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"No, don't you?"
"I can't find mine." Dammit. Piper touched her head and felt a lump in the back. "I got hit? By who?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I was looking at the computer when it happened, and when I looked up, some man was carrying you out onto your patio."
"Then how did you get in here?"
"I attacked him to save you, and then he grabbed me." Kitty sighed. "I should have thought about the fact Declan was out front and screamed for help, but in the heat of the moment, it felt very important not to let you out of my sight. Sister solidarity is powerful. You're safer with me than you would be alone."
Piper's heart tightened. "You attacked a kidnapper to save me? That is incredibly sweet."
"I'm not sweet. I'm a mom, and it's in my nature to go mama bear for my kids. And that includes you. Call me fierce, a badass, a creature of darkness, but never sweet."
Sudden tears threatened, and Piper finally couldn’t keep up the lies anymore. This woman had sacrificed herself to help her. "Kitty, I really appreciate you helping me with my business and getting yourself kidnapped to save me, but I can't lie to you anymore. Declan and I aren't really engaged."
"Of course you're not. Do you think I'm a complete idiot?"
Piper stared at Kitty, the older woman's silhouette barely visible in the dim light of the trunk. "You knew?"
"My husband and my son were both cops. I have a very suspicious and logical brain. It didn't take much."
"But you went along with it?"
"Of course I did. My goal was to get Declan dating, and it worked." She paused. "And then I realized that you two are aperfect match. I was clearly a visionary when I propositioned you."
Piper cleared her throat. "We're not a perfect match?—"
"Of course you are. Declan has joy in his heart. That doesn't come lightly. He lets very few people in, and he's let you in." Kitty patted her arm. "He's in love with you, my darling. Don't you know that?"
Piper took a breath. "He told me a few minutes ago." Not that she could focus on that right now. She'd been kidnapped with a national treasure, which meant she had to get herself free as well as Kitty. Who had kidnapped them?
"Declan admitted it?" Kitty hit her on the arm. "That's fantastic! Do you love him back?"
Piper grimaced. "I'm not ready for love."
"Is that what I asked? It’s not what I asked."
Piper felt along the sides of the trunk, looking for something to use as a weapon. "We need to focus on getting out?—"
"Hey!" Kitty grabbed her shoulder. "I sacrificed myself to save you. You don't get to blow me off, missy. Do you love my son?"
Piper stared at her. "That's what my mom used to call me when I was being sassy."
"Missy?"
Piper nodded. "She died when I was sixteen. We were going to open a wedding planning business together and I was going to get her out of her life. But she died first. And just then, you sounded like her. You reminded me of her."
Kitty's face softened, and she put her hands on Piper's cheeks. "Sweet Piper," she said softly. "You've been scrambling since you were sixteen to make your mom's dreams come true?"
Piper nodded. "I'm trying so hard."
"As a mother, I can confidently say that your mom's only dream is for you to be happy. That's it. Are you happy?"
"I love my friends," she said. "I love making brides happy. I really do."
"And what about love? Does Declan make you happy? Just behonest. This might be our last moments before we die. Do you want an old lady to die without knowing if her son is loved?"
Resolution flooded Piper. "We're not going to die."
