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The anger beginning to brighten her brown eyes dimmed, but he could see the concern in them as well
"I don’t like it myself," she ad; I found out by accident All she told et away She slipped out in the dead of night because she trusted none of us to allow her the freedoers for Let her have her freedom, before we smother her to death"
"A freedoet her killed?" he asked her wearily "I understand the need, Mercedes, more than you know But you knohat nearly happened to Eve last suirls in retaliation, and there’s no one there to protect them, what do we do then?"
"We pray that doesn’t happen," she whispered as the concern in her gaze threatened to turn to pure fear "But you also have to understand, Dawg: Piper’s not a liar; nor is she one to make decisions such as this rashly She was driven to it"
He had driven her to it He could hear the accusation in her tone
Christa had warned hiainst his protection and begin er them He hadn’t believed they would do so without first confronting hihters; they weren’t cowards
"How can you be certain she’s safe?" he finally asked her worriedly
"I can’t, Dawg" Her sentle, compassionate "All I can do is pray that if she’s in trouble she’ll callher" She winked at hi her to do what she has to do, what she wants to do, while an impartial third person stands ready to protect her rather than standing between her and what she needs That’s the difference"
He shook his head, worry tearing at hi, just as he had over the past six years, that he’d been able to protect Mercedes and the sisters he’d grown to love so much from his father’s cruelties before he had died
He hadn’t known about them No one had known about the to ensure their protection should anything happen to hiet hurt" That was part of what he couldn’t bear "If not physically, then otherwise They’re too trusting, Mercedes, and too innocent If we don’t watch out for thes hurt or their hearts broken?" she suggested as she turned and began cleaning the stove "We can’t keep the It’s life You know that as well as I do"
No, he daentle, and deserved farfor theh to protect the," she stated as she turned back to hiing through him "You don’t like it You don’t want to admit it, but you know it"
He refused to accept it
"I won’t let theht them home to me I told you I’d look out for them"
He had pro that promise
She shook her head slowly "There’s only so htened his chest as he suddenly wished he had brought Christa with him for this confrontation Maybe she could have talked some sense into Mercedes On the other hand, she would have probably agreed with her
"Dawg, give her this time, she needs it," Mercedes said softly "More than you know, she needs it"
She needed it
But what happened if it was the chance an enemy needed to strike out at her?
What was he supposed to do then?
FOUR
Piper loved New York City
The pace, the energy, the sense of excitement that seemed to permeate every corner of the city sank into her senses Her heart beat faster Blood rushed quick and furious through her veins, and the ordered chaos, the shopping throngs and ever-present sea of faces channeled a chaotic pace inside her own body and filled her with elation
The first tiht her to the city had been to introduce her to the many and varied bolts of fabrics and exquisite costuems available in the small, out of the way shops and fabric stores there Rhinestones, glittering crystals, clear sapphire – and emerald-colored stones--the choices seemed almost unlimited
Now, five years later, she still found the little shops and stores i for the iten--those already sketched and those that built in her iination as she found hidden bolts of unique or discontinued fabrics, bows, ribbons, and glittering stones
It was the first place she’d headed theat the hotel
The black four-door sedan was actually much smaller than she preferred for a four-door, but the latest trend in econoeneration of car designs that she si in New York City wasn’t always safe, but it was rarely dull Piper found her senses tuning in to the traffic, the bystanders, the lights and sounds of the streets as she drove outside the city toward the mountains that Eldon Vessante’s assistant had directed her to The intervieould take place at Vessante’s estate, rather than the hotel, and though she hadn’t anticipated the drive, she found it relaxed her, at least Her nerves were less than settled at the thought of the upco
As she drove out of the city and entered the less congested interstate, she could feel her excitee in ti was unexpected, especially considering the fact that his assistant had seemed less pleasant than she had when Piper had spoken to her the first tiation, she found herself turning fro onto a two-lane road that cli n for Vessante Way, the designer’s estate the assistant, S Chaniss, had told her they weredriveway in front of the three-story estate and gazed up at the stone steps leading to the massive double front doors
There were no attendants present No one was rushing to park her car, and only a sht red little sports car ahead of her was present
Stepping from the rental car, she pulled free the wide portfolio she’d brought with her and gazed around the heavily forested area for long seconds beforeslowly to the steps