Hostage of the Heart

The Confession (Thirty)

Seated across from each other in a booth at a restaurant just a few miles away from San Francisco International Airport, Larisa stole another onion ring from her sister's plate, being so bold as to dip it within the thick puddle of ketchup next to a cheeseburger.

Because they intended to spend the day together, Larisa arrived at Piper's apartment at seven-fifty-two in the morning with breakfast--coffee and donuts. Unlike the last time she popped up with the same 'meal', Piper chose not to reiterate that donuts weren't proper breakfast food. Instead, the three settled at the dining room table to partake of the yummy donuts and coffee while engaging in chitchat. Because her shift at Rizzoli's started at nine o'clock, Piper bid them a good day and left half past eight.

Spending the bulk of the day shopping (most of it window shopping) and sightseeing although they were born and raised in San Francisco, they met Sandra and Richie for lunch at noon. Having booked an early evening flight, the siblings decided to enjoy dinner together before Desiree drove her to SFO.

Desiree clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Why didn't you order onion rings?"

"I didn't want them." Larisa's teeth sank into the perfectly crunchy coating surrounding a tender strip of onion.

She smirked. "And yet you've eaten five of mine."

"You counted?" Larisa grinned while chewing. "Stingy much?"

"Five onion rings. One or two is fine, but you ate f-i-v-e!" Desiree laughed when her sister stuck her tongue out at her while crossing her eyes, the combination causing her to resemble a ten-year-old. "I love you, Risa."

The word aaw practically written across her forehead, Larisa produced a radiant smile. "Could never tire of hearing that. I love you too." After swallowing a couple bites of her own food, she asked Desiree if and when she planned on telling their parents about the true nature of her relationship with Piper.

Desiree shrugged, dipping an onion ring in ketchup. "Not sure. Haven't given it much thought. You'd think they would have figured it out or at least suspected by now."

"I think they assume you're sharing a roof with your ex-kidnapper because you two weirdly became such good friends at the cabin." Following a few moments pause Larisa added, "Or you've lost your damn mind." Catching her sister's smirk, she grinned. "Speaking of being with Piper, are you...do you identify as gay?"

Desiree offered another shrug. "That I have thought about and I'm not certain. I just know that I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about her. I cared for and loved Alec, but I wasn't in love with him. Never ached for him. I've found men attractive, women attractive...my heart wildly beats for Piper. Not sure what that makes me."

Larisa smiled. "That's fine. You don't have to label it."

Excited squealing prompting the pair to look up, they noticed a tall grinning brunette wearing a dangerously low-cut dress hurrying toward their booth. The moment she spoke she greeted them by name, tugging Larisa from her seat. Arms thrown around her, she swayed from side to side while an amused Desiree watched. Once she released Larisa, she reached down pinching the younger sister's cheek.

"It's so great to see you two! Risa, haven't seen you since we graduated! Remember I used to call you a stalker 'cause we always had at least two classes together throughout high school?" Her laugh was probably loud enough for those walking along the sidewalk to hear. And you," she focused on Desiree pinching the opposite cheek, "look at you all grown up!" Surprising them both, she pinched an area a bit lower than Desiree's face--an area that could have her written up for sexual harassment if they were co-workers. While Desiree stared open-mouthed, she cackled. "I see you've grown in more than one place. Those are real, aren't they? Look real."

Desiree imagined breaking the fingers poking her right breast. "Yes, they're real," she tightly replied. She remembered her...vaguely. She mostly remembered that cackle-like laughter. Every time Larisa brought her home she would emit the laugh at least two dozen times and mostly what tickled her funny bone wasn't humorous.

She indicated the breasts begging to be set free from her dress. "I had to buy these. Well, the hubby did for my birthday. Better than fine jewelry!" Cackling, she turned toward Larisa, eyes zeroing in on the front of her button-down shirt. "Looks like you could stand to purchase a set." Instead of pinching or poking her again, she merely pointed toward Desiree. "Or have your sister donate some of hers!" That cackle laugh threatened to give the Love sisters headaches.

Larisa tried to smile yet it came out closer to a grimace. "Roberta, it's been nice to see you. Guess you'll be wanting to return to your table now."

