Page 6

Chapter

Six

PIPER

It feels like everyone is invading my space. That rude guy from the coffee shop is back in his spot. And, unfortunately, he happens to be my best friend’s boyfriend’s brother. The terrifying thing is, he’s a gorgeous specimen of a man. Huge and dark. Adon Griffin. The sight of him is enough to turn me straight as an arrow. But his angry gaze and arrogant attitude make me want to give up men entirely. It’s a perplexing phenomenon.

Instead of speaking to him, I roll my eyes and stare ahead in the ordering line at Rainy Day. A fierce glare burns into the back of my skull, but when I turn to face him, he looks away. His thick arms can barely cross his broad chest. There’s something about his figure that seems familiar…

Worse than him being a few behind me in line is that my father is in the corner with some brunette woman. It looks as if he’s having a business meeting here, of all places. They both talk rapidly with their hands flailing in the air and only pause to glance ahead of me in line, where my mother and sister are getting their hot mugs. Yeah. This is rearing up to be a global disaster. The climate is about to fucking change in here so rapidly, everyone better stand on the tables.

As I move forward, I grimace, watching the horror unfold. Maeve smiles at some middle-aged, distinguished-looking gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair, who entered behind her as I approached the cafe. I stalled my steps for the appropriate amount of time so that I wouldn’t be caught near them in line. Thus, avoiding forced awkward conversations. Brilliant, if I do say so.

She then ambles with my mother to the only available seats… at the same table as my father and the woman next to him.

Distraction settles the butterflies in my stomach when Maggie half smiles behind the counter. With a sweaty palm, I press out some wrinkles on my vintage floral mini babydoll dress. This girl is confusing me. Last week, it was all resentment. Now, she looks like she wants me to take her to the bathroom to do unspeakable acts. “What do you want, Piper?”

“You on my fingers again.”

A bubbly giggle escapes her plush lips. Flirting, face flushed, sweet laughter hits my face. “Stop!” The way she says it sounds like she definitely doesn’t want me to stop.

Holding out my phone, I wave her toward me. “Hey, get a picture with me.”

Okay, yeah. I want to post it all on socials to show Tarin I’m totally over her. Maggie is so much hotter .

Surprisingly, Maggie complies and comes around to stand beside me. Holding up a peace sign, we snuggle close, cheek to cheek, and I grab a couple for the ’gram.

“Will you hurry the fuck up?”

“Lady! Come on!”

Despite the grumbles and complaints surging from the people waiting behind me, I upload my photo to socials, then give the crowd my middle finger. Maggie blushes and hurries to make me a cup of autumn goodness and whispers, “It’s on your tab. You have to pay it next time, Piper. Bob’s seriously considering not allowing you back in here.”

Nodding, I know it’s not true. I’ve had this fucking tab for over a year. They love me here.

Bracing myself for what I’ll see when I turn around, the heat from the giant’s sharp stare hits me, and I narrow my eyes at him as I walk toward the door.

“Piper!” my mother calls me over, and my chest aches at the sight of my worst nightmare.

Along the back wall bench sits the silver-haired gentleman, the brunette woman, then my father. Directly across from him is Maeve, then my mother, and an empty chair that she points at for me. Maybe my parents will behave since they’re in front of others.

Who am I kidding? This is about to dissolve into a war.

Sliding into the seat, my eyes widen at the unspoken tension around the five people I’m sitting with. The table is cluttered from a busy morning with napkins, empty mugs, saucers, stir sticks, empty packets of sugar, and bits of pastries lying about. Sticky rings line the surface, and I hold my cup to my chest carefully, not wanting to get my hands dirty.

My sister addresses the distinguished man in a navy-blue suit who gives me a star-winning smile. He’s quite attractive in an academic sort of way. “Professor Harrison, how long did you say you and Meghan have been married?”

Oh. So he must be Maeve’s latest boy toy’s father. And that’s his mother? She looks much too young to have a twenty-something son.

