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Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Shadows of the Past
By Jennifer DeNaughel
Thunder rumbled as lightening flashed violently across the darkening sky. Jarod drove his rental car as fast as the narrow, wet highway would allow. He knew that they were behind him. He could not see them, but he knew. He smiled to himself. Miss Parker had to be fuming at having just missed him again.
Sydney and Broots were probably enduring her wrath. He could not help feeling a little sorry for them. It really was not their fault. Miss Parker just did not realize how close they had come to catching him. If not for a timely email from Angelo warning him, they would have had him for sure.
Jarod kept one eye on the road and one on the rear-view mirror. A bright yellow sign, alerting motorists of a dangerous curve in the road ahead, caught his attention. Immediately he backed off the accelerator and slowed the car.
Just as the curve began, there was a deafening explosion. Jarod felt the steering wheel being wrenched from his grip. Frantically, he fought for control of the car, but the wet pavement and darkness were working against him. The wheels left the road sending the car careening over a steep embankment and hurtling toward a massive tree looming in the headlights. His last thoughts, before the collision, were of her.
Miss Parker’s serene expression revealed none of the raging anger burning deep inside her. They had missed him again. So close, but so far…same old story. Jarod could not possibly keep evading capture forever. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she was wrong. He would keep right on evading them…forever. And she was going to be trapped, in the Centre…forever.
Sydney searched through the items that Jarod had left behind. He could not hold back a sigh of relief that the pretender had once again narrowly escaped his pursuers. In the past four years since his escape from the Centre, he had helped so many people and righted so many wrongs. Sydney was proud of the man Jarod had become and the way he was using his gift for good.
Broots cleared his throat as he entered the dreary motel room. Miss Parker turned on him and he flinched as he braced himself for her wrath.
“Well?” Miss Parker asked impatiently.
“Uh, Miss Parker, I have good news--Jarod just left. About five minutes ago, he’s heading east---into the mountains.”
Miss Parker raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Good work, Broots.” She slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over. “Let’s go.”
Broots regained his balance and glanced in Sydney’s direction, shrugging his shoulders. Sydney just smiled and followed Miss Parker out of the room. Broots closed the door behind him and trailed after them.
Jarod slowly became aware of the distinct smell of smoke and gasoline. He forced his eyes open to face the bone-chilling darkness surrounding him. He noticed an eerie orange glow coming from under the twisted piece of metal that had once been the hood of the car. He knew he had to get out of there, fast.
He tried the door handle…nothing. It was jammed tight. He groaned in pain as he shifted his position to try the passenger side door. It was like a giant can opener had shredded the metal leaving behind a mass of jagged knife-like edges. Reaching up he found that the sunroof was cracked in several places. While protecting his eyes, Jarod covered his hand with the sleeve of his leather jacket and finished breaking the glass. Pushing upward he was able to move it away and slowly raised himself up through the opening. His entire body was numb from the cold. The icy rain pelted him as he slid off the roof of the car and dropped to the ground.
Struggling to find his footing in the mud, he steadied himself against the side of the car. His eyes burned from the fumes and smoke. Coughing to clear his lungs, he stumbled away from the burning car and collapsed against a tree. A few seconds later it exploded, sending flames shooting twenty feet into the air. Not even the torrential downpour could diminish the blaze as it lit up the night sky.
Jarod felt blood trickling from a head wound just above is left eye. His left shoulder throbbed and his right knee, exposed through a large tear in his black jeans, was bleeding badly. Struggling to his feet, he braced himself against the tree and shook his head, trying to clear his vision. He needed help.
Jarod tried in vain to remember how far he was from the small town he had just left. He found that he could not even remember the name of it. The only clear thought he had was that he would not be alone for long. They were right behind him. And unless he wanted to go back to the Centre, he had to find the strength to run. As badly as he needed help, he would not go back there. He would rather die in the middle of nowhere, alone.
Reaching deep down inside, Jarod somehow managed to block out the pain and took a step toward the woods. He could do this. He had survived worse. He could survive this. One step at a time he made his way through the underbrush and ran deep into the forest.
They saw the flames from a mile away. Miss Parker stopped the black car at a safe distance from the burning wreckage. As her gaze met Sydney’s, she felt the sudden panic that she read in his eyes. Her heart leaped into her throat. “Jarod,” she whispered as she watched Sydney exit the car. An instant later, she was running through the pouring rain after him. With Broots following closely at her heels.
Miss Parker scrambled down the embankment and came to a stop next to Sydney where he stood on the edge of the flames. The sheer horror in his eyes would haunt her into eternity. The license plate lying at her feet confirmed their fears. It was Jarod’s car.
Suddenly, the reality of the scene before them blind-sided her. The overpowering feeling of helplessness and anguish shook her to her very core. If Jarod was in that car, he was dead. No one could survive such an inferno, not even a pretender. He was dead, and she killed him. She had killed her best friend…the one person who had known her better than anyone. She fell to her knees as she realized that she had killed the man she loved. She refused any comfort that Sydney tried to offer. She did not deserve it.
Sydney held her against his chest as she screamed Jarod’s name. He had not realized how this would affect her. He had forgotten that she was not the cold-hearted woman she pretended to be. Her heart-wrenching cries were testament to her true nature. The woman in his arms had suddenly become the little girl he remembered from so long ago. The little girl who had been forced to betray her best friend and had become a part of the evil her own mother had died trying to stop. Sydney’s own tears mixed with the rain as together the two people shared their grief.
Broots stood on the edge of the road above them, his own eyes filled with a deep sadness. Jarod was dead…the Pretender was gone.
Jarod ran blindly through the pouring rain and biting wind. The brush tore at his clothing and scratched at his exposed skin adding to his growing list of injuries. Fighting the urge to just lie down and accept his fate, he continued to push himself forward. He came to a raging creek and without even a moments hesitation, plunged into it’s icy depths. The current threatened to drag him under, but somehow Jarod managed to keep his footing. If he fell, it would be over, he would not have the strength to pull himself out.
Struggling up onto the opposite bank, he kept running. He was losing the battle, he could feel his body weakening. His mind was telling him to just give up. His heart was telling him to hold on just a little longer. Just a little farther.
He stumbled, but did not fall. He could not fall. Jarod reached the edge of the woods and before him stood a large, ramshackle, old barn. He smiled in relief as he paused to catch his breath. His lungs burned and his whole body was shaking violently. It took every remaining ounce of strength to pull open the door of the structure and close it behind him. He took only two steps before falling into a pile of straw, immediately slipping into unconsciousness.
The firefighters extinguished the flames just as dawn approached. Miss Parker, wrapped in a blanket, sat in the back of the ambulance watching as Sydney sifted through the remains of Jarod’s car. She could not tear her eyes away. She prayed that they would not find him…his body. She wanted him to be alive…to be somewhere safe, laughing and enjoying the affect his latest ruse had had on her. She could almost make herself believe it was true until she found herself faced with the undeniable proof.
Miss Parker looked up as Sydney approached; he was carrying what appeared to be a piece of metal melted by the heat of the fire. Part of the car? “No,” she whispered as the realization of what the contorted object was brought tears to her eyes all over again. She shook her head in disbelief. It was the remains of the DSA case. He would never leave that behind…it was his only connection with his past. His entire life had been recorded on the small discs and now they were gone…destroyed. All hope, of Jarod being alive, drifted away on the early morning breeze. Miss Parker felt her frozen heart shatter into a million pieces.
Jarod awoke to a wet tongue laving his face. Opening his eyes, he found himself face to face with a hairy, black and white dog. “Thanks for the wake-up call,” he smiled weakly. He grimaced as he tried to raise himself up into a seated position. He felt small hands pulling gently on his arm and looked up into a set of beautiful blue eyes framed by the face of an angel and a mass of curly dark hair.
“Hello,” Jarod grinned as he forced himself to his feet his joints screamed and his head felt as though it would explode at any moment. “Thank you for your assistance.”
“You’re welcome.” The little girl smiled, “Are you lost?”
Jarod laughed softly, nodding, “Yes, I guess you could say that.”
“My mommy says that I shouldn’t talk to strangers. What’s your name?”
“Your mommy is a very smart lady,” Jarod grinned. “My name is Jarod. What’s yours?”
“Jessica. But everybody calls me Jessie. You can too…if you want.”
“Nice to meet you, Jessie.”
“Jarod, you are hurt. Come on, my mommy can make you better. She always makes hurts go away.” Jessie tugged on Jarod’s arm as he struggled to his feet.
“Jessie, how old are you?” Jarod asked.
“Four-and-a-half,” the little girl smiled proudly as she pulled Jarod along behind her.
The morning sun felt warm on his face and as Jarod followed Jessie toward a two-story farmhouse that stood just east of the barn, he silently thanked God that he had survived. His entire body ached, complaining incessantly with every step he took, but he was alive.
“Jessica Elizabeth Thomas, get away from that man,” Jarod saw a very angry blonde woman rushing toward them.
“This is Jarod, Mommy. He’s hurt. I told him you would make him better.”
“Jessie, go inside the house.”
“Mommy, no.” Jessie pouted, “Jarod is my friend.”
“He’s a stranger, Jessie. What did I tell you about strangers?”
“He’s nice, Mommy,” Jessie pleaded. “Look, Jasper likes him.”
The woman’s gaze fell to the old Border collie standing protectively next to the man. Jasper hated men. Why would he trust this stranger? Shaking her head slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his, and she suddenly knew why.
“Okay, Jessie. You win. Go get the first aid kit from the upstairs bathroom.”
Jessie turned and hugged Jarod’s arm, “See, I told you she would make you better.” Then she ran into the house taking the steps two at a time.
“Who are you?” the blonde woman asked cautiously.
“My name is Jarod. I had an accident on the highway last night…tire blew I think. My car hit a tree. I was disoriented. I found my way here and took shelter in your barn…where Jessie found me. I did not mean to frighten you, I will leave if you don’t feel comfortable about this.”
“What?” the blonde smiled. “And have my daughter disown me for life? I don’t think so. Come on, let’s get you patched up and get some food in you.”
Jarod smiled, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t tasted my cooking.”
“I’m sure it’s delicious.”
“By the way, I’m Emily Thomas.”
“Pleased to meet you, Emily. That is my sister’s name too,” Jarod’s eyes filled with a deep sadness.
“Where is she?” Emily asked before she could stop herself.
“I don’t know. I’ve never actually met her.”
Emily glanced at him in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“She was born a shortly after I was stolen from my parents. I was just a boy, about Jessie’s age.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll find them…someday,” Jarod whispered.
“I hope so, Jarod.” Emily frowned, she had only just met this man, and already she felt as though she could trust him with her life, and Jessie’s. She had not trusted a man in a very long time. What was it about Jarod that made her feel no fear of him? Maybe it was his eyes. Something in their depths told her that he would never hurt them.
The Centre was like Grand Central Station as Miss Parker walked slowly down the corridor. The noise was unbearable. She entered her dimly lit office and slammed the door shut behind her. She wasn’t even sure what she was doing there. Jarod was dead. There was nothing keeping her there. Her father was still on the run with Brigitte. Lyle was in the Tower, meeting with the Triumvirate, discussing Jarod’s demise.
She had no doubt that they would be ecstatic. With Jarod dead, they had no more worries that he would expose the Centre. Knowing Lyle, he was probably taking credit for the whole situation.
Sydney was making arrangements for Jarod’s memorial service. She could not bring herself to help him. The thought of saying goodbye to Jarod…she did not want to think about it.
Miss Parker collapsed onto the sofa and laid her head back against the pillow. This was not going to be easy on Sydney. She knew that he and Jarod had shared a special bond that ventured way beyond professional boundaries. She thought of Jarod’s family. Would they even know that he was gone? She remembered the emptiness she had felt after losing her mother. Jarod had filled a part of that emptiness over the years. He had become a part of her life that she had refused to acknowledge for far too long.
Sitting up suddenly, Miss Parker stood and stormed out of her office. She had made up her mind to do what she should have done long ago. Jarod may be dead, but he was not going to be forgotten. She would find the truth about his past, if it was the last thing she did. His family deserved to know the truth…to know him.
True to Jessie’s word, her mother made Jarod 'better'. She stitched up the gash on his forehead and then she cleaned and bandaged his other injuries, including his knee. Luckily, there were no broken bones. Then she gave him some clean clothes to put on while she washed and mended his.
“These belonged to my husband. They should fit fine. You are about the same size,” Emily laid the clothing down on the bed and left the room.
Jarod wondered where her husband was. She had referred to him in the past tense. He had noticed also, that when she had spoken of him, her hands shook slightly, and her eyes had darted unconsciously toward the window, she seemed terrified of something…or someone. Shaking his head slowly, he undressed and went into the bathroom to wash up.
When he came out, his clothes were gone. He put on the clothing she’d left which included a pair of well-worn blue jeans, white T-shirt, and a dark blue flannel shirt. Emily was right, they fit well, though the sleeves were just a little bit short. Jarod pushed them up to his elbows and sat down to slip on his own black boots.
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Come in.”
Jessie peeked around the corner as she opened the door. She was smiling widely, “All better now?”
Jarod laughed, “All better now.”
“Good. Wanna come see my horse?”
“I’d love to,” Jarod grinned and followed her out of the room and down the stairs.
Emily was in the kitchen when they passed through. “Jessie, let Jarod rest. You can show him your horse later.”
“It’s okay,” Jarod nodded. “I feel much better now. I’d like to see Jessie’s horse.”
Jessie looked pleadingly at her mother.
Emily gave in, again. “All right, but lunch will be ready in a few minutes.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Jessie took hold of Jarod’s hand and led him out of the house and around to the corral behind the barn.
Jessie climbed the split-rail fence and sat down, balancing precariously on the top rail. The whistle that escaped the little girl’s lips rivaled that of any adult. Jarod smiled as a beautiful buckskin mare left the rest of the horses and galloped toward them.
Jessie slid off the fence and onto the horse’s back. She beamed proudly at Jarod, “Her name is Cocoa, because she looks like chocolate.”
“Pleased to meet you, Cocoa.” Jarod ran a hand over the neck of the magnificent animal. “She is a very pretty horse, Jessie.”
“My mommy gave her to me. We were born at the same time.”
Jarod smiled, “So Cocoa is four-and-a-half too.”
“Uh-huh,” Jessie nodded. “My mommy says we are twins.”
Jarod laughed softly, “I can see the resemblance.”
Jessie’s smile faded as she looked into Jarod’s eyes, “Are you going to leave now that you’re all better?”
“I’m afraid I have to go, Jessie. I can’t stay, I’m sorry.”
“Please stay. My mommy won’t be scared now that you’re here.”
Jarod was unsure how to respond to the child’s request. “Why is your mommy scared, Jessie?”
“My daddy hurt her. She doesn’t want him to come back.”
