To Be The Last Ch. 05

Even with all her whining, Blake kept his gaze fixed to the car in front of him. His hands were gripping the steering wheel hard and he had to relax. He didn't like having a partner because it was too much of a burden to be responsible for someone's life. He didn't have control of what was to happen and having Piper around was worse than having a partner. She'd walk in front of a loaded gun and provoke the gun holder to pull the trigger.

"Where are we going? Couldn't we have just walked there? Hello?"

Ignoring Piper, Blake escaped to a conversation he had with Alexia nearly four years ago...

"Blake, I don't care that people keep telling me you're bad for me." Alexia lifted her dark eyes to meet his.

He gave her a small smile before she rested her head on his bare chest again. He never was one for after sex talk, but he liked talking to Alexia. His hand threaded through all that gorgeous, thick hair of hers. He tugged lightly until she looked back at him.

"I'm a selfish ass who doesn't care that people tell me I'm bad for you." He replied, his heart beating a little quicker when she gave him a dazzling smile.

"Well, you know what they say..." She started off, "...too much of a bad thing is always a good thing, right?" She laughed softly before kissing his jaw.

"I'm not positive that's how the saying goes." Blake teased back.

"Maybe I can convince you then." Alexia wagged her brows playfully before moving down his body.

Blake sucked in a breath as her lips traveled lower. "Be my guest."

At the end, he was a believer.

And Blake wasn't going to give up on Alexia's memory. Not ever.

"So you're not talking to me? Is that how it is?" Piper's voice broke into his thoughts.

He scowled as Alexia's beautiful face vanished from his mind. He thought of her less frequently in the past few weeks and he was sickened with himself for being distracted.

"A reaction! Success!" Piper grinned widely. "Gods, Blake. Lighten up. You look like someone stole your lollipop or something."

"Do you have to fill every moment with useless chatter?" He asked a bit harsher than intended.

Piper's teasing expression dropped and for a split second, she looked hurt. That was quickly covered up as she sniffled at him disdainfully. "We're stuck in traffic and there's nothing good playing on the stations. I thought we could make it less boring by getting to know each other."

"I don't want to get to know each other." When would she understand that?

"You're such an asshole. Why do I have to be attracted to complete jackasses?" She muttered, crossing her arms. "It's a curse. I always go for the bad boys who are more boys than bad."

"Look," he cut her off. "If we talk about ourselves, will you shut up on the ride back?" He tried to compromise.

Piper perked up and nodded quickly. "Okay, yes. Deal. But, before you try to make me talk the whole time, we're taking turns."

"Fine. You first." Blake said. Thankfully traffic was lightening up just a bit and they were finally moving.

"Well, my name is Piper Amanda Greene. My father named me if it isn't obvious...'Peter Piper'. Luckily no other siblings from my mom and dad or they'd be named Picked, Pack, Pickled, and Peppers. I am twenty-five and a Texan native. My parents are divorced. My mother still lives in Texas, obviously my father lives in Nevada. I'm an art curator and I also do some art restoration, but am thinking of switching to the bounty hunting profession." She batted her lashes at Blake, but he was too busy watching the back bumper of the car in front of them.

Blake let out a long breath as if the information was being tortured out of him. "I go by the name Blake Gabriel Alexander. I'm thirty-seven-" he paused at Piper's gasp that he didn't look that old before he continued on as if she hadn't spoken, "and I was born and raised in France. My mother used to be a model. She passed away when I was young. I only know that my father was a rich businessman and I honestly don't care to know more."

Piper blinked a couple times before she remembered herself. She figured the quicker she said something about herself, the more she could learn about Blake. "I used to be a tomboy when I was younger. I'm an only child from my mom and dad, but I have a bunch of step siblings and half siblings when my mother got remarried. My stepdad is okay, but he favors his own kids. After awhile, my parents stopped fighting over custody when my dad offered to take me without any child support from my mom. If you think I'm spoiled, you can totally blame my dad for that."

The affection for her father was evident in Piper's voice. Blake gave a very small smile at her last sentence. "I went to an all-boys school in France until I was twelve. When my mother died, I stayed with her brother. We traveled all over Europe and the Middle East."

