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Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Thank you so much for the reviews. Sorry about the wait, but I started a new job and my time is sadly not my own anymore. I’ll upload as quickly as I can. :-)
Chapter 13
The Centre
“Broots, I want you to book me a seat on the next available flight to Denver.”
“I’m sorry Sydney, but you are not going anywhere.”
Sydney turned to see Mr. Parker and two sweepers enter the tech room. He had not expected the chairman, especially seeing that he had given him a phone number to contact Miss Parker by.
“Miss Parker wants us to join her at Blue water.” The lie came easy.
“She is on her own.”
Sydney stared incredulously at the chairman. The words had been said calmly and without any emotion.
“She is your only daughter.”
“And there you have the crux of it, Sydney. She is my daughter and my responsibility.”
Mr. Parker left, leaving the two sweepers taking up posts by the door.
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Blue water
Miss Parker spent most of the drive considering her options. She needed to rescue Sam from Vince. He could then look after Davey while she tried to figure out where Jarod was being kept. What she didn’t know was what to do with the Pretender once she had taken him out of the Centre’s clutches. It was confusing, to say the least. Her whole life for the past three years had been based around bringing him back to the Centre and now that they had him, she was planning on rescuing him. Grimacing, she glanced at the boy. So many things had changed with Davey.
“Let him be a boy…”
Angelo’s words echoed in her head. She remembered his fingers slowing on the keys of the piano, the song that he played broken as the neural pathways in his brain shut down. She wondered briefly what choice she would have made had Gar and the sweepers not have made their entrance. Would she still have taken Jarod back?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Davey’s eyes slowly opened and he asked, “Where am I?”
She smiled, glancing his way. “You’re safe.”
Davey gave her a sad smile before turning his attention to their surrounding area. He turned back to her after a period of silence. His voice was soft and tentative as he said, “I’m thirsty.”
“Then we should do something about it,” Miss Parker answered, “what would you like?”
“Can I get a happy meal?”
“I thought you were thirsty?” Miss Parker asked, smiling when she saw the golden arches down the road they were traveling. Davey’s face fell and he seemed to shrink into his seat. He apologized softly, not making eye contact. Miss Parker sighed inwardly. She had to remind herself that the boy had been in the Centre’s hands for the past few weeks. She turned into the drive thru. She was aware of Davey’s small smile when she ordered a happy meal for him. When she drove towards the pay point, he frowned.
“Are you not hungry?”
“Not right now. I’ll get something to eat later.”
“Oh. Cain didn’t know about smiley breakfasts. Do you know what a smiley breakfast is?”
Miss Parker nodded. She kept silent as thoughts of her mother making breakfast intruded. She paid the attendant, before giving the package to the boy.
“Are you sad?”
She had not expected the question. It was her time to smile sorrowfully. She slowly pulled away before she answered, “A little.”
Davey took a bite out of his burger. Through a full mouth, he questioned. “Why?”
Miss Parker stared at the road, not really seeing the gray highway stretched out before her. Her actions were automatic as she steered around a bend. “My mother died when I was a little older than you,” she admitted softly. Davey’s eyes filmed with unshed tears and he put the rest of the burger on his lap. His gaze turned to her as he whispered, “Cain said that my parents are dead too. Now he is…,” he choked before wiping his eyes quickly. She didn’t reply, having nothing to say that will make him feel any better.
They drove in silence while Davey finished his meal and she contemplated the future. Davey broke the silence again and this time he said it softly and with so much loneliness that it tuck at her heart.
“Who is going to take care of me now?”
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The Centre
"What do we do now, Sydney?” Broots asked, glancing at the two imposing figures guarding the door.
“Can you do that search from a station here?”
“Yes, but what do we do once we have it.”
“Do what Miss Parker told us. Tell her.”
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Baker’s club, Blue water
She parked a short distance from the club, making sure that the area was fairly safe and secure. She has no choice but to leave Davey in the car. He watched with big eyes as she checked her clip and the second gun she had taken from Willie.
“Please don’t leave me.”
Miss Parker turned to Davey. When she saw his gaze directed at her, she reached out and loosened the safety belt.
“Please.”
She didn’t know what to say. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. Like so many things in the past few hours, she was on virgin ground. Her interaction with children started and ended with Debbie. She had to save Sam and she couldn’t do that worrying about Davey behind her. Her mother intruded briefly in her thoughts.
Her voice is inside you.
The card that Jarod had left her at her mother’s grave seemed to give her strength. She smiled and turned, gently taking one of Davey’s hands and enfolding it in her own.