“Where is your daddy now?” Jarod asked.
“He’s where he belongs,” Emily’s voice sounded behind him.
Jarod turned to face her, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Jessie, go water the horses please.”
“Okay,” Jessie said and turned Cocoa toward the water trough.
When she was gone, Emily sighed and sat down in the rope swing hanging in the large oak next to the corral. “I wish I could have shielded her from that knowledge. There are some things a child should not have to see, much less try to understand.”
Jarod leaned against the fence and nodded slowly, “Jessie is a very smart little girl. There aren’t many things you can hide from her.”
Emily started to swing slowly, “I can’t get a divorce. I’ve tried, but he will not release me. He won’t let us go.”
“You said that he’s where he belongs,” Jarod moved toward her and sat down on the grass at the base of the tree. “Is he in prison?”
“For now,” Emily frowned. “He’s up for parole in two days. He’s coming after me, I know it,” her eyes brimmed with tears which she quickly wiped away. “He is going to punish me for betraying him, just like he said he would.”
“How did you betray him?” Jarod asked.
“I put him in prison and I tried to divorce him. In his eyes, he did nothing wrong.”
Jarod had to ask, though he all ready had a pretty good idea. “What did he do to you?”
Emily turned to meet Jarod’s gaze, her hazel eyes flashed with reserved anger, “You don’t even know me, and I’d really appreciate it if you would just mind your own business.”
“You’d be surprised what I know, Emily,” Jarod smiled slightly. “I have an unusual gift for understanding people.”
“I can’t believe I’m even considering telling you this. I haven’t told anyone. Not even my own parents.”
“I’d like to help you, Emily. But in order to do so, I need to know everything there is to know about your husband and what he did to you.”
Emily was silent for a moment before finally nodding slowly. “It was a little over a year ago. I had just put Jessie to bed when I heard his truck pull up in front of the house. He had his friends with him and they had all been drinking. I went downstairs, they came into the house laughing and shouting. I asked them to leave because I was afraid they would wake Jessie. My husband slapped me across the face, knocking me to the floor. He proceeded to kick me while his friends watched. I begged him to stop.”
Jarod listened silently, his anger growing by the minute. Any man who would hit a woman deserved a lot more than prison.
Emily continued, “They were laughing and shouting, egging him on. When I stopped moving, he tore my clothes off and he…”
“He raped you.”
Emily nodded, her tears now flowed freely. “In front of his friends. And then he let them have a turn.”
Jarod’s anger reached boiling point, “Emily, I am so sorry you had to endure that kind of pain and humiliation. Please let me help you make him pay for what he did to you."
“It’s not just what he did to me. Jessie witnessed the whole scene, Jarod. I think she was too little to really understand, but she saw the whole thing. When they finally left the house, I managed to pull myself together and started up the stairs. She was huddled in the corner of the landing with her doll, crying silently.”
“Dear God,” Jarod glared at down at the ground for several minutes trying to control the rage that was building toward the man who hurt her. Then softening his gaze, he turned back to Emily. “What kind of monster would do that to his family?”
“That monster is getting out of prison in two days, Jarod. I’m really scared.”
Jarod gathered her into his arms and held her, “I won’t let him hurt you again, Emily. I promise you, he will pay for what he did.”
Emily accepted the comfort Jarod offered. She almost believed his words. This man was a stranger to her, but she felt a connection with him that she could not explain. He understood her. He did not judge her. For the first time since that night, she didn’t feel alone and vulnerable anymore. She did not know how Jarod could possible help them, but she was more than willing to let him try, for Jessie’s sake.
Miss Parker let herself into her father’s…Lyle’s, office. Her brother was evidently still brown-nosing the Triumvirate. There was no sign of him. She settled into his chair behind the desk and quickly searched every drawer and file she could get her hands on. Nothing about Jarod, or his family. Glancing at Lyle’s blank computer screen, Miss Parker picked up the telephone and dialed Broots’ number.
“Hello?” Broots answered the telephone on the second ring.
“I need you to do something for me.”
“Miss Parker?”
“Broots, I need to see you right now. Come to my father’s office.”
“Don’t you mean, Mr. Lyle’s office?”
“Just get your ass up here, now.”
Broots heard the urgency in her voice and wondered what could possibly be so important that she had broken in to Mr. Lyle’s office. “I’ll be right there.”
Miss Parker slammed down the telephone and stood, walking over to the window she watched as the sun slipped slowly out of sight signaling the end of another day. She wondered what it had been like for Jarod. To have been denied the sight of a sunset for so many years, then to see one for the first time. What she would give for that kind of innocence, to experience life through his eyes. God, she missed him.
“Miss Parker,” Broots whispered, trying not to startle her since she had not heard him enter. There had been tears in her eyes, which she immediately wiped away upon hearing his voice.
“Broots, I need your help. I want to find out everything about Jarod’s past. But we have to keep this between us. No one can learn what we are doing.”
“What about Sydney?”
“Sydney has enough on his mind right now. I will tell him after the memorial service. Can you hack into Lyle’s computer?”
Broots’ face paled, “Yes, but if he finds out…”
“Then he had better not find out,” Miss Parker warned. “I’m going to leave the Centre, Broots. But I cannot leave until I have found out everything I can about Jarod’s past and his family. Find out whatever you can about Kyle too. I owe it to Jarod to find the truth.”
“Miss Parker, I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?” Broots asked, against his better judgment. He braced himself for her reaction, expecting an explosion. Instead, she just stared out the window. When she finally turned to face him again, the words she uttered surprised him beyond mention.
“Because I loved him,” Miss Parker’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Broots wasn’t sure how to respond to her revelation. “Oh God, Miss Parker I never realized…”
“Neither did I…until it was too late.”
“I--I will get to work on it right away.”
“Thank you, Broots. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“I think I do, Miss Parker,” Broots said as he turned to leave the office. He stopped at the door to look back, and she was staring out the window again. He knew she was crying. He wanted to comfort her, but she would never accept it--not from him. Quietly he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Emily was in the kitchen when Jarod came downstairs. She was singing softly to herself as she moved about the room. It was barely light outside, just after six o’clock. The hypnotic aroma of blueberry muffins and fresh brewed coffee had pulled him gently from a sound sleep and lured him down to the kitchen. If he wasn’t careful, he could get used to this place, and as much as he longed for a home, it would be a mistake to become too comfortable. He would not put the lives of his new friends in danger.
“Need some help,” Jarod smiled as he walked lazily toward the screen door and stared outside at the approaching dawn.
Emily turned and returned his smile, “No, thank you. What are you doing up at this hour? You need to rest.” His sudden appearance in her kitchen caught her off guard, but she felt no fear, no anxiety. Actually, Jarod was a strange comfort to her, she did not mind his company, and if she would admit it to herself, she did not mind looking at him either. His dark, chiseled looks cast a hard, dangerous air about him. While in stark contrast, his warm smile and soft brown eyes reminded her of an irresistible lost puppy. Emily barely managed to tear her eyes away from him in time to save her blueberry muffins from certain death.
“I smelled your muffins and couldn’t control myself. My feet carried me down here before I even completely awake.”
Emily laughed softly, “Yeah, well, when you taste them, you’ll wish you’d stayed in bed. My coffee is just shy of being motor oil.”
“Ah,” Jarod sighed, “Just the way I like it. And if those taste half as good as they smell, they’ll be delicious.”
“You’re a real charmer aren’t you, Jarod?” Emily glanced over her shoulder just as he sat down at the kitchen table.
“Am I?” Jarod grinned. His eyes were the epitome of innocence.
“Who are you?”
“You’ll be better off not knowing.”
“That is not very reassuring.”
“Emily, there are people that are looking for me. If you know too much, they might try to use you to get to me and I can’t put you in that position.”
“At least tell me if you are wanted by the law.”
“Emily, I would never hurt you or Jessie.”
“I know that, I just wanted to know if I’d be guilty of aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
Jarod smiled, “I am a fugitive of sorts, but not from the law…at least not the type you are envisioning.”
“All right, I won’t pry. But, Jarod, you can trust me. I owe you for staying on here to help us, though I don’t understand why you want to do hard labor. I realize that things need fixing around here, but you don’t strike me as the handyman type.”
“I can become anyone I want to be,” Jarod chuckled. “And I enjoy hard work. It gives me a feeling of normalcy and pride. I’ve spent most of my life using my head, it’s nice to be able to burn some physical rather than mental energy.”
Emily nodded, “Well, okay. I can’t afford to pay you much.”
“You won’t have to pay me anything. And I will buy the materials that are needed as well. You just keep these blueberry muffins coming,” he raised his eyebrows and devoured his third muffin.”
“You are a glutton for punishment, you know that,” Emily stood with her hands on her hips shaking her head in amusement.
“I guess I’ve had plenty of practice,” Jarod stood and kissed her cheek. “I’d better go upstairs and change into work clothes, lot’s to be done today.”
“Take it easy, Mister. You get those wounds dirty and bleeding again, I’ll have to take a switch to you,” Emily warned shaking her finger at him like a mother hen.
“I’ll be careful, I promise,” Jarod said as he climbed the stairs.
Emily cleaned up the kitchen, laughing to herself. Something she had not been able to do for a very long time. How could one man, a stranger no less, walk into their lives and change everything in such a short time? Jarod was a bright light at the end of the long, dark tunnel she had been traveling through ever since the night Robert had betrayed and humiliated her. Her heart was slowly beginning to heal thanks to whatever magic Jarod had brought into their world.
As she entered Jessie’s room, Emily noticed that her daughter’s Whinny the Pooh lamp was turned off. She had not slept without a light on since that night. “Thank you, Jarod,” Emily whispered. For the first time, she began to feel that there was hope for a normal life without night-lights and dead bolts. Robert could not hold them prisoners of their fears forever. Even when the time came for Jarod to move on, she believed that they would be fine, thanks to him.
She leaned over her sleeping daughter and kissed her gently on her forehead. “I love you, my little angel,” she whispered then closed the door as she went back downstairs.
When she stepped out onto the porch, she saw Jarod. He was chopping wood out by the barn. The sweat glistening on his bare arms and broad back with every swing of the ax. Emily blushed slightly and smiled as she forced herself to go back into the house before he turned and caught her watching him. She could not resist another glance as she walked back into the kitchen and let the screen door slowly swing closed behind her.
Miss Parker was alone in her office when Lyle decided to grace her with his presence. The glacier-melting glare she laid on him should have taken the wind out of his sails. Instead he just smiled and sat down behind her desk to gloat.
“What the hell do you want, Lyle?”
“Just to see how my dear sister is fairing now that the game is done. What’s the matter, Parker? A little sore now that your little toy has been taken away? Don’t worry, I am sure we can find you something to keep you occupied. I hear that Raines is looking for a new lab rat. Want to apply for the job?”
“Go to hell, Lyle,” Miss Parker hissed as she slowly approached him. When her face was a mere inch from his, she smiled sweetly and winked. “I have no intentions of staying here now that Jarod is dead. A deal is a deal…I will be leaving the Centre. And no one, especially you, brother dear, is going to stop me. Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” Lyle smirked. “But what makes you think that the Triumvirate is going to just let you walk out of here, Parker? You know too much. They will not let you live if they have the slightest inkling that you might reveal Centre secrets to the outside world.
Miss Parker straightened and slammed her fists down on the desktop. “I do not care about the Centre secrets. I want to be left alone. I want to have a normal life, as normal as possible. I have spent my entire existence trying to please my father and this place. I became someone that I despise. I have to find out who I really am. I have to make peace with myself and…”
“With Jarod,” Lyle finished for her.
Miss Parker’s face softened as she turned away from her brother’s prying eyes. Her voice was shaky but she did her best to hide that fact from him. “Leave…now,” she whispered harshly.
Lyle ignored her, “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. You were in love with the lab rat.”
Before she knew it, Miss Parker had a death grip on Lyle’s throat, “If I ever hear you call him that again, Lyle, I will rip out your black heart and feed it, piece by piece, to whatever mutant creature Raines has in this little house of horrors nowadays. Got it?”
Her outburst and the speed at which she had turned on him surprised Lyle. He could not disguise the sudden fear that crept into his blue eyes. “Parker,” he smiled slightly, “I’m sorry, all right. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Miss Parker released him, “Yeah right, I mean it. I will not let Jarod be degraded in death as he was in life. I owe him that much.”
“Jarod is dead, Sis. It is pointless to dwell on the past. He was what he was and because of that he gave up any right to a normal life when he came to the Centre.”
“No, Lyle, he had that right stolen from him when he was ripped away from the family who loved him. I owe it to his memory to find the truth about his past and one way or another, I will.”
“The Triumvirate will not allow that, Parker. Jarod’s past must stay buried. It doesn’t matter now anyway. It won’t bring him back.”
“I was his best friend…I betrayed that friendship by allying with the people who kept him prisoner for half a lifetime. I will carry that guilt with me for as long as I live, and maybe even beyond.”
Lyle stood and walked toward the door. He paused and turned slightly to face her, “I hope his honor is worth dying for, Sis.”
“If that’s what it takes,” she stated flatly, her heated gaze burning holes in his back as Lyle left her office. She had never dreamed it was possible to hate as deeply as she hated him. Flesh and blood or not, she despised the man. Quickly she picked up the ashtray on her desk and hurled it across the room. It struck the wall next to the door and shattered into a million pieces.
A few seconds later Lyle opened the door and winked at her, “You really should learn to control that temper, Sis.” Then he smiled and closed the door.
Fuming, Miss Parker spun on her heels and went after him. In the corridor she whispered to herself though it was meant for his ears, “One day, Lyle. One day you will pay for the pain you have caused.”
It broke her heart every time she watched the DSA Sydney had given her. The things Lyle had done to Jarod during the three weeks they kept him isolated after he was captured made her blood boil. Especially since Jarod never would have been caught if he had not stayed behind to help her. He’d lost his freedom to save her life and she had repaid him by continuing to hunt him once she had recovered.
Miss Parker ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back against the wall. She stared up at the vaulted ceiling high above her. She was paying, and paying dearly, for all the pain she had caused the people in her life. And the price was Jarod.
Jarod sat alone, on the front porch steps, long after dark. Jessie and Emily had gone to bed. When he thought about what they had been through… Robert Thomas was a monster. Somehow, Jarod knew he had to protect his new friends and find a way to teach Mr. Thomas a lesson. In less than twelve hours, the judicial system would turn loose that man. He would come after Emily, there was no doubting that fact.
Jasper curled up next to him on the porch and licked his hand. Jarod rubbed behind the old dog’s ears, “Jasper, we have a long day tomorrow. Better try and get some sleep.” He stood, stretching out his tired muscles, and looked up at the sky. A million stars sparkled against a black velvet background. He had never seen a more beautiful night. He thought of Miss Parker and wondered if she had returned to Blue Cove. For some strange reason, he wished she could be there to share that moment in time with him. The little girl he used to know always loved the stars.