Piper was storing everything away to think over later. "I've dated a lot, but have only been in love twice. My first love was my high school sweetheart, Troy Lucas, and after graduation, I moved to New York for work. He didn't want to move to the other side of the United States so we broke up. The second time I fell in love was with a photographer, David Craig, but again, schedules didn't work out."

She almost regretted jumping onto the topic of love so early. Blake was quiet for a long while. Before she could tell him that he could talk about something else, he spoke.

"Alexia was the first and last time I loved in my life. She grew up very privileged and could be a brat at times. Even though she had her tantrums, she knew when to be professional. She was very intelligent and remarkably kind. I wanted to protect her and always see her smiling. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her." Blake didn't continue. He took a left and headed down a narrow street.

"What happened?" Piper asked softly. She was envious of this Alexia woman. Blake obviously thought the world of her. Did she cheat on him?

"She died."

Piper's head snapped to the side and she studied Blake's profile. "How did she die if you don't mind me asking?"

"We're here." He stated and put the car in park.

She could have commented on how that wasn't fair, but she didn't. Instead, she followed Blake out of the car and to the rundown apartment complex. They entered the building in silence. Piper and Blake were waiting for the elevator as she kept peeking over at him. Part of her wondered if that was why he was such an ass all the time while the other part wondered who this Alexia chick was that affected Blake so profoundly.

The elevator doors opened and the two stepped into the small lift.

"Um, what floor?" Piper asked, but Blake had leaned over, pressing into her back as he pushed the button for the seventh floor. Her breath caught and she didn't inhale until he stepped away.

If Piper wasn't mistaken, the lift was crawling up to the seventh floor. By the time they reached their destination, Piper felt as though she was boiling in that tiny elevator. With Blake so close and silent, her skin was itching in awareness. For once in her life, she didn't take the opportunity to be suggestive.

They exited and headed down the hallway and took a right. She looked at the numbers on the doors as they passed and came to the last door at the end of the hall. Blake knocked and they both waited patiently. There was some shuffling until the door was cracked open and someone demanded to know what they wanted.

"Hello, Ms. Wheeler. We're looking for a Kyle Fredrickson. Would you happen to know where he might be or a way to contact him?" Blake asked the woman. She was doing her best not to make eye-contact.

"No. I have no idea where he is. Sorry." She was all too quick to close the door, but Blake stopped her.

"Thank you for your time ma'am. I'd just like to give you my card. If you think of something, please call." He said carefully as he slipped her a card and a piece of paper he just scribbled on.

The woman paused and took the card and paper. She glanced up and Blake felt his blood boil at the black eye she was sporting. Her eyes scanned the paper and she scrunched it up.

"Sure...I'll call if I remember anything. Sorry you had to drive all the way out here." She shut the door after eyeing Blake and Piper.

The two were walking away and Piper lowered her voice. "Ohmygod, did you see her face? Do you think Fredrickson did that to her?" Her stomach came up to her throat when she saw that purple and green bruise on the woman's face.

They rounded the corner before Blake spoke. "He's in there. She's too scared to admit it." The woman they visited was an ex-girlfriend of Kyle Fredrickson. She had an off and on relationship with the guy because of his abusive nature. She called the cops on him once, but didn't press charges for the broken arm he had given her.

"If he's in there, can't we just get him?" Piper nearly shouted. Why where they leaving that poor woman with that disgusting man?

"I want you to wait in the car. You'll be more trouble than it's worth." He commented.

Piper stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?"

Blake motioned for her to follow along, but the idiot started marching her way back down the hall. He turned quickly and started following her before she broke out into a run. In hindsight, that was a stupid thing to do. Blake caught up with her in two seconds and almost yanked her arm out of the socket.

"What do you think you're doing?" He hissed.

"Something you're not man enough to do. I'm not leaving her in there with him for a minute longer." She growled back.

Blake narrowed a look on her. "Goddammit, Piper. Stay out of the way. Go to the car and stay there. I will handle this."

His cell buzzed and he let go of Piper's arm to pick it up. A hushed voice came through and he could hear the water running. It was Vanessa Wheeler and she was hiding out in the bathroom. She told him that Kyle Fredrickson was staying with her and she was scared and didn't know what to do.

