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Hostile Environment
Chapter 8
By Callisto
Emerald Point Road
Millsboro, DE
He loved the feel of power in his hands, literally and figuratively. The sleek form and eager power of his BMW roadster was intoxicating and the recently acquired upgrades in power increased his enjoyment exponentially. The road up ahead beckoned like a beautiful siren, revealing only a hint of its twisty, switchback curves with a plant encrusted cliff wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other. Many an expensive roadster and enhanced racing coupe have wound up plunging over the sheer expanse to crumble hideously on the unforgiving rocks below.
Jeremy Lindholm was an indomitable man. His business acuity was legendary as were his appetites. Jeremy pressed the accelerator gently and felt the small two-seater leap eagerly ahead at his command as he headed with high adrenaline into the start of the twisty blacktop challenge. Jeremy timed his reactions well, as he expertly downshifted and using a racecar driver’s techniques—heel-toed between the pedals pushing his work of art to its limits. The resulting hard-edged growl of the red-lined engine flooded Jeremy’s mind like a narcotic; no chemical could reproduce this level of pure enjoyment.
When he came out of the turn, Jeremy had an adrenaline junkie’s endorphin induced, euphoric smile on his face. As he approached the next turn, this one a blind curve, Jeremy accelerated again and intent on performing the same maneuver was unexpectedly surprised when the car initially responded as designed but then failed to react to his carefully timed breaking. Jeremy tried to steer his way out of trouble but it was too late—he was going far to fast. Seconds before his beloved machine smashed into the side of the cliff, the oddly cold but friendly smile on the face of his new mechanic flashed in his mind. He had thought the man was a bit strange; now the warning klaxons his instincts had sounded began to make sense, just as he and his car were smashed, then exploded into small, indiscernible bits.
Hours later, Lyle was standing on the road where Jeremy had finally lost his stupid roadster game. This was a disaster; there was no other way to look at it. Lyle stared glumly at the smoking, twisted and fragmented metal, small pieces of which were fused to equally small bits of Jeremy. The guy had been definitely bent but he knew how to rein in his impulses and get the job done when required. Lyle personally didn’t subscribe to Jeremy’s particular brand of depravity, however he had attended a couple exclusive ‘parties’ that Jeremy hosted. Lyle was only lightly interested in S & M, his own tastes tended to run towards the exclusively sadistic. He was the only one he would allow to physically harm him. Although, that encounter with Parker in the parking garage last year, when he had grafted Raines’ thumb onto his own hand, held some uncomfortable possibilities.
Shaking himself with a deep measure of self-disgust, Lyle contemplated how to break this tragic news to Raines. He needed something else to hand to his new ‘father’, in order to deflect his anger away from the messenger. A quick trip to the sim-lab where Sydney and Broots conferred would now be necessary.
The Centre
Blue Cove, DE
Broots and Sydney listened to Lyle’s story with growing alarm but remained silent. They had just been discussing the implications of their recent discovery when Mr. Lyle interrupted them.
“What is it? What did you find?” Lyle demanded.
Broots released a deep sigh and stared at his new boss. Lyle’s impatience occasionally mirrored Miss Parker’s. Broots quickly ran through a list of ways to break the news softly to Lyle but finding none, and liking the man so little, he decided to give it to him full force. “After a lengthy search through the files and finding nothing, I decided to back track a bit and found what we’ve been looking for. It appears as though the Chameleon has returned; the only pretender to use a yellow notebook was Alex.”
Shock and dismay registered in Lyle’s face as he recalled to mind, everything Parker had told him about what happened to Alex. Although no body had been recovered, that evil freak was supposed to be dead after falling several stories into the cold and shallow depths of the harbor. With this discovery, Lyle toyed with the idea of re-evaluating the actual deaths of any Centre personnel, including Mr. Parker. Unfortunately for Jeremy, it appeared as if Alex had been thorough because by the time Lyle had left the crash site, the Coroner’s assistants were still scooping charred spoonfuls of Jeremy off the pavement.
“Could Jarod be doing this just to throw us off? A red-herring to start us spinning our wheels and wasting our time looking for a dead man?” Lyle asked Sydney in desperation. Lyle, while never acknowledged as a pretender, was no slouch at putting two and two together. He quickly grasped the implications and complications of Alex’s survival.
“No, I seriously doubt it. Jarod did tell us that he wouldn’t be having any contact with us for sometime. He must know that Alex is still alive and that note was a clue to let me know that he isn’t involved in whatever Alex is planning or doing.”
“That means this morning wasn’t an accident, Lindholm was an expert driver—the only answer could be Alex,” Lyle declared absently.
“You know Alex better than anyone else here. I can only draw sketchy conjectures from his psychological files. If Alex is responsible for Mr. Lindholm’s accident, what purpose does this serve?” Sydney asked probingly.
Drawing himself up sharply, Lyle released another sigh and looking at Sydney’s worried face, he smiled tightly, “I don’t know and I hope to heaven never to find out.” With that, Lyle turned and headed towards Raines’ office, preoccupied with how much of this discovery to reveal and coming to the conclusion to keep his own thoughts to himself.
