Page 34 of Montana Justice

Piper

The house felt different with Lachlan gone. Not just empty—condemned. Like the walls themselves knew what I’d done and were waiting to crush me for it.

I sat on the living room floor with Caleb in my lap, his tiny fingers wrapped around mine.

The rug was rough against my legs, little indentations from furniture feet pressing into my skin.

My throat still burned from screaming, and my scalp ached where I’d torn at my hair.

Every muscle in my body felt wrung out, like I’d been put through one of those old-fashioned washing machine wringers in old movies.

Caleb babbled happily, unaware that his mother had just destroyed everything. That his father would never look at us the same way again. His dark eyes—Lachlan’s eyes—studied my face with that serious baby concentration, like he was trying to memorize me.

Jenny had left twenty minutes ago after making sure I’d eaten something and wasn’t about to do anything drastic. She’d been kind, careful, treating me like I might shatter. Maybe I would. Maybe I already had.

“Mama made such a mess,” I told Caleb, who responded by grabbing for my nose. “Such a terrible, terrible mess.” I stood to pace the room.

The relief of Lachlan finally knowing the truth warred with grief so sharp it stole my breath. No more lies between us—but no more us either. I’d seen it in his eyes when he’d left. The betrayal. The disgust. The way he’d looked at me like I was a stranger wearing the face of someone he’d loved.

Because he had loved me. I’d seen it in quiet moments—when he’d watch me feed Caleb, when he’d pull me close in the middle of the night, when he’d trace patterns on my skin like he was trying to memorize me by touch.

All those tender moments, every whispered promise in the dark—I’d contaminated all of it.

I was probably going to prison.

I’d aided a drug and weapons trafficking operation. People had died because of information I’d passed along. Kids had overdosed. Families had been destroyed. There wouldn’t be any mercy for that, not even with my reason.

My legs gave out, and I sank onto the couch.

The cushions still held the impression of where Lachlan and I had sat watching movies just a few nights ago, sharing popcorn and laughing at some comedy I couldn’t even remember the name of now.

He’d pulled me against his side, his arm warm around my shoulders, and I’d felt safe. Home.

I’d never feel that again.

My phone buzzed. The burner phone.

My whole body went rigid. With trembling fingers, I pulled it from my pocket.

Where the hell have you been? Watch stopped transmitting hours ago. EXPLAIN. NOW.

The words blurred as my hands shook. Ray knew something was wrong. Of course he did—he’d been listening to every word Lachlan said for days, and now, there was only silence.

What could I say? That Lachlan had discovered everything? That even now, he was probably planning how to hunt Ray down?

I set Caleb in his bouncer, my movements mechanical. He fussed at the transition, little face scrunching up in displeasure.

“I know, baby. I’m sorry. Mama just needs to think.”

Think. How? My brain felt like cotton, stuffed full of exhaustion and grief and terror. I paced the room again, phone clutched in my sweaty palm. The weight of it felt enormous, like holding a live grenade.

How long before Ray figured out something was wrong? How long before he disappeared with Sadie…or worse?

The image of her face from that last photo burned behind my eyelids. Was someone holding her when she cried? Did they sing to her like I used to? Did they know she liked to sleep with her tiny fist pressed against her cheek?

My knees hit the floor hard enough to bruise. The phone skittered across the hardwood, Ray’s message still glowing accusingly on the screen.

“Please,” I whispered to no one. To God, maybe, if He still listened to people like me. “Please don’t let him hurt her. Please.”

The front door opened.

I scrambled for the phone, shoving it into my pocket as Lachlan walked in.

He looked haggard, older than when he’d left just hours ago.

His uniform was still crisp, but his face belonged to someone who’d aged years in minutes.

The strong line of his jaw was set hard, his whole body radiating controlled fury.

“Ray texted,” I said, the words tumbling out. “He knows the watch stopped working. I don’t know what to tell him. I don’t know?—”

Lachlan crossed to me in three strides. No hesitation, just purpose. He pulled the phone from my pocket and read the message, his expression growing even harder.

“We need to call him.”

“What?” The word came out strangled.

“Travis is set up to trace the call. We need Ray talking long enough to help triangulate part of his location.” His voice was all business, cold efficiency replacing the warmth I’d grown accustomed to. “I’ll coach you through it.”

“Lachlan—”

“This is about Sadie. Nothing else matters right now.”

