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Pieters and I jumped out of our chairs at the same moment. “What?”
Hampton’s eyes squeezed shut as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. He pulled his wallet out and threw a fifty-dollar bill on the table and I followed suit, dropping my own stack of bills.
“Guess who’s also been accused of writing bogus scripts?” Hampton snarled over his shoulder as he strode toward the double doors of the hospital.
“Whoa, wait up, man,” Pieters clipped, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him to a stop.
My brother shook his hand off but didn’t resume his march. “You mind? I got something to take care of.”
Pieters nodded. “Yeah, I get that, man. But let’s think about this for a second.” He looked at where I’d stopped beside them and I could almost see the gears turning in his head.
I was blindsided by the fact that not only had my girlfriend been accused of improperly prescribing narcotics, but now my little brother too.
Hampton shook his head. “There’s nothing to think about. This is horse shit.”
“A common thread,” I murmured as my mind worked to sort out all the facts regarding Piper’s case.
“What?” Hampton snapped.
I squeezed the back of my neck. “You ever heard of The Children of the Ministry?”
His brow bunched. “The what? What is it? Like a cult?” He glanced between Pieters and me. “Look, guys, I gotta get up there and tell those DEA agents to go fuck off.” With that he turned on his heel and began his march back to his office.
I looked at my partner. The answer was right in front of us, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. How could this all be linked together?
As if it were divine intervention, the answer hit me, and it hit me so fucking hard it nearly knocked me off my feet. I looked at Pieters and breathed, “Smith.”
Hampton stopped in his tracks and spun. “What about him?”
“He’s our perp,” I whispered as Pieters asked, “Where’s Piper?”
42
Piper
My phone began to ring for the fourth time and yet again it was Lawson. I was just finishing my third mimosa, so I drained the contents of the champagne flute and put the phone to my ear.
“Lo?”
His voice was tight as it came across the line. “Piper? Where are you?”
Smith quirked a brow from across the table and I rolled my eyes before mouthing “Lawson” at him.
“Heyya, Lawson. How are you today? I wouldn’t know since you were gone by the time I woke up this morning and then didn’t answer any of my calls earlier.” My brain was a little fuzzy from the champagne and I giggled a minute and then cleared my throat. “Anyway. I’m finishing brunch before heading off to a spa day with Smith.”
If I’d thought his voice was tense before, it was downright murderous as he growled, “Get away from him.”
My brows wrinkled and I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at it as if I could see Lawson peering back at me. “What? Why do you want me to—”
He cut me off. “Shut up and listen to me.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
“Are you listening?”
“Mmmhmmm,” I mumbled through my closed lips. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was supposed to answer him if I was also sup
posed to shut up. I again giggled at the thought.