“I’m not leaving you, Davey. I need to help a friend and it’s safer for you to stay here then go with me.”
“But you might forget about me.”
Squeezing his hand, she leaned closer. “I won’t, I promise.”
“Cross your heart?”
She promised solemnly. The boy nodded seriously, holding her gaze. Telling him to stay in the car and not to open the doors for anyone but her, she left, knowing that she could keep Davey’s promise. No matter what.
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The docks, Blue water
Jarod rubbed both temples, the heels of his hands covering his eyes. His voice cracked slightly as he continued to dictate to one of the men guarding him. His headache had gotten progressively worse as the time ticked down. His eyes were bloodshot and burned from lack of sleep. The shivers that up until three hours ago had been intermittent were now a constant. So much so, that he couldn’t hold a pen steady anymore. He had given the writing materials to one of the men in disgust, which now ended up with him dictating while the other wrote his words down. He heard a door open and footsteps coming towards the back of the room where the setup was. He didn’t look up; instead he increased the pressure of his hands on his eyes. An involuntary gasp left him when a sharp stab of pain hit him behind his eyes. He hunched down on the chair while his nausea increased dramatically. He was dimly aware of Cox’s voice but he couldn’t register what the other man was saying. Instead he slid from the chair onto the concrete floor where he curled in a tight ball of misery. Flashes of memory he had no idea he had experienced looped through his mind’s eye. Parts of them were vaguely familiar and he knew that he had seen them in his nightmares before. The rest were images that he had no recollection of ever experiencing.
“If you ever tell Sydney about our sessions, he will die and it will be your fault.”
“Do the sim Jarod…”
“You are responsible for failing to find him in time…”
“You will never be free. The Centre owns you, Jarod. We are your parents..”
He was aware of something cold coming in contact with the bend in his arm. A moment later a needle slid into his vein. After a few minutes the pain subsided slightly. Still curled in a tight ball, he could feel thick fingers on his wrist. Cox’s voice invaded his conscience and he shook his head, not wanting any more memories added to the ones still racing through his mind. His head was turned and an eyelid lifted as a light invaded his pupil. He tried to jerk his head away from the invasion but all he managed was a weak movement.
“Jarod?”
“Dammit, his going into shock. We need to move him to the bed.”
The voice sounded miles away. It came through watery and heavy and he ignored it as his reality shifted. In his mind he was seventeen again.
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Baker’s club, Blue water
She crossed the street quickly before making her way down the side of the building. She surveyed the area around the back door. Satisfied that no-one was keeping watch, she made her way towards the door. Keeping low, she passed the window next to it before slowly testing the latch. To her surprise it opened and not questioning she stepped into the darkness.
She closed the door quietly while giving her pounding heart time to slow down. Sliding down the wall towards the study door, her ears were straining for any sound that might indicate that she had been found. She stopped just short of the door when she heard the familiar phut of a silencer. Keeping her gun ready, she watched the door open. The figure of a man was just emerging from behind it when she slammed into him. Taken by surprise, she held her arm across his throat while her gun pushed into his ribs. The whole scene had not taken more than two seconds and it was only by the fifth that the surprised face in front of her registered.
Lyle.
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Shoreview apartments, Blue water
“Thank you, Jason. You have no idea what this means to me.”
“Mom?”
Margaret turned to her daughter and smiled. “I know where they are keeping Jarod.”
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Baker’s club, Blue water
Closing the door behind her, Miss Parker watched as Lyle calmly finished unscrewing his silencer and putting it in his pocket. She took in the slack figure of Vince where he lay sprawled over his desk.
“Been busy?”
“I’ve been looking for you,” Lyle said calmly, meeting her eyes with his own. Her own gun was still out and still aimed in his general direction. Ignoring her gun, he took his phone from his pocket.
“Why?”
“Well, let see, Parker. You disappear from your hotel room without leaving any messages, you ignore dad’s phone calls and I finally hear that you had been kicking around in the least savory parts of this quaint little town. As your brother I was worried, Sis.”
“Tell me something I’ll believe, Lyle.”
“Dad is worried about you, Parker. And he should be by the looks of your arm. What happened?”
“I had a run in with a large rat.”
Lyle narrowed his eyes. “Funny, Parker. Tell me, is Dad right?”
“About what?”
“That you have developed feelings for wonder boy?”
She was quiet, meeting his bored expression with one of her own. This was the game they had always played and she knew it well.
