Hands in the air, I start to back up. "I didn't do it."

"Didn't do what?" he asks, advancing on me.

"Whatever it is you think I did."

"You didn't confront Mark Williams in the parking lot of The Oaks Country Club?"

That little shit. "Yeah, I talked to him about his manners."

Hunter sighs. "You're going to have to come with me."

"The fuck I am."

Piper gets in front of me. "Jase did nothing wrong. All he did was talk to Mark."

She's lying for me. To a cop. Holy fuck. "Get behind me, Piper."

"No." Piper marches up to Hunter, shoving her finger into his chest. "You can't arrest him. He only shoved Mark away from me. I filed a report about what happened."

"Yeah, that's why I'm here. I haven't read the report, but your man's wanted at the police station for questioning over a security video from the night of Mark's attack."

Piper glances back at me, her face pale. "I shouldn't have filed it-I'm so sorry."

Hunter pushes her out of the way and she stumbles. I lunge for her, trying to catch her, but end up tussling with Hunter. Piper goes down hard on one knee.

"Seth," I roar. "Get Piper out of here. Rowan, too."

"You just had to go there, didn't you?" Hunter says as he cuffs me. "Why couldn't you cooperate and make my life easier?"

"This is bullshit and you know it, Hunter," I snap, struggling against him. Inside I'm warring between punching him and staying calm. I can't hit a cop, and not because I'm opposed to it. "You're a traitor."

"For doing something different with my life? Call me whatever you want." Hunter spins me around and begins to bodycheck me. "But if you don't calm down, I'll be forced to arrest you."

Piper's eyes are wide. Her chest is rising up and down in a familiar shallow pattern I've seen before.

"It's okay, baby. I'm all right," I assure her. "Take deep breaths for me while Rowan gets your meds from the nightstand in my bedroom."

Rowan takes off, disappearing inside the house.

"Let's go," Hunter growls, pulling me toward the squad car.

Piper screams my name and attempts to run after me, but Seth grabs her around the waist, speaking to her in low tones while she fights against him. Where the fuck is Rowan?

"Please, man. At least let me stay long enough to see that she's all right," I plead. At this moment, I don't care if I have to get down on my hands and knees to beg. I will do whatever it takes.

"Fine." He handles me roughly, shoving me against the car in warning. "Don't run."

And risk Piper? Not a chance in hell. "No problem."

Piper begins to cough, her face going from pale to bright patches of red.

"Got it," Rowan shouts, holding Piper's inhaler high in the air so that Hunter can see. "Meds only."

Straining against my handcuffs while I force myself to stay, I watch as my sister helps Piper take her meds. I count to ten with them and don't breathe until she does.

My body slumps when color returns to her face. Our gazes collide.

"I'm okay. It's okay. Everything will be fine. I promise."

"But you didn't do anything but protect me," she says, her voice cracking. "Please, Hunter, he didn't do anything wrong."

"Piper, I understand why he did what he did to Mark, but that doesn't change the fact that he broke the law and put a man in the hospital."

"I didn't fucking touch him like that," I shout. "I'm being set up. Swear to God, Piper, I didn't fuck him up him later. Swear to God."

"I know. I believe you." Piper swipes at her tears. "Please let me go to him."

Hunter's lips thin before he nods once. "Make it quick."

Piper stumbles to me, her ridiculous heels nearly tripping her. She falls against me, wrapping her arms around my neck to keep from hitting the ground. She peppers my face with kisses.

"I know you're telling the truth because you would never break a promise to me."

I want to put my arms around her so bad that it's slicing my heart to ribbons. "I promise you. Fuck, this isn't right." Somehow we crash together again, her mouth moving frantically against mine. She is kissing me in front of everyone while I'm in handcuffs and pressed up against a squad car with lights flashing.

Piper is staking her claim on me. She's not ashamed of being with me, not even when I'm at the bottom of the barrel.

"I love you," she breathes.

"Love you, too." I run my lips across her cheek. "Everything will get straightened out. I have you for an alibi."

"Yes, you do, and I'll keep shouting it until someone listens to me." She starts crying again, gently dropping her forehead to my chin. "I hate this. Why does this have to happen to you, to us? You were finding your way, figuring things out...I was-I am so proud of you."

"God, I love you."

"Time's up," Hunter says before dragging me away from her. He stashes me in the back of his squad car, then leans down. "If you can behave, I'll take off the cuffs and we'll keep what happened here between us."

"You won't arrest me for slightly resisting you?"

"I wasn't here to arrest you in the first place. Just to bring you in for questioning, which I would have explained had you not lost your fucking mind."