The brunette between my father and him looks down at the table. He nods at her, then answers. “Oh, only about five years. Since my first wife died.”

“You must be so proud of Sean.” Maeve continues gabbing to her professor.

Like a moth to a flame, my mother straightens in her seat and addresses Meghan. “So you work with my husband.”

Meghan looks at my father, who sneers at my mom. “Cora, don’t fucking start.”

“I think it’s good that you have a new family after such a loss.” Maeve tries to interrupt and hold the conversation with the professor, who looks as uncomfortable as I feel.

“We’re divorced. And that’s for a reason!” my father yells.

My mom’s elbows rest on the table as she leans forward over the cups. As I search them, I worry she may pick one up and throw it. “Yeah, because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants!”

“Oh, here we go… Jealous still? You weren’t a good enough lay for me to stay, you old hag.”

With a mocking gasp, my mother sits back in her seat and slides her hand into her purse, dropping something she’d held in her hand. The people around us gape at the fight, and I sink lower, trying to avoid their gazes.

“Fuck you, asshole.” My mom stands and points a finger in his face.

Greg Hendricks lengthens his neck and grips the collar of his shirt with a hooked finger. Instead of snapping back at my mom again, he looks at his co-worker and says, “You finished? Let’s get back to work, Meghan. I’m sorry for this bitch’s rude behavior.”

Meghan looks completely flustered, but hurriedly grabs her mug and downs it. Maeve appears unfazed and sips her hot tea with a smile while the professor refuses to look at anyone, stunned into silence.

Just as I think about throwing down my cup and darting away, Meghan stands and makes a strange face, clutching her throat. Her skin changes from a deep olive to pale white, then bright red as she gasps for air, which doesn’t seem to be getting inside her. She makes the motion to breathe, but she clearly can’t.

“Oh my god!” Maeve screams.

I can only stare, frozen with panic.

Professor Harrison stands and grabs his wife, shaking her. “Megs? Meghan?!” Frantically, he glances around the busy cafe. “Help us!”

Meghan collapses across the table, smacking face first into the faux wood top. As I jump from my chair, my body is pushed out of the way as Adon Griffin comes from behind me and gathers the floppy woman in his arms.

He lays her on the floor, presses his ear to her barely parted lips while watching her chest rise. But it doesn’t. His deep chocolate eyes seek my face with a seriousness that makes me tremble all over. “Call nine-one-one. Now, Rosy.”

Rosy . Oh my god… Daddy Don. It’s him.

My heart stops for a full beat before hurrying to catch back up.

Still in a state of shock, I find my phone in my crochet purse and press the numbers on it, though they dart around. Or is it my finger that’s shaking? Somehow, I convey the information to the dispatcher, but everything feels like it’s in slow motion.

Professor Hendricks kneels next to his wife, gripping her hand and patting it. Her face turns an ugly shade of purple and blue, while Adon presses his palms on her sternum. He counts in a low tone under his breath as he gives her CPR.

All I can do is hug myself and watch the scene unfold, a sinking feeling of horror in my gut. Daddy Don, the man I wanted to ruin, is trying his best to save this poor woman’s life.

And failing.

She looks dead. Like… dead dead. I haven’t seen any corpses, but this looks like what one would look like. My mother and sister stare silently from the wall, neither making much of an expression. Dad’s hands continuously run through his hair as he stares at Meghan with wide eyes.

Pencil-headed Sean pushes through the crowd of visitors, yelling something that I can’t understand. My ears feel fuzzy, my vision clouded by confusion. “Dad? Dad! Oh my god. Is Meghan okay?” The way he says her name, though, makes me feel like he really doesn’t give a shit if Meghan is okay or not.

“Oh, Sean!” Maeve throws on some waterworks and reaches for her boyfriend. He stands next to her and gives her a hug while watching Adon work.

He’s tireless. Those massive muscles clenching and flexing as he presses directly into the body’s chest, heaving breaths onto her face. Sweat pours from his forehead as he mutters a rhythm to a beat. My heart feels like it jumps with a start with every downstroke Adon pushes into her. Like an obsessed worker who won’t stop until he gets the job done.

