling content.

They hadn’t had a conversation about how long she might stay here with him, but the time was coming when they’d need to talk about the future. She didn’t really want to, didn’t want to face reality. But she was healing, and she needed to make some decisions about her job and life back in DC.

Complicating matters was Lara. She was a completely different person than who she’d been before Arizona. Cora didn’t blame her, not in the least. She’d been through something traumatic, and would be dealing with that for a long time. Cora would do whatever it took to help her heal.

But so far, she wasn’t healing at all. Wasn’t leaving Owl’s cabin.

When she was discharged from the hospital, there wasn’t even a doubt that she’d be coming back to The Refuge with them. They’d actually decided to drive, since Lara didn’t do well around groups of people. She didn’t speak once during the drive and continued to panic when Owl was out of her sight.

Cora wasn’t jealous. Did she want Lara to lean on her because they were best friends? Of course. But knowing she considered Owl her safe space was completely fine, because he was a good man. And there was something in his eyes when he looked at her friend that told Cora he’d do whatever it took to help her.

She wanted that for Lara. So Cora wasn’t upset that Owl was the one at her side. She was angry that she was so broken, she couldn’t be left alone. Sad that she’d gone through what she had. But not envious of Owl.

“Will you tell me about the investigation?” she asked Pipe.

“I’m not sure I want to,” he finally said in response.

“I know,” Cora said, and she did. Pipe was her protector. He’d proven it more than once. Wanted to keep her from seeing or hearing anything upsetting. But she’d had time to come to terms with what happened and needed to know everything the police and FBI had learned.

He sighed. “You know that Ridge Michaels was found deceased in the house.”

“Yeah. Single gunshot to his temple.”

“It wasn’t suicide,” Pipe added.

Cora gasped and looked up at him. “It wasn’t?”

“No. The angle was wrong. And the shot was in his left temple, and Michaels was right-handed. There were a few news stories about it, but just as the publicity was ramping up, that famous actress out in Hollywood was kidnapped, and there was that four-hour car chase to stop her stalker from taking her out of state. That’s been dominating the news.”

“Yeah,” Cora said with a nod, resting against Pipe once more.

“The assumption is that it was Grant who killed him, after we arrived. To keep him from talking.”

“That makes sense,” Cora mused.

“Also, as we thought, the other employees in the house were in the dark about what was happening right under their noses. If they knew, I’m guessing they’d all be dead right now too. I suppose some of their ignorance can be chalked up to them being used to the quirks of the rich people they worked for. They were used to Ridge’s reputation, knew he went to strip clubs when he visited. And they had no reason to think there was anyone being hidden in the basement.”

“And the media room? Did they know it was used to knock people unconscious so they could be moved to the basement room, where Creepy Guy could do whatever he wanted?” Cora asked a little huffily.

“They claim to have had no idea.”

“But what about that gas? I mean, didn’t anyone notice anything weird with that?”

“Well, as I thought at the time, it was argon gas. Which is legal to purchase. It’s used in welding all the time. So it’s not as if having bottles of it in that closet next to the media room was anything to be concerned about.”

“Bryson Clark, if I came home and found that you had ten bottles of argon gas in one of our closets, you bet your ass I’d wonder what the hell it was doing there, especially since you don’t weld,” Cora said a little heatedly.

He chuckled, and the sound made her smile, even though the subject they were discussing was heavy.

“Noted. But then again, I’m not a gazillionaire and don’t have weird quirks that the hired help is paid to overlook. And…I don’t have any hired help either.”

“Whatever,” Cora muttered.

But she smiled when Pipe kissed the side of her head. She loved this. Loved sitting here on the deck, in the dark, in the cold, cuddled up next to Pipe. Looking at him, no one would ever think he was the cuddling type, but she couldn’t help but love that with her, he definitely was.

“So what was the final word about Ridge spending her money? He had to know he’d be caught. I mean, seriously, no woman ever would spend that much at a gentlemen’s club.”

“Everything is speculation, because he’s dead, but the general consensus is that he was just arrogant enough and spoiled enough that he didn’t think anyone would question the charges on her cards. After all, she’s kind of rich too. If he didn’t know much about her spending habits, he might’ve assumed she liked to shop as much as the next rich girl. And apparently, his dad was sick of his lazy son not working and embarrassing the family name. He reduced his trust enough that Ridge didn’t have the money to pay for nightly lap dances and strippers shaking their tits in his face. We don’t know if Grant suggested he bring Lara to Arizona, or he did that on his own.”

