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Chapter 36

Author: Stephie Walls
last update Huling Na-update: 2022-10-26 14:22:23
Once at the courthouse, Dax flanked my left side, clutching my hand, and Douglas Drake did the same on my right, leading me with a hand on the small of my back as they pushed through the crowd. There were news crews outside, a ton of people Douglas later told me wanted to get in the actual courtroom to witness the trial, and even some brandishing signs of moral support. I tried not to acknowledge any of it.

When I had dressed this morning, I put on a suit I hadn't worn since leaving the bank and a kickass pair of heels. When I studied myself in the mirror, I saw the strength that had left me over a year ago that night at the bar. I wasn't the same person, but the determination that carried me through my parents' death would carry me through this as well. I straightened my spine and held my head high. Donning my inner Boardroom Bitch, I braved the day ahead.

My friends were here in support but met us inside and followed Douglas's instructions about where to sit. Shelly had come wit
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  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 38

    Today was the last day. This was the pinnacle of my hell. I had listened to the testimony of witnesses Josh's attorney had called, but in all honesty, I heard them talk but didn't hear any of the actual words. I was so consumed with my own fear of the stand that I mindlessly stared across the courtroom. I shook from my trance when Douglas called me to testify. My eyes met his, and they were encouraging and strong. I took my seat in the chair, the bailiff swore me in, and then the questioning began. I knew what to expect from my attorney. We'd gone through it multiple times to make sure my answers were consistent, and I avoided information leading to openings for the defense to attack. No matter how many times Douglas had tried to warn me, I wasn't prepared for cross-examination.The defense's attorney went after both my frame of mind that night and my overall character. "Is it possible, Ms. Pierce, you were too intoxicated to remember encouraging the defendant?""No, it's not

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 39

    The sentencing didn't take place the day Josh faced conviction. The hearing for that was today. It had been a couple of weeks since we were last in court. I didn't know what to expect today, but as usual, I had my entourage by my side and knew I could take on anything life threw at me. There was no stopping the rest of the crew from showing up today. All of Dax's brothers were in attendance, and the Wrights were here as well. The judge gave Josh the opportunity to say anything he'd like to the court, which he refused. I wasn't surprised. He looked rough. When we were in court before, it was obvious someone had gone to painstaking lengths to dress him up, but today, it appeared as though the almost thirteen months had taken its toll on him. I left knowing Josh Fost would serve the next twenty years behind bars without the possibility of parole. For the first time in over a year, the weight of that night didn't press on my shoulders. I knew I would deal with it for the rest of my l

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 40: Epilogue

    Climbing out of the bathtub, I dried myself off. I took the time to put lotion all over my body before I wrapped up in a terry cloth robe. I started to change into one of Dax's shirts and put on a pair of panties. It was faint, but I heard the notes from the piano downstairs through the closed bedroom door. He hadn't played since the night months ago when his story stopped. I was sure he had played at Healing Wings, but I hadn't heard it.I crept to the top of the stairs to steal a seat to his concert. "Kitten..." Damn."Yeah, baby?" I called back trying to pretend I had no interest in the music."Come down here."I eased down the stairs as quietly as possible. I didn't want to disturb the music, but more importantly, I didn't want to miss a single note. As I rounded the corner, there was a sea of color. Every color calla lily imaginable covered every surface of the front room. He didn't make eye contact with me, only continued to play. I wandered in, listening to the famili

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 41:Compass

    To My Readers...Here's the truth behind Compass. My husband and I met on February 7, 2009, we were engaged on February 7, 2010, and our lives were turned upside down on the morning of February 7, 2011-just three months after we married. Compass is inspired by my own personal life experience. The events of the years this took place had a profound impact on my life and left me forever changed. While I used my creative license to align the story with the rest of the characters in the series, the premise is based in reality. The frustration, the pain, the heartbreak, the triumphs-we felt all of those emotions...some of which we recovered from, others we did not. My own story didn't end the way Piper and Moby's does but I can tell you, we had our own version of a happy ending. We both prevailed over the hand we were dealt and, in the end, came out stronger. Sometimes the fight of your life doesn't have a winner or a loser-sometimes you're lucky to merely survive.

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 42: Piper-Three months earlier

    "You did what?" Rachel's irate, her face reflecting her rage by the deep shade of crimson red it's become. She's normally not very easy to rouse, but she's in rare form today. Her laid-back personality is nowhere to be found. The vein bulging in her forehead makes me want to giggle-she looks like a Klingon-but I choke back the urge. Glancing at my watch, I wonder how long this persecution will continue. I get she's angry. I get it; they're all angry. But the fact of the matter is I'm thirty-six years old. Before this weekend, I've never married, and never seriously considered marrying. At my age, you don't need to date someone for three years to know whether you're compatible. I'm firm in my ways. I've lived alone for years, so I know; people are either a fit or they're not. Rachel doesn't grasp that concept at twenty-eight with more boyfriends in her history than I can begin to count. She kicks them out as quickly as they come, with a never-ending supply waiting in line. That's