Slowly Jarod turned and entered the house. Upstairs he quietly closed the door to his room. After slipping off his boots, he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. “Good night, Miss Parker,” he whispered.
The telephone rang just as Miss Parker was about to go to bed. Her heart stopped. Jarod usually called her late at night. Her hand paused above the handset, she prayed that it would be him. “Please let it be him,” she whispered. Picking up the telephone, she held her breath. “What?”
“Miss Parker,” Broots’ voice on the other end shattered what little hope she had held on to for Jarod to be alive.
She struggled to control the quiver in her voice, “Broots.”
“I’m sorry for calling so late. I found something you need to see.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the Centre.”
“Still?” Miss Parker raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Debbie is spending the night with a friend so I thought I would use the time to do some digging.”
“What did you find?”
“Not over the phone, Miss Parker.”
“All right, I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
“I think I should bring it to your house. There are too many eyes and ears around this place, and this is not something they are going to let us live knowing,” Broots whispered.
“Okay, hurry. And Broots…”
“Yes, Miss Parker.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. See you in a few.”
Miss Parker laid down the telephone and ran her fingers through her long dark hair. What could he have found? Whatever it was, it had to be important for Broots to risk his neck bringing it to her house.
An hour later she heard a knock at her door. Opening it she let Broots in and made a quick check outside before turning the lock. Broots wandered over to a chair and collapsed.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I drove around awhile to make sure no one followed me.”
“I can’t believe you took such a risk, Broots,” Miss Parker sat down in the chair across from him.
“Neither can I,” Broots chuckled softly. “But I knew you would want to see this right away. You aren’t going to believe what I found.”
Miss Parker took the three files from Broots while he set up his laptop computer. The first file was Jarod’s. The information inside was nothing new to her. The next file was a different story. It was about another pretender. No picture…just a description, a description that eerily fit her.
“Who is this girl? There’s no picture?”
“Miss Parker, you were…are a pretender too. Like Jarod.”
“I knew that I was tested, but I thought I failed.”
“No, you didn’t fail. Your IQ is right up there, almost as high as Jarod’s,” Broots paused, unsure of how she would take the news he was about to break to her.
“Broots?”
“Miss Parker, they---uh---I can’t do this. I’ll just show you.” Broots turned on the laptop and hit a few keys. A DSA recording came up of her father and Mr. Raines.
“Are you sure he will cooperate?” Mr. Parker asked.
“Sydney will not have a choice. I assure you he will do as he is told,” Raines answered. “Jarod will be placed in isolation until after the procedure.”
“My daughter is not going to be aware of any of this?”
“She will not remember anything. The drug is perfectly safe.”
Mr. Parker nodded, “If this procedure is successful we will have created a pretender that will be ours from the very beginning. We will be able to mold it and train it without fear of outside interference.”
“Yes, and the two donors will never know they have a child together.”
Broots turned off the recording. He could not bring himself to look at her.
Miss Parker opened the other file. Inside was a report signed by her father. It spelled out exactly what the procedure was and that a child, a girl, was born to a surrogate mother nine months later. The date of birth was listed as April 20, 1995. As she flipped through the rest of the file, a picture slipped out and fell to the floor.
Slowly Broots reached down and retrieved the photograph. Miss Parker took it from him and turned it over. It was of a beautiful baby girl, not more than a few weeks old, with dark hair and blue eyes. “Oh my God, Broots. I have a daughter.”
“Yes, Miss Parker. I confirmed everything. Her name is Ashley.”
“Ashley,” Miss Parker whispered. “Where is she, Broots? I have to find her.”
“I don’t know—yet. I’m sorry. I’ll keep working on it. I’ll find her, Miss Parker, I promise you.”
“How could my father do this to me…to Jarod and to our child…his grandchild?” Miss Parker asked, as tears flowed down her face. “How could Sydney do this?”
Broots shook his head, “Sydney refused to cooperate, Miss Parker. They waited until he was out of town to do the procedure. I have no reason to believe that he knows about any of this.”
“Jarod died, never knowing he has a child.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Parker. I can’t even imagine never knowing about Debbie.”
“Broots, I really need to be alone right now.”
Broots nodded, “I understand. If you need anything—anything at all, please call.”
“I will,” Miss Parker nodded. “Thank you.”
When Broots had gone, she sat staring at the picture in her hand. The tears blinded her as she curled into a fetal position in the chair and lost all control of the storm of emotions she had been struggling desperately to hold in check.
The distant sound of thunder woke Jarod from a sound sleep. Glancing at the clock next to the bed, he noted that it was only a little after four in the morning. A strange sense of unease came over him as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and glanced out the window. Quietly as he could, Jarod slipped on his boots and went downstairs.
As he stepped out of the house, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a dark figure as it slipped around the corner of the barn and disappeared into the woods. He started to follow when something told him not to leave the house…not to leave Jessie and Emily alone. Quickly Jarod turned and went back inside. Emily met him on the stairs.
“Jarod, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Emily, do you have a gun?” Jarod asked.
Emily nodded slowly and pointed toward a locked cabinet in the corner of the living room. “In there, Robert kept them in there. I don’t have a key though. He would never tell me where he hid it.”
Jarod went to the cabinet and made quick work of picking the lock. The doors swung open and he grabbed a shotgun and loaded it. Handing it to Emily he then loaded a semi-automatic handgun and slipped it into the waistband of his jeans. “Emily, do you know how to use that?”
“Yes, my father taught me.”
“Good, go get Jessie and go up to the attic. No matter what happens, do not come out until I return.”
“Jarod, be careful. If it’s Robert, he will kill you.”
“I will be careful. Now go get Jessie.”
Emily nodded and quickly ran up the stairs.
Jarod took the remaining guns from the cabinet and locked it back. He then hid the weapons on a high shelf in the kitchen pantry. Robert might try to get to them and Jarod wanted to keep the odds even. He had a feeling that Mr. Thomas was not alone.
Locking all the windows and doors, Jarod took his position below the living room window where he had an unobstructed view of the barn and the woods. He waited and watched. Silence. Then a sudden flash of lightening illuminated the entire barnyard. He saw three figures heading for the house. They were not even bothering to keep out of sight, which told Jarod that they thought Emily and Jessie were alone.
“Surprise surprise,” Jarod whispered.
As soon as the three men reached the front porch Jarod moved to the door. Robert tried to open it and found it was locked.
“Damned fool woman never kept this locked before.”
“Maybe she heard you were in town,” one of his friends chuckled.
“Shut your big mouth, Joe. I want this little visit to be a surprise,” Robert slipped his key into the lock and when he opened the door he came face to face with his own prized shotgun. “What the…?”
“Hello, Robert Thomas, I’m Jarod. And I am not real pleased to meet you. Now I suggest that if you want to live to see another day you and your friends there need to turn around and leave this woman and her little girl alone.”
Robert laughed, “Who the hell do you think you are? This is my house…”
“And this is your gun. I’m thinking that it would be poetic justice to kill you with it,” Jarod flashed them a menacing grin.
“Do you really think you can take us on alone?” Joe piped up.
“Who said I was alone?” Jarod raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Nervously the three men looked around. Robert shook his head, “You are lying.”
Jarod raised the shotgun and aimed it directly between Robert’s eyes. “Actually, it’s called pretending…there is a difference.”
“You’re crazy,” Robert chuckled but Jarod saw the flash of fear in the man’s eyes.
“Yes, I am. And you are a miserable excuse for a man, a monster. You do not deserve to live. Not after what you have done to your family.” Jarod stepped forward, dropping the barrel of the shotgun, he fired. Joe and the other man danced in the dirt. Robert made a move toward Jarod, stopping short when Jarod pulled the semi-automatic on him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’m just itching to put a bullet between your eyes.”
Robert stepped back and Jarod followed, backing the man down the steps and into the yard. “Joe…Jimmy, help me out here,” Robert whined.
Joe and Jimmy shook their heads in unison then turned and high-tailed it into the woods where they had left their truck. “Ah,” Jarod grinned, “Your friend’s are all gone…now what ya gonna do?”
“You aren’t going to get away with this,” Robert warned weakly.
“Not so tough without your sidekicks are you?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m someone who believes that monsters like you deserve to die for what you did,” Jarod’s voice became even more menacing. “You will give Emily a divorce and disappear forever or I will personally make your life a living hell. Do you understand, or shall I give you a little bit of incentive?” Training both guns on the cowering man, Jarod waited for his response.
“What’s to keep me from coming back after you are gone?” Robert glared at the stranger. Something about this man made him very, very nervous. The lightening flash illuminated the stranger’s face just long enough for Robert to catch a glimpse of the sheer disgust and hatred in his eyes. Suddenly he decided that she wasn’t worth dying for. And neither was that brat of hers.
“Well, what’s it gonna be?”
“All right,” Robert threw his hands up in surrender. “Whatever you say, I’ll do it.”
“Good choice. Now sign these.” Jarod tossed him a pen and the documents releasing Emily from their marriage and an agreement to stay away from her and Jessie under penalty of prison.
Robert examined the papers in the light the coming dawn. “What are you, some kind of lawyer?”
“I am today,” Jarod grinned.
Robert quickly signed every single page and handed the documents back to the stranger. “Well, you can have her. She’s worthless anyway.”
“Wrong,” Jarod growled. “You are worthless. You had what some people are never lucky enough to find and you threw it all away. You destroyed her. You humiliated her. And you exposed an innocent, little girl to a kind of ugliness that no grown adult should ever have to witness. You had better count your lucky stars that I am letting you walk away.”
A sudden look of regret passed over Robert’s features. “You mean…Jessie. She saw what happened?”
Jarod raised the shotgun, “Time to go, Robert. Unless, of course, you enjoy tempting fate.”
“I’m going. I’m going,” he stepped back with his hands in the air. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about Jessie. I didn’t know…”
“Go,” Jarod shouted, “And if you ever come near them again you won’t live to regret it, I promise you.”
Jarod watched Robert disappear into the woods in the direction his friends had taken. After he had gone, Jarod took a deep breath and released it slowly. He felt his heartbeat slowly returning to normal. As he walked back toward the farmhouse, a light rain began to fall.
Emily waved to him from the attic window and Jarod nodded, telling her that it was safe to come down. When she appeared in the doorway, Jessie was right behind her. The little girl rushed passed her mother and into Jarod’s arms. “I knew you would save us. You’re a hero,” she wrapped her arms around Jarod’s neck and hugged him tightly.
Jarod laughed softly, “Jessie, I’m not a hero. I'm just someone who wants you and your mommy to be safe.”
Emily stood silently at the top of the porch steps. Tears began sliding down her cheeks as a sudden realization washed over her. Spinning on her heels, she quickly ran back into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom.
Locking the door behind her, she pulled a heavy wooden box out from under her bed. Lifting the lid, she sighed heavily. Inside were hundreds of photographs, several files and many red notebooks. Scanning the files, Emily pulled out the one she was searching for. Opening it, she spilled its contents over the antique patchwork quilt covering the bed. Frantically she picked through the various documents and reports. She emptied every file onto the bed and searched desperately for what would confirm that which she all ready knew in her heart to be true.
Jarod took Jessie’s hand and led her into the house, “Emily?” Where had she disappeared to so quickly? “Emily?”
A few minutes later she came walking slowly down the stairs. She looked from Jarod to Jessie then back to Jessie and nodded. There was no doubt. She had that same look in her eyes…that same, all-knowing look. Taking a deep breath, Emily smiled sadly, “Jarod you have been searching for the family you lost when you were young…well, I found a part of your family that you did not even know existed.”
Jarod looked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
Emily looked to Jessie, “Honey, please go upstairs and play, Jarod and I have something to discuss. Once Jessie had gone, Emily handed Jarod a file and a red notebook that looked all too familiar to him. “This will prove that what I am about to tell you is true.”
Jarod took the items from her and sat down at the table. He could not stop his hands from shaking as he opened the file and scanned its contents. His heart froze as he read. “Oh my God,” Jarod gasped. Struggling with the reality facing him, he suddenly could not breathe. “How can this be?”
Emily sat down across the table from him and took hold of his hand. “Jarod, I’m so sorry. I cannot expect you to forgive me, but I want to tell you everything. You need to hear the whole ugly story.”
Jarod focused his shocked gaze on her. “I’m listening,” he whispered, his tone hard and bitter.
“I worked for the Centre. I was a receptionist…later I became a personal assistant to Mr. Raines. I was unmarried and barely getting by. Mr. Raines offered me a large sum of money to become a surrogate mother for a couple desperate to have children. I read the file he gave me and after meeting the couple I agreed.”
“How much money?” Jarod hissed.
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
Jarod said nothing, just nodded.
“It wasn’t until after Jessie was born that I overheard Mr. Raines talking to Mr. Parker. I learned then that the whole thing had been a lie and that Jessie was to be used as a test subject by the Centre. I immediately made my decision to take her and leave. I had a friend in the Centre, a man who lived in the ventilation system…”
“Angelo,” Jarod smiled slightly.
“Yes, he helped us to escape. He gave me a laptop computer and showed me how to use it to communicate with him. I did not know he knew the truth about Jessie. At least not until I started receiving these files and notebooks. He shipped them to me every week. “I know I should have gone to the authorities for help, but I was scared for our safety. I came here to Oregon and met Robert. We married and I thought the worst was over. Then one day I received a package…a series of newspaper clippings about a man who had been helping those in need. I didn’t put all the pieces together until I watched the two of you together outside, and heard your response when Jessie called you a hero…the same response you gave in one of those newspaper articles.”
Jarod sat in stunned silence as the truth set in. “Who is her real mother?”
“I think you know the answer to that, Jarod.”
Jessie came into the kitchen just then and Jarod turned to her. He stared at her in awe. She was his daughter, his flesh and blood. He looked into her eyes…her stunning blue eye. Yes, he knew.
Emily stood and hugged the little girl. “Jessie, I think you should take Jarod out to see Cocoa now.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Jessie grabbed hold of Jarod’s hand and together, father and daughter, walked toward the barn.
Emily choked back her tears as she sat back down at the table and placed her head in her hands. She had known this day would come, but her heart was still breaking. Now Jessie was where she belonged, with her father. And soon, her real mother would become a part of the child’s life. Emily did not know how she would ever begin to find the strength to let her go, but she knew she had to.
Jarod stopped near the swing and lifted Jessie into it. As he began to gently push her, he calmly thought through the entire situation. It was still so hard to absorb. He was a father…Miss Parker was Jessie’s mother. Fate had brought him to this little farm in the middle of the woods. If the tire had not blown--he would have never known he had a child. And Miss Parker had no idea that she was a mother. How would she react? Jarod smiled to himself. He had a feeling that the Centre would never be the same after she learned the truth. Heads were definitely going to roll. Firstly, her father’s.