“And he…what? Just thought Lara was crocheting all day or something? Did he really not know she was being drugged with valium and antidepressants and being held hostage in his own basement?”

“We’ll never know, but I’m guessing he was aware of everything going on. Grant had been working with him a while, and I heard that he actually did save Michaels’s life once. He’d gone to a shit part of town to buy some drugs, and when the dealer jumped him, Grant shot the guy.”

“Holy crap, really? And the cops didn’t find out who he was then? That’s awful.”

Pipe shrugged. “Grant’s good at what he does. And there was video surveillance proving that Michaels was attacked and Grant acted in self-defense.”

“So many lost opportunities to get that asshole off the streets,” Cora said with a sigh.

“Yeah. The FBI and local authorities are poring over the grounds and the house with a fine-toothed comb. They’ve found one body buried in the garden already, and expect to find more.”

“God. That’s awful. I feel horrible for any woman who was unfortunate enough to get mixed up with Creepy Guy. And he’s still out there,” she whispered. “What if he decides he wants revenge? I saw him when we were leaving in that chopper, Pipe. He wasn’t happy. He had this look on his face…it was so cold. So determined.”

“He’s not going to touch a hair on your head, or Lara’s,” Pipe growled.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” he insisted. “Everyone here at The Refuge is aware of what he’s done and what he’s capable of. Brick met with the police in Los Alamos, so they’re aware of him. We’ve got cameras everywhere, and after what happened with Alaska, we’re more prepared than we used to be for someone trying to sneak through our forest to get to the resort. And…if he does show his face here? Thinking he can outsmart us somehow? He’ll find out exactly what kind of training we all have. You and Lara will be safe. I give you my word.”

Cora sighed. “I’m just so mad, Pipe. So damn furious at him. Both of them. What gave Creepy Guy the right to hurt and kill so many people? What happened in his childhood that made him that way? By all rights, I should be like him. Bitter, angry, willing to hurt others because I wasn’t loved as a kid. But I decided to not let my past determine my future. Though, I admit that I pretty much gave up hope of ever finding someone who could love me. I decided there was something fundamentally wrong with me, making me unlovable.

“But I didn’t turn to a life of crime. I didn’t hunt down and hold people against their will, doing unspeakable things before killing them. And Ridge? He had everything. Lara would’ve done anything for him. And he took advantage of her. Changed her. I don’t know that she’ll ever be the same person she was before.”

“She won’t,” Pipe said.

Cora frowned up at him.

“I don’t mean that in a bad way, but life changes us. The good and the bad. She can’t go back and erase what happened, no matter how much she wants to. She has to live with the decisions she made and move on from there. We all do. No matter what we go through, we have no choice but to keep moving forward. Grant made the choice to act out his sick fantasies and Michaels made the choice to throw his morals aside in return for tits and ass from that strip club.”

“It sucks,” Cora mumbled.

Pipe kissed her temple again. “Yeah. But Lara will be okay. Want to know how I know?”

“How?”

“Because she has you. The only person who insisted that something was wrong. Who did everything in her power to get help for her. Who went into the lion’s den, so to speak, to rescue her. She’ll realize that eventually. Right now, she’s dealing with the effects of drug withdrawal and the memories of what that sicko did to her. It’ll take time, but she’ll get there, because she has her best friend at her back and all of us here at The Refuge who understand PTSD. Who understand what she’s going through.”

He took a deep breath, then continued, “We haven’t talked about it, and this might not be the best time, but I want you to stay, love. Here. With me. We’ll find you something to do that you enjoy. Or you can sit on your ass on my deck all day. I don’t care. I just know that with you at my side, I’m a better person.”

Tears welled up in Cora’s eyes. “Pipe…” she whispered.

“And I’ve been thinking about my next tattoo. Where the best place might be to get you inked on my skin.”

She turned to him in surprise. “What?”

“A wolf, with a skeleton key around his neck. Barbed wire surrounding him. You’re the key. I’m the wolf. You trusted me to help you when you needed it the most. And I’ll guard that trust with my life. The barbed wire because somehow we made it through all the walls we both put up to keep people at bay, and that wire will also protect what we build in the future. We fit, love. And if you don’t want to stay here, I’ll go back to DC with you. I just know I want things between us to work. More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”

“I want that too. And I don’t want to go back to DC. I mean, I would, if Lara decides that’s where she wants to be…but there’s nothing there that I’m attached to. If I never see that bitch Eleanor again, it’ll be too soon.”

Pipe smiled, and she loved how it changed his entire countenance. “Can we send her a wedding photo? To rub it in her face that she lost?”