“My duty is to bring him back, Lyle. That’s not the best foundation for any relationship.”
“True, but you were friends once.”
“And what exactly did you do to your best friend?”
“Touché.” Lyle grinned at her. Turning, he threw a piece of log on the dying fire. Watching the sparks fly, he casually asked, “What are you planning on doing with the boy, Parker?”
“What boy?”
Lyle turned and faced her. “The one you…ah…appropriated from the Centre safe-house a few hours ago?”
They stared each other down. Miss Parker was deeply aware of how her actions could be perceived but at this stage of the game she didn’t give a damn. She still had her gun in her hand and knew that Lyle wouldn’t try anything until he was sure of what the outcome will be.
“That boy is Centre property, Sis.”
“And now he is missing. That is a shame but I’m sure that Raines will get over it, after all, he does have a tendency to underestimate his projects.”
Placing his hands in his pockets, he again turned away from her. He could hear her shift behind him, but he kept his stance casual. He softened his tone when he said, “Do you realize this puts you in more danger with the Centre?”
“Worried about your own skin, Lyle?”
He turned, his blue eyes smoldering. “That is uncalled for, Parker. The only one in danger is you and all dad and I want is for you to be safe.”
“That’s funny, Lyle. Since when?”
Lyle took a step closer, his tone angry. Only when she lifted the gun did he stop. “You have no idea what you are dealing with.”
“You know, that is the second time I had heard that phrase in twenty-four hours. Care to elaborate?”
Lyle stayed silent, staring with open aggression at her. Miss Parker was only to well aware of what her brother was capable off and she tightened her grip on her gun. Lyle didn’t ignore it either, and he relaxed his muscles openly.
“If only you had followed orders like you were suppose to, Parker.”
“Yeah well, sorry to disappoint you Lyle but I had never been very good at doing that. Now turn around.”
“No.”
“You don’t want me angry, Lyle. The best thing for you now is to follow the commands from the person holding the gun.”
Lyle slowly turned. He heard her move behind him and he warned, “You don’t want to do this, Sis.”
With a soft sigh he folded down to the floor.
“You have no idea what I want,” she growled, looking down at the unconscious form of her brother. “No idea at all.”
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The docks, Blue water
He followed Angelo through the vents. They were taking a circuitous route through the sublevel while trying to circumvent the security that had been set up. They finally reached their destination and Jarod smiled at Angelo, thanking him. He looked through the holes in the cover into a small room. Bedding was shifted against one wall. On it sat Jarod’s goal. The mystery boy he had been working a few times with every time Sydney went away. He knocked softly and watched the boy look up.
“What are you doing here?”
Jarod heard the fear in the whisper but in his excitement of finding the boy, he ignored it.
“I was looking for you.”
The boy glanced towards the one corner before slowly rising. Jarod tried to see if someone else was in the room but with the angle the vent was situated he couldn’t see. He questioned with a look and the boy shook his head. Jarod relaxed slightly. The boy moved closer and then whispered, “Why?”
For a moment Jarod had to recall his previous words. Smiling at the confused dark eyes before him, he said, “Why not?”
“That’s not logical.”
Jarod grinned. He had heard that phrase from Miss Parker more than once and he remember his frustration those words had brought up the first few times until he learned that not every action need to be answered logically.
“It’s ok. I just wanted to see you without Mr. Raines present.”
The boy glanced fearfully at the door before returning his attention back to Jarod. “Why?”
Jarod sighed. This was going to be a long conversation. “Do you have a camera in your room?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a cable in the back. Tuck it out and the red light should go out. That means they will not be able to see.”
“Why?”
Patience. Jarod closed his eyes briefly before whispering, “So that I can come into your room. I don’t want to talk through the grate.”
The boy contemplated Jarod’s words before moving out of Jarod’s view. A few moments later he came back in view and indicated that he had done as Jarod asked. Jarod glanced at Angelo before pushing the grate into the room. Smiling, he jumped down.
“That’s Angelo. His also stays here at the Centre.”
Dark eyes moved towards Angelo. “He looks funny.”
Jarod frowned. “What do you mean?”
The boy shrugged. Jarod was about to question again when Angelo motioned for him. “Have to go. Now.”
Jarod was halfway in the vent when the door creaked open. His heart thudded in his chest as he tried to scramble the rest of the way in. Before he could get a foothold, an arm wrapped around him and pulled him out. His panic increased in the grip of the sweeper when he saw the second person who entered the room.
“Mr…Raines.”
“Jarod, what are you doing here?”
