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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The Characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots and The Center are all property
of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and are used without permission. No profit has been made...you know the drill.
Of Envy and Darkness
11/23/03 Part4 – By Phenyx
-
It was 9:23 P.M. Jarod was late.
Parker was dressed in an impeccable and very expensive black dress. The skirt was tantalizingly short as was her preference. Her hair was piled high on her head with only a few tendrils curling onto her bare shoulders. Parker looked suitably elegant, wealthy and beautiful as was proper in so posh an establishment.
Mercedes’ dress was a shimmering silver with a scooped bosom and thin spaghetti straps. Her raven black hair was set in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. A simple diamond and sapphire necklace served to accentuate the flawlessness of her skin.
Together the two women were absolutely stunning.
In the twenty minutes since Miles had shown them to their table, they had been hit on no fewer than three times. Ishmael and his team were seething with irritation. But Mercedes’ sweepers, and Sam with them, had been ordered to sit at a table on the opposite side of the room. They had been told not to interfere with the ladies, on pain of death.
For the fifth time in as many minutes, Miss Parker glanced at the delicate gold watch encircling her wrist. Her left foot resumed an irritated tapping.
“Damn,” she sighed.
Mercedes nibbled daintily at a breadstick. “Are you sure he’ll show?” She asked cautiously.
Parker’s glare shot daggers at the other woman. “He’ll show,” Parker growled menacingly. “He might make me wait until dawn. But he’ll show because he knows I’d kill him if he stood me up.”
As if on cue, the odd cell phone Jarod had given them began to ring.
Snatching the phone up from the tabletop where she had placed it, Parker answered it and snarled, “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Jarod.”
“Me?” Jarod hissed angrily. “You should have known better, Parker.” His voice was dripping with a barely controlled fury that startled her. “Did you think that if your dress was short enough I wouldn’t see the sweepers?”
“Jarod,” Parker began.
“No,” Jarod’s voice suddenly dropped in tone from angry to wounded. “I didn’t think I had to tell you to come alone, Parker. I figured you’d know that much.”
“Don’t hang up!” Parker nearly yelled in her panic. “Please, Jarod.” Twisting in her chair, Parker tried frantically to locate the pretender. He could undoubtedly see her and her companion. “Please.” She begged. “We just want to talk to you.”
Jarod snorted rudely into the phone. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Miss Parker. I’m not that naïve anymore.”
“I swear to you Jarod, on my mother’s soul, no one will hurt you. We just want to talk.” Parker allowed her voice to convey the sincerity she felt.
“Why do you need sweepers just to talk?” Jarod asked accusingly.
The fact that the pretender had not hung up was encouraging. “They are our only protection,” Parker explained.
“Protection from what? Me?” Jarod laughed caustically.
“Jarod, we, -” Parker sighed, closed her eyes and pulled out the one thing that would be sure to get Jarod’s attention. “- I need your help.” It was a despicable thing to say. She knew that Jarod would never be able to resist any show of vulnerability on her part. The simple uttering of the words ensured the pretender’s interest. The fact that she was truly depending on him made the simple plea that much more powerful.
When Parker opened her eyes a moment later, Jarod was standing in front of the bar several yards away. He was eyeing Parker suspiciously and still held his cell phone to his ear. Parker could see his glance flicker toward the table where Sam waited with the other men.
Parker’s gray eyes met Jarod’s deep brown ones. “You have my word, Jarod,” she vowed.
Jarod seemed to waver on the edge of indecision before resolve hardened his face. “Can we eat as well? The chef makes an excellent tiramisu,” Jarod purred with a sly grin.
Parker smiled in return and folded the phone closed without responding. Jarod sauntered over to the table and flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Ladies,” he drawled icily as he inclined his head slightly.
“Jarod,” Parker said formally. “This is Mercedes.”
