worth caring about.
“Just don’t lose yourself in this. Make sure there is still enough of you left on the other side to piece back together.”
“I’ll try,” she said, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and finally meeting his gaze again. She wouldn’t make a promise, but this was as close as she’d get to doing so.
“We can fly out tomorrow if you want to pack up. I’ll grab a hotel and pick you up here in the morning.”
“Stay,” Willow said, quicker and with more urgency than she would have liked to portray. “I know it’s not a really nice place but I want to show you what else I have here,” she continued, gesturing up to the wall of information she’d pieced together so far.
“Sure, I can crash on the floor,” Josh offered trying to make the situation less awkward.
“The floor is disgusting. If we’re really going to do all this, if you’ve truly got my back and plan to support me, I think we can share a bed. I mean, just like sleep in it.”
“That’s fine,” Josh smiled, clearly amused by the hot pink in Willow’s cheeks. “I think I can handle that.”
Chapter Five
Piper held her tongue as long as she could as everyone gave his or her opinions on Josh’s phone call. She watched as Michael’s nostrils flared the way they did when he was angry. His tone made it clear he was.
“So she did have a hand in what happened to Brad? Does she know how bad it would have been if anyone had found out? That document I sighed was iron clad, she needed to put the Brad stuff behind her,” Michael seethed.
“Apparently she had more than just a hand in it. She orchestrated the whole thing. Getting involved with some very dangerous people in order to do so. From what Josh said she’s lucky she didn’t get herself killed,” Bobby huffed as he slid into his booth at the Wise Owl. The restaurant was doing great but Monday nights were always quiet so they made it a point to come, making sure the seats were filled. It was a nice addition to Wednesday night dinner, though Piper could see the conversation might get intense.
“Well if it’s done now why doesn’t she just come back?” Jules asked, as she patted Frankie gently on the back and pushed her pink pacifier back between her cherry red lips.
Bobby, who’d taken the call from Josh, looked like he was mustering the courage to bring on more bad news.
“I’m starting to get to know that look,” Jedda worried out loud, tossing his dishtowel over his shoulder and sitting down to join them. “It gets worse, doesn’t it?”
“She’s not coming back here,” Bobby admitted, and Piper let out a heavy sigh. She didn’t think the odds were good that a little time away would get Willow back in a happy state of mind. She knew from experience it took a lot of work and a lot of help. Hiding out didn’t do you any favors. “Josh just booked them two flights back to New Jersey. He said she’s got this plan in her head. Somewhere along the way, she started remembering things from when she was young. She remembers other girls who came through the house, girls your parents abducted maybe. Her plan is to go back to your old neighborhood, the old house to try to remember more and find out what happened to the girls.”
Jedda pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers as though his head was about to burst from the pressure. “Bobby, you of all people know how dangerous my neighborhood was. It’s likely even worse now. She can’t go tracking down my parents’ old connections and try to find out what they did with girls they abducted. She’ll get herself killed. I’m going up there.”
“You can’t go Jedda,” Crystal interjected, a comforting hand squeezing his arm. “She won’t let you just drag her back here anyway. She’s a tough cookie, she’ll put up a hell of a fight.”
“I will literally toss her over my shoulder and carry her back here if I need to.” Jedda grunted as he pounded his fist on the table sending the
“Just don’t lose yourself in this. Make sure there is still enough of you left on the other side to piece back together.”
“I’ll try,” she said, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and finally meeting his gaze again. She wouldn’t make a promise, but this was as close as she’d get to doing so.
“We can fly out tomorrow if you want to pack up. I’ll grab a hotel and pick you up here in the morning.”
“Stay,” Willow said, quicker and with more urgency than she would have liked to portray. “I know it’s not a really nice place but I want to show you what else I have here,” she continued, gesturing up to the wall of information she’d pieced together so far.
“Sure, I can crash on the floor,” Josh offered trying to make the situation less awkward.
“The floor is disgusting. If we’re really going to do all this, if you’ve truly got my back and plan to support me, I think we can share a bed. I mean, just like sleep in it.”
“That’s fine,” Josh smiled, clearly amused by the hot pink in Willow’s cheeks. “I think I can handle that.”
Chapter Five
Piper held her tongue as long as she could as everyone gave his or her opinions on Josh’s phone call. She watched as Michael’s nostrils flared the way they did when he was angry. His tone made it clear he was.
“So she did have a hand in what happened to Brad? Does she know how bad it would have been if anyone had found out? That document I sighed was iron clad, she needed to put the Brad stuff behind her,” Michael seethed.
“Apparently she had more than just a hand in it. She orchestrated the whole thing. Getting involved with some very dangerous people in order to do so. From what Josh said she’s lucky she didn’t get herself killed,” Bobby huffed as he slid into his booth at the Wise Owl. The restaurant was doing great but Monday nights were always quiet so they made it a point to come, making sure the seats were filled. It was a nice addition to Wednesday night dinner, though Piper could see the conversation might get intense.
“Well if it’s done now why doesn’t she just come back?” Jules asked, as she patted Frankie gently on the back and pushed her pink pacifier back between her cherry red lips.
Bobby, who’d taken the call from Josh, looked like he was mustering the courage to bring on more bad news.
“I’m starting to get to know that look,” Jedda worried out loud, tossing his dishtowel over his shoulder and sitting down to join them. “It gets worse, doesn’t it?”
“She’s not coming back here,” Bobby admitted, and Piper let out a heavy sigh. She didn’t think the odds were good that a little time away would get Willow back in a happy state of mind. She knew from experience it took a lot of work and a lot of help. Hiding out didn’t do you any favors. “Josh just booked them two flights back to New Jersey. He said she’s got this plan in her head. Somewhere along the way, she started remembering things from when she was young. She remembers other girls who came through the house, girls your parents abducted maybe. Her plan is to go back to your old neighborhood, the old house to try to remember more and find out what happened to the girls.”
Jedda pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers as though his head was about to burst from the pressure. “Bobby, you of all people know how dangerous my neighborhood was. It’s likely even worse now. She can’t go tracking down my parents’ old connections and try to find out what they did with girls they abducted. She’ll get herself killed. I’m going up there.”
“You can’t go Jedda,” Crystal interjected, a comforting hand squeezing his arm. “She won’t let you just drag her back here anyway. She’s a tough cookie, she’ll put up a hell of a fight.”
“I will literally toss her over my shoulder and carry her back here if I need to.” Jedda grunted as he pounded his fist on the table sending the
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