"Shhh. Just calm down, sweetheart. Take a breath." He instructed. It broke his heart to hear a woman in tears or afraid. "I'll get him out of there and you'll never have to see him again." Since Fredrickson tried to skip town on pretty serious drug offense, he wasn't going to get any mercy on his sentence. Blake would make sure that fucker got his full eight years and no parole.

"Here is what I want you to do. Say you're going out grocery shopping. My friend will keep you company while I handle Fredrickson. Everything will be alright, Vanessa. Trust me." He said calmly into the phone. Piper was staring at him wide eyed, but he would explain later. "We will be waiting around the corner of the hall."

Vanessa sniffled a thank you before she squeaked when someone pounded on the door. Blake could hear a muffled, male voice and Vanessa's reply that she would be right out. She hung up on Blake.

"He's in there and she's terrified. We'll meet her around the corner. I want you to bring her somewhere, keep her company. She needs someone right now. I will handle Fredrickson. And do not get in the way, Piper." Blake warned her as they walked back down the hall and around the corner.

Piper could hear her heart beating in her ears. She was a bit scared and curious. It was like watching a thriller. Even though she thought Blake said her name beautifully, she was more worried about what was going to happen. She got to read Fredrickson's file and he was being charged with possession of six kilos of cocaine and illegal possession of firearms.

Blake gave Piper a reassuring smile. "Don't go all weak on me now, Piper Greene. Your father would be disappointed."

She would have smiled in return if she wasn't so dumbstruck at the fact that Blake was being nice to her. "I won't get in the way. I'll make sure Vanessa is safe." Blake was trusting her with this and she wasn't going to let him down.

The moment Vanessa rounded the corner, the woman started to sob. Blake let Piper take care of Ms. Wheeler while he grabbed the set of keys from her bag. It would be easier if he caught Fredrickson unawares. The man would hear the door open and think Vanessa forgot something.

"Take the stairs, hail a cab, and go someplace public. I will call you when this is over." Blake told Piper. She nodded and led Vanessa towards the stairs.

---

By the time Piper got a call from Blake, she had been thinking something horrible might have happened to him. She had called her father and he said he wasn't about to call Blake because that could distract him. So Piper had called the office and was put through to Gutierrez who told her the same thing.

She had brought Vanessa to a diner and they ordered some dessert. The poor woman had been so mistreated. Piper listened to Vanessa saying how she was from the East Coast and she had met Kyle there. He was so charming and she ran off with him to Vegas. Her parents and siblings were so upset with her, but she was too embarrassed to go back home before she got too scared to leave Kyle.

Talking with Vanessa kept Piper's mind off of Blake. Piper was able to convince Vanessa to head back home. They could stop by Vanessa's place and pack a bag. Piper assured her that Greene Investigations could cover the plane fare. If not, Piper could reimburse her father.

They had finished three cups of coffee each and two plates of apple pie ala mode before Vanessa gave her first happy smile. Piper thought that smile made everything worth it. Vanessa really was a cute girl when she smiled, even with the puffy, bruised eyes, and runny nose.

Feeling her cell buzz, Piper fumbled to pick it up. "Hello?" She breathed when she noticed Blake's number.

"Hey. How is Vanessa doing?" Blake asked softly.

He sounded fine. Piper let out a relieved breath. "She's doing well. We had some dessert and coffee and chatted. Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm at the hospital-"

Piper gasped. "Ohmygod, what hospital? I'll be right there." She was digging in her bag for her wallet to pay.

"No, it's not for me. Fredrickson jumped off the balcony to avoid capture. I guess he thought he'd make it down fine. There are witnesses who can vouch for that story. He broke his right leg and shattered his left wrist. He may have fractured a few ribs as well." Blake had intended to shoot to injure the guy and do some self-inflicted wound to say it was self-defense. Fredrickson had been shooting up and was clearly not in the right state of mind.

Piper slumped in her seat. "Blake, never scare me like that again." She breathed.

Vanessa was looking at her curiously and Piper smiled to indicate that everything was fine. Blake reported that he would pick the two of them up soon and he wanted to know where they would be. Piper told him that they were going to catch a cab back to Vanessa's place so she could pack a bag and then they were bringing her to the airport. After they agreed on that, they hung up to tie loose ends on their part.

