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Chapter or Story
Usual disclaimer. New: One line is actually ‘borrowed’ from Melissa Etheridge.
Souls of the Departed Part 10
"Point Blank"
Lyle entered the small town on Lake Catherine early in the morning. He got there straight from a small airport that was the closest. It had still taken him almost two hours to arrive here. It was around nine o’clock. He had come alone, without sweepers. The eloquent man didn’t want to appear suspicious to anyone and was fairly certain he could get a hold of the pretender on his own. His Smith and Wesson would make sure of that.
He needed some gas, and then would ask for directions to Ben’s house. Paying cash at the station, a small picture fell out of his wallet. The customer behind him bent down to retrieve it. The man peeked at the photo and handed it back to Lyle, who seemed very annoyed.
"That a family member of yours?"
"Actually he is my brother. Have you met him?"
"You must have some kind of family reunion here, eh? He and his sister are staying at my cousin’s place. Been there last night for a visit. That boy and that sister of yours had just checked in. So you all meet there?"
At the mention of his sister, Lyle was more than surprised. He tried to hide it though and quickly went with the premise.
"Yes. We don’t see each other often, so we meet every once in a while on a brief vacation. I was kind of confused yesterday and forgot the address where we were supposed to meet. Can you give me directions? I think it was called ‘Ben’s Inn’ or something?"
"Ah, no, it’s the ‘Lakeside Inn’. It’s just two miles west on the Lakeside Drive that leads around the lake. You’ll find a sign on the road. Can’t miss it."
"Tell me, was there another man with them? Tall, dark hair. He is the oldest brother. Have you seen him?"
"Ah, no not last night, no. Only the younger man and this woman. She’s good looking. Must have been hell to keep away all the boys chasing her, eh!" the man added with a smile.
Not giving an answer to this last comment, Lyle made his way to the car.
"Thanks, that was very helpful. It would be a shame if I’d drive around for hours looking at the wrong places and lose valuable time I could spend with my siblings."
So Miss Parker was there, but not Jarod. That changed his plan actually. Lyle concluded that in the end it wouldn’t matter though. If he could get his hands on Ethan, Jarod would come. And his sister? She would leave. He’d make sure of that. He would just need to prevent her from finding out that he planned to use their younger brother against Jarod.
************************
Jarod took a close look at them both. Ethan seemed alright and Miss Parker... she looked better than he had ever seen her. After seeing her standing three yards in front of him, in tight leather pants and a long leather coat that went down to her ankles, a feeling of eternal bliss overcame him. He had found her again!
"What monkey-boy? No smart aleck words at being superb in finding us here? No words of caution for Ethan to not chat up with the Centre-huntress?"
"Miss Parker, please. The last thing I want is get into a verbal showdown with you. And I would never tell Ethan to stay away from you. Since you’re obviously not with the Centre anymore, there is no need for us to fight now."
"So if you’re not here to grab Ethan and disappear into thin air, what DO you want?"
"I came to see if Ethan is alright. I had the feeling that something was up. I just wanted to make sure he’s Ok."
"Now you know, and it’s time for you to go Jarod."
"Parker, I want to talk to him and you. We need to."
"We? No Jarod. You might have the feeling that we need to. I don’t. There is nothing I want to say to you except ‘get lost’. I know what you want genius. You want answers. But I’m not willing to give them. How does that feel for a change? You’ve been dangling things in front of me for years, never really telling me what I needed to know. I’d call it payback
Jarod. What would you call it?"
Miss Parker didn’t even know why she was acting so hostile towards the pretender. She didn’t want to fight anymore either. And he looked so good standing there in his trademark black jeans and black leather jacket. His hair was still a bit too long. He sported a three day growth of beard that gave his face a bit of a dangerous expression. It gave him a bit of an Italian look and it was downright appealing.
He was a very attractive man on regular days, but to see him like that made her heart beat faster.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Jarod’s reply.
"I’ve never kept anything from you that concerned you or your mother. You know that! The only thing I NEVER told you was where I was, for apparent reasons. And now, please..."
"OK, for the sake of the argument, you’ve told me everything that concerned me. The thing is this. My being here and my decision to leave have got nothing to do with you. So why would I tell you anything then, hm?"