Jarod’s private lair
Green Lake, WI
It was late in the evening, as the fire burned brightly in the fireplace. A large bed was situated across the room from the fireplace and two figures laid side-by-side under the comforter. The woman was lying on her stomach, with her arm resting on the chest of her companion. Her head was turned away from his body as her mass of hair completely obscured her features. Her breathing was deep and measured as Jarod imagined he could hear the exhausted sound of her satisfaction. He breathed deeply and fighting off the pull of slumber, thought about his conquest. In the last couple weeks, she had gone from being his adversary to his lover and he realized how short a leap it had been. He recalled the way she had been when they were kids and after scratching through the surface, he found she hadn’t changed all that much. Smiling, he stretched enjoying his own satiety and thought about the initial awkwardness of getting her in bed.
After the incident with the fake troopers, the rest of the trip had been wonderfully uneventful. They had stopped in Madison and did some shopping for Parker, since she had left all her clothing and toiletries back in the motel room. She had chosen clothes which suited her taste, without the designer labels. After they loaded all their purchases into the LandRover, Jarod became aware that her earlier indecision seemed to have evaporated. They arrived at the house in the evening and set about making the place livable. Jarod had offered the largest bedroom to her, opting to take one of the smaller ones for himself. The rest of the week had been spent companionably but platonically. The following week, her earlier coolness returned as they cleaned and cleared the yard littered with debris from months of neglect, eventually turning their efforts to repairs on the house itself.
One afternoon, deciding on taking a break from his labors, Jarod stretched out on a blanket, under a tree in the forest that bordered the open, manicured back lawn. He had taken his MP3 player and putting on the headphones, settled down to relax and listen to some classical music. The undergrowth that surrounded him partially hid his body from view.
Parker had finished making lunch and after calling his name several times realized she had lost her handsome friend. She was momentarily taken aback by her own internal acceptance that he was truly her friend and also hinted at certain weaknesses laying just underneath the surface which she continued to struggle keeping in check. She realized that her own defense mechanisms had snapped securely in place. Looking out of the kitchen window, she couldn’t find any sign of him. Slouching suddenly and putting her face in her hands, she forced herself to face the fact that she had been unfair to Jarod. She brooded on this for a few moments before straightening her posture and walking determinedly out of the house. She instinctively headed towards the dock, thinking he had possibly gone for a swim, suddenly and unconsciously changing direction, she decided to cut through the woods instead of walking on the well-worn path.
Falling heavily as she tripped over something was the last thing she expected. When she looked back at her feet, Jarod had popped up like a jack-in-the-box from the undergrowth where he had been laying.
“Are you alright?” he asked in a loud voice.
“Yeah, only my pride is hurt,” she murmured to herself. Looking up, she saw that the Genius still had his headphones over his ears. Sitting up, she got up on her knees and reaching over removed his headphones which emitted the sounds of resonant classical music.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she said with gentle amusement.
“You’re welcome, did you need something?” he offered.
Sitting back on her heels, she inadvertently had one of his legs between hers as she hovered over his shin. Instead of answering him, she stared into his face and leaning over she kissed him, unexpectedly. As she started to pull away, Jarod gently squeezed her shoulder and brought her back, continuing the kiss. When they finally separated, they stared at each other for several seconds, until Jarod moved to the side, tacitly offering half of his blanket to her. Taking the offer, she settled next to him and he gently turned her head towards him, allowing his fingers to remain caressingly on her jaw as he stared into her eyes. His intent was clear and her eyes were untroubled as he kissed her deeply and both leaned backward. Nothing held them back this time, as the forest bore witness to the first time pursuer and prey made love. The surrounding trees and foliage absorbed the sounds of their pleasure.
That had occurred a few days ago. Since then, they seemed incapable of keeping their hands off each other. He had finally gotten what he wanted and it felt great. Her body was actually better than what the silhouette from the thin screen in Ocee’s living room suggested. When he had originally approached her, Jarod expected her to turn him away as before; instead she had come with him and the resulting experience was more than he could have anticipated. Jarod smiled happily as he kissed her palm and let himself succumb to his fatigue.
The Centre
Blue Cove, DE
Two days had passed since Lyle revealed the extent of the disaster that was Alex. Sydney was shuttered in his office, refusing to come out. Broots, for kicks, started reviewing some DSA discs of Alex’s sims that he had uncovered. What he found was disheartening, the things Alex had been made to do were degenerate at best. He was used to corrupt the findings of other pretenders and when the consequences of his research were particularly horrifying, he had been presented with the results, given a grateful pat on the back, privilages and glowing praise. Watching the tortured and troubled expressions on Alex’s teenaged face was difficult to bear.
Broots had enough, he pounded on Sydney’s office door demanding his friend either open the door or come out and talk to him. All was silent for several seconds and as Broots raised his fist to beat on the door some more, he heard the soft snick of the lock being released and the door slowly opened. Sydney was a sight, it appeared as though he had slept in his clothes for several days and his bloodshot eyes revealed that he had stayed up reading all night. However, the look in his eyes was as troubled as Broots.