The other woman held her hand out in greeting and Jarod shook it automatically. At Mercedes’ touch, he flinched slightly and frowned in mild confusion. He carefully pulled back his hand and absently began rubbing his fingertips against his thumb. He had undoubtedly felt something from Mercedes, though nothing of the intimacy the two women had shared in the hotel.
Mercedes smiled brilliantly. “Jarod,” she said, half standing. “It is so good to finally meet you in person. I feel as though I know you already.”
“You have me at a disadvantage, madam,” Jarod said as he took a seat. “I haven’t the first clue who you are.” Parker noticed that Jarod had chosen the chair that would give him the best view of the sweepers sitting across the room.
“She is Adama’s widow,” Parker said simply. “And, up until a few days ago, she was planning to kill you for murdering her husband.”
“I didn’t kill Adama,” Jarod said, directing his comment to Miss Parker.
“I know that now,” Mercedes said gently. “Miss Parker has been good enough to enlighten me.”
Jarod smirked ruefully. “Spoke up as a character witness in my defense did she?” he asked.
Parker raised a hand in the air to call a waiter. “If I am your best character witness Jarod,” she teased. “You are in a lot of trouble.”
“I know I’m in trouble,” Jarod replied without hesitation. “I feel like the fly who just sat down in the spider’s parlor.”
Mercedes laughed softy. “A sense of humor,” she murmured appreciatively.
“A strange, sometimes cruel sense of humor,” Parker corrected. “He can be a real pain in the ass when he chooses.”
Jarod smiled innocently.
“Then it will be far more beneficial to have him on our side, don’t you agree?” Mercedes purred.
“What?” Jarod gulped. But any further explanation was preempted at the moment because the waiter had arrived to take their dinner orders. Jarod, not expecting to still be around when the meal came, ordered an antipasto salad. The ladies both ordered almond chicken with steamed vegetables.
Once the young man had filled all the wine glasses and left, Jarod turned to Mercedes and said, “You must have wanted this meeting, Mercedes. What do you want from me?”
A mysterious grin broke out on the dark woman’s face. It took Parker a moment to realize that Jarod’s query had been almost identical to the one Parker made when the two women had first met.
Mercedes took a sip from her goblet and asked curiously, “Why do you assume that I instigated this rendezvous?”
“I’ve know Parker for many years,” Jarod said bluntly. “We’ve never met for dinner before. You are the only new variable in this sick little game of ours. Ergo, you must have suggested the meeting.”
“Elementary, dear Watson,” Parker commented snidely. She watched intently as Jarod and Mercedes studied each other.
Jarod huffed in resignation, grabbed his glass and swallowed a gulp of his wine as though it was bitter medicine. He glanced quickly from one woman to the other before checking on the sweepers once again.
Mercedes deliberately took another taste of her wine. Staring into the deep red liquid she said softly, “It is quite harmless. We aren’t going to drug you.” She gazed sadly into the pretender’s eyes. “The trap you are waiting for isn’t going to spring on you. It doesn’t exist.”
“I hope you will forgive me if I don’t take your assurances at face value,” Jarod drawled sarcastically. “But The Centre has spent years trying to get me back. They will do anything to control me.”
“They control you only because you allow them too,” Mercedes said, unfazed by the chill dripping from Jarod’s voice.
“What do you mean by that?” Jarod snapped, suddenly angry.
“You are the Chosen one,” Mercedes explained. “They have no power over you unless you give it to them.”
Jarod glared at Miss Parker. “What the hell is she talking about?” he growled.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Parker couldn’t help baiting him. “It’s not so easy being the one in the dark.”
“Parker,” the pretender hissed menacingly.
Parker sighed. Taunting Jarod would accomplish nothing. After all, they were trying to recruit him. “It is part of the prophecy mentioned in the scrolls.” Parker explained. “Evidently my great-grandfather read them at least once because portions of the scrolls have been shared with the Triumvirate. The prophecy foretells the arrival of a guide who will lead The Centre to unheard of power.”
“You think I am this guide?” Jarod asked incredulously.