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 43: Moby

    There're lots of great things about being a guy but I've just decided the best being: my friends won't demand an explanation for cutting them out of a wedding, rather they'll likely be thanking me they got to avoid that shit. My brothers, on the other hand, are another story. I don't think Brooks and Landis care, but Dax has to care because his fiancée cares. We just eliminated her role in planning two weddings with her best friend.I mistakenly believe I have escaped the wrath by leaving the girls in the kitchen and retreat to the solitude of the porch. Thankfully, the smoke from the grill is keeping the mosquitos at bay and the sun is no longer blinding."I'm not going to attack you, Mo, but Mom and Dad are going to go bat-shit crazy." I'm not sure when Dax appointed himself the keeper of the clan, but his Father Knows Best mantra is getting annoying."No, they aren't.""Are you insane? You're the first one of the four of us to get married. Mom's going to cry." Landis thinks

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 44: Piper

    They crowd in the house. Finally, everyone's cheerful and back to themselves, which in turn, makes me content. I love everyone here dearly. The Coopers have been like family since Dax and Cam started dating. They all became overwhelmingly protective of Cam's crew: me, Sutton, Charlie, and Rachel. The Wright brothers were a bonus courtesy of Cam and Dax. Julie Wright is the receptionist at the bank Cam used to work for before her attack, and the youngest of the Wrights. Their parents and the Cooper's parents have been thick as thieves for nearly forty years, lived across the street from each other the same amount of time, and had children at coinciding intervals-four in each family. Julie is the only one of the group who's not here tonight and also the only girl. Watching this brood in my home, I find humor in the run down, each brother having a partner from the other family, well except Dax. His partner passed away several years ago in a horrible car accident no one speaks about. Bu

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 45: Piper

    As the last of our friends leave for the evening, I shut the front door with Moby close behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist, whispering in my ear, "It could've gone worse." "We need a bigger house, Moby." Sometimes I wonder if I have Tourette's or maybe ADD-the things that come out of my mouth are often random as hell and exactly what I'm thinking. Moby moved in with me because he was renting and I live downtown. Having all the gang here, the townhouse is simply too small. I want to add to our group, not have to pick and choose who we have over because we don't have enough room for everyone.He flips off the light switches leaving nothing but the streetlights to illuminate our path. Taking my hand, he pulls me up the stairs as I continue to talk. "Surely you saw people were sitting on the floor to eat and in separate rooms. That's no good. How did I not realize before tonight how cramped this place is?" I stop on the steps in front of him, turning around to come face t

    Huling Na-update : 2022-10-26

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  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 111: Moby-Epilogue

    Six months ago, I moved back home. I thought things would be simple. I figured once I was physically back where I needed to be, everything else would just fall back into place. It didn't. It took work, lots of fucking work, and continues to take work daily.Emotionally, Piper was in a far worse place than any of us realized. She had developed abandonment issues and separation anxiety, not just with me but everyone she's close to. The great thing about working at a crisis center is the resources available to her. Just like Cam, Shelly has become her confidante. They meet a couple times a week, and together, we're all working on putting our relationships back together. It's a slow process and maybe one we'll work on for the rest of our lives. I'm just thankful to have the chance to do it. Whenever I see Shelly, I wonder if she comprehends just how many times she's really saved one of the Cooper boys' asses. Our journey through treatment is made a little more difficult in the last fe

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 110: Piper

    Waking up, still wrapped in Moby's arms, his nose nestled near my ear, I stare out the same window that brought so much disdain yesterday, and wonder if it's possible the world has righted itself and is back on the correct axis.Twenty-four hours ago, the same sun shone through the same glass onto the same face, but its warmth did nothing other than start the repeat of another mundane, dismal day. Today it holds promise and wonder.I observe the clouds move as the light becomes brighter, not wanting to wake my sleeping husband, and instead opt to just enjoy the dawning of a new day.He begins to stir beside me, but I'm unable to tell if he's still in the throws of sleep or going to attempt to join me in the wake of the morning. He answers my unasked question by nudging his hard member against my butt, just letting me know he's there. His smile moves across my neck as he begins to scatter soft kisses over my skin.As his hands begin to wander, I tense in the apprehension of his

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 109: Piper

    I don't have the energy for this. Between last night and today, I'm out of fuel to pretend like I give a shit anymore. I refuse to perpetuate a sham of happiness in my own home. I have no idea why Moby came back here, but if it's to rub my nose in how content he is, I wish he would've saved it for another day. Collapsing on the couch, I stuff my hands in my hoodie pockets, finding the little memento someone so graciously sent me. I haven't had time to really study it, but from the quick peeks I've taken, it's stunning. I rub my thumb over the inscription using it to soothe my weary soul.I watch in awe as Moby strolls across the room, not a single sign of the stroke visible. Whatever he's been doing for the last five weeks worked. He looks fantastic, and his confidence is soaring once again. I fight the attraction I feel seeing the man I married emerge again. It will only end in heartache. When he takes a seat across from me, I know this conversation is going to be more than I can