Sydney looked at Broots with jaded curiosity and said, “If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine. Regrettably, I don’t believe either of us has anything joyous to share.”
Broots frowned and brushed passed Sydney into the disheveled office, carrying a small box. Looking around Broots found evidence that Sydney had indeed slept there. A light blanket was piled gracelessly in a corner of the couch and the remnants of a sparse breakfast were sitting abandoned on a corner of his paper and file-covered desk. Broots picked up the phone and punched a four-digit extension; when he was connected, he ordered lunch for the two of them to be brought down. Broots then sat on Sydney’s leather couch and stared at his friend.
“Sydney, you should have gone home, given yourself a break from this,” Broots said, nodding his head at Sydney’s desk. “You need to get some sleep, exhaustion isn’t going to help you concentrate any better.”
“After what I’ve been delving into, I doubt that sleep would have been able to reach me—this is the stuff of nightmares. Every day we dig under the thick outer layer of the Centre, we discover something more reprehensible than before,” Sydney replied in a defeated voice as he returned to his desk chair and sank down into it heavily.
“I found some DSAs on Alex, from when he was a teenager here. Sydney, they are enough to make me want to grab my little girl and run screaming from this place.”
Grimacing at the thought of what Broots found, Sydney leaned forward and began reassembling the piles of paperwork scattered on his desk. “What I found is equally troubling. From what I’ve been able to gather, I’m sure Alex will never stop killing, only now his anger has been turned directly on the Centre. I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure out why the man in the roadster was so important to him. Once I have that piece of the puzzle, then I should be able to make an educated guess as to what he’s after.”
“The man in the roadster was one of the Centre’s biggest clients. We had just finished a deal with him; a commission for at least 5 sims to be completed by the end of the year. This deal was so lucrative that the Triumvirate had started to back off from their macro-management. Now that’s all gone with only more on the way to look forward to,” Lyle explained suddenly from the doorway of Sydney’s office causing both occupants to look up in surprise. “I told Raines only a part of this, saying that you two had a line on the real culprit. That should buy me at least another week so I can figure out a less hazardous way of breaking the rest of the news to him.”
Sydney nodded and watched Lyle, wondering quietly why he had told them this much. Looking at the mess on his desk, the answer slammed into his brain with brute force. “You expect Alex to continue his assault against the Centre. Once he has finished thinning out the client list then he will probably turn his attention on the Centre’s employees—namely you.”
“I had to resort to some rather, drastic tactics to get this guy to clean up his act. Everything I tried failed, that nut job would just sit in his own sweat, blood and excrement and turn his depraved grin on me.”
Shaking his head in disgust, Sydney stood up and stared angrily at Lyle. “Subjecting Alex to more torture would never have worked. The lengths that had been used to turn him into sociopath placed him on a road from which there is no return. This blood letting won’t stop and I’m afraid for Jarod.” Watching the bored, cynical expression that sprang readily onto Lyle’s face, Sydney felt like shouting his frustration.
“Lyle, who is it that your former father placed above Alex? Who was considered the better pretender? Who was Alex’s last target before we were informed of his supposed death? Who is it that we have been pursuing for the past 6 years so relentlessly? Jarod is considered the crown jewel to the Centre and not just because of his mind but his genetics as well. You think I was blind to the mild retort Raines gave that sweeper guarding Parker? I remember when Raines lost his real daughter, Annie. He wept like a human being for once, a healthy display of emotion that he never bothered extending, in any form, to either you or your sister. Constantly placing her in Jarod’s way, then eventually losing her altogether was a macabre, cavalier method of dangling bait! Raines et al were always aware of Parker and Jarod’s mutual attraction. The only consolation here is that it was Jarod and not someone else like Alex. My God man, there must be a shred of humanity left in you to be concerned about your one remaining family member.”
Watching Sydney during this outburst of emotion was sadly entertaining. Lyle needed them to continue to monitor Alex’s behavior. The cheese factory was about to crumble from the predatory anger of a mad rat named Alex. The only thing left to do was to consolidate one’s own finances and to get out while there was still a chance. Lyle detached himself from the doorframe and almost running into the commissary clerk who was bringing lunch, he left the sim-lab.
“You okay, Syd?” Broots asked worriedly as he removed the tray from the clerk’s arms and closed the door behind him.
“Yes, thank you Broots. It feels good to finally get that out, it’s been brewing in my mind for some time. I suppose I just signed my death warrant.”
“No, I doubt it. There is no one else around here who knows both Jarod and Miss Parker as well as you. What I really came in here to tell you is that I received another clue from Alex and he does mention Mr. Lindholm.” The expected shocked expression on Sydney’s face reassured Broots that his friend was still capable of being surprised. “I doubt Alex is thinking the way Mr. Lyle suspects, here take a look at this,” he said handing Sydney the small box containing a neatly folded, bloodstained choir robe, the small handwritten note resting on top was also bloodstained.