Jarod swallowed. He could only stare at the menacing man in front of him. The boy stood against the far wall, his frightened gaze staring straight at the doctor.
“I…I…uh…”
Raines took a drag of his cigarette and stepped closer to the stammering teenager. Jarod watched the tip glow red, aware of the bruising grip of the sweeper behind him. He knew what was coming next and wasn’t disappointed when Raines pushed the burning end onto his skin. He bit his lip, feeling the blood well up in his mouth when the pain receptors in his arm flared white hot. Raines took the cooling stump away, again dragging on it. His pitiless gaze never let him and Jarod felt his courage shrink.
“Answer me.”
Jarod kept stubbornly quiet. He watched the man pull the tip red again and closed his eyes, waiting for the pain. When it didn’t come, he looked up in surprise to see Raines push the end onto the sensitive inner flesh of the other boy’s hand where the thumb and first finger intersected. The boy let out a whimper of pain. Unable to escape the hold the sweeper had on him, Jarod screamed at Raines.
“Stop it! He didn’t do anything wrong!”
“But you did Jarod. Now answer my question.”
Slumping his shoulders, Jarod admitted defeat. He hung his head, and muttered, “I just wanted to see him.”
Raines stepped closer and his hand lifted Jarod’s head. His gaze now curious, he glanced from the still whimpering boy to Jarod. “Why?”
“I wanted to know who he is.”
Raines nodded to himself. He indicated the sweeper to let Jarod go and then to leave them. Jarod was confused and suspicious. Raines was never known for having a forgiving personality and he didn’t know how to handle the current situation. When Raines told him to move to the other boy, he obeyed without question.
“Who do you think he is, Jarod?”
Jarod had taken the hand, to take a look at the weeping wound. The question caught him unawares. He didn’t know what to say.
“Jarod?”
Aware of the note of impatience that had crept into Raines’ voice, he answered as best as he could.
“He is special, like me. But his skills are different and compliment mine.”
“Good Jarod. But you didn’t answer my question.”
Angry, Jarod turned from looking at the wound, to face Raines. “How am I supposed to know who he is beside what you had told me? He doesn’t even have a name.”
Raines glared at the younger man until Jarod shifted his eyes back to the boy next to him. Suddenly defiant, he placed an arm around the boy’s shoulders, daring Raines to say something. Raines only grinned evilly.
“Do you want that information, Jarod?”
A pit settled in the centre of his stomach. He wasn’t so sure anymore. Reflectively his hand tightened around the boy. His eyes were wide as he nodded. Sydney had always told him that he needed all the information to make the best choices.
Dropping the cigarette, Raines grounded the butt. Jarod tensed when the man stepped closer until a hand cupped his chin. He was almost as tall as Raines, but it didn’t stop the man from intimidating him.
“Are you sure?”
Jarod swallowed his answer before finding strength to give a more confidant one.
“Very well, Jarod,” Raines sneered, looking at the silent boy before turning his gaze back to the pretender.
“He’s your brother.”
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Police station, Blue water
Murray looked up as Bobby entered his office. “Find anything?”
“No. His apartment had been cleaned out. It looks like nobody had lived there in a while.”
“I had expected as much. Anything on the car?”
“It’s registered to a company out of Blue Cove. A place called The Centre.”
“What do we know of them?”
“According to the Companies list it is a think tank of some sort. They provide solutions to current scientific and economic problems.”
Murray snorted. “Why don’t I believe what you just told me?”
“Well, maybe it’s because they had been under investigation before. Every time it was conveniently pushed under the rug and the investigator quietly disappeared.”
“Imagine what would happen if we looked under the rug.”
Bobby returned Murray’s knowing grin. “Imagine indeed.”
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Baker’s club, Blue water
She had found Sam tucked away in the basement. While they made their way to where she had parked the car, she explained to him what she wanted. She answered her phone, getting the information from Broots. By his whispered directions she could only imagine that her father had intervened, keeping them at the Centre. Putting her phone away, she sighed. Her father was determined to get her to understand that she was on her own.
What he didn’t know was that was how she worked best.
Davey greeted her with a relieved smile when she opened the door. She introduced Sam to the boy. She watched them interact, again amazed at Sam’s affinity for children. The boy took to him immediately, and as she pulled away from the curve, Davey had settled comfortably against Sam’s chest.
“You know what to do?”
Sam nodded. Satisfied she dropped them off at the train station half an hour later before making her way towards the docks. It was time to end this.
