Chapter 11
Both women were exhausted by the time 9am rolled around. Piper had gotten up once more during the night to feed Charlotte around 5am, Alex slept through the whole thing. The brunette rolled over and draped an arm over her girlfriend, "What do I tell my mum?"
"Mmhhh, what?" Piper was still very much asleep and was not ready to wake up.
"I need to ask her to babysit while we see Fahri, what am I meant to tell her?"
Piper pulled Alex's arm into her chest and closed her eyes again, "The truth."
"The truth…."
Piper sighed and turned around to face Alex, "Yeah, the truth. You're gonna tell her that we're trying to find a way out of this. Al, things have gotten so fucked up, you can't lie to her anymore."
"Pipes, the less she knows, the less she needs to worry about the police."
"Give me a break Al, its gone way past that point. Have you forgotten that you nearly died a few weeks ago?"
Alex had to look away from Piper's stare, and shook her head.
"Every time our lives are falling apart, your mum is always there. She did it when I left Jack, and she's doing it now. You can't lie to her anymore."
Piper put a hand on the brunette's chin and forced her to look up. Piper expected her to look annoyed but she didn't, she just looked worried.
"What are you afraid of?"
Alex looked back into Piper's eyes, "Everything, nothing, I have no idea…"
They lay in bed with each other for a little while longer until Piper forced Alex to call Diane and ask her to babysit. Alex was secretly hoping she wouldn't answer the phone, but of course she did.
"Hey baby."
Alex put all her focus into controlling the tremble in her voice, "Hi mum, are you busy after lunch?"
"No I'm free all day, I covered Sherry's last two shift so she's covering for me today."
"Would you mind watching Charlotte for a while?"
"Of course not, you know I love babysitting. You girls heading out for a romantic lunch?"
That's when Alex could feel her heart beating in her chest, "No, I promise I'll explain everything when you get here."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just don't wanna talk about it over the phone."
Alex hung up the phone after a few more minutes and rolled back into Piper's arms.
0-0-0-0-0
Diane was knocking on their door a few hours later, worried about what Alex was about to tell her.
Just like every other time, Diane picked up Charlotte as soon as she saw her, with the little girl resting into her familiar embrace.
They all sat together at the kitchen table, with Alex taking one more deep breathe before telling her mum the truth.
"We'll be out for two or three hours this afternoon. I, ummm, I need to speak to one of the guys I work with."
Diane immediately looked worried, "Is everything okay?"
Alex was about to roll out her usual lie that everything was fine, until Piper interrupted her, "No, everything is not okay."
Diane gave Piper a thankful look, she knew Alex struggled with talking about these things. Piper put an arm around her girlfriend and kept talking, the way Alex was biting her bottom lip made it very clear that she was done talking.
"Alex's boss is trying to make her go back to Indonesia, indefinitely."
Diane's eyes kept darting between the two women sitting across from her, "What! Why? You told me all that Indonesian crap was over, that you wouldn't need to travel there anymore."
Alex managed to find her voice again, but only just, "Yeah, well, that deals off the table now. All because, fuck, because I couldn't pull that trigger."
Piper started rubbing Alex's back as she put her head in her hands, trying to keep it together.
"Baby…."
"He thinks I'm fucking pathetic mum, all because I wouldn't kill some 20 year old kid that made all the same fucking mistakes I made ten years ago."
Diane was completely lost for words, and waited for Alex to keep talking.
"If I get on that plane, I won't be coming home any time soon. It's just gonna keep on happening, I can't fucking shake this."
Piper could feel her shaking and kept trying to calm her down, "It's okay Al."
It took a few moments but Alex finally composed herself, "Anyway, we're meeting with a guy I work with. He's not a bad person mum, there have been so many times when he could've let the cartel swallow me whole, but he didn't. I don't know what else to do, I need him to help me find a way out, to find a way off that fucking plane."
Alex could see her mum trying to process everything she'd just been told. The older woman eventually looked at Piper, "You're going with her?"
"I won't let her go alone."
"Okay. Alex, I don't know what to say. But I meant every word I said in the hospital, I'm not going anywhere."
Alex closed her eyes, still trying to keep her emotions in check, "Look, I don't know what's gonna happen. Everything might blow up in my face, but I need to try."
Diane reached across the table and grabbed her daughter's hand, "I know baby, just please be careful."
0-0-0-0-0
It was another hour before Alex and Piper were walking into Fahri's apartment, and he clearly wasn't happy about Piper's presence.
"She shouldn't be here Alex."
Piper didn't wait for Alex to respond, "Why shouldn't I be here? I love her, and I have every right to know what the fuck is going on. I'm not the one that's been putting her in danger all these years, you are!"
Piper held his stare, determined to make sure he knew that he couldn't intimidate her.
Fahri poured himself a scotch, annoyed by the whole situation, "Alex is a big girl Piper, she wanted this job, I didn't force her."
Piper scoffed, "Really? So you didn't prey on a vulnerable young girl so you could get her to do all your dirty work?"
"Shut your fucking mouth..." Fahri's words were slow and deliberate as he stared at her from across the room, the only reason he was even allowing Piper into his home was because she was Alex's girlfriend.
Alex grabbed Piper's hand, "Pipes, you need to stay calm. Please babe, he's my only way out of this."