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 108: Moby

    Knocking on the door to the dressing room to keep from startling her, she calls out to come in.Looking up from her hands, I find she already changed clothes and is back in her hoodie and jeans. It must be eighty degrees outside but I imagine with as little body fat as she's currently carrying around she likely stays cold. When she sees me, she stuffs her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt in an attempt to hide whatever she was focused on before I interrupted."Are you ready to go home?""Yeah, I'm just getting my stuff. Do you want to meet me there?""No, my car's already at the house. Dax picked me up there this afternoon."She's confused and doesn't understand this has been my plan since she walked out of the hospital. Well, right after Dax and I got into a screaming match, and he punched me in the face. After that, this became my plan.She doesn't resist or argue just rises to her feet, grabs her purse and garment bag. I take the dress from her, holding the door open

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 107: Moby

    I've never been more thankful in my entire life that Piper and I eloped. I cannot imagine having corralled people the way we have been tonight. I realize it's a huge crowd, but we are people, not sheep. Every moment of the evening has been precisely planned by either Cam or her wedding guru, who seems more like a drill sergeant than an event coordinator. At the very least, there's no way I could possibly be sitting at another table.When guests begin to take their seats after the cocktail hour, I finally spot her. My heart breaks. Brooks was right. There's almost nothing left of my soul mate. She looks like a skeleton. The skin barely hangs on her body. This didn't all happen in the last month. Looking back, I knew she was losing weight-and not in a healthy way-but I was so consumed by my own turmoil I didn't recognize how serious things were. The last month has just about killed her. I doubt she weighs a hundred pounds. The constriction of my chest makes it hard to breathe. My on

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 106: Moby

    "Brooks!" I chase after my brother the moment Piper's out of sight."Yeah, bro, what's up?""Did you not give her the gift?""Of course. Just like you told me to. Why?""She's cold. She won't even look at me. You guys promised me this was temporary. I've worked my ass off day in and day out trying to prove myself. Why's she brushing me off?" I'm trying not to blow a gasket, but I'm out of options. I don't have any more tricks up my sleeve. I played the only hand I have. For the last five weeks, I've worked out for grueling hours a day, each of my brothers and her friends adding something to the daily regime. I've been in the gym with my buddies and co-workers who've pushed me harder than I ever pushed when I was healthy. There've been days I worked out more than I slept. My muscles have ached, I've been tired as hell, but I stayed focused to show her how much I love her and that I'm committed as fuck. I haven't reached out one time, there've been nights I took my phone to

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 105: Piper

    Helping grab all the bride's accouterments, we traipse inside, bogged down with more crap than any one person should have. Her hair and makeup are already done, I can't imagine what the hell is in her arsenal, but leave it to Cam to be prepared for any situation. "How do you want to do this, Cam?" Rachel asks after hanging the bags around the room."My mom's bringing in the flowers just before we walk, so really all we need to do is get dressed, right?"I'm just along for the ride. I'll do whatever I'm told."So you guys go ahead and change. I'll do what I can on my own but once I put the gown on you'll have to button it and lace it up."None of us, to my knowledge, have even seen Cam's dress. She's kept it a highly guarded secret, so unless it's made a debut in the last couple weeks, we're all in for a treat.Each of us busies ourselves with lingerie, pantyhose, dresses, and high heels. Every head in the room turns to the door when a knock comes.Sutton gasps when her s

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 104: Piper

    Waking to the sun shining through the windows, the haze-filled rays warm my skin, the illusion of a beautiful day beaming in. I lie in bed, having stared out into the same creation day after day, I force myself to get up and brave the world. Showering, shaving, and donning the most comfortable clothes I believe I can get away with in the spa we're scheduled to meet Cam at, I put on a fake smile, grab my dress, and get in the car. Mentally trying to prepare myself to pretend I'm enjoying my time with my friends, I blast the radio, singing along to the hottest music I can find, but it does little to lighten my mood. The ride is over too quickly, and before I know it, I'm staring at the entrance, my Fish staring back at me. They're waiting for me to get out of the car to go in together. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Repeat.Grabbing the handle, I swing the car door open, plastering my face with a smile that swears I'm happy to be here. They greet me warmly. My girls seem to

  • The Siren Song Series   Chapter 103: Piper

    The dress is better than anything I could've ever dreamed and so much prettier than the original. I haven't bothered mentioning it to Cam and doubt she'll notice when the time comes. I figure it's best not to acknowledge it, stressing her out even more than I assume she already is. She took yesterday and today off work and all of next week for their honeymoon, but I'll see her, and everyone else, tonight at the rehearsal dinner. I'm dreading the entire thing, which pains me. I've been looking forward to Cam's wedding for years, even though we didn't have a groom. Not just hers but all the Fish. I've wanted to watch my friends take the next step, open the next chapter in their lives, each of them. Somehow, the last year seems to have taken all that joy away, sucked it right out from under me. Not only is the joy no longer there but it's been replaced with apprehension and fear. My friends haven't talked to me since I left Moby, even though they all agreed it was what I needed to d

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