“Jarod,” Jessie’s small, sad voice brought Jarod out of his thoughts.
He stopped the swing and moved around in front of her. Kneeling down on one knee Jarod smiled, “What is it Jessie? Why are you sad?”
“I just don’t want you to leave. I know you are going to leave now,” Jessie’s eyes filled with tears.
Jarod pulled her to him and held his daughter close, “I have to go. But I will be back. I promise I will be back.”
“Jarod, are you my daddy?”
He stared in stunned silence as she looked expectantly into his eyes. Then he nodded slowly, “Yes, baby. I am your daddy. Your real daddy.”
“I knew it,” Jessie squealed and threw her arms around his neck.
Jarod pulled back slightly in confusion, “You knew? How?”
Jessie reached into the pocket of her bib overalls and pulled out a small photo, holding it out so he could see it. “I found this in my mommy’s room.”
Jarod looked at the photo of himself. It had been clipped from a newspaper article dating from just a few months after his escape from the Centre. “How long have you had this, Jessie?”
“Since my birthday,” Jessie smiled shyly.
“What made you keep it?”
“I just liked it.”
“Jessie, that day you found me in the barn, did you know me from this picture. Is that why you weren’t scared of me?”
The little girl nodded, “I knew you.”
Jarod pulled her into his arms again lifting her of her feet. “Jessie, I am so thankful to know you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
Emily stood in the shade of the oak leaning against the broad trunk, needing its support to keep from falling apart. She took a hesitant step toward them just as Jarod looked up and caught sight of her. The look of pure joy in his deep brown eyes took her breath away.
Turning to Jessie, Emily smiled, “Jessie, I need to explain something to you, honey. I need you to be brave and try to understand.” She sat down on the grass and brought Jessie into her lap. “I want you to know that I love you.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
Emily took a deep breath and released it slowly before continuing. “Jessie, I think you understand that Jarod is your real daddy, right?”
Jessie nodded silently.
“I need you to understand that you have another mommy…your real mommy. And she will be coming for you one day, very soon. I have taken care of you and loved you for your whole life, but I am not your mommy.”
Jessie looked from Emily to Jarod and back to Emily. “I have a real mommy?”
Emily nodded, “Yes, sweetheart.”
Jessie turned to Jarod, “I have two mommies?”
Jarod whispered, “Yes, Jessie.”
“Where is she?” Jessie asked softly.
“That is why I have to leave, for just a little while. I need to find her and bring her here to meet you,” Jarod pleaded with her to understand.
“You promise to come back.”
“I promise.”
“Okay,” Jessie hugged Jarod tightly.
Jarod was amazed at her ability to grasp the situation before her and make some sense out of it. Jessie seemed so much older than her years. His little girl…her father’s daughter.
Sydney sat at his desk, in front of his computer, staring blindly at the screen. It was no use. He could not work. He wasn’t even sure why he bothered to come into the office. Jarod was gone…and with his death came an emptiness that could not be filled with meaningless work.
Slowly he got up from his chair and moved toward the door. The ringing of his cell telephone froze him in his tracks. Jarod? Quickly he picked up the telephone and pressed the button. “This is Sydney.”
“Sydney, how are you?” Broots’ voice came over the line.
Unable to cover his deep disappointment and grief, “Broots, what can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry, Syd. I know you miss him.”
“I know I should just accept that he’s gone, but I can’t. A part of me wonders if he is still out there somewhere.”
“Have you seen Miss Parker?” Broots asked.
Sydney looked confused, “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her for a few days.” As he sat down in his chair again, he whispered, “I hope she is all right. Jarod’s death has affected her in ways I never would have expected.”
Broots cleared his throat, “Syd, there’s more to it than that. Something that you don’t know.”
“What is it Broots? Tell me.”
“I’m sorry, Syd. It’s not my place to tell you.”
“Broots if Miss Parker is in danger, I want to help. I can’t lose her too.”
“Just call me if you see her, please. She will tell you when she’s ready.”
“All right, Broots. I will.”
Sydney laid down the telephone and placed his head in his hands. A few seconds later, it rang again. “This is Sydney,” he said weakly as he answered.
“Hello, Sydney.”
Sydney’s heart leaped at the sound of his pretender’s voice over the line. “Dear God, Jarod. You’re alive.” Tears of joy filled his eyes as he smiled with relief.
“Sydney?” Jarod asked in confusion. “What do you mean…alive?”
“Jarod, we thought you burned inside the car. We found the DSA case…but you are alive.”
“I’m sorry, Sydney. I had no idea. I just figured you would assume that I had gotten out safely. I would never have put you through that intentionally.”
“I know, Jarod. I know.”
“I need your help, Sydney. Something has changed in my life…and Miss Parker’s.”
Sydney gasped softly, “Is she with you?”
“No, why. Where is she?”
“Broots just called looking for her. No one has seen her in days.”
“Sydney, get Broots and meet me at her house, right away.”
“What’s going on, Jarod?”
“Hurry, Sydney,” Jarod said just before Sydney heard a soft click and he was gone.
Dialing Broots’ number, he waited for him to answer.
“Hello?”
“Broots, meet me at my car in five minutes. No time to explain.”
Miss Parker had just dragged herself out of bed and to the sofa where she collapsed again. She knew that she needed to pull herself together, but she could not stop thinking about Ashley, her child…Jarod’s child. And Jarod…his smile…those incredible brown eyes…she was going insane. What happened to the ‘Ice Queen’? Where was she now that she really needed her strength…her courage?
Struggling to her feet, Miss Parker hugged herself tightly and walked slowly toward the kitchen before deciding that she was not really hungry. Her body refused to eat and sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d see their faces…hear their voices calling out to her…
A sudden crash brought her around to face a tall silhouette standing in the opening where her front door had been only a moment before. A familiar voice whispered her name…
“Miss Parker, thank God you’re okay. I was afraid they’d hurt you.”
The silhouette came slowly toward her. Her eyes could not adjust to the bright light behind him. Then he was there, gathering her into his arms. She looked up and choked back a sob before curling herself into Jarod’s embrace and allowing him to lift and carry her into her bedroom. Somewhere in her exhausted mind, she heard him speaking softly to her…comforting her.
Jarod carefully lowered her down onto her bed and then sat down next to her. As his strong hands gently smoothed back her hair he smiled, “It’s all right, Parker. I am here and I will not leave you. Sleep…just sleep now. I love you.”
Sydney and Broots stood in the doorway of the bedroom staring at each other in disbelief as Jarod kissed Miss Parker softly then walked toward them.
Jarod hugged Sydney, “I’m sorry, Syd.”
“It’s all right, Jarod. All that matters is you are safe,” Sydney squeezed Jarod’s shoulder and smiled, “I know I’m not your father, but when I thought I’d lost you forever, all I could think about is how I never told you what you really mean to me.”
Jarod nodded, “I know, Sydney. I guess I’ve always known.”
“The Centre…they think you are dead,” Sydney said as the three of them went into Miss Parker’s living room.
Broots stuttered slightly as he smiled, “Jarod, I just realized something.”
“What is it, Broots?” Jarod asked.
Broots sat down on the coffee table and nodded. “It just might work,” he whispered mostly to himself.
“Broots, what are you talking about? What might work?” Sydney asked.
“Jarod, everyone at the Centre thinks you are dead. That means…”
Sydney glance quickly at Jarod as he suddenly came to the same conclusion, “You’re free, Jarod. As long as they believe that you died in that car accident, you are free to go on with your life the way you’ve always wanted.” “Not quite, I’m afraid.” Jarod moved to stand by the window.
“I don’t believe I’m following you, Jarod. If the Centre and the Triumvirate believe you are dead, they won’t be hunting you any longer.”
“Sydney, there’s something I need to tell you,” Jarod turned to face his mentor. “I need to tell, Miss Parker first. I’m not sure how she will handle it, but right now she needs to rest.”
Broots spoke up, “Jarod, she all ready knows.”
“What are you saying?” Jarod asked.
“I’m saying, she knows about her.”
Jarod ran a hand through his hair, “God, no wonder she’s falling apart.”
“Would one of you please tell me what is going on?” Sydney pleaded.
Nodding, Jarod motioned toward the sofa. “Have a seat, Syd. This is going to come as quite a shock.”
Miss Parker thought she heard voices. Opening her eyes, she found her room completely dark. The clock by her bedside registered just after midnight. Slowly she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Standing she made her way through the darkness to the door which was slightly ajar. Opening it, she crept down the hallway and into the living room.
She recognized Sydney’s voice just as she came into the room. Broots was there with him. Miss Parker sighed softly, “What are you two doing here?”
Neither of them said a word, they just turned toward the fireplace. She followed their gazes and gasped as she saw Jarod crouched in front of the fire, placing a log into the flames. The golden firelight danced in his eyes as he smiled.
“You look, a little better,” he said.
“Jarod,” she whispered. Her hands flew to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
Jarod reached her in two strides, gathering her into his arms as she swayed, “Hey, Parker, please don’t cry. Everything’s going to be all right now.”
“Oh God, Jarod I thought I’d dreamed it, but you are really here.”
Gently Jarod brushed away her tears with the back of his hand. “Yes, I’m here, Parker, and I’m not leaving, not without you.”
Neither of them noticed as Sydney and Broots slipped quietly out of the house, leaving them alone together. Both grinning from ear to ear as they walked toward Sydney’s car. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a happy ending to this crazy story after all.
Miss Parker shook her head, “Jarod, no. I can’t leave yet…I have to find someone.”
“I have all ready found her.”
Miss Parker stared at him in disbelief, “You knew?”
“No, I found her purely by the grace of God. The night of my accident, I ran through the woods to get away from there before you caught up with me. I was injured and disoriented, but some unseen force led me to a barn where I took shelter. The next morning I was awakened by a beautiful, dark-haired angel with the most incredible blue eyes…very familiar blue eyes.”
“Ashley is in Oregon?” Miss Parker smiled.
“Her name is Jessica now, though she likes to be called Jessie,” Jarod grinned.
Throwing her arms around Jarod’s neck, Miss Parker laughed in relief. “Jarod, I want to go to her.”
“We will leave in the morning,” Jarod held her close. “I love you, Parker.”
“I love you too. I’m just sorry it took me so long to realize it.”
“You know, Parker,” Jarod touched her cheek and stared into the bottomless blue depths of her eyes. “After everything we’ve been through in our lives…I have a feeling that we are finally on the right path?”
“I hope so, Jarod. Promise me that we will never look back, that the past will be put to rest, once and for all.”
Jarod kissed her tenderly. “What past?” Jarod grinned.
Miss Parker reached up to touch his face, “I almost lost you…”
Jarod brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, “I’m not going anywhere, Parker. Like it or not, you are stuck with me.”
The look in Jarod’s eyes nearly made her want to cry again. He loved her…she had spent four years making his life a living hell and yet he loved her. She did not deserve him.
As if reading her thoughts, Jarod shook his head slowly and smiled, “Parker, that’s the past…the past is dead. All that matters now is that we are together and we have a little girl who needs us. She has been through a lot and I have a feeling that it is not going to be an easy road ahead. The Centre is not going to be kept in the dark for long.”
Nodding, Miss Parker turned and walked a short distance away from Jarod. “Why do they keep torturing us like this, Jarod? What did we ever do to deserve this life they have dealt us?”
“I don’t know, but we cannot let them win. They can never win,” Jarod moved behind her and wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head.
Turning to face him again, Miss Parker smiled slightly, “Now that we’re on the same side, the Centre won’t stand a chance.”
“Why do you think they turned us against each other? They knew what they would be up against if we ever found the truth and turned against them.”
Miss Parker chuckled softly, “I almost feel sorry for them.”
“Me too,” Jarod grinned.
“Jarod,” Miss Parker turned to stare into the dancing flames. “Is Jessica going to accept me? She is four years old and has been raised by another woman, whom she believed to be her real mother. Is she going to understand?”
“Parker, Jessie is a very bright child. You are forgetting who her father is,” Jarod raised both eyebrows and flashed her that mischievous grin she had always hated. Somehow this time she found it amusing.
“Okay, Boy Genius,” Miss Parker laughed, “I think that is more egotism than I can tolerate on an empty stomach.”
Jarod made a bee-line for the phone, “Pizza or Chinese?”
“Do this often? How in the hell do you keep in shape?”
Jarod glanced sideways at her as he dialed the telephone. “I run it off.”
“Funny.”
A few hours later, Jarod carried a sleeping Miss Parker into her room. Once she was tucked in tight he laid down next to her. He fell asleep listening to her breathing and for once, the nightmares did not come.
The ringing of the telephone woke Miss Parker from a sound sleep. Normally she would have snapped, but for some strange reason, she felt rested and content. The feeling would be short-lived…
“Good Morning,” she smiled into the telephone as she glanced over her shoulder to see Jarod grinning sleepily at her. She could definitely get used to this.
“Miss Parker?” Broots responded in a confused voice.
“Hello, Broots.”
“Miss Parker, is he there?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but Lyle just left. He said something about having business in Oregon. Miss Parker, I think he knows.”
“Damn,” Miss Parker shot out of bed. “Broots, get the jet ready. We’ve got to get there before he does.”
Jarod leapt from the bed, “Lyle.” He scrambled to put on his boots, “If he touches her, I’ll kill him.” The unrestrained menace in Jarod’s voice did not surprise her. She had seen that look in his eyes before.
Miss Parker slammed down the telephone and headed for her closet. She dressed quickly in jeans and a black sweater. She pulled on her boots and grabbed her gun. “Jarod, if he gets to Jessie before we do…”
“He won’t,” Jarod took hold of her hand and squeezed. “They can’t win.”
Miss Parker nodded silently and fighting to control her tears, headed out the door with Jarod hot on her heels. Neither of them dared to think about what would happen if they did not reach Jessie in time.
The jet had barely touched down and coasted to a stop on the runway before Jarod threw open the door. Miss Parker climbed down and ran toward a waiting helicopter.
The pilot looked up from his magazine to see a tall, angry and determined brunette heading directly for him. Behind her came a tall man with desperation in his eyes. Instinct told him that these two were not to be messed with. “Ma’am, can I help you?”
“Is this thing ready to fly?”
“Yes, ma’am, but I am a waitin’ for someone else.”
“They can find another way,” Miss Parker hissed and slapped a roll of cash into the pilot’s hand.
“Yes, ma’am,” the pilot winked and opened the door to the cockpit for her. The man went around and climbed into the front seat. Evidently, they didn’t need him. He stepped back from the helicopter just as the blades came to life. He waved as they took off then counted the wad of bills in his hand, nearly passing out as he realized that it added up to just over ten thousand dollars. “This must be my lucky day,” he grinned and walked toward the hangar counting his riches over and over again.
As the farm came into view, Jarod immediately sensed that something was not right.