‘One never knows what might be waiting around the next corner, just ask Mr. Lindholm. Now that you’re aware of my presence, stay out of my way, Mr. Broots and no one you care about will get hurt. Well, almost no one because I haven’t forgotten about your former boss.’
“You were right Sydney, he’ll be going after Miss Parker and probably Jarod as well. So what do you say, should we go over to Mr. Lyle and let him in on this little clue?”
“No, let’s wait until after we see what Mr. Raines’ reaction will be to finding out Alex is still alive. Mr. Lyle should survive Raines’ wrath and that alone should make him more receptive to anything we might show him.”
“Receptive? Why do you want him more receptive?”
“Instead of him using us as the canaries in the mine shaft, I fully intend on using him for the same purpose. The power Miss Parker wielded kept Raines partially at bay, without her we are forced to become more creative,” Sydney said quietly as his eyes took on a far away look of a man who had come up with a plan.
“I hope Miss Parker is alright, I only wish there were a way to get a message to her,” Broots said fretfully.
Jarod’s lair
Green Lake, WI
Parker woke slowly and languorously from her heavy, uninterrupted slumber to find her right arm pinned under her lover’s body as he rested comfortably with his nose planted firmly in her hair and an arm curled loosely around her waist. She carefully disentangled her legs from his and gently pulled her arm from under his body. Jarod repositioned himself on his stomach and left his arm resting on her side of the bed. She smiled with loving fondness at his sleeping form and allowed herself a few additional seconds to drink in the sight of his magnificent body. Bending down she gently covered him again with the covers and quickly stepped into the bathroom.
Once the door was closed, she leaned against it and allowed her mind to consider the events that led her to this. Sighing heavily, she realized that she had no regrets and for once in a very long time was looking forward to her future. Moving her head, she absently glanced in the mirror and realized she didn’t recognize her own reflection. She hadn’t looked this relaxed in years, probably decades. Giving herself a rakish grin she bent over, washed her face and brushed her teeth with cold water. Reaching over, her hand brushed up against a soft cloth before finding the rougher towel she needed to use. After drying off and brushing her hair, she put the towel down and saw the black V-neck t-shirt Jarod wore a couple nights ago—they had gone practically naked since then. Without thinking, she picked up his shirt and placed it against her nose, breathing in his scent. She remembered the last time she had done this and was dismayed. Rarely a day went by that she didn’t think of Tommy. She still missed him but time had finally done its job and released her from the sharper aspects of grief. She buried her nose in Jarod’s shirt again and to her surprise a forgotten memory resurfaced.
They had spent the day, what would turn out to be their last day together, exploring. Angelo had grown bored and quietly left them alone as Jarod continued to ask her questions about what it was like to actually lay in thick grass and stare up into the sky. She tried to describe the sensation but she felt her vocabulary and powers of explanation too limited.
“One day, we’ll lay in a meadow together, holding hands and watch the day slowly turn into night,” he commented softly.
She smiled at him and turned her eyes on the sim-lab. She felt Jarod staring at her and was glad for his scrutiny. Her feelings for her friend had been undergoing a change. He had unexpectedly started looking dreamy and being with him was a treat worth waiting for her father to lose interest in her; allowing her to seek Jarod out.
“I wish I could leave here and we could do and go see some of the things I’ve read about,” he said softly. Still staring at her he asked, “would you mind if I did something?”
“What?” she asked innocently.
“I want to touch your face, would that be okay? “ he inquired hesitantly.
“Sure, I guess so. Why?”
Instead of answering he placed his cheek against hers and was pleasantly greeted with the softness of her skin. He continued to caress her face using his own, gently and slowly playing with her nose using his own and leaning around to caress her other cheek with his. The experience was deeply sensual and captivated her imagination. When she felt he was pulling away, she embraced him and softly nuzzled his neck. It was then she noticed his scent, this further intensified the experience. The sound of voices forced them apart and Parker ran out of the room before she could be caught.
It had been Jarod, who had inspired her olfactory curiosity. She loved the way Tommy smelled, the scent left on his shirt had comforted her many a night. Now she remembered the origin of her custom. Jarod’s scent still allured her imagination and looking down at his shirt she knew unequivocally that she was falling in love with him. Keeping her distance had protected her from succumbing to the emotions she kept tightly under wraps.
A light knock on the door startled her; in a panic she quickly donned his shirt and opened the door. Jarod stood there staring at her; he had become worried when she didn’t immediately return to bed. Before he could say anything, she immediately embraced him as she had over 25 years ago and lightly nuzzled his neck. He returned her embrace and caress. When his hands moved up her back, he looked down and found she was wearing his t-shirt.
“Hey, what are you wearing this for? I don’t think it fits you too well,” he said with amusement.
She smiled delightedly and chuckled softly as she wound her arms around his naked waist. “You spoiled me rotten, Genius.” Reaching upward she kissed his bottom lip, cutting off any of his inquiries. They remained in the bathroom and made love there. Jarod threw his t-shirt carelessly on the countertop.
