TAMING MAX (Completed)

CHAPTER 21 - BLACK AND BLUE

Chase sat his coffee down as he stood up to greet Piper. I stayed seated trying not to stare but I couldn't tear my eyes away. She kept her head down and wasn't making eye contact. Neither of us said anything as she ordered coffee from a waitress walking by.

I took the opportunity to continue surveying her body. She had a dark circle under her eye that displayed shades of blue and purple. Her lip had a cut on it with even more bruising.

I couldn't help but notice she was wearing long sleeves. Reaching over the table, I quickly grabbed the end of her sleeve. It was loose and flowing which made it easy for me to pull it up her arm. As soon as I did, I regretted it. Seeing the marks covering her arms made me feel ill.

How could someone do that to her? I was at a loss for words as tears began to trickle down my cheeks. She put her hand over mine to comfort me. How ironic? She was comforting me when someone had used her as a punching bag.

Chase put his arm around me as well. I had no idea what he was thinking but he was probably as shocked as I was. The silence was growing awkward between us and I had to say something.

"Who did this to you, Piper?"

I didn't realize that my words would come out filled with anger but they did. Someone that I loved had been hurt and I was equal parts angry and devastated.

She just shook her head side to side, she didn't want to tell me. Chase decided that he would give it a try.

"Piper, someone has obviously hurt you."

His words weren't angry, they were soft and comforting. I don't know why I would expect anything less from Chase. He had always been so caring and sweet. I liked to think that he was only that way around me but I was beginning to realize that he was equally as kind to everyone else.

Tears began to spill down her cheeks. We looked like quite the pair, sitting in a coffee shop crying.

"It was him wasn't it?" I asked her.

She didn't respond but her gaze shifted from everywhere else to me and at that moment, I knew. Chase was trying to catch up and demanded to know who I was talking about.

"Piper met a guy online and they have been dating."

"Is that true?" He asked her.

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Just tell me where he is Piper, I will take care of it," he insisted.

You could tell she was considering his offer but after a few minutes she turned him down.

"No Chase, that's not necessary. He is really a good guy, he just lost his temper. He told me it won't happen again."

I could see Chase's anger beginning to slowly boil to the surface. That was the first time I ever saw him like that.

"Piper, good guys don't lose their temper by hitting girls. If he hit you once he will do it again, you have to know that," he told her.

She looked so ashamed of herself. Somewhere deep inside she knew she was in over her head but she wasn't giving up, at least not yet.

"Look, guys, don't worry about me. I really think he regrets it. I am going to give him another chance and if he does it again I will be out of there, no questions asked."

"Piper, this guy beat the shit out of you," I reminded her.

"I pushed him too far Lillie, he told me to leave him alone and I just kept talking."

"And you should be allowed to say anything you want for as long as you want without being hit."

Piper took the last sip of her coffee and stood up walking around the table to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her forehead to mine.

"I am fine Lillie," she tried to convince me. Before she left she gave Chase a hug too. She was walking toward the door when she stopped and turned around.

"I had a really good time with you last night Chase."

"I had a great time to Piper."

And then I had to watch my friend walk out the door. I didn't know if she was walking right into another attack or if she would come to her senses. All I knew was that I was scared for Piper, guys like that do not change.

After she left, Chase and I ordered another cup of coffee. He grilled me, trying to find out anything I knew about what was going on with Piper. The truth was, I didn't know much. I had never met the guy and didn't even know his name.

When we finally left the coffee shop I realized that we had been gone for way too long. Max would likely be up by then and I didn't want him to be alone.

Once we got back to the mansion, my fears were confirmed. Max was in the living room sitting on the sofa just staring into space. He seemed to be a million miles away when we walked in. I took a seat next to him and placed my hand on his knee.

"Sorry we were gone so long, we met Piper at the coffee shop." He put his hand over mine and nodded his head.

Chase was sitting across from us and had the same concerned look that I did. We watched as Max pulled a card out of his pocket along with his phone. I recognized it, it was the card we found the night before.

"Are you sure you want to call that number?" I asked him.

"No, but I have too."

Chase and I sat quietly while Max dialed the number. He left the phone on speaker so that we could hear. The phone rang three times and then a recording came on.

"This message is for Maxwell Livingston. Be at 112 Ashton Street at 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning." 

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A/N

Thanks for continuing to follow Max and Lillie's journey. What do you think about what happened to Piper? Do you think she is going to be okay?