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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: see Chapter sixteen
~~~~~~~
To End The Evil
Part 36
Breakdown
Parker poked her head through the door leading to the back yard.
It was dark and there was not much to see.
There were several trash cans near the door. She looked around and saw a car at the far end of the yard.
~~~~~~~
When he saw the door opening and Parker’s head appeared in the stream of light he got out of the car and whistled silently to get her attention.
~~~~~~~
She swung around and quickly localized the source of the sound.
Jarod stood next to a car she hadn’t seen before.
She strode over to him. When she arrived, Jarod had already slid back into the car.
Parker quickly joined him and Jarod started the engine as soon as she was seated.
They drove off in silence.
Jarod concentrated on the street and at the same time observed the rear-view mirror if there was anyone following them.
After a few miles and some roundabout routes, Jarod huffed and relaxed slightly in his seat.
Parker, who had been equally tense, looked at him.
“Everything clear?” she asked, looking over to him.
“Yeah. They obviously didn’t notice you slip away,” Jarod said.
A sarcastic remark lay at the tip of her tongue but she bit it back.
Jarod looked burned out. Even in the semi light of the car she recognized the fatigue in his features.
She gently laid a hand on his right shoulder but the moment she touched him, he winced and groaned softly. He tried to stifle that groan but she heard it nonetheless.
“Jarod, you are wounded,” she exclaimed.
He chuckled mirthlessly. “Bullets tend to do that to people.”
Parker growled. “Which one of them was it?”
“Dunno. There was no back-to-sender address on it,” he replied sarcastically.
“Jarod, that’s not funny!” Parker gasped.
For the first time that evening, he looked directly at her. “No, it isn’t!” he snarled back.
Parker looked at him, her head tilted to the side. She frowned. She didn’t like that undertone in his voice.
“You know what? I’m tired of it. I’m so damn sick of being a living and running target. They got ‘that’ close to getting me today and I…,“ he growled.
“Jarod, pull over!” Parker said calmly, though she didn’t feel that calm right now.
“No, we have to go on,“ he argued.
“Pull over!” she ordered sharply. She knew she had to get through to him.
His head snapped toward her and when he saw the determined expression on her face he complied.
When the car came to a halt she reached over to him and carefully avoided touching his right shoulder.
She cupped his cheek in her hand and gently applied pressure so that he had to look at her.
When he met her eyes, he huffed and closed his.
“Jar, look at me,“ Parker pleaded.
“They nearly got me, it was so damn close, so…,” he stammered.
“Jar,“ Parker interrupted him gently.
“So close. The bullets whipped through the air and… God,” he kept on rambling.
“Jar! Look at me,” Parker directed more forcefully this time. He opened his eyes and met her gaze.
What she saw in his eyes startled her bur she determinedly pushed her emotions aside.
“Jar, the key word here is ‘close’. The ‘nearly’ got you, but you are here, ‘alive’!” Parker clarified.
Jarod averted his eyes from hers and looked down. When he looked at her again, he sighed. “I was afraid. Hell, no, I ‘am’ afraid!”
Parker nodded.
She didn’t know much about what had happened. Willie had been very tight lipped but from what she could get out of him, Jarod had every reason to be frightened.
There was nothing she could respond to Jarod’s remark so she drew his head down onto her shoulder, silently offering him comfort in her touch. He leaned into her and soon his head rested heavily on her shoulder. She gently caressed his back and ran her hand tenderly through his hair.
“They got so damn close,” he whispered.
“Yes, they got close,“ she admitted.
“What if…,” Jarod started but she resolutely interrupted him.
“That’s not of importance! It will forever be a ‘what-if’-case. It did ‘not’ happen and so there is no need in knowing the ‘what if’,” she said.
“But…,” Jarod tried again.
“No, Jar. I won’t let you do that to yourself! You were the one keeping me from asking that question myself several weeks ago. Remember? ‘You’ told me that we couldn’t be sure of anything in life and that we can’t influence what is happening,“ she told him pointedly.
He looked up at her and found only reassurance in her eyes.
Jarod drew a deep breath and withdrew slightly to get a better look at her.
“So, what do we do now?” she asked, feeling him getting a grip on his senses again.
“What do you mean?” he asked back, looking puzzled at her.
“I mean ‘now’. What do you want to do now?”
“I’m tired of it,“ he said.
Parker sighed and let her shoulders fall. She had dreaded that when she had seen the look in his eyes.
“I’m so damn tired of being a running target, tired of pushing me forward. I don’t want that to go on forever. It’s time to finally put a halt to that,” he snarled.
Parker looked up at him again, new hope shining in her eyes.
“I’m sick of it! We have to stop them for once and for all. There are only two places left and I intend to get the remaining evidence to reach our goal. I want the Centre out of our lives… forever!” he clarified.
Parker searched his gaze and he held it, determination returning into his eyes. The emptiness she had seen there before that had startled her was gone and replaced by confidence and certainty.
Seeing that, she smiled slightly and nodded. “Then let’s go get that evidence,” she agreed. When he reached awkwardly for the key in the ignition with his left hand she asked: “Wait, what about your shoulder?”
Jarod snorted. “Nothing serious. Luckily, the bullet just scratched it.”
“That’s good. You want me to drive though?”
Jarod looked over to her and smiled. He shook his head and smiled. “No. I’m fine.”