“I know it,” Mercedes said with conviction. “The scrolls say that the chosen one will be named Jarod. That he will carry a mark beneath one eye. He will be brilliant and possess the ability to become many things to many people.”
Mercedes paused as the waiter reappeared with their dinners. The next few minutes were spent in arranging plates on the table and preparing to eat. Jarod glared down at his food thoughtfully. When they were alone again, Jarod said, “That’s a pretty broad description. How can you be so sure that the scrolls are referring to me?”
“There have been other signs,” Mercedes continued. “Some of the simulations you have done in the past fulfilled parts of the prophecy. Even your escape was predicted.”
Jarod frowned and glanced at Miss Parker in surprise. “I can’t lead the way if I am no longer at The Centre,” he said carefully.
Mercedes smiled gently. “Once you return, The Centre’s influence will grow,” she said confidently.
“I’ll never go back there,” Jarod grumbled darkly.
Leaning forward in her chair, Mercedes shook her head compassionately. “You will. The scrolls promise you will. The Deliverer will draw you in.”
“Deliverer?” Jarod asked warily.
“That would be me,” Parker said with a shrug.
Mercedes nodded. “The angel who walks among the whispers. Born within the line that serves The Centre, only she can bring the Chosen to face his destiny.”
Jarod quit trying to find an appetite. He pushed his plate away in disgust. “I won’t just give in to this ridiculous bunch of superstitious crap,” he said sternly. “I believe that my fate is my own.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe, Jarod,” Parker replied quickly. “What’s important is that the Triumvirate believes. Raines believes. They have spent decades training you, convincing you that they are in control. Because they want to have the power they think you will bring to The Centre.”
Jarod gazed thoughtfully at her. Miss Parker could see the pretender’s thoughts racing. His eyes took on a far away, glazed quality as he mulled over her words. Parker sat quietly for several minutes. When Mercedes looked as though she was about to speak, Parker silenced her with a gesture.
“They hurt me so that I would fear them,” Jarod said slowly. “They think they can own me.”
“But they can’t,” Parker said firmly. “No one owns you, Jarod.”
Jarod shot an angry look first at Parker then at Mercedes. “So you want control of me instead,” he hissed.
Mercedes’ serene smile grew wide. “Not at all. Quite the contrary, Jarod.”
Jarod frowned. “Tell me,” he ordered. “I get the feeling I won’t like it, but tell me anyway.”
Parker took a deep breath and made her proposal. “We want to offer you a job with a percentage based salary and a predetermined term to the commitment.”
“You want me to work for you?” Jarod asked incredulously.
“No,” Mercedes corrected. “We will be working for you.”
Parker sat up very straight and smoothed an imaginary wrinkle in her gown. “I’m offering you the Chairmanship.”
Jarod’s mouth dropped open. “Just like that? You’re giving me your father’s position?” He shook his head in disbelief. “I think there may be a bit of resistance to that decision, Miss Parker. You can’t expect me to just waltz in there and take over.”
“That’s exactly what I expect,” Parker stated firmly.
“You’ve got to be crazy,” Jarod gasped in surprise.
Mercedes spoke. “Jarod, you don’t understand the situation,” she argued. “Your impressions have been solely based on the foundation of lies fed to you over the years. Mr. Parker and Dr. Raines wanted you to think that they were the ones holding all the power. But the truth is, that power belongs to you. And Raines can’t do a damn thing to stop you.”
“They can use those close to me,” Jarod growled. “Like they used my brother. If I oppose Raines, someone I care about will be harmed.”
“That’s where we come in,” Parker said in an icy voice. “It will be my job to protect you and yours until we get your position established. We’ve already got a very loyal team ready to join you, Jarod.” Parker glanced meaningfully at the sweepers seated across the room.
Jarod looked stunned and slightly pale. “What about the Triumvirate?” he asked. “Surely they’ll have some say in this.”
