Chapter 24:

"I Was There For Alex"

Piper's first instinct was to run back in the bedroom, pick up the gun, shove it in her pants like those people did in the movies, and then run. Run out of this place and into the dark Brooklyn streets, not caring that she had let the door wide open or the oven on. It was almost Winter; the sun was long gone, and the temperature: below zero. She wasn't freezing though, or at least she was not conscious that she was. After all she had been running a few miles, and she could run so many more. The only problem was: she had no idea where to run.

I was there for Alex. Everything else was just background.

And now for the first time in ten years she regretted never having paid attention to Alex's work. Where did those men hid? What did they do to the people that betrayed them? Were they murderers as well as drug kings? Would they kill Alex?

Piper felt sick to her stomach and she stopped running. It was pointless. The gun in her pants was stopping her blood circulation and she was inevitably freezing now. She couldn't do this her own, but who could she call? The police? Not a chance. There was no way they could assure their safety after that. Piper realized she didn't have many friends left… except Polly. But Polly was mad at her and Piper was mad at Polly—it made things a lot more complicated.

Polly was her best friend after her all. She could try calling her; she had nothing else to lose anyway.

"Polly? Polly? It's Piper. I need your help please." Piper begged over the phone.

"You were pretty clear when you told me to go fuck myself this morning. So go help your own self. Bye."

"Alex has been kidnapped!" Piper cried out, hoping that Polly hadn't hung up just yet. "There was blood Polly… I don't know what to do. I'm alone."

Polly was silent for while, thinking. "Fine. I'll meet you at your apartment in 10. Fuck Piper."

Piper ran back to her apartment. When she got home and saw the blood on the floor again, she fell down on her knee, falling apart. She didn't even know if Alex was still alive… Fucking Alex. She had to keep this away from her. Again.

Piper was laying on the floor, crying, when she heard a familiar voice, "Holy shit Piper."

Piper didn't move, but Polly did; she bent down and wrapped her hands around her best friend protectively, as if nothing ever happened between them. "It's going to be okay," she said softly.

Shortly after, she heard footsteps approaching—loud footsteps, a man probably. Piper tensed.

"Hey sorry I just didn't know where to park the car," a man's voice said.

It was Larry. Fucking Larry.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Piper stood up and moved away from Polly's embrace. Her anger instantly rose again. She couldn't believe this.

"Pipes, you aren't exactly living in the safest neighborhood. I didn't want to come here alone and we'll need him." Polly explained. She didn't even seem to feel a slightest bit bad about bringing him here. Piper wanted to strangle them both, but then again she had no one else.

"Let me get you a glass of water," Larry said calmly.

"So do you know where and who have taken her?" Polly said and they all sat around the table. Piper explained who Kubra was, what happened with the trial, how Alex had kept this from her and how she had no idea where Alex could be.

"Okay Okay. But she got out of prison not even two weeks ago right? So she must have bought the gun recently… did she ever leave the house and not tell you where she went or something?" Polly asked.

Piper shrugged. "We spent almost every minute together since she got out…" She thought… "Hold on. Except this morning, we went separate ways. She had a job interview, and then she bought me a present from a bakery. But no way this had taken all her morning. She must have bought it then." Piper let out a sigh. There had been so many signs that something was wrong with her fiancée. Alex had barely been able to sleep at night, she had been distant, fearful, worried. She wished she had seen this sooner.

"How do we know if she's even still alive?" Larry pointed out. Polly slapped him on the arm.

"Because she has to be… This can-t- this can't end here we haven't even. Oh god we haven't got married," Piper said with so much desperation. Larry and Polly had known her for years and neither of them had seen her so devastated.

"We'll find her Piper, we'll find her. It's going to be okay," Polly reassured her. "Did she leave her phone somewhere here?"

"Uh yeah in the bedroom I think. Let me go get it." Piper stood up and walked to their room. She fumbled through her big purse and she smiled when she saw all the items that were so Alex; a huge book, a black eyeliner, a second pair of glasses, money… lots of it. She finally found Alex's Iphone and walked back to the kitchen. Her phone had a password, but Piper guessed it easily: 0914 -he month and year of her release. She opened the messaging app and they were all messages from Piper and her aunt, except one. "She texted this guy name Joe and wrote 'Thank you for the deal, I owe you.'"

"This could be it right?" Polly said.

"Call him," Larry added. "You'll know for sure."

Piper dialed the number.

"Joe speaking. Who's this?"

"Eh, hi my name is Piper Chapman, Alex Vause's girlfriend, erm fiancée."

"Piper… so long since we have talked."

Piper frown. "I'm not sure we know each other, sir."

"We've met at a couple of parties Alex used to throw. I bartended there a few times."

Piper tried to remember, but she had met so many people, some a lot less significant than others. "Oh right…" Piper said as if she was able to put a face on the name. "Did Alex buy a firearm from you this morning?"

"She might have, why are you asking?"

"Alex is missing. I was wondering if you have any idea where she could be?"

He laughed. "Even if I had any idea, what makes you think you can go there and come out alive."

"Please… just tell me. I'll figure that out as I go. I have a feeling I don't have much time."

"You don't have much time indeed. Those guys are savages. You have to promise you didn't hear this from me alright? Because there won't be any more favor for the both of you after that if you tell." Piper promised she wouldn't tell anyone. "There this hidden underground bar on 7th avenue south that Kubra and his guys own. They'd bring the people they torture there in the back."

