from the place, and no one else seems to be worried about how she’s doing.” Michael found himself still itching to fight, his nerves still on edge, and the thought of all those complacent people enjoying their meals was making him crazy.
“Is she going to be okay? Are you taking her to the hospital?” Bobby had urgency in his voice that spoke volumes about his feelings for Piper.
“We were talking that over,” Johnny cut in. “Her vitals are stable. We know what kind of pill he gave her. It was rohypnol, or ruffies. She isn’t showing any signs of an allergic reaction, most likely she needs to sleep it off as long as someone can stay and watch her. We’ve got to get back to the station, so I don’t want to rush you but we need to make a decision.”
“I don’t think she’d want this to turn into a big thing,” Michael said, forgetting for a minute that he hadn’t really introduced himself as more than a stranger in the right place at the right time. “Dealing with the Donavans, especially in court, is no easy process. There is a restaurant full of people ready to cover for Sean. Unfortunately I’ve been through this process with him before. They’ll drag her through the mud in any kind of case we try to make. Piper got lucky tonight; maybe we should just cut our losses and move on. I think that’s what she would want.”
“You know Piper?” Bobby asked with a skeptical glare. He let his mind run through the scenarios of how this man might somehow be involved.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself.” Michael leaned into the ambulance and shook Bobby’s free hand. “I’m Michael Cooper. I’m a lawyer and a friend of Piper. I was out tonight having drinks with some people from work and saw her up at the bar.”
“I’m Bobby Wright,” he answered, skeptical of this entire situation. “So you’re the Michael? You’re the one Piper has been doing all this research for? I find it odd that one day she’s digging up cases on these guys for you and the next she’s risking her life at the bar with them. It sounds like maybe you were looking for a little more information and decided to use her as bait?” Bobby put Piper’s hand back down gently and exited the ambulance to get a better view of Michael. Bobby was excellent at reading body language, facial cues, and tone of voice. If he was going to get an accurate read on this guy he’d need to get closer.
“She isn’t doing any research on my behalf,” Michael barked defensively. “She’s writing some paper for school, and I’ve been giving her pointers. I have no idea what she was thinking being out with Sean tonight, but you can be damn sure I didn’t put her up to it. If you guys are such good friends why didn’t you know where she was?” Michael was dumbfounded at the attack. All he had tried to do up until this point was steer Piper away from danger. He certainly wasn’t putting her in harm’s way.
“She dropped out of school months ago. She isn’t writing any paper. What the hell is going on?” Bobby replied, looking back over his shoulder at Piper.
“Guys,” Johnny said. “I’m sorry but I need to either get her to the hospital or not. Can someone keep an eye on her tonight?”
“Bobby, I don’t have all the answers, but I think you should get her home. Getting any deeper into this isn’t going to help her.” Michael wasn’t naive enough to think his knowledge of Piper or their friendship was that deep. He did, however, know the Donavans and the lengths they would go, to avoid prosecution.
Bobby climbed back into the ambulance and lifted Piper, holding her close to his body. Michael shook hands with Johnny, nodded a thank you to his partner and opened the rear door of Bobby’s cruiser.
Once Bobby had placed Piper in the back of his car and positioned her in a way he thought she’d be safe, he turned back to Michael. The ambulance had driven off and now it was only the two men standing uneasily on the quiet corner.
“Thanks for keeping her safe tonight. I’m glad you were there. I don’t want to think about what might have happened if Sean left with her.” Bobby’s mind was churning with questions and worry. He wasn’t completely sure what he thought of Michael