TAMING MAX (Completed)

CHAPTER 46 - WHATEVER WILL YOU DO WITH ME?

We all listened intently as Max laid out our entire situation. It surprised me he revealed so much in front of Piper, but I supposed she had earned her stripes.

Once we had gone over where we were so far, we all discussed our options. They were dismal, but we had to take some action. We couldn't keep going the way we were.

Piper kept quiet while Max spoke. She was so enthralled with everything he said that he rendered her speechless. She could finally understand the full magnitude of what they involved us in.

As he recounted everything she moved closer and closer to Chase until she was practically sitting under him. I think her body naturally gravitated toward him for comfort, and I was glad he could provide it for her.

Not long before that, it would have bothered me seeing them so close. Somehow, everything we had gone through put things in crystal clear perspective. Chase would always be special to me, but it was Max who had my heart.

When Piper finally spoke she asked a very good question.

"What about your father, Chase? Can't he help us?"

"No, he skipped town days ago and said we wouldn't have any further contact with him," he explained.

"Why, why did he leave?" She continued pushing.

"He said this life had taken too much from him and with the business in our hands, he could finally be free of it. I think he was planning his disappearance for a while now."

"Why can't we do that then? We could just disappear," she suggested.

We all looked at each other, silently wondering if that would even be a possibility. I thought she had solid reasoning and lent my voice to the suggestion.

"None of us really have any ties beside each other, we could do it."

Max was pacing and rubbing the back of his neck as he thought.

"We can't, no matter where we go, they will find us. They know we hold the keys to the kingdom now," he said.

Chase stood up and joined him as he paced. They both looked at us with questioning eyes when I suggested we just turn everything over to the authorities.

"Wouldn't we be free then?" I asked.

They contemplated it for a few minutes.

"That might put a bigger target on us. They might kill us out of revenge. Besides, they have people on the inside. There isn't anyone we can trust."

Max's face lit up and I could tell that what Chase said had sparked an idea.

"What about James Stockholm from prep school?" He asked Chase.

"He is high in the FBI rank, isn't he? Do you think we can trust him?"

Max insisted they could. Apparently, even though he was older than them, they were thicker than thieves in school. According to Max, he would trust him with his life. Chase stated the obvious, that it was exactly what we would be doing.

I pointed out that if we turned everything over to him, it would have to be in exchange for us becoming ghosts. He would have to help us disappear and make sure they never found us.

We discussed how we would be dead if he double-crossed us. Piper was quick to point out that we may be anyway if we didn't do something.

It was an agonizing decision, and none of us took it lightly. We could take this leap of faith and pray that it worked or continue on and hope we made it out alive.

Unsure which way to go, we agreed to sleep on it and come together the following morning. Hopefully, by then we would all have some clarity. It wasn't like we were discussing which color of furniture to buy. We were discussing life and death decisions and none of the options held any guarantees.

When we finished, Chase walked over to Piper and picked her up. "Now it's off to bed for with you. You need your rest and I am not taking no for an answer," he told her as he carried her to the room.

Max looked at me as if it had just dawned on him how smitten he was with her and I laughed.

"What, you have noticed the way those two look at each other?"

"No, I have been too worried about how he looks at you," he admitted.

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing his lips softly.

"You can stop worrying, I am totally and completely yours."

"Is that so?" He teased.

"You've got me now whatever will you do with me?" I questioned.

"Never let you go," he said as he kissed me back until my entire body tingled.

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A/N

I know this chapter is short but I think it is necessary. What do you think about their plan? Will it work? I would love to hear your thoughts.