Roberta nodded. "Yes, having lunch with a couple of the girls from our class." To the other woman's chagrin, she latched onto Larisa's hand. "Come with me, Risa. They'll be tickled pink to see you."

Not given an opportunity to decline, Larisa began to be dragged toward a table about thirty feet away where a couple of women energetically waved at them. She successfully halted Roberta's progress upon spotting the waiter headed toward their booth with their check in hand. "Hold on, Roberta. Need to take care of this."

Back presented to her old obnoxious school friend, she rolled her eyes prompting Desiree to conceal a laugh behind her hand. Smirking, she tugged the wallet from her back pocket dropping it in front of her sister next to the check. "My treat, Desi. Use my debit card and I have cash for the tip, okay?"

Amusement upon every inch of her countenance, Desiree nodded. "If the hyena and her pack refuse to let you go, remember that I loved you dearly."

"Haha. Take care of the bill and I'll be ready to go when I return." Pinching her cheek much like Roberta had, she walked away.

Picking up the wallet, Desiree quickly found the debit card, placing it atop the check. Mentally calculating the percentage of their bill needed to leave a decent tip, she removed and folded a few one-dollar bills, partially putting the pepper shaker atop them. Instead of closing Larisa's wallet, she began looking at the pictures, a slight smile on her face. Glancing up, she thanked the waiter as he returned to collect payment before returning her attention to the photos. That smile remained until she reached the final picture.

Desiree rapidly blinked as if by doing so she expected the image to change. However, it didn't. The young blonde dressed in short shorts and a bikini top just kept staring at her while relaxing on a chaise lounge. A few seconds passing by while her breathing elevated, Desiree looked toward her sister who occupied a table with the hyena pack. Since her back was turned Desiree was unable to read her expression, but two of the others were laughing over something.

She wished she felt like laughing. Desiree predicted that wouldn't be happening for quite a while. First she had to figure out why there was a sexy picture of her lover tucked within her sister's wallet when they supposedly just met. It occurring to her that sometimes people wrote on the back of photographs, she flipped it over, instantly recognizing Larisa's handwriting created in blue ink.

Piper, Jamaica, '93

The wheels inside her head rapidly turning, she barely noticed when the waiter returned with Larisa's debit card and the receipt. Certain things were beginning to make sense starting with her sister's return from her Jamaican summer vacation. Although she had only been thirteen during that occasion, Desiree remembered how sullen the college student appeared, wondering why she seemed so down for someone fresh from weeks spent on a beautiful island. She asked more than once, but Larisa shrugged off her concern, reassuring her that she was fine.

Fast forwarding to the following year, Desiree recalled the day she eavesdropped on a heated conversation Larisa engaged in with their dad inside his home office. Storming out, she caught her and during their brief conversation Desiree learned Richard had given Larisa's friend a stiff sentence. Now it made perfect sense why Larisa was so vexed that she barely spoke to their father over the next few weeks. That friend had to be Piper her...lover? Desiree reluctantly nodded to herself. Yes, they were lovers because if they met in Jamaica and had just remained friends why lie? It would have been easy to share that tidbit with her. Therefore, had to be more to their relationship.

Relationship. Piper and Larisa. Questions she couldn't possibly figure out the answers to without their assistance sailed through her brain. How involved were they? At what point during their vacations had they met? How long did it last? Had they fallen in love? Why did it end?

Wait. That last one she might be able to figure out or at least construct a decent guess. Larisa had been nervous about 'meeting' Piper while Piper appeared borderline hostile. Considering how they reacted to one another and Larisa not wanting to be alone with her, Desiree figured her sibling might have ended whatever went on between them.

After all, she's an absolute stranger to me, Piper claimed, which Desiree now realized was untrue. They might not have spoken or seen one another in a decade, but she was forming the impression they were far from strangers. In fact, depending on when they met in Jamaica, Larisa may have spent more time with Piper than she had.

No wonder Larisa was so resolute in stating that she wasn't interested in Taj. Made sense why Desiree couldn't recall her being in a romantic relationship with any male. Could they be in love with the same woman? Evidently feelings remained for Piper since a decade later Larisa kept her photograph nearby.