The truth was she actually didn’t know HOW to tell him why she had left like that; why she had wanted him out of her hair and out of her heart simply because she didn’t know herself.
She knew he wanted things for her – and of her. But Miss Parker was sure that he could only want what she could never be or ever give.
******************************
At that moment Lyle appeared from around the corner of the fisher house with more than a smug grin on his face. His Smith and Wesson was in his hand.
"And once more, we have one big happy family reunion. Funny how history repeats itself, don’t you think sis?"
He had his gun in his hand and trained right at Ethan’s heart.
All three of them were shocked to say the least. With all the anger and wrath that had been building up for years inside of him, Jarod squeezed his eyes and grumbled a single, "Lyle."
Miss Parker stood in the middle, two yards to the left of Ethan and three to the right of Jarod. Lyle’s position gave him the advantage of facing all three of them. With the gun still aimed at Ethan, he looked right to Jarod.
"I feel a sense of deja vu here, genius. What do you feel?"
Miss Parker slowly took a step towards Lyle and tried to keep calm. "Lyle, you goddamn bastard, put down the gun or I swear..."
"Ah ah, sis, stop it right there. This has got nothing to do with you. All I want is Jarod."
Saying this, he aimed the gun for one second at his sister and then back at Ethan, all in one quick motion. Just then he reached quickly into his pocket and produced a pair of handcuffs which he threw towards Jarod. It fell merely a yard in front of its intended target on to the grass.
"Pick ‘em up Jarod, and put them on. Slowly, or you’ll lose yet another family member."
"He is your brother too, Lyle." His sister fell into it. "Leave him out of this right now."
"Sis, when will it finally sink into that thick brain of yours? I don’t care who he is or what he is, as long as I get what I want. And I want Jarod. So, as I was saying..."
With that he gave a nod in the direction of the handcuffs.
Jarod needed time. He wanted to draw Lyle’s attention solely towards himself. "You’ve never kept your word. Why would I follow your orders when there is still the chance you’d shoot him just to spite me? And I think you’d be able to do just that."
"Hm, you know what? You’re right. I could and I feel almost tempted to do so." After a short pause he added "Sis, I’m offering you a deal."
"What deal?"
"You take the cuffs and put them on the jackpot here. Take him to my car and lock him into the trunk. Then I let you two go."
He looked right into his sister’s eyes and was daring her with a determined expression, never taking the gun away from Ethan.
Miss Parker glanced over at Ethan. Her younger brother just stood there, as if this had nothing to do with him. He had his eyes closed and rubbed his temples as if to try to wipe away the pain he was apparently in.
A previously unknown degree of compassion overcame her. This young man had suffered so much, and was still in so much agony.
She turned her head to face Jarod. In what was only a time-span of mere seconds, all the anger and hurt and hope and pleas for understanding passed between them.
With great resolve she stepped slowly towards the cuffs still on the ground, her eyes never leaving Jarod’s.
With her back to Lyle she slowly knelt down to retrieve the cuffs. And then, with all the experience she had as a trained professional, she made her move.
One hand reached out to grab the cuffs, the other went underneath her leather coat to reach for her gun. Kneeling down on one leg she made a swift turn of 360 degrees. Not even a full second had passed and Miss Parker was training her own gun right at Lyle’s head.
"The deal is off, Lyle. You harm Ethan, you’re dead. And this time, no return ticket."
Jarod watched all this in awe. He really had expected her to follow Lyle’s demand. He would not have resisted, not as long as Ethan’s life was on the line.
Once again this incredible woman had managed to astonish him. But he still didn’t move, afraid he would make things worse than they already were. He had to think. Quickly. If he could get Lyle to aim the gun at himself, Ethan could get away. His thoughts were interrupted by the words coming from Lyle.
"You know, you really could be the poster girl for Soldier of Fortune!" Lyle growled with a feral grin. "Put down that gun of yours sis or you’ll pay the price!"
"No way in hell," Miss Parker replied, trying not to look scared for her half brother.
"We all make our own hell Miss Parker," Lyle returned with the smile of an animal about to plunge his teeth into his prey. "I hope you enjoy yours."