“Once the Triumvirate hears about your desire to return,” Mercedes said. “They will be only too glad to have you, regardless of what they need to give you to do it. As a whole, the Triumvirate really doesn’t care who is running The Centre, as long as the profits continue to increase. As a matter of fact,” she went on. “There are a number of those who are distinctly uncomfortable with the current unethical slant to our work. They would gladly pursue a new approach. We can get Triumvirate support and additional guards within a matter of days.”
“I’d rather not rely on more manpower,” Jarod said thoughtfully. “A tighter, more trustworthy, group would be preferable. Bringing in additional people increases the chance of infiltration by one of Raines’ goons.”
Parker glanced at Mercedes with a knowing smile. Jarod was plotting the possibilities already, she could tell. Jarod noticed the look exchanged between the women and quickly snarled, “I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“But you will,” Mercedes smiled broadly.
“Jarod,” Parker said gently. “They will never stop chasing you. You’ll be running forever. But if you do this, imagine the good you could accomplish. The Pretender project could be shut down. Pakor destroyed. You could right every horrid wrong going on in that hellhole. You could find your family. And think of how annoyed Lyle will be,” she added with a sly grin.
Jarod’s eyes gleamed wickedly. “Can I have his office?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Exile him to the broom closet,” Parker nodded.
Jarod snickered gleefully. “Raines will have a fit,” he predicted.
“I’m glad to know that we all have at least one thing in common,” Mercedes purred. “Our mutual hatred of William Raines.”
“As Chairman, exactly what would my job entail?” Jarod asked curiously.
“I think that our first priority will be political in nature,” Mercedes began. “We have to solidify the new infrastructure.”
Parker nodded in agreement. “You would need to find some way to further undermine Lyle and Raines,” she said. “As long as those two are around they will be a threat.”
“Raines needs to be forced into early retirement,” Mercedes determined coolly. “I want him to be destitute. I want him to lose everything. Can you do that, Jarod?”
“He can do it,” Parker said in a hard voice. “Jarod can do anything he sets his mind to.”
Jarod blinked in silent surprise. Parker’s sharp confidence in his abilities was both touching and intimidating. He looked carefully from one woman to the other as he made a mental note to never cross either one. Raines had. And now these two exquisitely beautiful women were set to destroy the man.
“This will be very dangerous at first,” Jarod commented. “Until Raines and Lyle are out of the picture, we run the risk of falling victim to some prearranged accident.”
“Ishmael and Sam will watch our backs,” Parker said. “One of Ishmael’s men can watch over you, Jarod.”
“I can look out for myself,” Jarod grumbled.
“You will need your own bodyguard,” Parker scolded him. “It will be expected.”
“Their jobs will be very difficult,” Mercedes said thoughtfully. “With three of us to protect and only five of them, we are spreading our resources very thin.”
“What do you suggest?” Parker chided.
“If we centralized our base of operations,” Mercedes said. “It would tighten the focus, make it easier to defend ourselves during the early stages when we will be most vulnerable.”
“We could use the big house,” Parker realized excitedly. “It’s been abandoned since my father’s death. I just didn’t have the energy to do anything about it. The place is huge. We could all stay there easily. And it already has a security system.”
“I could tweak the defenses a bit,” Jarod added. “I know where the weak areas are located. I bet if we poked around that place a bit we’d find a computer with a connection to The Centre mainframe in place.”
“This is starting to sound like a plan, people,” Parker commented with a grin.
“I’m going to regret this,” Jarod mumbled as he pulled his plate toward him once again.
“This is probably the dumbest thing you’ve ever done, Rat-boy,” Parker grinned playfully.
“No,” Jarod shook his head. “Not quite.” At Parker’s questioning glance, Jarod snickered. “Remind me to tell you about my friend Argyle. He has an incredible talent for contagious stupidity.”
Mercedes raised her wine glass above the table. “To new partners,” she toasted.
“Partners,” Parker responded in kind.
Jarod hesitated for a moment then lifted his glass as well. “New partners,” he said softly. “And old friends.”