Desiree looked up just in time to observe her sister standing up and beginning to embrace each woman at the table. Figuring she was on her way back, she hid the photo underneath a wrinkled napkin and slipped the debit card inside the wallet. Hands resting on the table with her fingers linked, she adopted a casual expression as Larisa walked back to their booth. A sigh escaping her mouth, she occupied her side.

"I don't want to leave, but it just made a handy excuse." Larisa jabbed a thumb over her shoulder aimed in the laughing trios direction. "If I hadn't explained having a flight out this evening they would have insisted we join them for drinks. Can just imagine how giggly they'd become with alcohol in their systems."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"What?" Surprise shown in response to the unexpected inquiry. "Where did that come from?"

"Just curious. Sitting here thinking. I'm unable to recall one boyfriend you've had. So...have you?"

Although her heart began thumping faster, Larisa hoped her face appeared relaxed. "Have I had a boyfriend?"

"Have you been in love?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

"Not really?"

"No. Never been in love." Larisa was surprised to discover that she would rather still be seated with her old friends from high school. What could have brought on that question? And was she merely imagining it or did Desiree seem tense?

"Hm." Desiree stared until her sibling started to fidget. Tossing the napkin to the side, she flipped the picture over and slid it near the other woman's plate. "Not even with her?"

Softly uttering an expletive, dark brown eyes briefly shut while a heart nosedived into a stomach filled with agitated butterflies. She knew. She found the photo Larisa thought so many times about throwing away or at least tucking deeply into a drawer, but couldn't bring herself to remove from her wallet each time she purchased a new one. She found the photo because Larisa hadn't thought about it being in there when she asked her to remove payment for their dinner bill.

She shook her head. A stupid and quite preventable mistake. "Desi...I can explain."

"What is there to explain?" Tamping down a glare and nibbling her bottom lip, she continued to stare. "During the summer of 1993 you met Piper during your Jamaican vacation. Obviously you two hit it off well enough that you've kept her picture ever since. Something happened to sever your island relationship and you didn't speak again until you reunited the day I 'introduced' you. Am I wrong?"

"Mostly," Larisa quietly replied. "I went to visit with her after the verdict was read. Wanted to apologize for our father's harsh sentencing and...everything, but Piper didn't want to hear it. I don't blame her. She had just been sentenced to eleven years for defending her mother and then I pop up trying to talk to her after how I behaved in Jamaica. That day at the prison was the last time we spoke until this week."

"How did you behave in Jamaica?"

"Like a jerk--a cowardly jerk. Things were good between us and I really cared for her...loved her and delighted we lived in the same city we intended to continue seeing each other, but day by day I started second guessing my ability to do that. I allowed the fear of coming out to trump our relationship, so I told Piper that I didn't really love her, what we shared wasn't real and she had too many personal problems anyway that I didn't care to deal with as I just wanted to have fun."

"No wonder she was so frigid toward you."

Larisa nodded. "Yeah. The other morning I finally had the opportunity to apologize to her and she graciously accepted it." Picking up the photograph, she ran a finger along its edges. "Desi, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Didn't feel like getting into it and we've been over for so long. Piper loves and is dedicated to you." Desiree surprised her with a chuckle. Of course, she didn't look even faintly amused.

"Would be hypocritical of me to go off on you for keeping this secret, wouldn't it? Considering what I've neglected to share with Piper."

"Doesn't mean you're not allowed to be upset." When asked if she and Piper had slept together she reluctantly nodded. When asked if she was still in love with her she hesitated long enough for her sister to grab her belongings and stand up. "Where are you going?"

"Drive you to the airport. Don't want you to have to hurry. Let's go." As she headed toward the exit, Larisa place the photo back in her wallet. Rising, she tucked it into her back pocket and followed.


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3


Pulling up to the location designated for dropping off passengers, Desiree cut the ignition. Neither quick to speak, nor had they since leaving the restaurant, she drummed her fingers along the steering wheel while staring straight ahead. Larisa wracked her brain for something, anything to say when she heard Desiree sigh.