The words were hard, cutting, carving out what was left of my heart. But I couldn’t argue. He was right. Our daughter came first. Whatever was left of us—if anything—would have to wait.

He pulled out his phone, pressing a number to dial. “Travis? We’re ready.” A pause followed while Lachlan listened. “Good. We’ll call in two minutes.”

Two minutes. My chest tightened, lungs forgetting how to expand properly.

Lachlan turned back to me, his expression clinical. Like I was a witness he needed to prep, not the woman who’d shared his bed last night. “When he asks about the watch, tell him I got it wet doing dishes and we’re letting it dry out. Meanwhile, you’ll call more often with updates. Got it?”

I nodded, throat too tight for words.

“Be convincing. He needs to believe everything is fine, that you’re still his good little spy.” The bitterness in his voice made me flinch. “Can you do that?”

“Yes.” The word came out as barely a whisper.

“Tell him that we’re in a tizzy after last night’s debacle and that I mentioned focusing all our efforts east of town. That we’re positive they’re working out of Billings and want to focus our efforts in that direction.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Sit down. You need to sound normal, not like you’re about to panic.”

I sank onto the couch, legs unsteady. The cushions felt wrong now, like they belonged to someone else’s life.

Lachlan sat on the coffee table facing me, close enough that our knees almost touched. Close enough that I could see the pain he was trying to hide behind determination.

“Breathe,” he ordered. “In through your nose, out through your mouth. That’s it.”

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Violent tremors that started in my fingers and worked their way up my arms. He noticed—of course he noticed, he noticed everything—and covered them with his own.

The touch wasn’t gentle, wasn’t comforting.

Just steadying. Practical. His hands were warm and solid, callused from work, familiar in a way that made my chest ache.

“You can do this,” he said, his voice softer now. “For Sadie.”

For Sadie. I could do anything for her. Walk through fire. Sell my soul. Pretend my heart wasn’t shattered beyond repair.

“Okay, it’s time.”

I dialed Ray’s number with fumbling fingers, nearly dropping the phone twice. Speaker on. The dial tone seemed impossibly loud in the quiet room. One ring. Two. My heart hammered against my ribs hard enough to hurt.

“About fucking time,” Ray snarled before I could speak. The sound of his voice made bile rise in my throat. “What the hell is going on? I haven’t gotten any info from the watch in hours.”

“The watch stopped working.” I forced my voice steady, apologetic but not panicked. I’d learned long ago that showing fear to Ray was like bleeding in shark-infested waters. “Lachlan was doing dishes and forgot to take it off. Got it completely soaked.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? That was expensive equipment!”

“I know, I’m sorry.” My voice cracked slightly, and Lachlan squeezed my hands. A reminder. Stay strong. “He feels terrible about it. We’re letting it dry out. Hopefully then it will be fine.”

Lachlan nodded encouragement, his dark eyes never leaving my face. Even now, even hating me, he was my anchor.

“Hopefully,” Ray repeated, skepticism dripping from the word like poison. “It’s like you don’t ever want to see your daughter again, do you?”

“No, I do. You know I do. I’ll call more often until it’s working again. I can get you information the old-fashioned way. Like before.”

“You better. I’m running a business here, not a charity. That watch was how I stayed ahead of your boyfriend’s operations.”

Boyfriend. The word made me want to laugh hysterically. Lachlan wasn’t my boyfriend. He was the love of my life whom I’d betrayed in the worst possible way. He was the father of my children who’d never trust me again. He was everything I’d ever wanted and could never have.

“I know,” I managed. “I promise, I’ll make it up to you. Actually, I was going to call today anyway. Lachlan mentioned something about focusing efforts on the east side of town, closer to Billings. They’re sure that’s where the base of operations is.”

Ray chuckled. “East side. Law enforcement has always been, and will always be, dumb as dirt. What else?”

At least he seemed to be buying it.

“That’s all I have so far, but there’s supposed to be a meeting tomorrow. I’ll find out more then.”

“You better. Because if I think for one second that you’re trying to play me, Piper, there will be consequences. You know what’s at stake here.”

My whole body went cold. Beside me, Lachlan’s jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grind.

“I know,” I whispered. “Please, Ray. Can I see her? Just a photo? It’s been so long?—”

“No.” The word was flat, cruel, designed to hurt. “You get photos when you earn them. And lately, you haven’t been earning shit.”

“Please—” My voice broke completely. “She’s my baby. I just need to know she’s okay. Need to see her face?—”