It was too quiet. Nothing was moving. He flew over the corral and startled the horses. It only took him a split second to notice that Cocoa was not among them. Something was definitely wrong. He had begun to worry when Emily had not answered the telephone when he called to warn her.
Miss Parker scanned the ground below. Her heart was in her throat as she willed herself to believe that Jessica was safe. She could not let herself fall apart. Sensing the fear in Jarod’s movements, she barely managed to hold back the tears.
Jarod set down just a hundred feet or so from the barn. Both he and Miss Parker pulled their guns as they moved quickly toward the house. They found the front door locked, but Jarod threw himself against it and it gave way with very little resistance.
The silence of the home was deafening. There were no smells of fresh-baked blueberry muffins. No Emily, singing softly to herself as she cooked and cleaned. No laughter…no Jessie. Jarod had only spent a few days there, but it had been the closest thing to a home that he had ever known. Now it seemed lonely and abandoned.
Miss Parker searched the first floor rooms while Jarod went upstairs to search. The first place he looked was the attic. It was empty. Just before going back downstairs, he glanced out the window toward the barn. His heart stopped as he saw something or someone lying on the ground in the shadow of the oak tree. At breakneck speed, he ran down the stairs passing Miss Parker as he flew out the door.
She followed, keeping up with him as best she could. She saw him heading for a still form lying on the ground. As she dropped to her knees next to him, she saw that it was a petite, blonde woman.
“Oh God, Emily,” Jarod gasped as he carefully examined her from head to toe. She was lying on her stomach and as he gently rolled her onto her back, they saw that the front of her dress was soaked in blood. Checking for a pulse, he found it…weak and erratic. Frantically, he tore the lower part of her skirt and held it over the bullet hole in her side.
Emily suddenly coughed and opened her eyes, “Jarod. Thank God…you…came back…Jessie…”
“Emily, stay with me. Hang on. We’ll get you to a hospital,” Jarod whispered softly, trying to make his voice sound as reassuring as possible. He knew the wound was fatal. He could not save her…no one could. “Emily, can you hear me?”
“Jarod, Jessie…she’s gone…they took her. The Centre came and took…her away. I tried to stop them…” she gasped and went into a fit of coughing.”
Miss Parker knew also that this woman, who had raised Jessica from birth, was dying. She had never felt so helpless. Jessica was in the hands of the Centre. “Emily, you don’t know me…”
Emily focused on the brunette’s face and smiled weakly, “Miss Parker…Jessie looks just like you…”
Miss Parker fought back her tears, “I want you to know that I will be forever indebted to you for saving Jessie from the Centre when she was born and raising her. Thank you.”
Emily reached for Miss Parker’s hand and took hold. “Tell her that I love her…please, don’t let her…forget me.”
“I promise you, I will never let her forget you,” Miss Parker whispered.
“Jarod,” Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “Take everything from the house…don’t bring Jessie back here…I don’t want the bad memories to…to haunt her.”
Jarod nodded, “Emily, do you know where they are taking her?”
Shaking her head slowly, Emily started to cry. Huge sobs wracked her whole body. “It’s my fault…Robert…he brought them here…they took her.”
“Damn,” Jarod swore. “I never should have let him live. Who shot you, Emily?”
“I didn’t know him…but he wore…a glove…one hand.”
“Lyle.” Miss Parker leapt to her feet and ran a hand through her dark hair.
Jarod glanced up at her then back to the dying woman in his arms. “Emily, was Robert with them?”
She nodded, “He laughed…he killed Cocoa.”
“Oh God, Jessie didn’t see…did she?”
Emily nodded again, “She saw…the look on her face…he just…laughed.”
Miss Parker wasn’t sure who or what Cocoa was, but she knew that witnessing violent death could traumatize a child for life.
Jarod’s shoulders sagged as Emily gasped her last breath her last words would be forever etched in his memory.
“Jarod, Jessie is…just…like…you.” And with those words, Emily’s eyes closed and she was gone.
The flight back to Blue Cove seemed to take an eternity. Miss Parker sat staring silently out the window of the jet. Jarod sat next to her with his head resting in his hands. She reached for him but something told her that he needed to work through the pain in his own way. She knew that the guilt was weighing heavily on his shoulders, eating away at him little by little.
They had arranged for Emily’s burial before leaving Oregon. They left immediately after making their statement to the police. It had cost them three hours, but they knew that Jessica’s life was not in danger. If she was a pretender, as Emily’s last words had suggested, the Centre would not hurt her…physically. Mentally was another story.
Miss Parker jumped as her cell phone rang. “What,” she gasped, running her fingers through her dark hair.
“Miss Parker,” Sydney’s soothing voice came over the line. “I need to speak with Jarod, is he there?”
“Yes,” she handed the telephone to Jarod.
“Sydney,” Jarod’s voice was barely audible.
“Jarod, Jessica is here. Lyle brought her in about an hour ago. She appears to be unhurt. She will not speak to anyone though. Jarod, they still believe you are dead and they don’t know that I am aware of Jessica’s true identity.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Evidently, Robert did not tell them about our little encounter. He must not have known who I was.”
Sydney cleared his throat, “Jarod, I believe that this Robert Thomas worked for the Centre and was given a directive to marry Emily so they could monitor Jessica until she was old enough to be trained. She is approximately the same age as you were when you were brought here."
“She is a pretender, Sydney.”
“Lyle has asked me to meet with Jessica and try to get her to cooperate. I am going down there as soon as we hang up. She is on SL-20, corridor 3…room 52. Be careful. They may not be expecting you, but they know Miss Parker is coming for her daughter.”
“We’ll be careful, Syd. Thank you.”
After cutting the connection, Jarod turned and gathered Miss Parker into his arms. “She’s there and she’s safe…for now. Sydney is on his way down to see her. He will protect her.”
“Thank God,” Miss Parker whispered as she curled into Jarod’s embrace.
“We’re going to get her out, Parker,” Jarod gently kissed the top of her head.
Jarod and Miss Parker were within a mile of the Centre grounds when a flash of movement ahead caught their attention. Jarod slammed on the brakes. The car came to a sliding stop, just inches from a figure crouched in the road, covering his head. As Jarod exited the car, the figure raised his head and blinked quickly, blinded by the headlights.
“Angelo.” Bending, Jarod helped his friend to his feet, “Angelo, are you all right? What are you doing out of the Centre?”
Miss Parker joined them just as Angelo grinned and hugged Jarod tightly, “Angelo knew Jarod not dead. Angelo glad.”
Laughing, Jarod hugged him back, “It’s good to see you too, but why did you run out into the road like that? You could have been killed.
“Angelo find Jarod and Miss Parker. Little girl sad…scared. She cries…when no one sees. Brave…strong…when they see.”
Miss Parker put an arm around Angelo, “Is Jessica all right? Have they hurt her?”
Angelo shook his head, “Sydney there now…little girl safe.”
Jarod started to help Angelo toward the car, but after only a few steps, Angelo grabbed Jarod’s arm and shook his head. “What is it, Angelo?”
“Angelo help. Come this way.”
“Parker,” Jarod said. “Take the car and go on to the Centre. I will go with Angelo.”
“All right, but be careful. He may not be the only one who knows you aren’t dead.”
Jarod covered her lips with his own in a quick but tender kiss, “You be careful. And remember the plan. We have to stick to the plan. I’ll meet you inside.”
Miss Parker watched until they disappeared into the darkness before getting back into the car and driving the remaining distance to the Centre. She said a prayer for Jessica and for Jarod before sliding out from behind the wheel and slamming the car door behind her as she stormed into the main building.
The elevator doors closed and she pressed the button for SL-20. Pulling out her gun, she checked the clip to make sure it was loaded, then returned it to its home under her jacket. Dressed in the jeans and black sweater from that morning, Miss Parker felt strangely vulnerable…almost human. As she watched the sub-level indicator, she struggled with the overwhelming fear that something ominous would be awaiting her when the elevator doors opened.
When they finally did, Miss Parker scanned the corridor warily and as she moved along, keeping close to the walls, she became aware of the distinct sound of a child crying. She followed the sound until she came to Room 52. The door was slightly ajar. This can’t be good, she thought to herself.
Cautiously, Miss Parker pushed open the heavy steel door and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior of the room. Slowly she moved farther into the small cell. The crying had stopped but she could still hear the choked sobs as the child tried to keep silent.
As her eyes adjusted, she saw a tiny form huddled into the farthest corner of the room behind the bed.
“Jessica,” Miss Parker whispered. “It’s all right…you can come out now.”
The little girl moved ever so slightly, as if trying to decide whether she could trust this new stranger.
“Jessie, I’m here now, baby. You don’t really know me, but I’m…”
“You are my real mommy?” a small voice said.
Miss Parker’s eyes filled with tears suddenly, “Yes, Jessie, I’m your real mommy.”
“Where’s my daddy?”
Sitting down on the small bed, Miss Parker reached out to her daughter, “He’s here too. We’ve come to take you away from this place.”
Jessie reached up and took hold of Miss Parker’s outstretched hand. “Good. I don’t like it here. They wanted me to play games with them…I told them no.”
“You are a very smart girl, Jessie.” Miss Parker gently pulled the little girl into her embrace and held her, comforted her. “Come now, we have to go. Before they come back.”
Lifting Jessie, Miss Parker smiled as she wrapped her arms tightly around her neck. Moving toward the door, she had no more taken a step that the door flew completely open, banging against the wall and the lights came on, blinding her for a moment.
“Well, well what do we have here,” Lyle flashed his charming but deadly smile. “If this isn’t a touching sight. Just where do you think you are taking her, Sis.”
“Out of this hell-hole,” Miss Parker hissed.
“She belongs to the Centre.”
“She is my daughter, Lyle. I will not let you hurt her. I will kill you if I have to.”
“You will have to, Parker. And do you want your little girl to see that her real mommy is a killer?”
Jessie lifted her head and glared at Lyle. The look she gave him was pure ‘Miss Parker’. Her mother quickly stifled a chuckle as her heart filled with a powerful emotion that she had never known before. Pride…love…devotion…all rolled into one amazing feeling that renewed her courage and overpowered all doubt.
Miss Parker started toward her brother, “Lyle, my daughter and I are going to walk out of here now. You and Raines should really learn that playing God will only pave your way to hell. But then…you both should fit right in.”
“Sorry, Sis. You are not going anywhere…except maybe a cold, dark cell on SL-27. That will keep you out of the way for a long, long time,” Lyle motioned with his head and two sweepers came into the room.
Miss Parker backed away from them until her back hit the wall. “Lyle, I’m warning you, I am not letting you take her from me.”
“I don’t see that you have a choice in the matter, Parker. Give her up and we won’t kill you,” Lyle stood just inside the doorway, an amused look in his eyes.
The sweepers were only a few feet away when Miss Parker heard a scratching noise coming from the vent above her. Smiling slyly, she dove to the floor just as the grate exploded out of the wall and Jarod dropped out of the opening, instantly wiping the smug grin off Lyle’s face. In its place was a panic and fear that nearly made Miss Parker burst out laughing.
“Hello, Lyle.” Jarod raised an eyebrow and grinned, “So nice to see you again.”
“Jarod,” Lyle gasped. “But you’re supposed to be dead.”
“Sorry, I guess I’m just not gonna go away.”
“Kill them all,” Lyle ordered the sweepers.
“I don’t think so,” Jarod aimed his gun directly at Lyle’s head. They move, you die.”
Lyle swallowed hard and cleared his throat, “Jarod, the girl is the Centre’s property. Look at it this way. With her, we no longer need you. You are free to go. Fair trade?”
Jarod glared at the cowering man, “Jessica is not going to have her childhood stolen from her the way mine was. She is going to live a happy, normal life with parents who love her and no one will ever take her away from us again.” Then to Miss Parker he jerked his head toward the opening in the wall, “Go, take Jessie. There’s a friend waiting inside to show you the way out.”
Miss Parker nodded and quickly lifted Jessica into the ventilation shaft. With a glance over her shoulder, she met Jarod’s gaze. The silent communication between them spoke louder than words ever could. As she followed Jessica into the vent, she knew that Jarod would die to protect them. She prayed that it would not come to that.
Once Jessie and Miss Parker were gone, Jarod focused all of his attention on Lyle. The sweepers had backed off enough that he had some room to maneuver. His mind mechanically ticked off the seconds as he moved toward the vent. “Time to go. It’s been a pleasure.”
And in one fluid movement, Jarod lifted himself up into the shaft and tossed a time-delayed hand grenade into the room behind him. He heard Lyle and his goons diving for cover and chuckled softly to himself as he moved stealthily through the ventilation system. The explosion rattled the ductwork around him and forced him to cover his ears for a few seconds before moving on.
Miss Parker followed Angelo out into the night air. She had wrapped her jacket around Jessie to keep her warm. Her arms were growing tired but she refused to let go of her daughter. They finally reached the car and she settled Jessie into the back seat. When she turned around, Angelo was gone.
“Thank you,” she smiled into the darkness. Slipping into the driver’s seat, she started the engine, waited, and prayed. There was still no sign of Jarod. He heart was beating rapidly in her chest. She looked at her watch. Two more minutes, Jarod had told her to leave him if he was not out two minutes after they reached the car.
A full minute had passed and there was still no sign of him. Two minutes…time to go. She fought back tears as she pressed her foot down on the accelerator and the car tore out of the parking area. “Come on, Jarod. Where are you?” she whispered.
As the car rounded a curve, she saw headlights coming toward them. As the car drew closer, Miss Parker recognized it. “Broots.”
The two cars came to a stop in the middle of the road. Broots rolled down his window and grinned, “I think I found something that belongs to you.”
The passenger side door opened and Jarod got out. He slid into the passenger seat and immediately kissed her. When he pulled away, he was grinning from ear to ear, “I love you, Parker.”
Miss Parker slugged him playfully in the chest. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“I do my best,” Jarod laughed.
They waved to Broots as he drove away then Miss Parker stepped on the gas and did the same. Jarod reached over the back of the seat to adjust Miss Parker’s jacket over Jessie. He smiled as he gently smoothed back his daughter’s dark hair. She was truly her mother’s daughter, he thought, as he turned his gaze to Miss Parker. Beautiful…strong, definitely stubborn and he loved them both more than his own life. They were his family and his home now and nothing would ever come between them again.
It was nearing dawn when Jarod pulled the car off the road and shut off the engine. They were on the outskirts of a small town in Maryland. The Lazy Day motel caught his attention. Pulling the car into the parking space in front of the office, he glanced back over his shoulder. He smiled gently, Miss Parker was sleeping soundly, and curled in her embrace was Jessie. The sight gave him a deep feeling of contentment and peace despite the circumstances.
Jarod tried not to think about how hard their lives would be from here on out. To raise a child while constantly on the move was not going to be easy. After one more, quick look at his little family, he climbed out of the car.