"Piper could have sort of been my sister-in-law."

Thinking that sentence beyond strange, Larisa studied her side profile. "Huh?"

Desiree continued staring through the windshield. "If you hadn't broke it off. If the two of you continued dating once home. Even if events hadn't changed meaning she still went to prison, I think you would have stayed together. I could see Piper insisting that you go on with your life after being sentenced to eleven years, but you wouldn't. You would stick by her, visit with her as much as possible and once she was released you'd resume just as in love as you were before her law troubles."

"Desi, if we were meant to be together we would have. Our romance was short-lived--a snippet in time. What you two have is long-lasting and exceptional. She loves you and you love her. I wish you both the utmost happiness. And hey," Larisa tried out a smile, "I'm interested in someone. Detective Michaela Baldwin and I had lunch yesterday and I plan on calling her on the plane. What do you think of this opening? Mickey, what would you say to joining the phone version of the mile high club with me?" She couldn't begin to express how relieved she was when her sister laughed.

"One of three things would probably happen. Either she'll laugh like I just did, or she'll want to verbally smack you or you'll get lucky. If it's the third try to keep your voice down unless you don't care about other passengers hearing you."

Grinning, Larisa thanked her for the tip. "Are we okay? You and I?" Desiree assured her that they were. "And you still want to be my roommate?"

Wearing a faint smile, Desiree nodded. "I do." Hand wrapped around her sister's, she gave it a gentle squeeze. "We're fine. Everything is fine. Don't worry. Have a safe flight, okay?"

"Trying to get rid of me?" Larisa chuckled while Desiree smiled. It didn't go unnoticed that she chose not to deny that. "All right, I'm heading in. Pop the trunk?"

"Consider it popped." Unbuckling her seatbelt, Desiree leaned over to embrace her. "Call me when you arrive."

"The moment my feet step off the plane," she promised as they released each other. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Stepping out of the car, Larisa barely removed her luggage from the trunk and shut it when the car roared to life. Spotting two fingers waving at her from the back window, Desiree pulled away from the curb. Headed inside the building she wondered if she should call Piper in order to warn her that Desiree knew the truth.


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3


Tired yet mostly excited following her first day back, Piper walked into the apartment calling out to Desiree, however, the only being to reply was Tobias. Of course, having met her at the door, he wanted his dinner. Greeting the cat, she pleased him by moving into the kitchen, selecting a can from the cabinet.

"Your mom isn't home yet?" Seated on the floor, he just stared, occasionally licking his lips in anticipation. Piper glanced toward her watch and emptied half the can's contents into a bowl. "Should have dropped your auntie off already. Actually, if her plane took off on time, your auntie should almost be home by now. Here you go, furball." Placing the bowl on a plastic mat on the floor, she rubbed his head as he immediately began to eat.

Phone pulled from her pocket, Piper intended to call Desiree until she noticed the three missed calls from Larisa. Telling herself not to panic, she called back the number on the screen as she headed into the living room where she occupied her couch. Two rings later, Larisa answered.

"Larisa, is everything okay?" Piper urgently inquired. "Desiree all right?"

"Why are you asking me if she's all right? She's not there?"

"Would I be asking you if she were?"

"When was the last time you heard from her?"

"This morning when I left for work. Did she tell you what she intended to do once she dropped you off at the airport?"

"No." Larisa sighed through the speaker. "She acted like she was okay, but I should have known she wasn't. She knows--about you and I...our history."

If she hadn't already been seated, Piper would have required the couch in that moment. "You told her?" Freeing her hair from its bun, she ran her fingers through it. Where was Desiree? Had she gone back to her parents house? Was she out driving or walking while trying to get her emotions under control?

"We were out eating dinner and when the bill came, I gave her my wallet to pay and walked away to talk with this small group I knew from high school. Completely forgot that I had a picture of you in there. She had figured it out by the time I returned so I confirmed.

"She had questions, I answered as best I could. Explained that whatever we had was over and you love her, only her. Desi even joked with me a bit in the car outside the airport. Said everything was fine, we hugged and I got out. I know you were at work, but I called you just to give you a heads up."