Alex practically whispered those last few words, but Piper could still hear her. She could see the absolute begging look in those green eyes, and tried to remind herself where she was. She knew that Fahri had done Alex more than a few favours over the years, but that didn't mean she had to like him.
Fahri led them into a back office where everyone sat down, ready to talk about this fucking nightmare.
He lit up a cigarette and started talking, "I've spoken to Kubra, convinced him to meet with us in a couple days to discuss things."
Fahri was being vague, and it was making Alex uncomfortable, "So, what are we gonna say in this meeting?"
"Let me do the talking Alex."
"You need to give me more than that, what does he even think this meeting is for?"
Fahri looked his friend dead in the eye, he knew she had every right to be worried, but this was one instance where he needed her to do what she was told without asking any questions.
"I need you to trust me on this one Alex. All I need you to do is come to the meeting, I'll take care of the rest."
Alex felt so conflicted, but all Piper felt was anger, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
Piper could feel Alex grabbing her hand under the table, but she didn't care. This whole plan was insane, and Piper couldn't let her go through with it.
"We need to hear him out Pipes."
"No, Alex! This isn't a plan! Just showing up for a meeting with the man that has complete control over your life, when you have no idea what's going on, that's not a good plan!"
Fahri had officially lost his patience with Piper, "You don't know shit about this world Piper! You have no fucking clue! And you know nothing about me, so shut the fuck up about things you don't understand!"
Alex could feel Piper about to yell again and stopped her, "Piper! I know you're scared, I'm scared too. I'm fucking petrified, but I don't have any other options."
Piper was absolutely fuming at Alex's continued blind faith in this man, "There is no fucking way I am letting you go to this meeting alone when you don't even know what the plan is!"
Those words pushed Fahri over the edge and he threw his scotch glass across the room and glared at Alex, "You'd better fucking control her Alex."
Piper stood up and knocked her chair over in the process, this was exactly why Alex didn't want her girlfriend to be involved in any of it. Piper ran on pure emotion at times, which was not a good mix when it came to people like this. Aside from the fact that this whole discussion would just make the blonde more worried and anxious.
Alex stood up and put her hands on Piper's face, forcing the blonde to slow down and pay attention.
"Pipes, I need you to calm down," but Piper still had her eyes focussed on Fahri.
"C'mon Piper, please look at me, please."
Piper recognised the desperation in Alex's voice and finally looked at her.
"It's too dangerous for both of us to be at that meeting, just in case something goes wrong. One of us needs to be around for Charlotte….."
Piper could literally feel her heart breaking in her chest, but that feeling was very quickly replaced by more anger as she pushed her girlfriend away, "Fuck you Alex!"
Alex knew that look on the blonde's face, she was ready to run out of the apartment, but Alex grabbed her arm.
"Talk to me Piper!"
"Why do you keep telling me that you'll always be here if you're so fucking scared of getting killed!"
Alex kept her grip on Piper's arm, she needed the blonde to hear her out, "Because, that's what I need to keep telling myself. Okay, so it's no huge secret that I don't have 100% control over my life right now, but you need to believe that I'll always come back to you."
Alex felt Piper's arm go limp, and finally there was silence. Fahri had stayed in the corner of the room, watching the two women yell at each other. He felt for Alex in that moment, he could see how much strain she was under, this was exactly why he avoided serious relationships.
All three of them eventually sat down again, and Fahri started talking, "Piper, it's best if you're not there."
"Whatever…."
"Alex, meet me here at 11 pm on Thursday night, I'll drive us to the meeting."
0-0-0-0-0
Their drive home was mostly silent, Piper was mad, but it was worth it for Alex. She had no idea what would happen at that meeting with Kubra, and she wasn't willing to put the blonde in that much danger.
There were only two things Alex could control about that meeting - making sure Piper wasn't there, and whether or not she would bring a gun. The brunette had been completely honest with Piper about everything else, but she wouldn't be telling her about that gun.
"Talk to me Pipes."
But all Alex got from her girlfriend was an icy stare. It was this level of stubbornness that drove Alex nuts.
"I know you probably hate me a little right now, I don't blame you. But this is the only way I can keep you safe."
Still, all Alex got in return was silence.
It wasn't much longer before they were home and Alex had parked the car. Piper tried to open her door, but it was locked. She finally spoke, but she still wouldn't look Alex in the face.
"Let me out."
"No," Alex kept her voice calm and low, which made the blonde even angrier.
"Open the fucking doors!"
Again, Alex gave the same response, "No."
More silence followed, until Piper's voice filled the small space again.
"Why are these meetings perfectly safe when you're there, but too dangerous for me?"
Alex shrugged, "I don't know, you being there will just be one more thing for me to worry about."
"And you can only focus on one thing at a time?"
"Exactly."
The two women stayed sitting in silence, Alex didn't think there was anything she could say to make Piper feel better. She was relieved to eventually hear Piper's voice, even if it was a whisper.
"I really fucking hate you sometimes..."
Those words hit Alex hard, she unlocked the doors and watched her girlfriend walk into their apartment building. They'd never had a fight like this before, Alex wasn't sure she knew how to process it. All she did know was that she wasn't ready to walk back into that apartment. She started the car again and drove back to Fahri's place, she needed something, anything, to help her get through this.