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Reviews…please. ;-)
Thank you so much for the reviews. Sorry about the wait, but I started a new job and my time is sadly not my own anymore. I’ll upload as quickly as I can. :-)
Chapter 13
The Centre
“Broots, I want you to book me a seat on the next available flight to Denver.”
“I’m sorry Sydney, but you are not going anywhere.”
Sydney turned to see Mr. Parker and two sweepers enter the tech room. He had not expected the chairman, especially seeing that he had given him a phone number to contact Miss Parker by.
“Miss Parker wants us to join her at Blue water.” The lie came easy.
“She is on her own.”
Sydney stared incredulously at the chairman. The words had been said calmly and without any emotion.
“She is your only daughter.”
“And there you have the crux of it, Sydney. She is my daughter and my responsibility.”
Mr. Parker left, leaving the two sweepers taking up posts by the door.
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Blue water
Miss Parker spent most of the drive considering her options. She needed to rescue Sam from Vince. He could then look after Davey while she tried to figure out where Jarod was being kept. What she didn’t know was what to do with the Pretender once she had taken him out of the Centre’s clutches. It was confusing, to say the least. Her whole life for the past three years had been based around bringing him back to the Centre and now that they had him, she was planning on rescuing him. Grimacing, she glanced at the boy. So many things had changed with Davey.
“Let him be a boy…”
Angelo’s words echoed in her head. She remembered his fingers slowing on the keys of the piano, the song that he played broken as the neural pathways in his brain shut down. She wondered briefly what choice she would have made had Gar and the sweepers not have made their entrance. Would she still have taken Jarod back?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Davey’s eyes slowly opened and he asked, “Where am I?”
She smiled, glancing his way. “You’re safe.”
Davey gave her a sad smile before turning his attention to their surrounding area. He turned back to her after a period of silence. His voice was soft and tentative as he said, “I’m thirsty.”
“Then we should do something about it,” Miss Parker answered, “what would you like?”
“Can I get a happy meal?”
“I thought you were thirsty?” Miss Parker asked, smiling when she saw the golden arches down the road they were traveling. Davey’s face fell and he seemed to shrink into his seat. He apologized softly, not making eye contact. Miss Parker sighed inwardly. She had to remind herself that the boy had been in the Centre’s hands for the past few weeks. She turned into the drive thru. She was aware of Davey’s small smile when she ordered a happy meal for him. When she drove towards the pay point, he frowned.
“Are you not hungry?”
“Not right now. I’ll get something to eat later.”
“Oh. Cain didn’t know about smiley breakfasts. Do you know what a smiley breakfast is?”
Miss Parker nodded. She kept silent as thoughts of her mother making breakfast intruded. She paid the attendant, before giving the package to the boy.
“Are you sad?”
She had not expected the question. It was her time to smile sorrowfully. She slowly pulled away before she answered, “A little.”
Davey took a bite out of his burger. Through a full mouth, he questioned. “Why?”
Miss Parker stared at the road, not really seeing the gray highway stretched out before her. Her actions were automatic as she steered around a bend. “My mother died when I was a little older than you,” she admitted softly. Davey’s eyes filmed with unshed tears and he put the rest of the burger on his lap. His gaze turned to her as he whispered, “Cain said that my parents are dead too. Now he is…,” he choked before wiping his eyes quickly. She didn’t reply, having nothing to say that will make him feel any better.
They drove in silence while Davey finished his meal and she contemplated the future. Davey broke the silence again and this time he said it softly and with so much loneliness that it tuck at her heart.
“Who is going to take care of me now?”
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The Centre
"What do we do now, Sydney?” Broots asked, glancing at the two imposing figures guarding the door.
“Can you do that search from a station here?”
“Yes, but what do we do once we have it.”
“Do what Miss Parker told us. Tell her.”
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Baker’s club, Blue water
She parked a short distance from the club, making sure that the area was fairly safe and secure. She has no choice but to leave Davey in the car. He watched with big eyes as she checked her clip and the second gun she had taken from Willie.
“Please don’t leave me.”
Miss Parker turned to Davey. When she saw his gaze directed at her, she reached out and loosened the safety belt.
“Please.”
She didn’t know what to say. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. Like so many things in the past few hours, she was on virgin ground. Her interaction with children started and ended with Debbie. She had to save Sam and she couldn’t do that worrying about Davey behind her. Her mother intruded briefly in her thoughts.
Her voice is inside you.
The card that Jarod had left her at her mother’s grave seemed to give her strength. She smiled and turned, gently taking one of Davey’s hands and enfolding it in her own.