Parker nodded faintly and tapped her crystal to Jarod’s in a silent accord. A truce had been made.
of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and are used without permission. No profit has been made...you know the drill.
Of Envy and Darkness
11/23/03 Part4 – By Phenyx
-
It was 9:23 P.M. Jarod was late.
Parker was dressed in an impeccable and very expensive black dress. The skirt was tantalizingly short as was her preference. Her hair was piled high on her head with only a few tendrils curling onto her bare shoulders. Parker looked suitably elegant, wealthy and beautiful as was proper in so posh an establishment.
Mercedes’ dress was a shimmering silver with a scooped bosom and thin spaghetti straps. Her raven black hair was set in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. A simple diamond and sapphire necklace served to accentuate the flawlessness of her skin.
Together the two women were absolutely stunning.
In the twenty minutes since Miles had shown them to their table, they had been hit on no fewer than three times. Ishmael and his team were seething with irritation. But Mercedes’ sweepers, and Sam with them, had been ordered to sit at a table on the opposite side of the room. They had been told not to interfere with the ladies, on pain of death.
For the fifth time in as many minutes, Miss Parker glanced at the delicate gold watch encircling her wrist. Her left foot resumed an irritated tapping.
“Damn,” she sighed.
Mercedes nibbled daintily at a breadstick. “Are you sure he’ll show?” She asked cautiously.
Parker’s glare shot daggers at the other woman. “He’ll show,” Parker growled menacingly. “He might make me wait until dawn. But he’ll show because he knows I’d kill him if he stood me up.”
As if on cue, the odd cell phone Jarod had given them began to ring.
Snatching the phone up from the tabletop where she had placed it, Parker answered it and snarled, “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Jarod.”
“Me?” Jarod hissed angrily. “You should have known better, Parker.” His voice was dripping with a barely controlled fury that startled her. “Did you think that if your dress was short enough I wouldn’t see the sweepers?”
“Jarod,” Parker began.
“No,” Jarod’s voice suddenly dropped in tone from angry to wounded. “I didn’t think I had to tell you to come alone, Parker. I figured you’d know that much.”
“Don’t hang up!” Parker nearly yelled in her panic. “Please, Jarod.” Twisting in her chair, Parker tried frantically to locate the pretender. He could undoubtedly see her and her companion. “Please.” She begged. “We just want to talk to you.”
Jarod snorted rudely into the phone. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Miss Parker. I’m not that naïve anymore.”
“I swear to you Jarod, on my mother’s soul, no one will hurt you. We just want to talk.” Parker allowed her voice to convey the sincerity she felt.
“Why do you need sweepers just to talk?” Jarod asked accusingly.
The fact that the pretender had not hung up was encouraging. “They are our only protection,” Parker explained.
“Protection from what? Me?” Jarod laughed caustically.
“Jarod, we, -” Parker sighed, closed her eyes and pulled out the one thing that would be sure to get Jarod’s attention. “- I need your help.” It was a despicable thing to say. She knew that Jarod would never be able to resist any show of vulnerability on her part. The simple uttering of the words ensured the pretender’s interest. The fact that she was truly depending on him made the simple plea that much more powerful.
When Parker opened her eyes a moment later, Jarod was standing in front of the bar several yards away. He was eyeing Parker suspiciously and still held his cell phone to his ear. Parker could see his glance flicker toward the table where Sam waited with the other men.
Parker’s gray eyes met Jarod’s deep brown ones. “You have my word, Jarod,” she vowed.
Jarod seemed to waver on the edge of indecision before resolve hardened his face. “Can we eat as well? The chef makes an excellent tiramisu,” Jarod purred with a sly grin.
Parker smiled in return and folded the phone closed without responding. Jarod sauntered over to the table and flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Ladies,” he drawled icily as he inclined his head slightly.
“Jarod,” Parker said formally. “This is Mercedes.”
The other woman held her hand out in greeting and Jarod shook it automatically. At Mercedes’ touch, he flinched slightly and frowned in mild confusion. He carefully pulled back his hand and absently began rubbing his fingertips against his thumb. He had undoubtedly felt something from Mercedes, though nothing of the intimacy the two women had shared in the hotel.