Although she had just released her hair, Piper noticed a headache making a swift approach. "You haven't called her?" When Larisa replied that she hadn't, Piper glanced toward the front door as though her girlfriend was about to walk in. "Thanks for telling me. I'll call her now."

"We'll be landing soon, but could you call me back with an update?"

"Sure thing. I'll leave you a voicemail if you don't pick up." Swapping goodbyes, Piper ended the call, took a deep breath and punched in Desiree's cell number. Heart pounding in her ear, she brought it to her ear, nervously counting the rings. She thought it might go to voicemail when Desiree uttered a faint hello. "Hi, baby. It's me." Again Piper wondered where she was as she detected voices talking in the background and a song she recognized as belonging to Aerosmith.

"Hi, me. You home?"

"I'm home. Where are you?" Thinking that her voice sounded faintly slurred offered Piper a clue. Damn, was she so upset that she headed to a bar? A wave of guilt washed through her while the headache strengthened.

"Just having a couple drinks."

"Where are you exactly? I'll come pick you up." Desiree refused, insisting that she would call a taxi. "Are you going to call for a taxi as soon as we hang up?"

"Yes. Be there in a little while."

"Okay. I love you, Desi." It took a couple seconds to respond and it was faint, but Desiree said she loved her too before the line went dead. Phone placed on the coffee table, Piper scrubbed her palms over her face, wondering what would happen once she arrived. Although Desiree hadn't hinted at the discovery she made, just from their brief conversation Piper could tell something was on her mind.

Her promise to Larisa remembered, she called her back with the latest information. Still on the plane, she answered, their conversation brief with Piper leaving out the part about her sister sounding a wee bit tipsy.

Taking deep breaths, she assured herself that everything would be fine. They would discuss it rationally and she would remind and convince Desiree that she was the only person for her, the only woman she loved. In the meantime, she needed to relax and take her mind off of it before she managed to drive herself crazy.

Piper stared toward her phone as an idea formed. She had been meaning to call her.
Supposed there was no time like the present. Andrea's numbers already programmed into her phone, Piper selected her cell and following a couple rings a young boy answered. For a moment she thought she might have the wrong number and then realized he could be her nephew.

"Hey, buddy, is this Andrea Gibson's phone?"

"That's my mommy," he pleasantly replied. "Who are you?"

She hesitated telling him as she had no idea what he knew about her if anything. "I'm...a friend of your mommy's. Is she there?"

"She's making dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs. I love spaghetti."

Piper didn't have to see him in order to comprehend that he was smiling. "That makes two of us. Italian food is awesome in general."

"Yeah, ravioli is great too. Love the canned ones. What's your name? I'm Kyle."

It was on the tip of her tongue to, but she decided not to lie. "Piper."

"My Aunt Piper?"

Ah, so he did know. "That's correct, Kyle. If you'd be all right with that, I'd like to meet you and your sister sometime."

"That'd be cool! Danica will agree. She thinks you're pretty. Me too. We saw your picture on TV. That's how we found out about you 'cause Mommy didn't say nothing. Your picture was next to my daddy and they said you were his sister."

"Does your mommy now know that you know?"

"Yeah, Dannie and me asked her about it and she told us all the stuff that happened. I'm sorry about what my daddy did to you and your friends."

Tears stinging her eyes in response to how remorseful the little guy sounded, Piper shook her head. "Kyle, you don't have a thing to apologize for. Your daddy was...ill."

"That's what Mommy said, but I think it was more than that. He was mean. Really mean," Kyle quietly stated. "I remember he used to hurt her and call her bad stuff. The day he tried teaching me how to throw a football I couldn't do it right so he pulled my arm so bad I had to get it popped back in. That's the day she took Dannie and me and we went to my Aunt Emily's until Mommy got us a new home."

The tears rolling onto her cheeks, Piper smiled into the phone. "Sounds like you have a very good mommy."

"Yeah, she's really awesome. Better than a mommy and daddy put together. Thought Aunt Em was cool. She helped him, but I think she was scared of him. I don't miss him, but is it bad I still love her? Mommy says it's fine but what do you think?"