"Kyle is in the hospital with a broken leg, shattered wrist, and fractured ribs. I say good for that bastard." Piper smiled over at Vanessa. She reached over and squeezed the girl's hand. "We'll head back to your apartment, pack a bag, and then we'll bring you to the airport and get you a ticket for back home."

Piper paid for the bill, much to Vanessa's embarrassment. "Don't worry about it. I'll write it off as a company expense." She winked at her.

They caught a cab back to the apartment and Vanessa hastily packed a bag. She was on the verge of crying a few times because she was just so happy. Blake called that he was downstairs and asked if they needed help carrying anything. Vanessa said all she needed was in the suitcase she packed.

The ride to McCarran had been quiet for the most part. Piper would ask Vanessa about her family and Vanessa would respond before it drifted back to silence. That was for the best though. They arrived and Blake handed a wad of cash to Piper to pay for Vanessa's ticket.

"I got it Blake." Piper told him, but took the money since he wouldn't leave otherwise.

While Blake pulled away from the curb to drive around, Piper and Vanessa went in to make a flight. Vanessa insisted on paying Piper and Blake back, but Piper was having none of that.

"You just make up with your family, find a good guy who will appreciate you, and then send us invitations to your wedding." Piper smiled and hugged Vanessa before the front desk staff slid the ticket and transfer ticket over.

"I hope I find someone like your boyfriend." Vanessa said softly.

Piper laughed at the thought of Blake being her boyfriend. "Oh Lord, be ready to put up a fight then. That man fights me every step of the way."

They walked together as far as they could go. Piper had slipped one of the hundred dollar bills into Vanessa's bag. Hugging each other one last time, Piper told Vanessa to have a good life. Piper headed back outside to wait for Blake. She gave him a call and he came along in five minutes.

It was getting dark and Piper was thinking Blake owed her dinner. "This is yours." She held up the money and tried to give it to Blake. "I gave a hundred to Vanessa and I was tempted to keep the rest, but that wouldn't be right." She laughed and reached over to put it in the Blake's jacket pocket. "Really, Blake. Don't fight me on this. I travel a lot so I made her ticket from my business account and it was really cheap."

Blake for once didn't argue. He glanced over at her and said something that totally caught her off guard. "Thank you. You did pretty well today."

"Wow, what do we have here?" Piper teased him. "You can repay me in sexual favors." She batted her lashes at him. "Or you can take me to In-N-Out Burger and we can call it even."

"In-N-Out Burger it is." Blake quickly said.

Almost too quickly.

Piper narrowed her eyes at him and sniffed. "You could have at least humored me." She said and crossed her arms.

They reached In-N-Out Burger and decided to do drive-thru and then park somewhere. They ended up in the parking lot with one Double-Double, a cheeseburger, animal fries, a strawberry shake, and a Coke. Piper handed Blake his cheeseburger and Coke...everything else was hers.

"You're missing out, Blake. Try some of these animal fries, they are delicious." Piper offered it up to him.

Blake eyed the mess and looked back up at Piper. "That is alright. I'll pass." He was wondering how she stayed so thin with her constant and seemingly unappeasable appetite.

"Suit yourself." Piper shrugged and picked up three fries to shove into her mouth.

When she placed the fries on the arm rest between them, she grabbed her burger and unwrapped it. Taking a big bite, she moaned loudly. Usually she was pretty strict about her diet, but today would be an exception. She swallowed after chewing and found the food stuck in her throat, she tried to sip at her shake, but it was too thick.

Blake handed over his drink when he saw Piper struggling with hers. Since first meeting her, he got to see different sides to her that he was sure she didn't let others see too often. She liked showing that she was confident and flirty, but he preferred when she wasn't so careful about her appearance and actions.

She grabbed his drink and took a big gulp to help the food down. "Too big a bite." She agreed and handed Blake back his drink. "You can have some of my shake if you want."

"I'm good. Thanks." Blake replied after swallowing his bite.

He finished off his burger while Piper alternated between the burger and the fries. He was certain she was fixing to give herself clogged arteries and a heart attack. She had popped the lid off her drink, tilted the disposable cup in a 45 degree angle and squeezed. Blake was about to advise that wasn't the smartest idea when the entire ice cream shake came rushing down and covered half of Piper's face.