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“No. She was just irrelevant, until this morning,” she responded. “That’s when I got the information I just gave you. Gentlemen,” she paused and reached into her purse. She pulled out a piece of paper with three names and phone numbers and handed it over to Cesare. “This is my men’s contact information. Call them and have them meet you. Whatever personal feelings you have for them, now is the time to set them aside. Goodnight.”
“Thank you,” Cesare offered her a nod of gratitude and walked her back to his door, Matteo and I eyeing each other in silence.
“I think we all know who we’re paying a visit ASAP,” Matteo said, shuffling off.
“Yeah,” I murmured, my friend looking back at me. “Just so you know, I’ve already told her she could be targeted, so, this won’t really shock her.”
“Come on. Let’s go,” Cesare requested, gesturing me closer. “I’m calling her from the car—she might be at work.”
The echo from his front door fading into nothingness, the three of us waited for the elevator. This wasn’t how I’d imagined my next meeting with Piper. It would involve just her and me and no one else. But that had been on my mind, until the moment I heard what she’d been up to with Cesare and Matteo. After that, any ideas for my next date with her went down the drain. Now, she had to know about the danger to her life, along with how much her little games had upset me.
31
PIPER
“He’s stable.”
The entire room breathed a collective sigh of relief.
A hit-and-run victim had demanded our full, undivided attention. At just twenty-six, this man had to be saved. Fatalities in those cases hit hard. Whenever someone too young passed on, most of my colleagues were too distraught to utter a word for days. So was I. Their families demanded answers, but we could handle them. Losing someone in their prime was very difficult to deal with. Knowing that a person with their whole life ahead of them died on our watch.
I left the OR, my body craving some caffeine. Not because I wasn’t already on edge, but because I considered a hot cup of coffee my reward. Taking a few minutes to calm my nerves, all the while sipping some cappuccino was how I had survived three years as an ER nurse.
However, as I headed for the elevator down the hall, a glance at the entrance effectively ruined my plans for a cup of coffee.
Matteo, Cesare, and Leo were in the opposite direction, alongside one another, their gazes fixed on me.
Waves of cold sweat washed over me. For a moment, I thought I was having a bad dream. They had to have known. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shown up together. I also figured out why Cesare had texted me so late at night. With him just fifteen feet from my spot, I realized I shouldn’t have answered at all. I should have avoided typing “work” on my cell phone.
“I amsobusy,” I emphasized, turning around.
Too late… They all passed me by and came to a halt just inches away, staring down at me.
“Boys, isn’t Ms. Briggs an ER nurse?” Cesare posed a question, not taking his eyes off of me.
“Yep.”
“Do you see an emergency around here? Because I don’t,” he declared, curling his index finger towards me.
“No emergencies,” Matteo spoke, looking back over his shoulder. “Things seem pretty quiet from where I’m standing.”
“Take us to that locker room of yours.” Cesare demanded. “And lock the door when we get there.”
My initial reaction was to complain. It was well after midnight, and I was at work. I knew they had a lot to say to me, most of which was bad. They could have waited until the next day. Calling security crossed my mind as well. Yet, I rejected that idea very fast indeed. Those three could—and probably would—overpower security guards. Quite soon, they would pick a fight and make some serious noise. This would be a nightmare. My colleagues would get curious. They would find out why the trio was making a fuss and blame me.
So, I decided to play along, in the hope that my explanations would prevent them from lashing out at me.
I closed my eyes and turned the key in the lock in that dressing room, afraid to face them.
“I’ve got to hand it to you, Piper,” Cesare was the first one to speak up. “You played us. You played a bunch of three street guys. Not many people can do that.”
“I don’t think I played anyone,” I disagreed, finding the courage to turn around. “You’re friends; maybe I shouldn’t have fooled around with all of you, but play you? No. Ineverdid that.”
“You expect us to believe that?” Leo banged his palm into a locker door behind him. “Cesare’s my fucking best friend! You should have told me you’d gone out with him!”
“Yeah, I should have,” I admitted with a. “That was my mistake and I have no problem owning up to it. But you can’t just stand there and accuse me of playing you. Cesare,” I paused and turned my attention over to him. “Did you call me after we’d slept together?”
He exhaled long and hard, averting his gaze from me. “No.”