"No, Kyle. It's not bad at all. Although your Aunt Emily helped your daddy, I too believe it was out of fear. Despite everything, believe good remained in her and she loved you and your sister so very much. She was just...your daddy had a lot of control over her, which she didn't know how to break free from. "

"Wish I could've helped her. Uh oh, busted." Piper understood what he meant by that when he started talking to someone else, an adult feminine voice reaching the speaker asking who was on the phone. "Aunt Piper called you!" The return of her nephew's excitement caused Piper to beam through the few tears staining her face. She heard Andrea tell him to go upstairs to tell his sister that dinner was ready. Before he handed the phone over, he asked Piper if they could meet soon. Summer vacation would start in a little over a month and he would love to spend time with her.

"That would be awesome, Kyle. You, Dannie, your mommy and I will work something out. Maybe I could teach you how to make homemade ravioli."

"Cool! You cook?"

"Yep, they pay me to do it."

"That is so cool. My auntie is a chef. Okay, I gotta go, but it was nice talking to you."

Auntie Piper the chef. Caused her to feel all warm and toasty. "Was very nice talking with you too, Kyle. Please say hello to your sister for me."

"I will." He snickered. "She's gonna be so jealous she didn't get to talk to you this time. Here's mommy."

"Piper?"

"Hi, Andrea. How are you?"

"I should be asking you as you were the one tied to a tree for days. My God. What you've been through because of my ex-husband and Emily. I'm so sorry."

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told your son--you don't have a thing to apologize for. To put it bluntly, Victor was an evil son of a bitch and Emily his reluctant lackey. Despite everything she did, I do feel for her. Could tell how remorseful she was when reading the letter. In the end she attempted to do the right thing. Too late by then yet she made an effort."

Sighing, Andrea agreed with her. "What was on the disc if you don't mind my asking?"

"Disc?"

"Oh, was there not a disc in there? Although I admit to being curious, I didn't open it. However, I did feel it and was almost certain Emily inserted a disc. Especially considering she used a manila envelope."

Though the headache had ebbed, in that moment it decided to make a sharp U-turn. Manila envelope? Disc? Desiree hadn't given her a disc or mentioned one and the letter had been inside a standard business envelope. Nausea attacking her stomach, Piper held the phone tighter.

"Andrea, I'm sorry to cut this short, but there's a knock at the door. Could I call you tomorrow maybe?"

"You may call any time you like, Piper. I'm glad you decided to get in touch. Pretty certain you made Kyle's day."

She smiled yet her heart wasn't involved. "Glad to hear that. Talk soon." Call ended, Piper tossed her phone on the coffee table and buried her fingers in her hair while fragments from one of she and Desiree's conversations in the hospital replayed.



"What is...or was his role in Victor's longtime plan?"

"Nothing at all. He didn't have any involvement."

"...said that he wanted to blackmail him, yet couldn't find anything..."

"He looked peculiar...guilty when he sentenced me."

"...Victor clearly stated that my father had zero to do with it."


Had she...no, Desiree couldn't have lied to her--looked her right in the face and lied. But why hadn't she provided the disc? Where was the manila envelope? Something about that conversation hadn't seem right. Something about the careful expressions Desiree donned caused her to feel uneasy, yet Piper forced herself not to dwell on them. It was just paranoia attempting to get the best of her.

After all, out of everyone she knew except Taj, she could wholeheartedly trust Desiree. She had been so adamant that her father wasn't involved although since the day she was sentenced Piper suspected something was off with him. Yet she decided to trust her, decided to clutch onto faith that Desiree couldn't possibly look straight into her eyes while her mouth composed such significant fabrications.

There couldn't have been a disc and surely Desiree had a good reason for opening the manila envelope although it wasn't addressed to her. Desperately clinging to rickety faith, Piper stood up and headed toward her bedroom. Soon standing in front of Desiree's duffel bag, her heart pounded as her stomach cramped. Maybe she wouldn't find a disc within. However, even if there wasn't, that didn't mean one didn't exist. She could have snapped it in half and threw it--

No. Piper shook her head. She and trust weren't the best of friends, but she had to trust Desiree. Had to trust that she wouldn't be so dishonest. If she loved her she couldn't possibly lie about something like that, right? And Piper didn't have an ounce of doubt concerning Desiree's love for her.