Cora stilled as she stared at Pipe. “A wedding photo?” she whispered.

“Bloody hell. I let that slip. But it’s not like we haven’t talked about it before,” Pipe said with a grin. “Cora Rooney…I want to marry you. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday, when you know deep in your heart that you can trust me to always have your back and never let you down.”

“Yes!” Cora exclaimed, shifting so she was straddling his lap. Her tailbone screamed in protest, but she ignored the pain. This was too important.

Pipe put his hands on her waist and held her still, as if he knew she was hurting and wanted to do whatever he could to prevent it. “Yes?” he asked softly.

Did he doubt her answer? That was unacceptable.

“Yes, Pipe. I trust you already. I think as soon as I saw you on that stage, I sensed you could change my life, but I didn’t let myself believe it because, you know…my history. I promise that I won’t let you down. I’ll be the best girlfriend and wife. You won’t regret being with me.”

“Of course I won’t,” Pipe said, his brows furrowing in confusion. “And I know you won’t let me down. You can’t.” He gently cupped one of her cheeks. “You know, for a moment there in that basement, when it seemed like Owl and I combined were no match for that arsehole, I thought…that was it. I’d failed you. And Lara. But the next thing I know, I see your thumb in his eye and blood dripping down his face, and I swear to God, woman, my love for you was so absolute, I was literally frozen for a moment. I’ll never forgive myself for giving him the opportunity to attack you, but knowing you were willing to fight, that you had our backs…it meant the world to me.”

“Thank you for not yelling at me. Telling me I should’ve stayed away from him. Stayed safe,” Cora countered.

Pipe snorted. “Yeah, right. You doing what you had to do to protect yourself was both scary and sexy as hell. But I’m still gonna teach you more hand-to-hand fighting…if you want.”

“I want,” Cora reassured him. She cupped his cheek and loved how he gave her the weight of his head for a moment. “I want you, Pipe. For myself. I’ve never had someone of my own.”

“You do now. And we’re gonna have that family you’ve always wanted. We already have ready-made aunts and uncles, but we’re gonna have a dozen kids to drive them crazy as well.”

Cora laughed. “A dozen?”

He smiled. “Okay, maybe not that many. But like you, I want to foster older kids. Adopt them. Give them the home and family you never had.”

Tears welled up once more. This man. He was giving her everything she’d ever wanted. And she couldn’t love him more. “I love you,” she blurted.

“It’s a good thing, since I love you too,” he told her calmly.

“And I want you to get that tattoo, but only if I can get one too.”

“You still want to get inked?” he asked in surprise.

“Yeah. Maybe not as big as the one you’re planning on though. I’m not big on pain.”

Pipe guffawed. “Right.”

“I want a tramp stamp,” she informed him.

Pipe rolled his eyes.

“At the small of my back. Where you always touch me when we’re walking. Where you can see it when you take me from behind. And I want it to match yours. The wolf with the key.”

She felt his cock harden under her and smiled, thrilled to feel the evidence that he loved the idea.

“Done,” he murmured as he moved one hand to cover the exact spot she wanted to put the tattoo.

Lowering herself against him, Cora curled her arms under her, against his chest, and sighed. They sat like that for ten minutes or so, before Cora shivered.

Pipe immediately moved. “You’re cold,” he said. “Time to go in.”

“But I like it out here,” Cora complained.

“And I want my fiancée not to be a popsicle.”

Fiancée. She loved that. More than she thought she ever would.

She let him set her on her feet, then smiled as he immediately took her hand and led her to the stairs. He hadn’t wanted her to come up here for a while after they arrived back, worried that it would hurt her tailbone more than necessary. And while it was a little painful to use the stairs, she wanted to be in her favorite spot more than she wanted to avoid discomfort.

They slowly made their way down the stairs, with Pipe in front of her, making sure she didn’t fall.

Cora had no idea what was to come in the future. She hoped and prayed that her and Pipe’s relationship would work out. She was well aware that things had been a whirlwind, that when everything got back to normal, and they weren’t risking their lives, their feelings for each other might change. But she didn’t think so.

She’d clicked with Pipe from the first moment they’d met, something she’d only had with one other person in her life. Lara. And look how well their friendship had stood the test of time.

Thinking about her best friend had Cora melancholy once more. She wanted to help her, but she knew the best thing she could do was give her time and space to heal. She’d be there for her when she felt more comfortable with her surroundings.

In the meantime, she’d continue to get to know the men and women from The Refuge, and if she was lucky, find a way to contribute to the place of healing.