Page 19 of Pursuit of Honor

“What? Am I forbidden from having friends now?”

“I can’t forbid anything since you’re an adult as you are so quick to remind me,” he said. “But it’s clear you have strong feelings for this boy. Which won’t come to any good when he starts a relationship with someone closer to home.”

“What?” That scenario hadn’t occurred to her. In her heartbreak over things coming to an end, she hadn’t thought about Law with someone else. Which was practically inevitable. Of course he’d find someone. A guy like him wouldn’t stay single forever.

“Can you stay friends with him if he begins dating someone else? Or will you come to us crying your eyes out the same way you did when your art didn’t immediately take off when you first started?”

Piper didn’t bother to remind him that she’d been nineteen at the time when she’d cried over her flailing art career. Not nearly as seasoned and sure of herself as she was now that she was making a real life out of it. But how could she really be sure of herself when she was coming apart over Law? Right now, she felt like the furthest thing from sure, seeing as how her suggestion that they remain friends had been her way of chickening out. Piper’s way of protecting her heart. Easier for both of them to part ways over a friendship. What hurt though wasn’t that he’d agreed to be friends. What hurt was that he didn’t seem to want anything more than that. Which was her own fault. How naïve and foolish of her to fall for him in the span of a few days.

Her father was right. Youthful rebellion on her part wasn’t going to change that. If she was being honest with herself, she had to accept that it was reckless to do all the things she’d done this Valentine’s weekend. From spending her Saturday with him, to kissing him in public, to going to bed with him on their second date, Piper had thrown caution to the wind. And this heartache was the price.

“You’re right,” she said finally. “Friendship is just delaying the heartbreak.”

Piper had to accept reality. Face the truth. While she genuinely wanted them to stay friends, she’d made the suggestion with the hope it would all somehow lead to more in the future. But that was selfish.

She couldn’t always march to the beat of her own drum. After all, her stalled love life was proof that her carefree ways could only take her so far. On the dating front, Piper was too awkward and out there to make a relationship work. She might have been able to finally find Mr. Right, but what did it matter now that he was going to slip through her fingers and go back to his life? Law had said it himself—he went for the exits when conditions got difficult. And who could blame him after a lifetime of hardship? Orphaned and alone, it made sense for him to jump ship before he ended up abandoned all over again. Clearly, Piper wouldn’t be the woman to change that. He probably wanted someone more conventional to trust his heart to after his tumultuous childhood. And he deserved a woman he could rely on with a normal career who wasn’t prone to recklessness.

“Glad you’re willing to listen to reason, sweetie.” Her dad turned to open a cabinet.

Piper reached out to pick up his smart key from the island and slipped out of the kitchen.

“We can sit and talk out all your feelings,” her father said, his booming voice blasting through the apartment. “I’ll even make us some coffee.”

But she was already walking out the front door.

SHE HAD STOLEN HER father’s car. Taken his smart key, then left her apartment to get into his car and drive off. Piper hadn’t been to the motel where Law was staying, but she was familiar with the area since it was only a fifteen-minute drive away. A fifteen-minute drive in the stolen car. Dammit, her father was going to hit the roof when she came back to the apartment.

At this hour the streets were mostly empty, so she drove unimpeded. There was nothing to distract her as she berated herself for taking the car. No doubt she’d have to make it up to her father. She owed him big time.

Now, though, she was navigating the streets, already second-guessing her impulsive decision to drive off. She was on her way to let Law down easy. On her way to tell him that they didn’t need to stay in touch after this. Part of it was to protect what was left of her shattered heart, but mostly she didn’t want Law to feel like he was obligated to stay friends. Even though she probably shouldn’t have sped off in her dad’s car, Piper was going to follow her father’s advice, no matter how much it hurt. Because she needed to let Law know that he was free to date whoever he wanted. Guilt-free. That was why she had to end this now. Instead of fooling herself and prolonging her pain. They’d had their time together. Now she could let him go so that he could finally live without anything holding him back. No more looking for the exits. She was releasing him to finally choose the life he deserved. Without his past weighing him down. They didn’t need to be friends. They didn’t need to stay in contact. She had gone into this knowing that it would be temporary. It was ridiculous for her to hold out hope for anything more.

As she berated herself, Piper was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice the first drops of rain. She didn’t realize she was in the middle of a sudden storm until those drops became a downpour and she could no longer see the road in front of her. Piper turned on the windshield wipers, narrowing her eyes to peer through the blurred glass. Thunder crashed, the force of it rattling the car.

Where had this storm come from? Anxious, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Even with the windshield wipers it was increasingly difficult to see beyond a couple of feet. Suddenly, the car slowed to a crawl, as if she was driving through cement. It took her several moments to realize what she was actually driving through was a flood of water. High enough for her to lose control of the car.

Panicked, Piper hit the accelerator, hoping she was wrong. But it was no use. While she wanted to go forward, the car started to slide backward. Rain battered the car, the sound of drops on metal reminding her of just how exposed she was to the elements and the pummeling storm. She hit the accelerator again. The car lurched forward and then, to her horror, the engine stalled. Now she was at the mercy of this freak storm and there was nothing she could do but scream.

Chapter 8

Law closed the last open window, shutting out the unexpected storm. What had started off as a drizzle was now torrential rain. The thunder was loud enough to wake all the guests in the motel, but not his shipmates. They could sleep through anything, and they were all currently snoring on the bed, on the room’s threadbare couch, or in a sleeping bag on the floor.

Law had drawn the short straw, so he was on the floor tonight as well, but ever since he’d returned to the motel, he hadn’t been able to sleep. Piper was all he could think about. Their night together hadn’t felt like a one-night stand. It felt like so much more than that.

But she’d that she wanted to be friends. And the question he’d considered asking had fizzled out. It was a stupid proposition anyway. He should have been grateful that Piper had been sympathetic to his pain. Sympathetic enough to want to stay friends. Friends and nothing more. Which meant that come morning, they’d be saying their goodbyes and he’d be out of Sweetwater for good.

He raked a hand through his hair as he turned from the window and the storm raging outside. All that chaos out there reminded him of what was going on internally. The more he thought about their separation, the worse he felt. And right now he felt terrible. Nauseous, restless, and desperate to turn back the clock so they could have more time together.

For a brief moment tonight, he’d really thought that he might have been able to finally stop searching for the exits. But she wasn’t interested in more, so he’d just have to carry this heartbreak on his own. Law hadn’t even told his buddies. They knew he’d gone out with Piper, but he hadn’t told them he had feelings for her after a couple of days. They’d think he was crazy, and honestly, he probably was crazy. Crazy about Piper and just plain crazy.

There was no way he’d be able to fall asleep with his mind still racing. As he contemplated his next move, his phone went off. He quickly retrieved it from his pocket, his heart beating when he realized that it was Piper calling him.

“Hey,” he said as he answered the call, keeping his voice low so he didn’t wake the others.

“Is this Jonathan Lawrence?” a gruff male voice asked.

Law frowned. Definitely not Piper. “Who the hell is this?”

“Sorry to call at this hour, but this is Lieutenant David Ryan,” the man said.