Hostile Environment
Chapter 8
By Callisto
Emerald Point Road
Millsboro, DE
He loved the feel of power in his hands, literally and figuratively. The sleek form and eager power of his BMW roadster was intoxicating and the recently acquired upgrades in power increased his enjoyment exponentially. The road up ahead beckoned like a beautiful siren, revealing only a hint of its twisty, switchback curves with a plant encrusted cliff wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other. Many an expensive roadster and enhanced racing coupe have wound up plunging over the sheer expanse to crumble hideously on the unforgiving rocks below.
Jeremy Lindholm was an indomitable man. His business acuity was legendary as were his appetites. Jeremy pressed the accelerator gently and felt the small two-seater leap eagerly ahead at his command as he headed with high adrenaline into the start of the twisty blacktop challenge. Jeremy timed his reactions well, as he expertly downshifted and using a racecar driver’s techniques—heel-toed between the pedals pushing his work of art to its limits. The resulting hard-edged growl of the red-lined engine flooded Jeremy’s mind like a narcotic; no chemical could reproduce this level of pure enjoyment.
When he came out of the turn, Jeremy had an adrenaline junkie’s endorphin induced, euphoric smile on his face. As he approached the next turn, this one a blind curve, Jeremy accelerated again and intent on performing the same maneuver was unexpectedly surprised when the car initially responded as designed but then failed to react to his carefully timed breaking. Jeremy tried to steer his way out of trouble but it was too late—he was going far to fast. Seconds before his beloved machine smashed into the side of the cliff, the oddly cold but friendly smile on the face of his new mechanic flashed in his mind. He had thought the man was a bit strange; now the warning klaxons his instincts had sounded began to make sense, just as he and his car were smashed, then exploded into small, indiscernible bits.
Hours later, Lyle was standing on the road where Jeremy had finally lost his stupid roadster game. This was a disaster; there was no other way to look at it. Lyle stared glumly at the smoking, twisted and fragmented metal, small pieces of which were fused to equally small bits of Jeremy. The guy had been definitely bent but he knew how to rein in his impulses and get the job done when required. Lyle personally didn’t subscribe to Jeremy’s particular brand of depravity, however he had attended a couple exclusive ‘parties’ that Jeremy hosted. Lyle was only lightly interested in S & M, his own tastes tended to run towards the exclusively sadistic. He was the only one he would allow to physically harm him. Although, that encounter with Parker in the parking garage last year, when he had grafted Raines’ thumb onto his own hand, held some uncomfortable possibilities.
Shaking himself with a deep measure of self-disgust, Lyle contemplated how to break this tragic news to Raines. He needed something else to hand to his new ‘father’, in order to deflect his anger away from the messenger. A quick trip to the sim-lab where Sydney and Broots conferred would now be necessary.
The Centre
Blue Cove, DE
Broots and Sydney listened to Lyle’s story with growing alarm but remained silent. They had just been discussing the implications of their recent discovery when Mr. Lyle interrupted them.
“What is it? What did you find?” Lyle demanded.
Broots released a deep sigh and stared at his new boss. Lyle’s impatience occasionally mirrored Miss Parker’s. Broots quickly ran through a list of ways to break the news softly to Lyle but finding none, and liking the man so little, he decided to give it to him full force. “After a lengthy search through the files and finding nothing, I decided to back track a bit and found what we’ve been looking for. It appears as though the Chameleon has returned; the only pretender to use a yellow notebook was Alex.”
Shock and dismay registered in Lyle’s face as he recalled to mind, everything Parker had told him about what happened to Alex. Although no body had been recovered, that evil freak was supposed to be dead after falling several stories into the cold and shallow depths of the harbor. With this discovery, Lyle toyed with the idea of re-evaluating the actual deaths of any Centre personnel, including Mr. Parker. Unfortunately for Jeremy, it appeared as if Alex had been thorough because by the time Lyle had left the crash site, the Coroner’s assistants were still scooping charred spoonfuls of Jeremy off the pavement.
“Could Jarod be doing this just to throw us off? A red-herring to start us spinning our wheels and wasting our time looking for a dead man?” Lyle asked Sydney in desperation. Lyle, while never acknowledged as a pretender, was no slouch at putting two and two together. He quickly grasped the implications and complications of Alex’s survival.
“No, I seriously doubt it. Jarod did tell us that he wouldn’t be having any contact with us for sometime. He must know that Alex is still alive and that note was a clue to let me know that he isn’t involved in whatever Alex is planning or doing.”
“That means this morning wasn’t an accident, Lindholm was an expert driver—the only answer could be Alex,” Lyle declared absently.
“You know Alex better than anyone else here. I can only draw sketchy conjectures from his psychological files. If Alex is responsible for Mr. Lindholm’s accident, what purpose does this serve?” Sydney asked probingly.
Drawing himself up sharply, Lyle released another sigh and looking at Sydney’s worried face, he smiled tightly, “I don’t know and I hope to heaven never to find out.” With that, Lyle turned and headed towards Raines’ office, preoccupied with how much of this discovery to reveal and coming to the conclusion to keep his own thoughts to himself.