Souls of the Departed Part 10
"Point Blank"
Lyle entered the small town on Lake Catherine early in the morning. He got there straight from a small airport that was the closest. It had still taken him almost two hours to arrive here. It was around nine o’clock. He had come alone, without sweepers. The eloquent man didn’t want to appear suspicious to anyone and was fairly certain he could get a hold of the pretender on his own. His Smith and Wesson would make sure of that.
He needed some gas, and then would ask for directions to Ben’s house. Paying cash at the station, a small picture fell out of his wallet. The customer behind him bent down to retrieve it. The man peeked at the photo and handed it back to Lyle, who seemed very annoyed.
"That a family member of yours?"
"Actually he is my brother. Have you met him?"
"You must have some kind of family reunion here, eh? He and his sister are staying at my cousin’s place. Been there last night for a visit. That boy and that sister of yours had just checked in. So you all meet there?"
At the mention of his sister, Lyle was more than surprised. He tried to hide it though and quickly went with the premise.
"Yes. We don’t see each other often, so we meet every once in a while on a brief vacation. I was kind of confused yesterday and forgot the address where we were supposed to meet. Can you give me directions? I think it was called ‘Ben’s Inn’ or something?"
"Ah, no, it’s the ‘Lakeside Inn’. It’s just two miles west on the Lakeside Drive that leads around the lake. You’ll find a sign on the road. Can’t miss it."
"Tell me, was there another man with them? Tall, dark hair. He is the oldest brother. Have you seen him?"
"Ah, no not last night, no. Only the younger man and this woman. She’s good looking. Must have been hell to keep away all the boys chasing her, eh!" the man added with a smile.
Not giving an answer to this last comment, Lyle made his way to the car.
"Thanks, that was very helpful. It would be a shame if I’d drive around for hours looking at the wrong places and lose valuable time I could spend with my siblings."
So Miss Parker was there, but not Jarod. That changed his plan actually. Lyle concluded that in the end it wouldn’t matter though. If he could get his hands on Ethan, Jarod would come. And his sister? She would leave. He’d make sure of that. He would just need to prevent her from finding out that he planned to use their younger brother against Jarod.
************************
Jarod took a close look at them both. Ethan seemed alright and Miss Parker... she looked better than he had ever seen her. After seeing her standing three yards in front of him, in tight leather pants and a long leather coat that went down to her ankles, a feeling of eternal bliss overcame him. He had found her again!
"What monkey-boy? No smart aleck words at being superb in finding us here? No words of caution for Ethan to not chat up with the Centre-huntress?"
"Miss Parker, please. The last thing I want is get into a verbal showdown with you. And I would never tell Ethan to stay away from you. Since you’re obviously not with the Centre anymore, there is no need for us to fight now."
"So if you’re not here to grab Ethan and disappear into thin air, what DO you want?"
"I came to see if Ethan is alright. I had the feeling that something was up. I just wanted to make sure he’s Ok."
"Now you know, and it’s time for you to go Jarod."
"Parker, I want to talk to him and you. We need to."
"We? No Jarod. You might have the feeling that we need to. I don’t. There is nothing I want to say to you except ‘get lost’. I know what you want genius. You want answers. But I’m not willing to give them. How does that feel for a change? You’ve been dangling things in front of me for years, never really telling me what I needed to know. I’d call it payback
Jarod. What would you call it?"
Miss Parker didn’t even know why she was acting so hostile towards the pretender. She didn’t want to fight anymore either. And he looked so good standing there in his trademark black jeans and black leather jacket. His hair was still a bit too long. He sported a three day growth of beard that gave his face a bit of a dangerous expression. It gave him a bit of an Italian look and it was downright appealing.
He was a very attractive man on regular days, but to see him like that made her heart beat faster.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Jarod’s reply.
"I’ve never kept anything from you that concerned you or your mother. You know that! The only thing I NEVER told you was where I was, for apparent reasons. And now, please..."
"OK, for the sake of the argument, you’ve told me everything that concerned me. The thing is this. My being here and my decision to leave have got nothing to do with you. So why would I tell you anything then, hm?"