“I’m not leaving you, Davey. I need to help a friend and it’s safer for you to stay here then go with me.”
“But you might forget about me.”
Squeezing his hand, she leaned closer. “I won’t, I promise.”
“Cross your heart?”
She promised solemnly. The boy nodded seriously, holding her gaze. Telling him to stay in the car and not to open the doors for anyone but her, she left, knowing that she could keep Davey’s promise. No matter what.
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The docks, Blue water
Jarod rubbed both temples, the heels of his hands covering his eyes. His voice cracked slightly as he continued to dictate to one of the men guarding him. His headache had gotten progressively worse as the time ticked down. His eyes were bloodshot and burned from lack of sleep. The shivers that up until three hours ago had been intermittent were now a constant. So much so, that he couldn’t hold a pen steady anymore. He had given the writing materials to one of the men in disgust, which now ended up with him dictating while the other wrote his words down. He heard a door open and footsteps coming towards the back of the room where the setup was. He didn’t look up; instead he increased the pressure of his hands on his eyes. An involuntary gasp left him when a sharp stab of pain hit him behind his eyes. He hunched down on the chair while his nausea increased dramatically. He was dimly aware of Cox’s voice but he couldn’t register what the other man was saying. Instead he slid from the chair onto the concrete floor where he curled in a tight ball of misery. Flashes of memory he had no idea he had experienced looped through his mind’s eye. Parts of them were vaguely familiar and he knew that he had seen them in his nightmares before. The rest were images that he had no recollection of ever experiencing.
“If you ever tell Sydney about our sessions, he will die and it will be your fault.”
“Do the sim Jarod…”
“You are responsible for failing to find him in time…”
“You will never be free. The Centre owns you, Jarod. We are your parents..”
He was aware of something cold coming in contact with the bend in his arm. A moment later a needle slid into his vein. After a few minutes the pain subsided slightly. Still curled in a tight ball, he could feel thick fingers on his wrist. Cox’s voice invaded his conscience and he shook his head, not wanting any more memories added to the ones still racing through his mind. His head was turned and an eyelid lifted as a light invaded his pupil. He tried to jerk his head away from the invasion but all he managed was a weak movement.
“Jarod?”
“Dammit, his going into shock. We need to move him to the bed.”
The voice sounded miles away. It came through watery and heavy and he ignored it as his reality shifted. In his mind he was seventeen again.
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Baker’s club, Blue water
She crossed the street quickly before making her way down the side of the building. She surveyed the area around the back door. Satisfied that no-one was keeping watch, she made her way towards the door. Keeping low, she passed the window next to it before slowly testing the latch. To her surprise it opened and not questioning she stepped into the darkness.
She closed the door quietly while giving her pounding heart time to slow down. Sliding down the wall towards the study door, her ears were straining for any sound that might indicate that she had been found. She stopped just short of the door when she heard the familiar phut of a silencer. Keeping her gun ready, she watched the door open. The figure of a man was just emerging from behind it when she slammed into him. Taken by surprise, she held her arm across his throat while her gun pushed into his ribs. The whole scene had not taken more than two seconds and it was only by the fifth that the surprised face in front of her registered.
Lyle.
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Shoreview apartments, Blue water
“Thank you, Jason. You have no idea what this means to me.”
“Mom?”
Margaret turned to her daughter and smiled. “I know where they are keeping Jarod.”
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Baker’s club, Blue water
Closing the door behind her, Miss Parker watched as Lyle calmly finished unscrewing his silencer and putting it in his pocket. She took in the slack figure of Vince where he lay sprawled over his desk.
“Been busy?”
“I’ve been looking for you,” Lyle said calmly, meeting her eyes with his own. Her own gun was still out and still aimed in his general direction. Ignoring her gun, he took his phone from his pocket.
“Why?”
“Well, let see, Parker. You disappear from your hotel room without leaving any messages, you ignore dad’s phone calls and I finally hear that you had been kicking around in the least savory parts of this quaint little town. As your brother I was worried, Sis.”
“Tell me something I’ll believe, Lyle.”
“Dad is worried about you, Parker. And he should be by the looks of your arm. What happened?”
“I had a run in with a large rat.”
Lyle narrowed his eyes. “Funny, Parker. Tell me, is Dad right?”
“About what?”
“That you have developed feelings for wonder boy?”
She was quiet, meeting his bored expression with one of her own. This was the game they had always played and she knew it well.