Jarod’s private lair
Green Lake, WI
It was late in the evening, as the fire burned brightly in the fireplace. A large bed was situated across the room from the fireplace and two figures laid side-by-side under the comforter. The woman was lying on her stomach, with her arm resting on the chest of her companion. Her head was turned away from his body as her mass of hair completely obscured her features. Her breathing was deep and measured as Jarod imagined he could hear the exhausted sound of her satisfaction. He breathed deeply and fighting off the pull of slumber, thought about his conquest. In the last couple weeks, she had gone from being his adversary to his lover and he realized how short a leap it had been. He recalled the way she had been when they were kids and after scratching through the surface, he found she hadn’t changed all that much. Smiling, he stretched enjoying his own satiety and thought about the initial awkwardness of getting her in bed.
After the incident with the fake troopers, the rest of the trip had been wonderfully uneventful. They had stopped in Madison and did some shopping for Parker, since she had left all her clothing and toiletries back in the motel room. She had chosen clothes which suited her taste, without the designer labels. After they loaded all their purchases into the LandRover, Jarod became aware that her earlier indecision seemed to have evaporated. They arrived at the house in the evening and set about making the place livable. Jarod had offered the largest bedroom to her, opting to take one of the smaller ones for himself. The rest of the week had been spent companionably but platonically. The following week, her earlier coolness returned as they cleaned and cleared the yard littered with debris from months of neglect, eventually turning their efforts to repairs on the house itself.
One afternoon, deciding on taking a break from his labors, Jarod stretched out on a blanket, under a tree in the forest that bordered the open, manicured back lawn. He had taken his MP3 player and putting on the headphones, settled down to relax and listen to some classical music. The undergrowth that surrounded him partially hid his body from view.
Parker had finished making lunch and after calling his name several times realized she had lost her handsome friend. She was momentarily taken aback by her own internal acceptance that he was truly her friend and also hinted at certain weaknesses laying just underneath the surface which she continued to struggle keeping in check. She realized that her own defense mechanisms had snapped securely in place. Looking out of the kitchen window, she couldn’t find any sign of him. Slouching suddenly and putting her face in her hands, she forced herself to face the fact that she had been unfair to Jarod. She brooded on this for a few moments before straightening her posture and walking determinedly out of the house. She instinctively headed towards the dock, thinking he had possibly gone for a swim, suddenly and unconsciously changing direction, she decided to cut through the woods instead of walking on the well-worn path.
Falling heavily as she tripped over something was the last thing she expected. When she looked back at her feet, Jarod had popped up like a jack-in-the-box from the undergrowth where he had been laying.
“Are you alright?” he asked in a loud voice.
“Yeah, only my pride is hurt,” she murmured to herself. Looking up, she saw that the Genius still had his headphones over his ears. Sitting up, she got up on her knees and reaching over removed his headphones which emitted the sounds of resonant classical music.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she said with gentle amusement.
“You’re welcome, did you need something?” he offered.
Sitting back on her heels, she inadvertently had one of his legs between hers as she hovered over his shin. Instead of answering him, she stared into his face and leaning over she kissed him, unexpectedly. As she started to pull away, Jarod gently squeezed her shoulder and brought her back, continuing the kiss. When they finally separated, they stared at each other for several seconds, until Jarod moved to the side, tacitly offering half of his blanket to her. Taking the offer, she settled next to him and he gently turned her head towards him, allowing his fingers to remain caressingly on her jaw as he stared into her eyes. His intent was clear and her eyes were untroubled as he kissed her deeply and both leaned backward. Nothing held them back this time, as the forest bore witness to the first time pursuer and prey made love. The surrounding trees and foliage absorbed the sounds of their pleasure.
That had occurred a few days ago. Since then, they seemed incapable of keeping their hands off each other. He had finally gotten what he wanted and it felt great. Her body was actually better than what the silhouette from the thin screen in Ocee’s living room suggested. When he had originally approached her, Jarod expected her to turn him away as before; instead she had come with him and the resulting experience was more than he could have anticipated. Jarod smiled happily as he kissed her palm and let himself succumb to his fatigue.
The Centre
Blue Cove, DE
Two days had passed since Lyle revealed the extent of the disaster that was Alex. Sydney was shuttered in his office, refusing to come out. Broots, for kicks, started reviewing some DSA discs of Alex’s sims that he had uncovered. What he found was disheartening, the things Alex had been made to do were degenerate at best. He was used to corrupt the findings of other pretenders and when the consequences of his research were particularly horrifying, he had been presented with the results, given a grateful pat on the back, privilages and glowing praise. Watching the tortured and troubled expressions on Alex’s teenaged face was difficult to bear.
Broots had enough, he pounded on Sydney’s office door demanding his friend either open the door or come out and talk to him. All was silent for several seconds and as Broots raised his fist to beat on the door some more, he heard the soft snick of the lock being released and the door slowly opened. Sydney was a sight, it appeared as though he had slept in his clothes for several days and his bloodshot eyes revealed that he had stayed up reading all night. However, the look in his eyes was as troubled as Broots.