The motel office was dark so Jarod pressed the buzzer. A few minutes later a small, kindly, old woman flipped on the lights and came to open the door. Although he could tell by her bathrobe and the curlers in her hair, that he had awakened her, she was the picture of happiness. Unlocking the door, she smiled a warm, smile that reminded Jarod of sunshine on a rainy day.
“Welcome,” she chuckled and touched her hand to her face. “I must look a fright. What can I do for you, child?”
Jarod gave her a slight nod and smiled, “I’m sorry to wake you so early, but my family and I have been traveling all night. We would like to rest for the day.”
“Of course, child. Let me see…oh yes. I have just the thing for you. It is a small two-bedroom cabin with a kitchen. It’s quiet and very cute…I decorated it myself. It rents for seventy-five dollars a night.”
“Sounds just perfect, thank you,” Jarod nodded and handed her two hundred dollars. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to stay.”
“Well, you are welcome here for as long as you like. Oh, and…by the way, breakfast comes with the room. It will be ready in an hour if you and your family are hungry.”
“Thank you, we are.”
The woman glanced down at the registry and smiled knowingly, “Well, Jarod Michaels, we will be expecting you. And my name is Martha, my husband is George…no, not Washington…Kensington.”
Jarod laughed, “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kensington.
“Call me Martha, please. ‘Mrs. Kensington’ makes me sound so old,” Martha winked and with a soft chuckle she followed Jarod to the car. Peeking inside the back window, she whispered, “You have a beautiful family, Jarod. Cherish them always.”
“Thank you, Martha. And I will.”
“Jarod, don’t worry. My lips are sealed,” Martha made a motion with her fingers of ‘zipping’ her lips and throwing away the key, winked again and disappeared back inside the office.
Jarod could only stare in confusion after her. What had she meant? Did she know that they were on the run and from whom? Shaking his head with disbelief, he slid behind the wheel and drove toward the back of the property where Martha had said that the cabin would be.
True to her word, it was quiet and secluded, located in the woods behind the motel. Jarod pulled the car into a small carport that was attached to the rear of the small cabin. It would definitely conceal it from any passing vehicles in the parking lot of the motel. And it was well out of view of the highway.
Jarod wondered again about Martha’s strange behavior. She had known they were running from someone. She gave them this cabin because she knew they needed a safe place to rest. But how could she know?
Leaning over the back of the seat, Jarod brushed his hand through Miss Parker’s dark hair. “Parker, wake up. I found us a place to rest.”
Miss Parker smiled slightly as she opened her eyes and looked down at Jessie. “Jarod, she’s really here. I was afraid that it had all been a dream,” her eyes filled with tears. “She’s beautiful.”
Jarod nodded and gently traced a line along Miss Parker’s cheek, “Just like her mother…beautiful as a sunrise. With the temperament of a thunderstorm and a stubbornness that cannot be matched.”
“Very funny.”
“I kinda thought so,” he grinned. “Here let me take her, you can open the door to the cabin.” Handing her the key, Jarod lifted Jessie into his arms, cradling her to his chest as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do.
Miss Parker’s heart filled with a sense of warmth she’d never known before. Jarod did not have to pretend to be a father, he was a natural, in every way possible. He loved Jessie with every fiber of his being. She could see it in his eyes. Those same eyes that looked upon her with an unconditional love that she did not deserve.
The cabin was tiny, two bedrooms…one bath, and a galley-style kitchen. The sitting area was furnished with a small sofa and a chair, a coffee table and a grandfather clock. There was a fireplace with a river-rock hearth large enough for someone to sit on without being too close to the flames. Above the mantle hung an incredible painting of the ocean and a lighthouse on a jagged cliff.
Miss Parker entered the smaller bedroom ahead of Jarod and watched as he gently placed their daughter on the double bed. He covered her with the patchwork quilt, tucking it around Jessie’s tiny body. Then he bent to kiss her softly on the cheek and straightened slowly as he turned toward Miss Parker and held out his hand to her. Taking it, she walked toward the bed and smiled as she too bent to kiss Jessie’s cheek.
Together they watched her sleeping. Then Jarod wrapped his arm around Miss Parker’s waist and led her into the other bedroom. “Lie down and rest, Parker. I’m going to go get us some breakfast at the motel. I will be back in a few minutes.”
“Jarod, be careful.” Miss Parker whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
Jarod smiled and quietly left the cabin, being sure to lock the door behind him. Then he made his way on foot back to the motel.
Martha spotted him and waved from an open door behind the office. “Come in, come in, child. Where is your lovely family?” she asked as she guided him through the door and into the breakfast area.
Jarod took a deep breath and inhaled the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen, smiling he turned to Martha, “They are asleep. If it’s all right, I’d like some food, to go.”
“Of course, it’s all right. But first, you sit down and eat your fill. You look as though you haven’t had a decent home-cooked meal in quite awhile,” Martha ushered Jarod into a chair near the window. The table was covered in an antique lace with a protective glass top. Everything in the room was antique and delicate.
Jarod relaxed a bit and accepted the mountainous plate of food that Martha placed in front of him. There were pancakes smothered in maple syrup and blue berry muffins, bacon, eggs, and sausage. His first bite of the pancakes seemed to literally melt in his mouth. He smiled widely as Martha approached with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. “This is incredible,” Jarod took another bite.
“Good, good, you eat every bite. I will pack some food for your family,” Martha patted Jarod on the back. “George and I will take good care of you, don’t you worry.”
Jarod met the old woman’s gaze, “Thank you, thank you both.”
“Nonsense. Thank you, Jarod,” she smiled. “We owe you a debt that can never be repaid.”
“I don’t understand,” Jarod looked at her in confusion.
“Of course you don’t. You don’t know us, but you saved our grandson’s life. You found him a heart. You gave him your brother’s heart.”
Jarod’s eyes lit up, “JR, how is he? I’m afraid, I haven’t been able to call him in awhile.”
“He’s doing just great. He told us all about you when he came to stay with us last summer. He thinks the world of you, Jarod. You are his hero.”
Jarod looked away to glance out the window. “My brother is the hero. He gave his life for mine. I gave JR his heart. Kyle is the hero.”
“I’m so very sorry Jarod, I know you miss him.”
“I hardly had the chance to know him.”
“JR told us that he visited this strange place in Delaware. Something called…the Centre. They asked questions about you. What do they want with you, Jarod?” Martha asked as she sat down in the chair across from him.
“They want me back under their thumb, and now they want my daughter,” he spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I was taken from my family when I was her age, and raised by the Centre. I performed simulations that they then sold to unknown sources to be used for acts of terrorism and other unspeakable crimes against society.”
“So you feel that you have to make up for the evil that they did using your work.” Martha nodded slowly then stood, she hugged Jarod and smiled, “Jarod, you have nothing to make up for. Those people hurt you deeply. What they did, was not your fault. You are a wonderful man and I hope that someday you will be able to forgive yourself and move on.”
Jarod shook his head slowly, “Maybe…someday. For now, I have to concentrate on protecting my daughter. I can’t let them do to her what they did to me.”
Martha nodded, “You eat. I’ll get the food ready.”
As she disappeared into the kitchen, Jarod lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and drank the rich liquid. Somehow, he had to find a way to protect his family. Then, once they were safe, he would make the Centre pay for everything they have done and for everyone they have hurt.
Miss Parker awoke with a start at the sound of Jessica’s screams. Rushing to her room, she found Jessie on the bed, huddled against the wall.
“Jessie, baby. You are safe now. No one is going to hurt you again,” Miss Parker sat down on the bed and Jessie immediately came into her embrace. “It’s all right, I’m here. I’ll stay with you.” Lying down next to her daughter, Miss Parker held her close and sang softly to her until they both fell back to sleep.
That was how Jarod found them when he returned an hour later. He smiled as he crept silently into the room and carefully covered them with the patchwork quilt, then placed a kiss on Miss Parker’s forehead. He turned to leave the room, but paused to look at them once more. His family…he had wondered many times what it would be like to be a father…a husband. It was still so new, so strange.
In the kitchen, he went about putting the food away. When he began to reheat some of it, the sweet aroma filled the cabin.
Jessie appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with both hands. “Daddy?”
Jarod turned and dropped to one knee, “Hi, Jessie.” He held his arms out to her, smiling, “You don’t know how glad I am to see you.”
Running to him, she threw her arms around his neck. “I knew you would come back. I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Jarod laughed and hugged her tightly. “Now, why don’t you go wake your mommy and tell her that breakfast is ready.”
“Okay,” Jessie giggled and ran back into her bedroom. She returned a few minutes later towing Miss Parker, still half-asleep, behind her.
“I hope you are hungry, Martha sent me back here with enough food for an army,” Jarod grinned and placed a bowl of apple-cinnamon oatmeal in front of Jessie who immediately picked up her spoon and dug in.
Miss Parker laughed softly, “Good, I am starving.”
“Eat up,” Jarod said as he placed a plate heaped with pancakes and maple syrup on the table in front of her.
Sighing loudly, Miss Parker smiled, “Their goes my diet.”
Jarod reached down and picked up her fork, loading it with a huge bite of the pancakes. “The last thing you need to worry about is your diet. Now eat.” He placed the fork to her lips. She took the bite from the fork and chewed. “Good girl,” Jarod praised her.
“Ha ha, very funny, boy genius.”
Jarod winked at her then disappeared into the other room. Miss Parker continued to eat while she watched Jessie devouring the last of her oatmeal. Smiling to herself, she thought about how much her life had changed in such a short time. A week ago she could not have dreamed where her fate was taking her, much less who she would be with. Suddenly, here she was a mother and in love with the man she had been hunting only a week earlier. Ironic didn’t even come close…
Jessie had finished eating and sat staring at Miss Parker without speaking.
Miss Parker grew uncomfortable with the little girl’s silent scrutiny. Smiling slightly she dropped her fork and met her daughter’s gaze. “Jessie, why are you staring at me?”
Jessie ducked her head shyly, “I’m sorry. I just think that you’re pretty.”
Blushing, Miss Parker whispered, “Thank you. You are very pretty too.”
“Like mother, like daughter,” Jarod was leaning against the wall, behind Miss Parker, with an amused glint in his brown eyes.
“How long have you been standing there?” Miss Parker tried to sound annoyed, but somehow she had lost that edge when she lost the ‘Ice Queen’. The sarcasm and anger had vanished, leaving behind a vulnerable woman. A woman she did not know, nor want to be.
“Long enough,” Jarod motioned toward her plate, “to see that you are not eating.”
Jessie jumped up from her chair and went to Jarod. “Daddy, I want some ice cream, please.”
Jarod laughed heartily, “Ah, a woman after my own heart. Parker, let’s go get us some ice cream.”
Miss Parker rolled her eyes, but the sparkle in their blue depths gave away her own amusement, “You two go ahead. I am going to hit the shower. I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay then, we’ll be back shortly. Lock the door behind us,” he leaned over and kissed her lightly. “Call my cell phone if you need me, we won’t be far away.”
“Go on,” she ushered them out of the cabin shutting the door behind them. Turning the lock, she heard it click into place. Moving the curtain aside, she watched Jarod lift Jessie onto his broad shoulders as he headed for the motel. Then smiling, Miss Parker went into the bathroom to take her shower.
Jarod and Jessie entered Martha’s office and rang the bell on the counter. She appeared a moment later with a wide smile on her face.
“Well, well, just who do we have here?” Martha reached up and took hold of Jessie’s small hand.
“This is my daughter Jessica,” Jarod beamed with pride.
“What a lovely child,” Martha touched her hand to Jarod’s arm. “She has your smile, Jarod. Jessica, what can I do for you today?”
“I’d like some ice cream please.”
Martha chuckled, “Such a polite child. I believe we can arrange that, come with me.”
Jarod followed them into the kitchen where Martha motioned for them to sit at the same table where he had eaten breakfast. Jessie’s eyes lit up when Martha brought her a huge bowl of ice cream topped with hot fudge. Jarod laughed as she tried to find a starting point to dig in.
Martha gave Jarod his ice cream then returned a moment later with a cup of coffee. “Is there anything else I can get for you today, Jessica?”
“No, ma’am. Thank you very much.”
The three of them talked and laughed until the ice cream was gone. Then Jarod picked up the dishes and carried them to the kitchen.
“Jarod, I can do that,” Martha said as she followed him.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“Before you go back to the cabin, I have something I’d like to give Jessica. Wait here for just a minute,” Martha disappeared into the residential part of the motel. She returned carrying a beautiful doll dressed in an old fashioned, blue floral dress and bonnet. “This belonged to my daughter, JR’s mother, I know she would want Jessica to have it.”
Jarod watched as Martha gave the doll to Jessie. Jessie’s eyes lit up and she hugged Martha tightly.
“I love her, Martha. Thank you,” Jessie touched the doll’s hair and dress with such care that Jarod wondered if she had ever had a doll of her very own.
“You are very welcome child. Her name is Becky. Though you can change it if you want to.”
Jessie looked up at Jarod, “I’d like to call her Emily.”
Jarod nodded his approval and kneeled down to look at the doll more closely, “I think ‘Emily’ is the perfect name for her.”
Martha shook her head in amazement, for a father and daughter who had only just found each other, they seemed as though they had never been apart. And Jarod, never being a father before, took to it like a duck to water.
“Well, we had better be getting back to the cabin. Your mommy will be looking for us,” Jarod said as he swept Jessie up onto his shoulders and handed Emily to her. “Thank you, Martha. We’ll be seeing you for breakfast in the morning if we don’t get any unexpected visitors.”
Martha nodded, “I’ll call you immediately if I see anything suspicious, anything at all. I have explained everything to George also, so he knows what to do also.”
“We really appreciate this, Martha. But please don’t put yourselves at risk for us. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to the two of you.”
“Hush now, Jarod. Do not worry about us, we’re tough,” Martha smiled at Jessie. “It was very nice meeting you Miss Jessica. Come again real soon.”
“Thank you for the ice cream and Emily,” Jessie smiled. “Nice to meet you to,” she added quickly.
Martha stood in the open doorway watching them as they walked away. She said a silent prayer then closed the door.
Miss Parker was standing in front of the mirror brushing out her long hair when Jarod and Jessie entered the cabin. She glanced in their direction and smiled, “So how was the ice cream?”
“Yummy!” Jessie squealed. “And look what I got,” she ran to her mother and showed her the doll.
“What a lovely doll, where did you get it?”
“Martha gave it to me. I named her Emily. Is that okay?”
Miss Parker remembered her promise to Emily before she died, to never let Jessie forget her. “That’s a very beautiful name, Jessie,” she smiled as Jessie rushed into her room to play with her new doll.
Jarod leaned his shoulder against the wall next to the mirror, “It belonged to her daughter, JR’s mother.”