“My duty is to bring him back, Lyle. That’s not the best foundation for any relationship.”
“True, but you were friends once.”
“And what exactly did you do to your best friend?”
“Touché.” Lyle grinned at her. Turning, he threw a piece of log on the dying fire. Watching the sparks fly, he casually asked, “What are you planning on doing with the boy, Parker?”
“What boy?”
Lyle turned and faced her. “The one you…ah…appropriated from the Centre safe-house a few hours ago?”
They stared each other down. Miss Parker was deeply aware of how her actions could be perceived but at this stage of the game she didn’t give a damn. She still had her gun in her hand and knew that Lyle wouldn’t try anything until he was sure of what the outcome will be.
“That boy is Centre property, Sis.”
“And now he is missing. That is a shame but I’m sure that Raines will get over it, after all, he does have a tendency to underestimate his projects.”
Placing his hands in his pockets, he again turned away from her. He could hear her shift behind him, but he kept his stance casual. He softened his tone when he said, “Do you realize this puts you in more danger with the Centre?”
“Worried about your own skin, Lyle?”
He turned, his blue eyes smoldering. “That is uncalled for, Parker. The only one in danger is you and all dad and I want is for you to be safe.”
“That’s funny, Lyle. Since when?”
Lyle took a step closer, his tone angry. Only when she lifted the gun did he stop. “You have no idea what you are dealing with.”
“You know, that is the second time I had heard that phrase in twenty-four hours. Care to elaborate?”
Lyle stayed silent, staring with open aggression at her. Miss Parker was only to well aware of what her brother was capable off and she tightened her grip on her gun. Lyle didn’t ignore it either, and he relaxed his muscles openly.
“If only you had followed orders like you were suppose to, Parker.”
“Yeah well, sorry to disappoint you Lyle but I had never been very good at doing that. Now turn around.”
“No.”
“You don’t want me angry, Lyle. The best thing for you now is to follow the commands from the person holding the gun.”
Lyle slowly turned. He heard her move behind him and he warned, “You don’t want to do this, Sis.”
With a soft sigh he folded down to the floor.
“You have no idea what I want,” she growled, looking down at the unconscious form of her brother. “No idea at all.”
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The docks, Blue water
He followed Angelo through the vents. They were taking a circuitous route through the sublevel while trying to circumvent the security that had been set up. They finally reached their destination and Jarod smiled at Angelo, thanking him. He looked through the holes in the cover into a small room. Bedding was shifted against one wall. On it sat Jarod’s goal. The mystery boy he had been working a few times with every time Sydney went away. He knocked softly and watched the boy look up.
“What are you doing here?”
Jarod heard the fear in the whisper but in his excitement of finding the boy, he ignored it.
“I was looking for you.”
The boy glanced towards the one corner before slowly rising. Jarod tried to see if someone else was in the room but with the angle the vent was situated he couldn’t see. He questioned with a look and the boy shook his head. Jarod relaxed slightly. The boy moved closer and then whispered, “Why?”
For a moment Jarod had to recall his previous words. Smiling at the confused dark eyes before him, he said, “Why not?”
“That’s not logical.”
Jarod grinned. He had heard that phrase from Miss Parker more than once and he remember his frustration those words had brought up the first few times until he learned that not every action need to be answered logically.
“It’s ok. I just wanted to see you without Mr. Raines present.”
The boy glanced fearfully at the door before returning his attention back to Jarod. “Why?”
Jarod sighed. This was going to be a long conversation. “Do you have a camera in your room?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a cable in the back. Tuck it out and the red light should go out. That means they will not be able to see.”
“Why?”
Patience. Jarod closed his eyes briefly before whispering, “So that I can come into your room. I don’t want to talk through the grate.”
The boy contemplated Jarod’s words before moving out of Jarod’s view. A few moments later he came back in view and indicated that he had done as Jarod asked. Jarod glanced at Angelo before pushing the grate into the room. Smiling, he jumped down.
“That’s Angelo. His also stays here at the Centre.”
Dark eyes moved towards Angelo. “He looks funny.”
Jarod frowned. “What do you mean?”
The boy shrugged. Jarod was about to question again when Angelo motioned for him. “Have to go. Now.”
Jarod was halfway in the vent when the door creaked open. His heart thudded in his chest as he tried to scramble the rest of the way in. Before he could get a foothold, an arm wrapped around him and pulled him out. His panic increased in the grip of the sweeper when he saw the second person who entered the room.
“Mr…Raines.”
