“Not to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re gorgeous as fuck, and you’re noticed. Several people spotted you driving in. They also noted when you ditched that car. You won’t be able to skate by here looking like that.”
I snorted.
“So what do you propose that I do?” Pippa asked but then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what I look like. I had to make sure that she was okay. Now that I know she’s fine, I’m going to go back home.” She looked at me then. “Can you get Mom and Dad here? Can you somehow get them a new life?”
“I’m not leaving you there to deal with this shit alone,” I said.
She pushed out of my lap and stood. “You’re finally here and happy, Weaver.”
She used my new name and it hurt.
Really hurt.
“I…”
“Don’t care what you think,” Pippa said. “This is my mess. I’m going to deal with it.”
“You don’t have to deal with it on your own,” Eddy said softly. “We can find you a new life here, too. You can cut your hair. Change your hair color. Dress in different clothes. Once you lose the tan, and maybe put some contacts on, there’s no way that someone’s going to find you way up here. Plus, you have a town full of bikers that notice when people show up in town that don’t belong.”
Pippa tilted her head, her face sad. “This time, I’ll agree to disagree. This isn’t y’all’s fight. And I’m not going to lose this perfect opportunity. With y’all figuring out Boston’s safety, I can focus on myself. Mom and Dad can take care of themselves. Travel. Come here. I don’t know. But this will really work out. I know it. I can deal with the rest on my own now that I don’t have to think about you getting killed in prison, and Boston being killed.”
My stomach sank.
“I’ll figure out Mom and Dad,” I said. “I’ll get them here, and then we’ll help them disappear, too. Gibbons won’t ever find them.”
Pippa nodded. “Okay. Now, it’s time for me to go. If I’m gone too long, he’s going to think I ran, and go after Mom and Dad since they’re still there, oblivious.”
“I’ll drive you back into town,” Black ordered.
Pippa didn’t argue, walking straight out the door and leaving us all there staring at the closed door.
“You’re not going to let her just walk away, are you?” Eddy asked.
“Yeah,” Boston whispered. “She can’t do this on her own.”
“Your dad’s not going anywhere,” Denver said. “He’s going to stay right here, taking care of you two. We have enough shit going on here with your parents, Eddy. However, Apollo, Black, and I will figure out Pippa’s situation.” He looked horrified for a long moment. “Ain’t never seen another person take that much on herself and not break. Your sister? She’s strong.”
I stood up and walked to the door, watching as Pippa started to trudge down the street through the snow.
Black, seeing how fast she’d moved, cursed and headed for the door.
“I’ll take care of her,” he promised.
I looked at Black as he moved down the walk and toward the front of his Sheriff’s Department SUV. He got inside and backed up, then followed behind my sister.
When he got close, he yelled at her, and she stopped walking and moved toward the side of the SUV.
She got inside, and the SUV slowly disappeared down the road.
“I feel like I’m making a mistake,” I said to the woman who came up to my side.
“Or you’re finally thinking about yourself,” Eddy pointed out. “Your sister made her own decisions. She might not have been adult enough to make the first few that started this off, but she was well past adulthood when she made the one that sent you to prison. Do I feel sorry for her? Yes. But I also feel sorry for you. If she’d tried to keep you out of prison, maybe the two of you could’ve disappeared. Maybe you could’ve watched your daughter grow up. Maybe your sister wouldn’t be fighting for her life right now.”
My stomach clenched.
“She’s right, Dad,” Boston said, leaning into the other side of me as she stared at the snow that was slowly starting to cover the walkways and drive. “And I think your friend will have no problem helping her out. He got you out, didn’t he?”
She had a point.