Miss Parker looked confused for a moment before she remembered the boy, “She is JR’s grandmother? The boy you gave Kyle’s heart to.”
Nodding, Jarod turned and went to the fireplace to start a fire. There was already a chill in the air and it was not even mid afternoon yet. “I’m beginning to realize what a small world we live in,” his smile was reserved as he placed a log on the flickering flames.
“What’s a matter, Jarod?” Miss Parker teased, “All your heroic deeds starting to catch up to you?”
“Funny, Parker.”
“It’s okay to feel good about all you’ve done, Jarod, all the people you’ve helped. I never told you this before, for obvious reasons, but I envied you. I wish I had half the compassion and courage that you have. Maybe I would have been able to walk away from my father and the Centre a long time ago. And maybe I would have been able to face my true feelings for you long before now.” Miss Parker wrapped her arms around Jarod’s neck, “I love you, Pretender.”
Jarod pulled her into his embrace, “Parker, I still can’t believe this is real. I have loved you since we were ten. I never dared to hope that you would forgive me for all the pain I caused you.”
“Jarod, I know I blamed you for everything bad that happened in my life. The truth is, you are the only person who ever really cared about me. When my mother died, you were there to help me through the grief and the anger I felt because she left me. If anything, I made your life a living hell, and you can still say that you love me?”
“I love you, Parker,” Jarod kissed her tenderly.
Miss Parker pulled back slightly and looked up into his chocolate-brown eyes and smiled, “You know, it’s funny, my ulcer hasn’t bothered me at all lately.”
“Great,” Jarod grinned playfully, “Mexican or Tai for dinner?”
“You want to kill me?”
“Never.”
Jessie came skipping into the room and smiled up at her parents, “Can we go somewhere now?”
“Where do you want to go, baby?” Miss Parker knelt down on one knee and placed a quick kiss on her daughter’s cheek.
“Want to go shoppin’. Want to buy Emily some new shoes.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Jarod laughed.
“Do you think it’s safe to go out?” Miss Parker stood and went into the bedroom to dress and put on her makeup.
“Unless your brother has taken to shopping at WalMart, we should be safe enough. And until I can arrange for Jessie’s things to be sent to us, I think we should get her some new clothes and things. And we need to find another mode of transportation. I hope you aren’t too attached to that black town car, Parker.”
“I’m not, but the Centre might be. Since it is theirs, after all.”
“Which is exactly why we need to get rid of it.”
“What shall we get, Jarod?” Miss Parker asked as she came out of the bedroom. “A mini van or a station wagon?”
“I don’t think we need to go that inconspicuous. And we will need something with speed when and if we need it.”
“Well, let’s go then,” Miss Parker swept Jessie up into her arms and headed out the door. “We’re going shopping.”
Jarod laughed and followed them, locking the door behind them. After a quick stop at the office to tell Martha that they would be gone for awhile, they went in search of a new car lot and Walmart.
An hour later, Miss Parker drove out of the lot in a new Dodge Durango with Jarod and Jessie following in the town car. She turned into Walmart and waited while Jarod parked the car on the outskirts of the parking lot and collected their things to transfer them to the Durango. Then he and Jessie climbed into the vehicle and Miss Parker drove around to the opposite side of the building to park.
The store was full of people, everyone shopping for the Holidays, which seemed to come earlier and earlier every year. Miss Parker found herself suddenly looking forward to Christmas this year. For the first time since her mother’s death, she would have a family to share it with. She was no longer alone.
Jarod lifted Jessie and lowered her gently into a shopping cart, which mysteriously turned into an Indy 500-race car as he pushed her down the aisles. Jessie giggled hysterically every time Jarod ‘revved’ the engine. Miss Parker could not hide her own enjoyment of his antics.
When they came to the toy department, Miss Parker knew she was in trouble as he and Jessie became totally engrossed in each and every toy they set eyes on. “I’m going to finish our shopping, I guess I know where to find you two when I’m done.”
“Uh-huh,” Jarod grinned. His eyes were lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning.
“Don’t go crazy, or we’ll have to trade the Durango for an eighteen-wheeler.”
“We won’t,” Jarod placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Watch your back, Parker. I can’t be one hundred percent sure that they will not show up here. Be careful.”
“You too,” Miss Parker warned as she steered the cart down another aisle.
Jarod collected a second cart an loaded it with toys for Jessie, and just a few for himself. By the time Miss Parker returned Jessie was adding a Barbie Doll to their haul.
“All right you two, I think you have kinda overdone it. Put half of that stuff back.” Father and daughter both looked at her with puppy-dog eyes until she could not take it any longer. “What am I going to do with you two,” she chuckled.
Jarod winked, “We’ll put back all but a couple of items. We just wanted to see your reaction. You know, you’ve got a knack for this mothering thing.”
“I guess we’re both naturals,” Miss Parker smiled. “Jessie, I need you to try on some clothes for me. I’m not exactly sure what size you wear.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Jessie climbed back into the cart and they headed for the children’s clothing department. Jarod tagged along behind with the other cart, which was at least only half full of toys.
Two hours later, they were sitting in a small café eating dinner, when Jarod suddenly stood up and dropped a fifty on the table. “Parker, come on. We’ve got company.”
Miss Parker grabbed Jessie and together they left the restaurant just as a pair of black town cars rounded the corner and parked near the front of the building. They kept low as they ran to the Durango and slipped inside. They were thankful for the falling darkness and for the tinted windows as they casually drove out of the parking lot and headed for the motel.
Jarod had just pulled under the carport when Martha came rushing toward them, “Oh, thank goodness your all right. I was so afraid they had found you.”
“They were here?” Miss Parker asked.
“Did they hurt you?” Jarod placed his hands on the old woman’s shoulders.
“No, no. They just showed us your pictures and I showed them the guest registry. Well, what they thought was the guest registry,” Martha smiled proudly. “We told them that you had been here for only a few hours and left. To make it even more convincing, I pretended to be afraid and asked if the two of you were dangerous criminals,” she chuckled and patted Jarod’s cheek. “They bought it, hook, line, and sinker.”
Jarod hugged her and grinned slightly, “Thank you, Martha. But we cannot take any chances. We have to leave. If they come back and find out we were here, they might hurt you and George.”
“Jarod, please be careful. And promise me that you and your family will come back for a visit when it’s safe.”
“We will, Martha,” Miss Parker said as she moved to stand next to Jarod. Taking hold of Martha’s hand she squeezed it gently, “Thank you so much for all you’ve done for us.”
“Oh, my dear, you are so very welcome. Take care of each other…love each other and they will never beat you.” Touching Miss Parker’s cheek, Martha smiled, “Such a beautiful girl. You make Jarod very happy.”
Jessie leaped out of the vehicle and came to hug Martha, “Bye Martha, I’ll miss you. Thank you for Emily.”
“You are welcome, child. You be a good girl and take care of your mommy and daddy for me, okay?”
“I will, I promise.”
Jarod came out of the cabin carrying the things they had left inside. He loaded everything into the back of the Durango and placed the key to the cabin in Martha’s hand, “Goodbye, Martha.”
“Goodbye, and God Bless,” she hugged him tightly. “Never give up hope, Jarod. JR didn’t, and then you came along. Never give up.”
“We won’t,” Jarod kissed the top of her silver curls then climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.
As they drove away, she waved until they were out of sight then walked slowly back to the motel. George met her halfway and placed an arm around her shoulders. “They’ll make it, Martha,” he whispered as he guided her toward their home. “They’ll be okay.”
Jarod kept watching the rearview mirror until he felt that they were safe. The digital clock in the dashboard reminded him of how tired he was. It was after midnight, but he knew they could not stop…not yet. Not until they had put some time, and distance, between themselves and Lyle. The Centre would not give up until they were dead. With Miss Parker and him out of the way, there would be no one to protect Jessie and she would be at their mercy.
Glancing over at Miss Parker in the seat next to him, he worried about the stress on her and what it had to be doing to her ulcer. She seemed pale in the moonlight pouring through the windows. Jarod reached over and took hold of her hand, bringing it gently to his lips.
Miss Parker smiled, “You want me to take over for a little while? You look tired.”
“No, I’m fine. Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
“Jarod, don’t worry about me. I am a big girl, I can still take care of myself you know,” she rolled her eyes slightly.
“I can see that, Parker,” Jarod winked at her, leaving the rest unsaid.
Despite herself, Miss Parker actually blushed. She hoped that the shadows hid that fact. “Why, Jarod, are you flirting with me?”
“You noticed.”
“I definitely noticed.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Maybe…then again, maybe not.”
Jarod laughed softly, “What are we doing, Parker?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are we continuing this cat-and-mouse game of ours?”
“I’m not sure. Force of habit I suppose.”
“I suppose,” Jarod frowned slightly.
Miss Parker turned toward the darkened window and stared blindly at the moon. Its soft glow was somehow comforting, a guardian spirit watching over them…guiding them. For some unknown reason, her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she wept silently.
Jarod felt her sadness and the fear she tried to bury deep inside her heart. He didn’t have to see her tears to know that she was crying. “Parker?”
Miss Parker wiped her eyes quickly, not wanting him to see what a blubbering fool she had become. But her shaky voice betrayed her. “What?” she asked softly.
“I’m sorry.”
Shaking her head quickly she glanced at him, “Jarod, you are going to live to regret loving me. I am not capable of loving or being loved. My love kills everyone it touches. It killed my mother…and Thomas. I could not bear it if something happened to you and Jessie. You two should leave me behind. I belong at the Centre with all the other horrid creatures they have locked away there. They created me…this heartless woman. You were the only good to ever come from that place…you and Jessie.”
Jarod pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and shut off the engine. Climbing out he came around to her side and opened the door. Gently he pulled her into his embrace. “Parker, I know you believe that is who you are, but I see the truth…the real person you are in here,” he smiled tenderly and covered her heart with his hand. “I fell in love with that person, not the one created by circumstances beyond both of our control. I have never believed that you were the woman you pretended to be for your father’s benefit. No matter how hard he tried, he could not destroy the part of you that he viewed as a weakness. That tenacious part of you that reminded him of your mother.”
As she laid her head against his broad, comforting chest, Miss Parker realized she had never loved him more than she did at that moment. His words reached the deep, dark places in her heart she had kept hidden for so long. The demons controlling her entire, miserable life…gone, banished forever by a man’s unconditional love. She suddenly felt as though a long, lost part of her had come home. It had…Jarod had come home to her.
“Parker, I love you, please don’t ever forget that,” Jarod whispered as his lips captured hers in a breathtaking kiss.
“Never…never again,” she gasped when he finally released her. “I love you, Jarod.”
“If you start to doubt yourself again, I’ll be forced to remind you of that fact,” he grinned teasingly.
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“If this is how you are going to remind me,” Miss Parker’s eyes sparkled with amusement and mischief. “I just might forget intentionally.”
“I think I can live with that,” Jarod smiled and kissed her again.
Miss Parker forced herself to drag them both back to reality, “Jarod, we’d better get going before our ‘friends’ catch up with us.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jarod’s eyes revealed his disappointment. “We’ll continue this discussion later,” he winked after he had helped her back into the Durango and closed the door. Then he went around and climbed back into the driver’s seat. As he started the engine, he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, “But not too much later.”
Jessie was still sound asleep in the back seat as Miss Parker reached over to pull the blanket back over her tiny body. “Poor baby, she’s exhausted.”
“It’s not much farther. We’ll be there in less than an hour.”
“One of your old lairs?” Miss Parker teased.
“Something like that,” Jarod reached over and playfully tugged on a lock of her hair.
“Are you sure we’ll be safe there?”
“You never found me there…”
“That’s not saying a whole lot,” Miss Parker frowned.
“Parker, of all the people the Centre set on my trail, you were the one I feared the most,” Jarod stared straight ahead, focusing on the dark highway.
“Why is that, Jarod?” Miss Parker asked with an amused glare.
“Because, with the exception of Sydney, you knew me better than any of them. You would be surprised to realize how close you came to catching me on several occasions. I’ve always known what you were truly capable of, and I knew that one day you would get the upper hand on me.”
“That’s bull, and you know it. You were always one step ahead.”
“One hard-earned step. You and I think a lot alike in many ways. It wasn’t easy for me to mislead you, Parker.”
“Just one question,” Miss Parker turned to him, “Why all the tricks? The roach motel, the flu virus, and why torture me with all those clues to my past?”
Jarod grinned, “That’s two questions.”
“So sue me.”
Jarod thought for a moment, “To tell you the truth, the tricks were just plain fun. I enjoyed them immensely.”
“I’m so glad I was able to entertain you,” Miss Parker said dryly.
“As for the clues to your past, I just wanted you to find the truth. I gave you the pieces to the puzzle, you just need to put them together.”
“Was that the message behind the stained glass picture with the missing heart?”
“No, there was another reason for that. One you have yet to discover,” Jarod said softly and reached for her hand, taking it in his own.
Miss Parker stared down at their intertwined fingers and nodded slowly. Raising her gaze to look at him she whispered, “I already know, Jarod. The missing piece…my heart…it was you, you are my heart.”
Jarod smiled and brought her hand to his lips, “I love you, Parker.”
“I was supposed to capture you, not the other way around,” Miss Parker laughed softly. It’s funny, I was so afraid of what you really meant to me that I had to push you away. Make myself believe that you were nothing more than Centre property. It was the only way I could deny my feelings for you, Jarod, I’m sorry.”
“None of that matters, Parker. We are together now.”
Miss Parker turned her attention back to the highway before them. A moment later they passed the state line. The sign read ‘Delaware Welcomes You’. She glanced at Jarod who was smiling knowingly. “You mean to tell me that were going back to Blue Cove?”
“Not quite, but close.”
“So you were hiding right under our noses and we didn’t know it.”
“There’s no better place to be. I could keep tabs on the goings on at the Centre and make sure that the people I care about were safe.”
“People like Sydney?”
“Yes, and Angelo, Broots, you.”
“So all the time that I was out in Timbuktu chasing your shadow, you were holed up here laughing your ass off at me.”
Jarod chuckled, “No, Parker. Truthfully, I never spent more that a day or two here at the most. The shadow you were chasing was me every time.”
“Oh, that’s comforting,” Miss Parker rolled her eyes her voice laced with that all too familiar sarcasm. “You must think I am the biggest fool.”
“No, but you definitely are the most beautiful one I know,” Jarod teased.
Miss Parker turned to glare at him, but the amused glint in his deep brown eyes and the crooked grin on his handsome face immediately melted her anger away to nothing. “I hate you, you know that?” she smiled slightly.
“I hate you too,” Jarod laughed softly as he pulled her against him.
Miss Parker rested her head on his shoulder, his arm draped protectively around her shoulders, as her thoughts drifted into the future…their future. She fought the tears as she realized that it was a dark one. She prayed that they would make it out of this alive and together. Jarod and Jessie were a part of her very being and she would fight to the death to protect them. The Centre had stolen her past, she would not let them have her future.