Mercedes smiled brilliantly. “Jarod,” she said, half standing. “It is so good to finally meet you in person. I feel as though I know you already.”
“You have me at a disadvantage, madam,” Jarod said as he took a seat. “I haven’t the first clue who you are.” Parker noticed that Jarod had chosen the chair that would give him the best view of the sweepers sitting across the room.
“She is Adama’s widow,” Parker said simply. “And, up until a few days ago, she was planning to kill you for murdering her husband.”
“I didn’t kill Adama,” Jarod said, directing his comment to Miss Parker.
“I know that now,” Mercedes said gently. “Miss Parker has been good enough to enlighten me.”
Jarod smirked ruefully. “Spoke up as a character witness in my defense did she?” he asked.
Parker raised a hand in the air to call a waiter. “If I am your best character witness Jarod,” she teased. “You are in a lot of trouble.”
“I know I’m in trouble,” Jarod replied without hesitation. “I feel like the fly who just sat down in the spider’s parlor.”
Mercedes laughed softy. “A sense of humor,” she murmured appreciatively.
“A strange, sometimes cruel sense of humor,” Parker corrected. “He can be a real pain in the ass when he chooses.”
Jarod smiled innocently.
“Then it will be far more beneficial to have him on our side, don’t you agree?” Mercedes purred.
“What?” Jarod gulped. But any further explanation was preempted at the moment because the waiter had arrived to take their dinner orders. Jarod, not expecting to still be around when the meal came, ordered an antipasto salad. The ladies both ordered almond chicken with steamed vegetables.
Once the young man had filled all the wine glasses and left, Jarod turned to Mercedes and said, “You must have wanted this meeting, Mercedes. What do you want from me?”
A mysterious grin broke out on the dark woman’s face. It took Parker a moment to realize that Jarod’s query had been almost identical to the one Parker made when the two women had first met.
Mercedes took a sip from her goblet and asked curiously, “Why do you assume that I instigated this rendezvous?”
“I’ve know Parker for many years,” Jarod said bluntly. “We’ve never met for dinner before. You are the only new variable in this sick little game of ours. Ergo, you must have suggested the meeting.”
“Elementary, dear Watson,” Parker commented snidely. She watched intently as Jarod and Mercedes studied each other.
Jarod huffed in resignation, grabbed his glass and swallowed a gulp of his wine as though it was bitter medicine. He glanced quickly from one woman to the other before checking on the sweepers once again.
Mercedes deliberately took another taste of her wine. Staring into the deep red liquid she said softly, “It is quite harmless. We aren’t going to drug you.” She gazed sadly into the pretender’s eyes. “The trap you are waiting for isn’t going to spring on you. It doesn’t exist.”
“I hope you will forgive me if I don’t take your assurances at face value,” Jarod drawled sarcastically. “But The Centre has spent years trying to get me back. They will do anything to control me.”
“They control you only because you allow them too,” Mercedes said, unfazed by the chill dripping from Jarod’s voice.
“What do you mean by that?” Jarod snapped, suddenly angry.
“You are the Chosen one,” Mercedes explained. “They have no power over you unless you give it to them.”
Jarod glared at Miss Parker. “What the hell is she talking about?” he growled.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Parker couldn’t help baiting him. “It’s not so easy being the one in the dark.”
“Parker,” the pretender hissed menacingly.
Parker sighed. Taunting Jarod would accomplish nothing. After all, they were trying to recruit him. “It is part of the prophecy mentioned in the scrolls.” Parker explained. “Evidently my great-grandfather read them at least once because portions of the scrolls have been shared with the Triumvirate. The prophecy foretells the arrival of a guide who will lead The Centre to unheard of power.”
“You think I am this guide?” Jarod asked incredulously.