So there wasn't a disc and if by chance there had been, the reason Desiree didn't share it with her was because she watched it first only to discover that it was blank. Therefore, she selected not to bring up its existence and just handed over Emily's letter of apology.

That made enough sense.

Telling herself to just unzip and look in the damn bag, Piper took a deep breath and did just that, feeling like a jackass for doing so until she found a disc inside a clear sleeve. The hand holding the disc trembled as she read the words written on it.

My detailed confession


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3


Paying and thanking him for the prompt service, Desiree exited the taxicab. During the walk to Piper's apartment she wondered how she should bring up what she earlier learned. Should she just blurt it out the moment she stepped through the door? Should she ease into the conversation by asking Piper about her past relationships? Maybe if she did that Piper would open up about Larisa without her having to admit what she knew.

Admit what she knew. Desiree shook her head, wanting to smack it. How could she expect Piper to open up about something that occurred and was over and done with a decade ago while maintaining the lie concerning her father's involvement? She didn't feel she had that right. Maybe she wouldn't and shouldn't bring it up at all.

Arriving at the door, Desiree used the key Piper gave her yesterday to unlock it. About a second after she walked inside her nose detected the delicious and buttery aroma of popcorn. Popcorn before dinner? Well, she didn't feel all that hungry anyway.

She shut and locked the door as Piper greeted her. Turning to face the other woman, she pasted on a smile. "Hi, Piper. Smells good in here. You make your own popcorn too?"

Piper chuckled, walking toward her. "Nah, must confess that I had Orville Redenbacher's help." A couple inches between them, she leaned in to tenderly kiss alcohol flavored lips. "As you already smelled, we have popcorn. Thought we could watch this movie I found. Unwind for a bit before dinner. That okay with you?"

Desiree nodded. "That's great. Not really hungry."

Head cocked to the side, Piper studied her with a concerned expression. "Something wrong?" She vaguely smiled. "You're always hungry."

"Yes, I'm fine, sweetheart." She pointed toward the couch, noticing the large bowl of popcorn and two glasses of soda on the coffee table in front of it. "Should I park there?"

"Yep." Reaching around her girlfriend, Piper playfully slapped a butt cheek, light eyes twinkling. "Park that fine thing on the couch while I go retrieve the disc from the bedroom."

Piper joining her less than a minute later, she observed as she slid the disc into the DVD player. When she asked the title of the movie, Piper sat down next to her and replied, "The Confession."

Nervousness ripping through her although Piper appeared wholly pleasant, a shaky hand wrapped around a glass. Bringing it to her mouth, Desiree sipped through its straw. "What's it about?"

Remote in hand, Piper pointed it toward the television. "It's based on a true story, but I don't wanna spoil it for you. So let's just watch." Index finger punching the play button, Emily Gibson's image appeared on the screen as she said something about Richard. "Oops. This isn't the beginning. Oh, well. It's my favorite part anyway."


"As for Richard Love Sr., during the time period of Piper's trial, I hid in the backseat of his car while he was involved in an illegal gambling game at a bar. When he slipped back into the car I held a gun on him to make him listen to me and explained that I wanted him to give her the maximum sentence. In exchange I would pay the large debt he owed a bookie who wouldn't hesitate to break every bone in his body.

"Judge Love didn't want to do it. He even stated that Piper had been through enough, but I persisted. Assured him it was in his best interest to play along. If he agreed, he wouldn't have to worry about the bookie any longer, I would wire money into his savings account and his wife and family never had to discover his expensive extracurricular activities. He either made a deal with me or he was screwed."


Another button pressed, the image paused. "A win-win situation, right?" Expression no longer pleasant, Piper stared toward the anxious person seated beside her. "Everyone got something out of that deal except me. Instead of your father being screwed, he decided to screw me." Her grasp on the remote was so strong that it caused it to creak and her knuckles to pale. "I know you're skilled at keeping certain information to yourself, but what do you have to say about that, Desiree?"