By the time paramedics bust through the door, though, all hope is lost. Bob ushers the patrons out of the store and closes the shop, but police arrive behind them and ask Adon and the rest of us to stay and give witness accounts.

Adon doesn’t look exhausted… He looks utterly defeated . It makes me remember the look he gave me at the club. The one that let me know he could be my hero. Even see things I never want anyone else to.

The way the officer speaks to him is like he’s attacking him, or maybe I’m feeling a bit protective. Adon stares at the floor, then his shoulders raise as the man spits out a question that Adon hesitates to answer.

My family departs after giving statements, and I linger behind. For what, I’m not sure. Some part of me wants to comfort Adon. He looks so sad. And the other part wants to rub it in and irritate the fuck out of him.

The shop is nearly empty as I wait outside on the busy sidewalk. People still loiter, and I just now realize how very late I am for work. It’s already past noon. Texting my boss, I let her know what’s happened and why I’m missing my shift when Adon steps out of the door and glances both ways like he’s lost.

His eyes fall onto me, and we behold each other for a long moment.

He knows that I know… A tiny ball in the back of his jaw bounces as he grinds his teeth.

Taking a few steps closer, I lift my chin and toss my short hair. I have to drop my head back to even look at his face, which seems high in the clouds. As I approach, he scratches his beard and narrows his fierce gaze. It drops to my chest for a blink, which only makes heat flare across my cheeks. Like electricity sparking between our bodies, I almost don’t want to touch him for fear I’ll get shocked. So I stand about two feet back while people rush between us, getting to where they need to go.

“So…Daddy Don, huh?”

Adon’s eyebrows shoot up as he erases the space between us. His finger and thumb grip my chin as he snaps at me, “Don’t you ever call me that.”

A gasp parts my lips as butterflies swarm my belly. Despite how nervous he’s making me, I smirk and give him a shrug. “You wanted me to the other night.”

“That was… That was not me.”

Stumbling a step back, I say, “ Sure , and I’m not?—”

My arm gets yanked, breath catching in my throat, as a hooded figure rushes past me, snaring my purse in their hands and running with it.

“What the—” I lunge and sprint toward him while screaming, “Hey! That’s mine!”

The crowds surrounding me make it difficult to catch up with him, but Adon overtakes me and burrows through like he’s a bulldozer. With barely a glance behind, the tall figure drops the bag and runs off, down into an alley. Adon continues to try to chase while I snatch my purse from the ground, stuffing wayward items back inside it with a racing heart.

Once I’ve cleaned it up, I head in the same direction, adrenaline pumping, but the alley is empty, other than Adon standing at the end behind a dumpster with his hands on his hips. “Fuck!” His deep voice bounces off the bricks surrounding him as he spits out the curse.

Approaching him, I tap him on the shoulder, and he jumps. “I lost him!”

“Thank you… Daddy .” I can’t help the smirk crossing my lips from calling him by his true name.

His upper lip curls as he turns to me, walking me slowly until my back hits the building. Formidable arms cage my head in on either side. “Do not fucking say that again, unless you want your mouth stuffed so full, you can’t speak.”

The ribbed, harsh tone flowing out of his throat makes me wet and furious. “I’ll call you whatever I want to, Daddy Don .”

Nose flaring, his eyes scan my face as his olive skin turns pink with fury. The shadows that his large body cast over me cause me to shiver. And just as I think about squirming out from under him, he dips his face and breathes against my lips. Hot air smelling of coffee and spice waft by, scent steel and manly. Everything about him is impenetrable. If I move at all, we’ll kiss. I don’t think I’d push him away.

But instead of that, he suddenly grips my bare thighs underneath my dress and shoves me up against the bricks. Gasping, my hand naturally raises over my head to steady myself as my legs wrap around him. Pressing his forehead against mine to keep me in place, he grits out, “Then you’re gonna get fucked by him.”