"Old habits and all that. But I'll be a good boy." I turn, giving him my wrists. The handcuffs come off and I massage my skin as I sit back in the seat.

"Jase." Piper calls my name and I find her in the small crowd. "I'll wait for you."

You wouldn't have to ask me to wait for you. I would just do it.

A huge lump forms in my throat and I can't say a damn thing.

Piper's eyes stay glued to mine the entire time. As we drive off, I turn, not wanting to let her out of my sight until it's physically impossible to see her.

"For what it's worth, I believe you didn't touch the guy," Hunter says.

"Oh, I touched him all right, but I didn't beat his ass like he deserved."

"What did he do to get you so pissed off?" Hunter asks.

Jaw clenching, I look out the window. "He put his hands on Piper, shook her like a rag doll, and slapped her for daring to turn him down."

"Fuck," I hear him whisper.

"So yeah, I wish I had been the one to break his face, but I made a promise to keep my nose clean. I wanted-no, I want a future with Piper."

"We're only questioning you. Then you'll be free to go."

"Yeah...so, does that video show what Mark did to my girl?" I already know the answer. Hunter wouldn't have been shocked by what that asshole did to Piper if it had.

He shakes his head. "No. Sorry."

"I'll have to meet with my parole officer afterward."

Hunter glances at me in the rearview mirror. "I'll get ahold of him for you."

"Appreciate that." I look out the window and my stomach roils. The last time I was in a squad car, I ended up in prison. I can't go back there. I refuse...

"Never the ones who actually deserve to go to jail, is it?" he asks.

"Money and power have that kind of effect on the justice system."

"But maybe not this time."

"Yeah-maybe not." But I'm not holding my breath. However, for the first time, I'm praying that things end differently for me.

Piper

Once the cop car is out of sight, I slump against Seth's truck. "What's going to happen to him?" I ask Rowan.

Her face is ashen. "If they even think he's remotely guilty, he'll go back to jail. I know they'll find any excuse to send him away."

A whimper leaves me. "Jail? He can't...I can't..."

Rowan starts to cry softly while trying to hide the fact that she's crying at all.

Seth takes her in his arms. "I know, sweetheart. I know."

"It's so unfair. He already took the fall once. They won't investigate like they should. All they'll do is take one look at the video, his rap sheet, and say, close enough." Rowan bangs a fist against Seth's chest. "I'll never get my brother back. Never."

A wave of impotent rage washes over me. There's nothing I can do to help. There's nothing I can say.

I scrub at the tears on my face and stalk to my car. I have no idea where I'll go or what I'll do, but I refuse to be helpless. I'm not going to stand here and do nothing while the man I love suffers from a false accusation.

"Where are you going, Piper?"

"I can't stay here."

"So you're bailing on us? Giving up on Jase?" Rowan asks.

Eyes narrowing, I whirl around and place my hands on my hips. "I'm not giving up on Jase, and as my best friend, you should know that about me. But crying over him isn't going to help. The mayor will do everything in his power to get Jase convicted." An idea pops in my head. "Unless..."

Seth gives me an encouraging look. "Unless what?"

"We hire a private investigator and the best lawyer Charlotte has to offer. The mayor will use one of his buddies to prosecute Jase, and normally they deal with public defenders, who are so overwhelmed with cases that I don't know if their free services are worth it. If we can get a shark, they won't know what hit until after she's done."

"She?"

I nod. "One of Mother's sorority sisters owns a firm in Charlotte. A few of the male lawyers who live in The Oaks like to call her a bitch, and that's how I know she's the best. But she's expensive and a private investigator isn't going to be cheap, either."

A look of determination covers Rowan's face. "We can use the money we've been saving to pay for the wedding."

"Absolutely," Seth says. "And I've got some more in savings."

"I'll contribute, too." It's been a month since I've been to Aristotle's Closet. "Rowan, I'm going to need your help."

"I'm up for anything."

"Then I hope you're up for cleaning out my closet."

She gives me an odd look. "I'm not sure how that's going to help."

"Just you wait and see."

- "I can't believe you sold all of your shoes and purses," Rowan groans as we walk to my car, considerably richer than when we first arrived. I didn't take much clothing since what I own, while beautifully made, isn't what their clientele is looking for, but my shoes and purses...no one can resist them.

Ebony ended up calling all the branches as well as the district manager. It was like Christmas had arrived in there.

"I kept a few pairs." The ones Jase loved and ones that would function well for work.

"But you love your shoes and purses."

"I love your brother more."