Chapter l162

Chapter 0162

I could stare at her forever. I used to, back when we had been dating, on the rare occasions that she

stayed the night. We didn’t do anything S**ual. We just liked to hold each other.

I would wake up earlier than her, just as the sun was creeping in through the windows. It would shine on

her, covering her in a soft golden glow. She’d looked like an angel. A woman out of my very dreams..

Even now, I thought the same. There was no golden sunlight here, just the dull tungsten light from the

bedside light. But she was no less beautiful.

She had made the sunlight brighter, not the other way around.

Looking at her helped dwindle some of the bonfire of anger I felt. I could feel the fury buzzing under skin, begging me to run back down there and pummel my uncle.

But I couldn’t leave Piper unattended. In fact…

I pulled my phone from my hip pocket and quickly texted Mark, urging him to be careful with Elva, especially around Terry. By no means, was he to let Elva out of his sight.

my

Once Mark had confirmed, I returned my phone to my pocket and took a seat at Piper’s side, leaning at the very edge of Piper’s bed.

I took her hand in mine. It was cold, so I tried to warm it, closing my other hand in over top of it.

Then I waited for her to wake up.

Before she did, Julian joined us in the room. I glanced up at him and was more surprised than I should have been to find him sporting a swelling bruise around his eye.

“Brian went to get some ice,” Julian said, with the same cocksure smirk he always wore. The expression practically screamed, You should see the other guy.

As he walked closer to the bed, Julian touched his bruise, having noticed Nicholas eyeing it.

“It’s not that bad, is it?”

“It’s an improvement,” I said.

Julian laughed. “A gift from our uncle. He did not take kindly to some of the accusations I made.”

“Did you lay him out flat?”

Julian shrugged. “Brian did. I didn’t even have time to react. Talking, yelling. Terry hit me, Brian hit him,

I hummed, satisfied at least that someone was able to knock that fucker out, even if it wasn’t what he

truly deserved by far.

With Terry temporarily handled and Piper somewhere safe, I could now let my mind wander to how this

had come to happen, and why.

Nothing was adding up.

“I don’t understand why Terry would go after Piper.” Other than she was overwhelmingly beautiful, of

course. But she wasn’t exactly to Terry’s previous tastes. He generally preferred rail–thin redheads. As

incorrect as it was, Terry would have perceived Piper as being fat.

“Did something happen? Something that would bring Piper into his radar?”

I looked at Julian for my answer. He was avoiding my gaze.

I went from very hot with anger to very cold with trepidation in a split–second.

“You know why,” I accused, not a question.

Julian crossed his arms. “Come on, uncle’s never needed a reason before.”

That was a non–answer. “You are avoiding the question.”

“Nicholas, really

“Julian. The truth.”

Julian sucked in a breath. “Fine.” He waved to Piper’s sleeping form.

I instinctively squeezed Piper’s hand.

Julian cleared his throat. He was stalling.

“Julian.”

“Fine. Okay, Yeah. Piper and I have been investigating the underground organization, and it led her

straight to Terry.”

I saw red