“Jarod, what are you doing here?”
Jarod swallowed. He could only stare at the menacing man in front of him. The boy stood against the far wall, his frightened gaze staring straight at the doctor.
“I…I…uh…”
Raines took a drag of his cigarette and stepped closer to the stammering teenager. Jarod watched the tip glow red, aware of the bruising grip of the sweeper behind him. He knew what was coming next and wasn’t disappointed when Raines pushed the burning end onto his skin. He bit his lip, feeling the blood well up in his mouth when the pain receptors in his arm flared white hot. Raines took the cooling stump away, again dragging on it. His pitiless gaze never let him and Jarod felt his courage shrink.
“Answer me.”
Jarod kept stubbornly quiet. He watched the man pull the tip red again and closed his eyes, waiting for the pain. When it didn’t come, he looked up in surprise to see Raines push the end onto the sensitive inner flesh of the other boy’s hand where the thumb and first finger intersected. The boy let out a whimper of pain. Unable to escape the hold the sweeper had on him, Jarod screamed at Raines.
“Stop it! He didn’t do anything wrong!”
“But you did Jarod. Now answer my question.”
Slumping his shoulders, Jarod admitted defeat. He hung his head, and muttered, “I just wanted to see him.”
Raines stepped closer and his hand lifted Jarod’s head. His gaze now curious, he glanced from the still whimpering boy to Jarod. “Why?”
“I wanted to know who he is.”
Raines nodded to himself. He indicated the sweeper to let Jarod go and then to leave them. Jarod was confused and suspicious. Raines was never known for having a forgiving personality and he didn’t know how to handle the current situation. When Raines told him to move to the other boy, he obeyed without question.
“Who do you think he is, Jarod?”
Jarod had taken the hand, to take a look at the weeping wound. The question caught him unawares. He didn’t know what to say.
“Jarod?”
Aware of the note of impatience that had crept into Raines’ voice, he answered as best as he could.
“He is special, like me. But his skills are different and compliment mine.”
“Good Jarod. But you didn’t answer my question.”
Angry, Jarod turned from looking at the wound, to face Raines. “How am I supposed to know who he is beside what you had told me? He doesn’t even have a name.”
Raines glared at the younger man until Jarod shifted his eyes back to the boy next to him. Suddenly defiant, he placed an arm around the boy’s shoulders, daring Raines to say something. Raines only grinned evilly.
“Do you want that information, Jarod?”
A pit settled in the centre of his stomach. He wasn’t so sure anymore. Reflectively his hand tightened around the boy. His eyes were wide as he nodded. Sydney had always told him that he needed all the information to make the best choices.
Dropping the cigarette, Raines grounded the butt. Jarod tensed when the man stepped closer until a hand cupped his chin. He was almost as tall as Raines, but it didn’t stop the man from intimidating him.
“Are you sure?”
Jarod swallowed his answer before finding strength to give a more confidant one.
“Very well, Jarod,” Raines sneered, looking at the silent boy before turning his gaze back to the pretender.
“He’s your brother.”
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Police station, Blue water
Murray looked up as Bobby entered his office. “Find anything?”
“No. His apartment had been cleaned out. It looks like nobody had lived there in a while.”
“I had expected as much. Anything on the car?”
“It’s registered to a company out of Blue Cove. A place called The Centre.”
“What do we know of them?”
“According to the Companies list it is a think tank of some sort. They provide solutions to current scientific and economic problems.”
Murray snorted. “Why don’t I believe what you just told me?”
“Well, maybe it’s because they had been under investigation before. Every time it was conveniently pushed under the rug and the investigator quietly disappeared.”
“Imagine what would happen if we looked under the rug.”
Bobby returned Murray’s knowing grin. “Imagine indeed.”
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Baker’s club, Blue water
She had found Sam tucked away in the basement. While they made their way to where she had parked the car, she explained to him what she wanted. She answered her phone, getting the information from Broots. By his whispered directions she could only imagine that her father had intervened, keeping them at the Centre. Putting her phone away, she sighed. Her father was determined to get her to understand that she was on her own.
What he didn’t know was that was how she worked best.
Davey greeted her with a relieved smile when she opened the door. She introduced Sam to the boy. She watched them interact, again amazed at Sam’s affinity for children. The boy took to him immediately, and as she pulled away from the curve, Davey had settled comfortably against Sam’s chest.
“You know what to do?”
Sam nodded. Satisfied she dropped them off at the train station half an hour later before making her way towards the docks. It was time to end this.
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