Piper looked at Jenna, who gave a tight smile. They usually ro-sham-bo’d for the shit jobs, and this one qualified, but it was Piper’s turn and they both knew it. She squatted low to get eye to eye with the driver. “Sir, we’re going to need you to cooperate so we can get you out of here, or—”

“Or what, you won’t save my life? I’ll sue your ass, dead or alive!”

Nice. But before she could respond, Xander and Ryland finally broke into the car. It took all four of them to get the guy out and subdue him, because it turned out he was also high as a kite, and whatever he was on had given him some serious superhuman strength.

She felt completely done in by the time she got home after her third hellish twelve-hour shift that week.

It was habit to bypass her house and head across the property to check on Emmitt. She jumped over the creek that was thankfully small again and knocked on the back door. As she waited, she flashed back to the other day, when they’d all had dinner together like they were a unit.

But it wasn’t the memory of dinner that had butterflies taking flight in her stomach, or why she was suddenly starting to sweat. Nope, she knew exactly what was up and his name was Cam.

No one answered, but she could hear talking, so she turned and followed the voices down to the marina and the lake, where she found Emmitt and Cam on one of the docked boats.

Along with Winnie.

Winnie was talking a mile a minute, and laughing too, and Piper stilled, feeling a little left out. Of everything. How long had it been since she’d seen her sister looking happy like that? She honestly couldn’t remember, and she knew if she intruded now, she’d ruin it.

So she started to walk off, but Cam called her name. With a grimace, she turned back and found all eyes on her. “Hey,” she said, as casually as she could.

Winnie waved with great cheer, which from experience Piper knew was mostly guilt. But what the heck could her little sister be feeling guilty about?

Winnie rose and brushed a kiss to Emmitt’s cheek. “Thanks for the tips. I’m going to go get started right now.”

“Started on what?” Piper asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

“What kind of a surprise?”

“A surprise! Jeez!”

“The last time you surprised me was when we ran into each other in the middle of the night. I was going to the bathroom, you were sneaking out to a party.”

“I was fifteen!” Winnie tossed up her hands. “Give me some credit.”

Piper watched her stalk off, feeling the heat of humiliation on her cheeks as Cam and Emmitt moved to join her. “I can’t seem to engage with her without a fight.”