“I know it,” Mercedes said with conviction. “The scrolls say that the chosen one will be named Jarod. That he will carry a mark beneath one eye. He will be brilliant and possess the ability to become many things to many people.”
Mercedes paused as the waiter reappeared with their dinners. The next few minutes were spent in arranging plates on the table and preparing to eat. Jarod glared down at his food thoughtfully. When they were alone again, Jarod said, “That’s a pretty broad description. How can you be so sure that the scrolls are referring to me?”
“There have been other signs,” Mercedes continued. “Some of the simulations you have done in the past fulfilled parts of the prophecy. Even your escape was predicted.”
Jarod frowned and glanced at Miss Parker in surprise. “I can’t lead the way if I am no longer at The Centre,” he said carefully.
Mercedes smiled gently. “Once you return, The Centre’s influence will grow,” she said confidently.
“I’ll never go back there,” Jarod grumbled darkly.
Leaning forward in her chair, Mercedes shook her head compassionately. “You will. The scrolls promise you will. The Deliverer will draw you in.”
“Deliverer?” Jarod asked warily.
“That would be me,” Parker said with a shrug.
Mercedes nodded. “The angel who walks among the whispers. Born within the line that serves The Centre, only she can bring the Chosen to face his destiny.”
Jarod quit trying to find an appetite. He pushed his plate away in disgust. “I won’t just give in to this ridiculous bunch of superstitious crap,” he said sternly. “I believe that my fate is my own.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe, Jarod,” Parker replied quickly. “What’s important is that the Triumvirate believes. Raines believes. They have spent decades training you, convincing you that they are in control. Because they want to have the power they think you will bring to The Centre.”
Jarod gazed thoughtfully at her. Miss Parker could see the pretender’s thoughts racing. His eyes took on a far away, glazed quality as he mulled over her words. Parker sat quietly for several minutes. When Mercedes looked as though she was about to speak, Parker silenced her with a gesture.
“They hurt me so that I would fear them,” Jarod said slowly. “They think they can own me.”
“But they can’t,” Parker said firmly. “No one owns you, Jarod.”
Jarod shot an angry look first at Parker then at Mercedes. “So you want control of me instead,” he hissed.
Mercedes’ serene smile grew wide. “Not at all. Quite the contrary, Jarod.”
Jarod frowned. “Tell me,” he ordered. “I get the feeling I won’t like it, but tell me anyway.”
Parker took a deep breath and made her proposal. “We want to offer you a job with a percentage based salary and a predetermined term to the commitment.”
“You want me to work for you?” Jarod asked incredulously.
“No,” Mercedes corrected. “We will be working for you.”
Parker sat up very straight and smoothed an imaginary wrinkle in her gown. “I’m offering you the Chairmanship.”
Jarod’s mouth dropped open. “Just like that? You’re giving me your father’s position?” He shook his head in disbelief. “I think there may be a bit of resistance to that decision, Miss Parker. You can’t expect me to just waltz in there and take over.”
“That’s exactly what I expect,” Parker stated firmly.
“You’ve got to be crazy,” Jarod gasped in surprise.
Mercedes spoke. “Jarod, you don’t understand the situation,” she argued. “Your impressions have been solely based on the foundation of lies fed to you over the years. Mr. Parker and Dr. Raines wanted you to think that they were the ones holding all the power. But the truth is, that power belongs to you. And Raines can’t do a damn thing to stop you.”
“They can use those close to me,” Jarod growled. “Like they used my brother. If I oppose Raines, someone I care about will be harmed.”
“That’s where we come in,” Parker said in an icy voice. “It will be my job to protect you and yours until we get your position established. We’ve already got a very loyal team ready to join you, Jarod.” Parker glanced meaningfully at the sweepers seated across the room.
Jarod looked stunned and slightly pale. “What about the Triumvirate?” he asked. “Surely they’ll have some say in this.”