Sydney looked at Broots with jaded curiosity and said, “If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine. Regrettably, I don’t believe either of us has anything joyous to share.”
Broots frowned and brushed passed Sydney into the disheveled office, carrying a small box. Looking around Broots found evidence that Sydney had indeed slept there. A light blanket was piled gracelessly in a corner of the couch and the remnants of a sparse breakfast were sitting abandoned on a corner of his paper and file-covered desk. Broots picked up the phone and punched a four-digit extension; when he was connected, he ordered lunch for the two of them to be brought down. Broots then sat on Sydney’s leather couch and stared at his friend.
“Sydney, you should have gone home, given yourself a break from this,” Broots said, nodding his head at Sydney’s desk. “You need to get some sleep, exhaustion isn’t going to help you concentrate any better.”
“After what I’ve been delving into, I doubt that sleep would have been able to reach me—this is the stuff of nightmares. Every day we dig under the thick outer layer of the Centre, we discover something more reprehensible than before,” Sydney replied in a defeated voice as he returned to his desk chair and sank down into it heavily.
“I found some DSAs on Alex, from when he was a teenager here. Sydney, they are enough to make me want to grab my little girl and run screaming from this place.”
Grimacing at the thought of what Broots found, Sydney leaned forward and began reassembling the piles of paperwork scattered on his desk. “What I found is equally troubling. From what I’ve been able to gather, I’m sure Alex will never stop killing, only now his anger has been turned directly on the Centre. I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure out why the man in the roadster was so important to him. Once I have that piece of the puzzle, then I should be able to make an educated guess as to what he’s after.”
“The man in the roadster was one of the Centre’s biggest clients. We had just finished a deal with him; a commission for at least 5 sims to be completed by the end of the year. This deal was so lucrative that the Triumvirate had started to back off from their macro-management. Now that’s all gone with only more on the way to look forward to,” Lyle explained suddenly from the doorway of Sydney’s office causing both occupants to look up in surprise. “I told Raines only a part of this, saying that you two had a line on the real culprit. That should buy me at least another week so I can figure out a less hazardous way of breaking the rest of the news to him.”
Sydney nodded and watched Lyle, wondering quietly why he had told them this much. Looking at the mess on his desk, the answer slammed into his brain with brute force. “You expect Alex to continue his assault against the Centre. Once he has finished thinning out the client list then he will probably turn his attention on the Centre’s employees—namely you.”
“I had to resort to some rather, drastic tactics to get this guy to clean up his act. Everything I tried failed, that nut job would just sit in his own sweat, blood and excrement and turn his depraved grin on me.”
Shaking his head in disgust, Sydney stood up and stared angrily at Lyle. “Subjecting Alex to more torture would never have worked. The lengths that had been used to turn him into sociopath placed him on a road from which there is no return. This blood letting won’t stop and I’m afraid for Jarod.” Watching the bored, cynical expression that sprang readily onto Lyle’s face, Sydney felt like shouting his frustration.
“Lyle, who is it that your former father placed above Alex? Who was considered the better pretender? Who was Alex’s last target before we were informed of his supposed death? Who is it that we have been pursuing for the past 6 years so relentlessly? Jarod is considered the crown jewel to the Centre and not just because of his mind but his genetics as well. You think I was blind to the mild retort Raines gave that sweeper guarding Parker? I remember when Raines lost his real daughter, Annie. He wept like a human being for once, a healthy display of emotion that he never bothered extending, in any form, to either you or your sister. Constantly placing her in Jarod’s way, then eventually losing her altogether was a macabre, cavalier method of dangling bait! Raines et al were always aware of Parker and Jarod’s mutual attraction. The only consolation here is that it was Jarod and not someone else like Alex. My God man, there must be a shred of humanity left in you to be concerned about your one remaining family member.”
Watching Sydney during this outburst of emotion was sadly entertaining. Lyle needed them to continue to monitor Alex’s behavior. The cheese factory was about to crumble from the predatory anger of a mad rat named Alex. The only thing left to do was to consolidate one’s own finances and to get out while there was still a chance. Lyle detached himself from the doorframe and almost running into the commissary clerk who was bringing lunch, he left the sim-lab.
“You okay, Syd?” Broots asked worriedly as he removed the tray from the clerk’s arms and closed the door behind him.
“Yes, thank you Broots. It feels good to finally get that out, it’s been brewing in my mind for some time. I suppose I just signed my death warrant.”
“No, I doubt it. There is no one else around here who knows both Jarod and Miss Parker as well as you. What I really came in here to tell you is that I received another clue from Alex and he does mention Mr. Lindholm.” The expected shocked expression on Sydney’s face reassured Broots that his friend was still capable of being surprised. “I doubt Alex is thinking the way Mr. Lyle suspects, here take a look at this,” he said handing Sydney the small box containing a neatly folded, bloodstained choir robe, the small handwritten note resting on top was also bloodstained.