With that he started the engine again and directed the car back into traffic.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~
Part 36
Breakdown
Parker poked her head through the door leading to the back yard.
It was dark and there was not much to see.
There were several trash cans near the door. She looked around and saw a car at the far end of the yard.
~~~~~~~
When he saw the door opening and Parker’s head appeared in the stream of light he got out of the car and whistled silently to get her attention.
~~~~~~~
She swung around and quickly localized the source of the sound.
Jarod stood next to a car she hadn’t seen before.
She strode over to him. When she arrived, Jarod had already slid back into the car.
Parker quickly joined him and Jarod started the engine as soon as she was seated.
They drove off in silence.
Jarod concentrated on the street and at the same time observed the rear-view mirror if there was anyone following them.
After a few miles and some roundabout routes, Jarod huffed and relaxed slightly in his seat.
Parker, who had been equally tense, looked at him.
“Everything clear?” she asked, looking over to him.
“Yeah. They obviously didn’t notice you slip away,” Jarod said.
A sarcastic remark lay at the tip of her tongue but she bit it back.
Jarod looked burned out. Even in the semi light of the car she recognized the fatigue in his features.
She gently laid a hand on his right shoulder but the moment she touched him, he winced and groaned softly. He tried to stifle that groan but she heard it nonetheless.
“Jarod, you are wounded,” she exclaimed.
He chuckled mirthlessly. “Bullets tend to do that to people.”
Parker growled. “Which one of them was it?”
“Dunno. There was no back-to-sender address on it,” he replied sarcastically.
“Jarod, that’s not funny!” Parker gasped.
For the first time that evening, he looked directly at her. “No, it isn’t!” he snarled back.
Parker looked at him, her head tilted to the side. She frowned. She didn’t like that undertone in his voice.
“You know what? I’m tired of it. I’m so damn sick of being a living and running target. They got ‘that’ close to getting me today and I…,“ he growled.
“Jarod, pull over!” Parker said calmly, though she didn’t feel that calm right now.
“No, we have to go on,“ he argued.
“Pull over!” she ordered sharply. She knew she had to get through to him.
His head snapped toward her and when he saw the determined expression on her face he complied.
When the car came to a halt she reached over to him and carefully avoided touching his right shoulder.
She cupped his cheek in her hand and gently applied pressure so that he had to look at her.
When he met her eyes, he huffed and closed his.
“Jar, look at me,“ Parker pleaded.
“They nearly got me, it was so damn close, so…,” he stammered.
“Jar,“ Parker interrupted him gently.
“So close. The bullets whipped through the air and… God,” he kept on rambling.
“Jar! Look at me,” Parker directed more forcefully this time. He opened his eyes and met her gaze.
What she saw in his eyes startled her bur she determinedly pushed her emotions aside.
“Jar, the key word here is ‘close’. The ‘nearly’ got you, but you are here, ‘alive’!” Parker clarified.
Jarod averted his eyes from hers and looked down. When he looked at her again, he sighed. “I was afraid. Hell, no, I ‘am’ afraid!”
Parker nodded.
She didn’t know much about what had happened. Willie had been very tight lipped but from what she could get out of him, Jarod had every reason to be frightened.
There was nothing she could respond to Jarod’s remark so she drew his head down onto her shoulder, silently offering him comfort in her touch. He leaned into her and soon his head rested heavily on her shoulder. She gently caressed his back and ran her hand tenderly through his hair.
“They got so damn close,” he whispered.
“Yes, they got close,“ she admitted.
“What if…,” Jarod started but she resolutely interrupted him.
“That’s not of importance! It will forever be a ‘what-if’-case. It did ‘not’ happen and so there is no need in knowing the ‘what if’,” she said.
“But…,” Jarod tried again.
“No, Jar. I won’t let you do that to yourself! You were the one keeping me from asking that question myself several weeks ago. Remember? ‘You’ told me that we couldn’t be sure of anything in life and that we can’t influence what is happening,“ she told him pointedly.
He looked up at her and found only reassurance in her eyes.
Jarod drew a deep breath and withdrew slightly to get a better look at her.
“So, what do we do now?” she asked, feeling him getting a grip on his senses again.
“What do you mean?” he asked back, looking puzzled at her.
“I mean ‘now’. What do you want to do now?”
“I’m tired of it,“ he said.
Parker sighed and let her shoulders fall. She had dreaded that when she had seen the look in his eyes.
“I’m so damn tired of being a running target, tired of pushing me forward. I don’t want that to go on forever. It’s time to finally put a halt to that,” he snarled.
Parker looked up at him again, new hope shining in her eyes.
“I’m sick of it! We have to stop them for once and for all. There are only two places left and I intend to get the remaining evidence to reach our goal. I want the Centre out of our lives… forever!” he clarified.
Parker searched his gaze and he held it, determination returning into his eyes. The emptiness she had seen there before that had startled her was gone and replaced by confidence and certainty.
Seeing that, she smiled slightly and nodded. “Then let’s go get that evidence,” she agreed. When he reached awkwardly for the key in the ignition with his left hand she asked: “Wait, what about your shoulder?”
Jarod snorted. “Nothing serious. Luckily, the bullet just scratched it.”
“That’s good. You want me to drive though?”
Jarod looked over to her and smiled. He shook his head and smiled. “No. I’m fine.”
With that he started the engine again and directed the car back into traffic.
To be continued…