The truth was she actually didn’t know HOW to tell him why she had left like that; why she had wanted him out of her hair and out of her heart simply because she didn’t know herself.
She knew he wanted things for her – and of her. But Miss Parker was sure that he could only want what she could never be or ever give.
******************************
At that moment Lyle appeared from around the corner of the fisher house with more than a smug grin on his face. His Smith and Wesson was in his hand.
"And once more, we have one big happy family reunion. Funny how history repeats itself, don’t you think sis?"
He had his gun in his hand and trained right at Ethan’s heart.
All three of them were shocked to say the least. With all the anger and wrath that had been building up for years inside of him, Jarod squeezed his eyes and grumbled a single, "Lyle."
Miss Parker stood in the middle, two yards to the left of Ethan and three to the right of Jarod. Lyle’s position gave him the advantage of facing all three of them. With the gun still aimed at Ethan, he looked right to Jarod.
"I feel a sense of deja vu here, genius. What do you feel?"
Miss Parker slowly took a step towards Lyle and tried to keep calm. "Lyle, you goddamn bastard, put down the gun or I swear..."
"Ah ah, sis, stop it right there. This has got nothing to do with you. All I want is Jarod."
Saying this, he aimed the gun for one second at his sister and then back at Ethan, all in one quick motion. Just then he reached quickly into his pocket and produced a pair of handcuffs which he threw towards Jarod. It fell merely a yard in front of its intended target on to the grass.
"Pick ‘em up Jarod, and put them on. Slowly, or you’ll lose yet another family member."
"He is your brother too, Lyle." His sister fell into it. "Leave him out of this right now."
"Sis, when will it finally sink into that thick brain of yours? I don’t care who he is or what he is, as long as I get what I want. And I want Jarod. So, as I was saying..."
With that he gave a nod in the direction of the handcuffs.
Jarod needed time. He wanted to draw Lyle’s attention solely towards himself. "You’ve never kept your word. Why would I follow your orders when there is still the chance you’d shoot him just to spite me? And I think you’d be able to do just that."
"Hm, you know what? You’re right. I could and I feel almost tempted to do so." After a short pause he added "Sis, I’m offering you a deal."
"What deal?"
"You take the cuffs and put them on the jackpot here. Take him to my car and lock him into the trunk. Then I let you two go."
He looked right into his sister’s eyes and was daring her with a determined expression, never taking the gun away from Ethan.
Miss Parker glanced over at Ethan. Her younger brother just stood there, as if this had nothing to do with him. He had his eyes closed and rubbed his temples as if to try to wipe away the pain he was apparently in.
A previously unknown degree of compassion overcame her. This young man had suffered so much, and was still in so much agony.
She turned her head to face Jarod. In what was only a time-span of mere seconds, all the anger and hurt and hope and pleas for understanding passed between them.
With great resolve she stepped slowly towards the cuffs still on the ground, her eyes never leaving Jarod’s.
With her back to Lyle she slowly knelt down to retrieve the cuffs. And then, with all the experience she had as a trained professional, she made her move.
One hand reached out to grab the cuffs, the other went underneath her leather coat to reach for her gun. Kneeling down on one leg she made a swift turn of 360 degrees. Not even a full second had passed and Miss Parker was training her own gun right at Lyle’s head.
"The deal is off, Lyle. You harm Ethan, you’re dead. And this time, no return ticket."
Jarod watched all this in awe. He really had expected her to follow Lyle’s demand. He would not have resisted, not as long as Ethan’s life was on the line.
Once again this incredible woman had managed to astonish him. But he still didn’t move, afraid he would make things worse than they already were. He had to think. Quickly. If he could get Lyle to aim the gun at himself, Ethan could get away. His thoughts were interrupted by the words coming from Lyle.
"You know, you really could be the poster girl for Soldier of Fortune!" Lyle growled with a feral grin. "Put down that gun of yours sis or you’ll pay the price!"
"No way in hell," Miss Parker replied, trying not to look scared for her half brother.
"We all make our own hell Miss Parker," Lyle returned with the smile of an animal about to plunge his teeth into his prey. "I hope you enjoy yours."