“Once the Triumvirate hears about your desire to return,” Mercedes said. “They will be only too glad to have you, regardless of what they need to give you to do it. As a whole, the Triumvirate really doesn’t care who is running The Centre, as long as the profits continue to increase. As a matter of fact,” she went on. “There are a number of those who are distinctly uncomfortable with the current unethical slant to our work. They would gladly pursue a new approach. We can get Triumvirate support and additional guards within a matter of days.”
“I’d rather not rely on more manpower,” Jarod said thoughtfully. “A tighter, more trustworthy, group would be preferable. Bringing in additional people increases the chance of infiltration by one of Raines’ goons.”
Parker glanced at Mercedes with a knowing smile. Jarod was plotting the possibilities already, she could tell. Jarod noticed the look exchanged between the women and quickly snarled, “I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“But you will,” Mercedes smiled broadly.
“Jarod,” Parker said gently. “They will never stop chasing you. You’ll be running forever. But if you do this, imagine the good you could accomplish. The Pretender project could be shut down. Pakor destroyed. You could right every horrid wrong going on in that hellhole. You could find your family. And think of how annoyed Lyle will be,” she added with a sly grin.
Jarod’s eyes gleamed wickedly. “Can I have his office?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Exile him to the broom closet,” Parker nodded.
Jarod snickered gleefully. “Raines will have a fit,” he predicted.
“I’m glad to know that we all have at least one thing in common,” Mercedes purred. “Our mutual hatred of William Raines.”
“As Chairman, exactly what would my job entail?” Jarod asked curiously.
“I think that our first priority will be political in nature,” Mercedes began. “We have to solidify the new infrastructure.”
Parker nodded in agreement. “You would need to find some way to further undermine Lyle and Raines,” she said. “As long as those two are around they will be a threat.”
“Raines needs to be forced into early retirement,” Mercedes determined coolly. “I want him to be destitute. I want him to lose everything. Can you do that, Jarod?”
“He can do it,” Parker said in a hard voice. “Jarod can do anything he sets his mind to.”
Jarod blinked in silent surprise. Parker’s sharp confidence in his abilities was both touching and intimidating. He looked carefully from one woman to the other as he made a mental note to never cross either one. Raines had. And now these two exquisitely beautiful women were set to destroy the man.
“This will be very dangerous at first,” Jarod commented. “Until Raines and Lyle are out of the picture, we run the risk of falling victim to some prearranged accident.”
“Ishmael and Sam will watch our backs,” Parker said. “One of Ishmael’s men can watch over you, Jarod.”
“I can look out for myself,” Jarod grumbled.
“You will need your own bodyguard,” Parker scolded him. “It will be expected.”
“Their jobs will be very difficult,” Mercedes said thoughtfully. “With three of us to protect and only five of them, we are spreading our resources very thin.”
“What do you suggest?” Parker chided.
“If we centralized our base of operations,” Mercedes said. “It would tighten the focus, make it easier to defend ourselves during the early stages when we will be most vulnerable.”
“We could use the big house,” Parker realized excitedly. “It’s been abandoned since my father’s death. I just didn’t have the energy to do anything about it. The place is huge. We could all stay there easily. And it already has a security system.”
“I could tweak the defenses a bit,” Jarod added. “I know where the weak areas are located. I bet if we poked around that place a bit we’d find a computer with a connection to The Centre mainframe in place.”
“This is starting to sound like a plan, people,” Parker commented with a grin.
“I’m going to regret this,” Jarod mumbled as he pulled his plate toward him once again.
“This is probably the dumbest thing you’ve ever done, Rat-boy,” Parker grinned playfully.
“No,” Jarod shook his head. “Not quite.” At Parker’s questioning glance, Jarod snickered. “Remind me to tell you about my friend Argyle. He has an incredible talent for contagious stupidity.”
Mercedes raised her wine glass above the table. “To new partners,” she toasted.
“Partners,” Parker responded in kind.
Jarod hesitated for a moment then lifted his glass as well. “New partners,” he said softly. “And old friends.”
Parker nodded faintly and tapped her crystal to Jarod’s in a silent accord. A truce had been made.