The word torture made Piper's stomach twist. "Okay, thank you so much."

"Goodluck," he said. Piper hung up the phone.

"So?" Polly asked.

"I have an idea where Alex might be… but I have to go alone. I can't bring you into this." Piper told them. "Thank you for coming tonight, you should get home."

Larry and Polly shared a look, and then Polly grabbed Piper's hand and held it. "We're not leaving you Piper. Look, we have been assholes. But you are family and we're not leaving you."

Piper let out a sigh of relief, but in the back of her mind she knew she didn't deserve this.

"You remember Jim, Piper?" Larry asked.

"The guy your father is friend with? The cop?" Piper remembered how much Larry's father kept talking about him like he was his own son. Unlike Larry, Jim had a very successful career and made a lot of money. Larry was always jealous whenever his dad mentioned him.

"Yeah him. I could see if he could help us with that. It's worth the try." Larry suggested.

"I don't trust cops on this. I don't trust the system. Look he was supposed to be behind bar now and he's out in the open. It's not fair."

"Pipes, you don't really have other option now," Polly pointed out. "What else are you gonna do? Go in there and shoot people?"

"I'm positive that if they catch the guy going some illegal shit, he's screwed now," Larry added.

"Call him," Piper told him. It was her last hope to get her lover back.

Larry made the call and Polly fetched Piper some dinner. Piper wasn't able to eat it though; she wanted to throw up. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to eat a meal again if it weren't with Alex.

Larry finally got a hold of Jim, and the guy gladly agreed saying this might be the case that would get him a promotion. It was about 9pm, when Polly, Larry and Piper met Jim outside the bar. Jim introduced himself to Piper and Polly, and Piper was being impatient. "Can we just fucking go already?" Piper said.

The cop explained that Larry and Polly had to stay in the car and contact backup if they weren't back in an hour. Besides, they didn't look like people who would hang out there so it would have looked too suspicious. Piper took offense that she, on the other hand, looked like she would hang there, but she didn't care because she wasn't to stay back and wait.

Jim was undercover, wearing a black suit, hiding his gun and badge under his jacket. Piper had changed into a black robe before leaving her apartment, keeping Alex's gun in her purse, and they had pickup a brown wig on their way there. Both of them would blend in well, or at least they hoped.

The entrance was not that really hidden, although there was no sign indicating there was a bar there. The door led to a cramped flight of stairs. Loud music and a noisy crowd could be heard as they went down.

"What now?" Piper asked as they reached the bar. The small room was very crowded; it made Piper feel nauseous and the cheap wig she wore was itching. It was hell, and it was only just the beginning.

"We take a drink and look normal while I figure a plan," he said calmly. He mouthed the bartender to bring them two beers. "Do you notice any door that could lead to some other room?"

Piper shook her head no. "There's only the bathroom door in this corner," Piper said, pointing across the room. The light was dim and all the people made it hard to see. The bartender served them their beers and Jim thanked him. "Are you really gonna drink that?" Piper said when Jim brought the bottle to his lips.

He drank a sip. "Homemade beer. There's probably a small brewery in here somewhere. I'm guessing that's where he hides his people." He drank another sip and stood up. "I'll go check the men's bathroom, see if there's anything. You stay there, don't move alright?"

Piper nodded. She waited for him to come back. 15 minutes and he still wasn't back. Piper was about to stand up and go find him when she noticed a man, dressed up in a suit, come out from under the bar. The bartender stayed quiet and gave him a soft nod, almost intimidated by the guy. There was definitely some kind of entrance across the counter where they could access to some other room. She had to find a way to access it, but with the bartender there it would be impossible. Where the fuck are you Jim?" The clock was ticking, and the faith of Alex unknown. Piper decided she had waited long enough.

"Hi sir, you, what's your name," she asked the bartender with a seductive smile.

"Gary," he replied. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes. Gary, see, my friend that was with me earlier, he went to the bathroom and he's been there for a while. I was wondering if you could go see if he's okay?"

The man seemed envious. "Why don't you go yourself?"

"It's a men's bathroom… you know." Piper said with a shrug.

His features softened. "For a pretty lady like you, I sure can." He threw his towel on the bar and walked toward the bathroom door. Piper rolled her eyes at how men could be so easy sometimes.

Piper darted on the other side of the counter and ducked. There was a small trap on the floor. She opened it, revealing a ladder. Without wasting any more time, she went down. He pulse was throbbing in her veins; this was it. She'd know if Alex was still alive right now.

It looked like the right thing to do at first. She saw an opportunity to find Alex and she took it without even thinking about it twice. This was a mistake. A really fucking stupid mistake.

"Well well what do we have here," a man said.

Piper was so startled by the voice that she missed the last three steps down and fell on the floor, her purse flying in one direction and the wig in another.

A woman's scream was muffled by some cloth over her mouth.

Alex.

a/n: Quick update tonight, I hope it wasn't too bad. Hopefully I'll be able to update before the end of the week, but I have to pull a three 12 hour shift in a row so we'll see. I have to say I was quite blown away by all your reviews! You guys make me love writing this so much. Thank you! I hope you keep writing them. Love! –Shirley.