‘One never knows what might be waiting around the next corner, just ask Mr. Lindholm. Now that you’re aware of my presence, stay out of my way, Mr. Broots and no one you care about will get hurt. Well, almost no one because I haven’t forgotten about your former boss.’
“You were right Sydney, he’ll be going after Miss Parker and probably Jarod as well. So what do you say, should we go over to Mr. Lyle and let him in on this little clue?”
“No, let’s wait until after we see what Mr. Raines’ reaction will be to finding out Alex is still alive. Mr. Lyle should survive Raines’ wrath and that alone should make him more receptive to anything we might show him.”
“Receptive? Why do you want him more receptive?”
“Instead of him using us as the canaries in the mine shaft, I fully intend on using him for the same purpose. The power Miss Parker wielded kept Raines partially at bay, without her we are forced to become more creative,” Sydney said quietly as his eyes took on a far away look of a man who had come up with a plan.
“I hope Miss Parker is alright, I only wish there were a way to get a message to her,” Broots said fretfully.
Jarod’s lair
Green Lake, WI
Parker woke slowly and languorously from her heavy, uninterrupted slumber to find her right arm pinned under her lover’s body as he rested comfortably with his nose planted firmly in her hair and an arm curled loosely around her waist. She carefully disentangled her legs from his and gently pulled her arm from under his body. Jarod repositioned himself on his stomach and left his arm resting on her side of the bed. She smiled with loving fondness at his sleeping form and allowed herself a few additional seconds to drink in the sight of his magnificent body. Bending down she gently covered him again with the covers and quickly stepped into the bathroom.
Once the door was closed, she leaned against it and allowed her mind to consider the events that led her to this. Sighing heavily, she realized that she had no regrets and for once in a very long time was looking forward to her future. Moving her head, she absently glanced in the mirror and realized she didn’t recognize her own reflection. She hadn’t looked this relaxed in years, probably decades. Giving herself a rakish grin she bent over, washed her face and brushed her teeth with cold water. Reaching over, her hand brushed up against a soft cloth before finding the rougher towel she needed to use. After drying off and brushing her hair, she put the towel down and saw the black V-neck t-shirt Jarod wore a couple nights ago—they had gone practically naked since then. Without thinking, she picked up his shirt and placed it against her nose, breathing in his scent. She remembered the last time she had done this and was dismayed. Rarely a day went by that she didn’t think of Tommy. She still missed him but time had finally done its job and released her from the sharper aspects of grief. She buried her nose in Jarod’s shirt again and to her surprise a forgotten memory resurfaced.
They had spent the day, what would turn out to be their last day together, exploring. Angelo had grown bored and quietly left them alone as Jarod continued to ask her questions about what it was like to actually lay in thick grass and stare up into the sky. She tried to describe the sensation but she felt her vocabulary and powers of explanation too limited.
“One day, we’ll lay in a meadow together, holding hands and watch the day slowly turn into night,” he commented softly.
She smiled at him and turned her eyes on the sim-lab. She felt Jarod staring at her and was glad for his scrutiny. Her feelings for her friend had been undergoing a change. He had unexpectedly started looking dreamy and being with him was a treat worth waiting for her father to lose interest in her; allowing her to seek Jarod out.
“I wish I could leave here and we could do and go see some of the things I’ve read about,” he said softly. Still staring at her he asked, “would you mind if I did something?”
“What?” she asked innocently.
“I want to touch your face, would that be okay? “ he inquired hesitantly.
“Sure, I guess so. Why?”
Instead of answering he placed his cheek against hers and was pleasantly greeted with the softness of her skin. He continued to caress her face using his own, gently and slowly playing with her nose using his own and leaning around to caress her other cheek with his. The experience was deeply sensual and captivated her imagination. When she felt he was pulling away, she embraced him and softly nuzzled his neck. It was then she noticed his scent, this further intensified the experience. The sound of voices forced them apart and Parker ran out of the room before she could be caught.
It had been Jarod, who had inspired her olfactory curiosity. She loved the way Tommy smelled, the scent left on his shirt had comforted her many a night. Now she remembered the origin of her custom. Jarod’s scent still allured her imagination and looking down at his shirt she knew unequivocally that she was falling in love with him. Keeping her distance had protected her from succumbing to the emotions she kept tightly under wraps.
A light knock on the door startled her; in a panic she quickly donned his shirt and opened the door. Jarod stood there staring at her; he had become worried when she didn’t immediately return to bed. Before he could say anything, she immediately embraced him as she had over 25 years ago and lightly nuzzled his neck. He returned her embrace and caress. When his hands moved up her back, he looked down and found she was wearing his t-shirt.
“Hey, what are you wearing this for? I don’t think it fits you too well,” he said with amusement.
She smiled delightedly and chuckled softly as she wound her arms around his naked waist. “You spoiled me rotten, Genius.” Reaching upward she kissed his bottom lip, cutting off any of his inquiries. They remained in the bathroom and made love there. Jarod threw his t-shirt carelessly on the countertop.
