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His brow arches. “What?”
“Piper is married. Did you know that?”
He shakes his head and returns to the computer. “I knew you two were engaged, and she was waiting for you, but…”
“So you knew that she was mine?”
He leans back, pushing his head against the headrest of his chair and closing his eyes. “Why do you think I hate Archer St. James so much? Piper has been waitingfor him since he left for that godforsaken mission.”
“Then why did she leave?”
“Who the fuck knows.”
“We have to find her and ask her. She owes me answers.”
He rises from his seat and glares at me. “Why do you want her back?”
“As I said, she owes me answers.”
“I probably have them all. Leave her the fuck alone.”
“So you can keep her for yourself?”
“No, so she can finally move on. Don’t you understand? She put her life on hold for almost eight years. You, on the other hand, got a new fucking identity and didn’t give two fucks about her until you came across her.”
“But we need to talk to her.”
He sighs. “Well, as I mentioned, her number has been disconnected.”
I grab my phone and send a message through the chat to her cousin, Nathan. He answers that she’s not taking my calls and to leave her alone.
“Does your office manager know how to connect with her?”
He nods, and I follow him to the building next door. When we’re in his office, I spot a frame of him and Piper holding their puppy. It’s weird to see them together, I’m not jealous, but I want to be a part of it. Is that weird?
He dials the number and sets it on the speaker. Piper’s voice comes out almost immediately. “Hey, Zara, how can I help you?”
“It’s us,” says Derek.
“Oh, I heard the mission was a success. Are you okay?” she asks.
“No injuries to report,” Derek replies, staring at the phone.
“Is he…” she sighs. “Never mind. I don’t care if he’s okay. What can I do for you?”
“We want to talk to you,” Derek says.
“We?”
“Hey, Piper,” I greet her.
She doesn’t answer, and I say, “You owe me answers.”
Piper lets out a loud breath. “Your name was Archer St. James. You have six siblings. Teddy is the youngest. We met when I was a few weeks shy of four and became inseparable. I knew Archer better than anyone, but he’s gone, and though you occupy his body—you two are different.
“It’s hard to separate you from him—our future from what will never be—but I’m doing it one day at a time. Now that I know you’re safe and living yourperfect life, it’s time for me to grieve my losses and finally move on. If I missed anything… well, I’m sure everyone else can fill you in.”
“Piper, you can’t just push us away like that,” Derek says. “You and I are business partners.”