They both fell silent as Jarod turned the Durango off the highway and guided it onto a narrow dirt road. As the pitch-black woods closed in around them, the night sky disappeared above a thick canopy of trees. The moon shone through it in places, splashing white light randomly on the road in front of them.
“Where are we going, Jarod?” Miss Parker asked.
Jarod whispered softly, “Home.”
Miss Parker stared at him in confusion until a lake came into view around a bend in the road. On it’s shore stood a beautiful, white, Victorian-style house, bathed in the moonlight. She smiled, “Home.”
Broots charged into Sydney’s office with a look of urgency on his face, “Sydney, have you heard from them?”
Sydney looked up from his computer screen and shook his head, a deep frown creased his forehead. “Not a word. I’m really getting worried.”
Taking a seat on Sydney’s couch, Broots sighed, “I need to reach them…somehow.”
“What is it, Broots?”
“I found it, Syd. The truth…Jarod’s past,” he whispered just barely loud enough for Sydney to hear without being overheard by unseen ears.
Sydney immediately stood and moved toward the sofa. Sitting down next to Broots he squeezed the younger man’s shoulder, “What did you find? Do you know where his family is?”
Broots shook his head, “No, I haven’t found them…not physically anyway. I did find his real name. Sydney, his name is McKenna…Jarod McKenna. His parents…Major Charles and Margaret McKenna, his sister Emily…”
“Wonderful, Broots. Jarod will be forever grateful to you. This will mean so much for him to finally know who he is. Thank you.”
Broots shook his head and glanced down at his feet, “There’s more Sydney.”
“More?”
Broots raised his head to meet Sydney’s concerned gaze, “Jarod’s mother…she died, about three months ago. She suffered a stroke that left her in a coma for several days. She passed away. Syd, this is going to kill Jarod.”
Sydney nodded sadly, as his eyes filled with tears. “Dear God, this could push him over the edge. He’s going to be devastated.”
“What are we going to do, Syd?”
“I don’t know, Broots. But I do know that this is not something he should hear over the telephone. I have to tell him in person, be there for him. Or at the very least we need to get word to Miss Parker…let her break it to him gently.”
“How are we going to do that?”
Sydney thought for a moment, trying to figure out where Jarod might go, someplace safe. Someplace the Centre would not know about. Then suddenly he remembered something Jarod sent him a few weeks after his second escape.
“Broots, I think I know where they are.”
“Where?”
“I’ll explain later, right now I need to pay a little visit to Lyle.”
“Lyle,” Broots gasped. “Why?”
“I’m going to resign from the Centre.”
“Syd, no offense, but are you crazy? No one ‘resigns’ from the Centre and lives.”
“Don’t worry Broots, I have a feeling that Lyle is going to be more than happy to accept my resignation. I will meet you at your house around midnight. I’ll explain everything then. Right now I want you try to find Emily.”
“Emily?”
“Yes, I would start with the hospital records. Find out who paid the bills and a possible address.”
Broots smiled slightly, “I’m on it. I will find her.”
“Good, Broots. Now I am off to see Lyle.”
“Be careful, Syd.”
“I will,” Sydney left the office and Broots immediately went to work.
Four hours later, after staring non-stop at the computer screen, he smiled and sang out softly, “Hello Emily.” He picked up the telephone and dialed Sydney’s cell phone number but there was no answer. “Well, I guess it’s up to me,” he said as he waited for the information to print, saved it to disc, deleted everything, then left Sydney’s office.
As the sun rose in the sky, Miss Parker stared in awe at the beautiful home before her as Jessie charged passed her heading for the edge of the lake. “Jarod who does this place belong to, it’s incredible.”
“It belongs to me and now it’s ours. Our safehouse, no one can touch us here. No one knows it even exists…except possibly Sydney. I had it built a few months ago as a safe haven from the Centre and my pursuers,” Jarod grinned. “Do you really like it?”
“Like it? I love it, but I’ll be willing to bet you never dreamed you would be bringing one of your pursuers here. Not quite part of the plan was it?” Miss Parker climbed the porch steps and settled into the porch swing.
Jarod followed, leaning against the railing as he watched Jessie feeding the ducks on the lake. “Actually I built this house for you. Hoping that one day we would find our way back to each other. I wanted us to be together…raise a family. I just never dared to believe it would ever happen. I never thought you would ever be able to forgive me for all the hell I put you through.”
Miss Parker stood and moved to stand next to him, “Jarod any hell I went through in my life was brought on by the Centre and my father. I was so willing to destroy your life to earn his approval. It was my own foolish pride that prevented me from finding the happiness I longed for. The love I longed for. I was too blinded by my own misplaced loyalty to realize that everything I really needed was right here with you.”
Jarod pulled her into his arms and held on to her as if afraid she would vanish, that she was only a figment of his imagination…a dream. “Parker, I’m the luckiest man in the world right now. I have you and a beautiful little girl who looks just like you.”
“Ironic isn’t it, Jarod. The Centre destroyed our friendship…transformed innocence and first love into bitterness and anger. Then they took a part of each of us and created a bond that could never be broken…a child, destined to unite us forever.” Miss Parker smiled, “I’d say their plan backfired, wouldn’t you?”
Jarod chuckled, “Slightly, Parker. Just slightly.”
Jessie came running toward them, her eyes were filled with an excitement for life that only a child possessed. Both her parents fell into a contented silence as they watched their daughter play.
Broots was careful to stay under the speed limits and kept a wary eye on the rearview mirror. His heart hammered unmercifully in his chest, his palms were slick with sweat. Every car that approached him from behind made his heart rate go off the charts until he was sure it wasn’t a team of sweepers sent to follow him.
Finally, he spotted his destination. A roadside truck stop and Mama C’s Diner. Turning the car into the huge parking lot, Broots drove around to the back of the diner and parked. He waited for a few minutes before going into the building. He needed to pull himself together and figure out what he was going to say to her.
When he climbed out of his car and reached the sidewalk, he paused anxiously scanning his surroundings for any sign that he had been followed. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he proceeded toward the entrance. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and entered.
All eyes turned to stare at him for a moment before continuing with their meals and returning to their conversations. An older, red-haired woman approached him with a wide smile, “Hello there, just one today?”
Broots nodded nervously, “Uh—Yes ma’am.”
“Any particular place you would like to sit?” she asked.
“Is there a waitress on duty by the name of--Emily?” Broots stammered.
The waitress beamed at him, “Why yes, she is. Her section is right over here, follow me, I will seat you and then tell her you’re here. Do you have a name?”
“No—I mean…she won’t know me. Someone just told me that she was a great waitress.” Broots knew his explanation was lame, but she accepted it.
After seating him in a booth near the jukebox which was playing “Country Club”, one of the few country songs he liked. It was by Travis Tritt if he remembered correctly. He watched as the waitress went behind the counter and spoke to a dark-haired younger woman waiting at the window for an order.
Broots held his breath and waited for her to turn around. When she finally did, he gasped. Emily’s was stunning. Shoulder length, straight, chestnut hair, contrasted by high cheekbones and skin that reminded him of fine porcelain. She looked directly at him and literally stole his breath away. Even from that distance, he could see the intelligence and wariness in her soft brown eyes as she studied him. A strange feeling began to build in his chest, a feeling that was not at all unpleasant. There was something about her…
Emily cautiously approached Broots’ table, she had a feeling that he wasn’t there for the cuisine. Taking in his appearance, he seemed harmless enough, but she had been misled before. “Can I get you some coffee?” she asked while trying to maintain a nervous smile.
“Yes—thank you,” Broots managed to blurt out.
Emily filled his cup and handed him the menu. “The special is chicken-fried steak.”
“Actually, I’d like a cheeseburger and fries, please,” Broots smiled and handed the menu back to Emily. “And when you get a moment,” he kept his voice low. “I need to talk to you, about your brother Jarod.”
Emily’s face paled, “Who are you and how do you know Jarod?”
“I am a friend…I owe him my life and my daughter’s. I can help you find him.”
Sliding into the booth across from Broots, Emily’s brown eyes flashed with mistrust. “You better be on the level, mister. If you’re not, I’ll disappear so fast your head will spin.”
“You know that trick too, huh. Must run in the family,” Broots grinned.
Emily relaxed a bit at this stranger’s easy manner, “Want to tell me your name?”
“Broots.”
“Well, Mr. Broots, I will get your order. I get off in half an hour. We can talk then.” Emily slid out of the booth and walked away.
Broots could not tear his eyes away from her. His stomach filled with butterflies and his heart raced in his chest. She was beautiful, intelligent…amazing. Though he knew it was dangerous to let himself feel anything for Emily, he couldn’t help himself.
Twenty minutes later she returned with his cheeseburger and one for herself as well. She laughed softly as she sat down, “I guess you know this is the best burger in the whole state of Delaware. I mean how many places have you actually witnessed the waitresses eating the same food that they served to customers?”
“Come to think of it, never.”
“My point exactly,” Emily winked as she sank her teeth into her burger.
Broots grinned and followed suit. “Mmm,” Broots said between bites. “You weren’t kidding, this is delicious.”
“So, Mr. Broots, how long have you worked for the Centre?”
Nearly choking on his food, Broots stammered, “How did you know?”
“Just a guess. And the fact that you are wearing that ‘Centre Recycles’ T-shirt,” Emily laughed as Broots glanced down. “Don’t worry, I don’t judge people by the company they keep. Besides, something tells me that you don’t really have a choice. From what I’ve learned about the place, they don’t believe in retirement benefits.”
Broots frowned and stared down at his coffee cup, “I never thought that it would come to this. If only I had taken that job offer from Microsoft instead. Now I live everyday wondering if it’s my last. Wondering if the Centre would hurt Debbie if I ever tried to leave.”
“Debbie is your daughter?”
Broots smiled proudly and produced a picture of her from his wallet, “She’s ten and smart as a whip.”
Emily took the photo he held out to her and smiled, “She’s looks just like her daddy…adorable.”
Broots blushed as he returned Debbie’s picture to his wallet. “Thank you,” he said softly unable to meet her gaze.
“Hey, we’d better get going. It’s after nine. I’ll just clear these dishes and get my things. I’ll be right back.” Emily disappeared into the kitchen and was gone for several minutes. She returned dressed in jeans and a lavender sweater, carrying her purse and denim jacket.
“You look nice,” Broots smiled shyly.
Emily held out her arms and chuckled, “It’s not my uniform, but hey, it’ll do.”
Broots opened the door for her then followed her out of the diner. It was already dark and the slight breeze had a bite to it, reminding them of the coming winter. He helped Emily into her jacket then into the car. As he slid into the driver’s seat he started the engine and backed the car out of the parking space.
“I need to stop by my place and collect the rest of my belongings. Something tells me I won’t be coming back here,” Emily motioned for Broots to turn left onto the highway. “Go one mile, then turn right.”
Broots followed her directions, which brought them to a small trailer park. She pointed to a run down, single-wide trailer that had definitely seen better days. “This is your place?” Broots asked somewhat surprised. It made some of Jarod’s lairs seem like The Ritz. He shuddered at the thought of Emily living in such a place.
Emily nodded, “I know, it’s bad. But after my mom died…”
Broots placed a gentle hand on her arm, “I am so sorry. I just found out about her death. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.”
“It hasn’t been easy,” Emily shook her head slowly. “If only I could have found Jarod before…maybe he would have given her back the will to live.”
“Emily, Jarod doesn’t know. It is going to tear him apart. He came so close to the two of you that day in Baltimore, he’s never stopped searching for his family…for you.”
“What is he like, Broots?”
Broots smiled, “I don’t know him all that well…personally. I did spend some time in hiding with him though. I was the soul witness of the murder of several Centre personnel. He risked his own life to help me. And when the murderer had me at gunpoint, Jarod killed him. It was the first time he had ever killed anyone and it affected him deeply. He sacrificed his own sense of morality to save my life…I owe him.”
Emily smiled and kissed him on the cheek, “Thank you, Broots.”
“For what?”
“For finding me and bringing me one step closer to finding my family.”
Broots smiled back, “You’re welcome.”
Emily opened her door and climbed out of the car. She looked back, “Are you coming or not?”
Nodding, Broots got out and followed her into her house. The inside was only slightly better than the outside though it was spotless. The first thing he noticed was the absence of any decoration. It barely looked lived in.
He watched as Emily wrote a note to her landlord and placed two hundred dollars into the envelope with the note. Then she disappeared into the bedroom, returning a moment later with a leather backpack and small duffel bad. She dropped them near the door and reached down behind a sagging, lime-green sofa. From behind it she pulled out a laptop computer and glanced around the room.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s get this show on the road,” she turned and dropped her house keys onto the kitchen table next to the envelope.
Broots bent to pick up her bags, which he fully expected to weigh a ton. He should have known better, just like her brother, Emily had to travel light. A life on the run left little room for frivolous items. She deserved better, she deserved a normal life with children and a husband to love her and take care of her. Suddenly aware of where his thoughts were taking him, he shook his head and headed out to the car with her whole world in his hands.
Emily followed and waited while he put her things in the trunk. “Broots, why are you so quiet all of the sudden? What’s bothering you?”
Broots frowned and reached for her laptop computer. She handed it to him and he placed it in the trunk with her bags. Closing the trunk he turned to her and shrugged his shoulders, “I just can’t help thinking about how hard things have been for you. The Centre has hurt people I care about and I haven’t done anything to stop them. I’m a coward.”
Emily shook her head and moved toward him, “No, Broots. You are not a coward. I know that you have done everything in your power to protect your daughter from them. That is more than some father’s have done for their child. I have not seen my father since I was a baby. I sometimes wonder if he abandoned us.”
“I met your father briefly. Major Charles is a good man, he would never have left you and your mother if he didn’t believe he was protecting the two of you. He and Jarod found each other a while back but were separated again. They rescued a boy from the Centre…Jarod’s clone. I guess he would be your brother too. Your father took the boy with him and disappeared. Jarod stayed behind to help Miss Parker who had been shot trying to save her father from a Centre assassin. The Centre captured him, but he escaped a few weeks later.”
Emily gasped, “The Centre cloned Jarod? I have a new brother?”
Broots nodded, “You also have a niece.”
“Jarod has a daughter?”
“Yes, he and Miss Parker. She was another victim of the Centre’s experiments.”
“Is there nothing those people won’t do to hurt my family,” Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “What did we ever do to them?”
“I’m sorry, Emily. I should not have dumped all this on you right now. It’s too much to absorb, I’m so sorry.” Emily seemed so small and vulnerable as Broots gathered her to him and held her. “Emily, I promise you, we will find your family and somehow we will put a stop to the evil of the Centre once and for all. I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
Emily could not bring herself to leave Broots’ arms. How she could open her heart to him so soon after meeting him was baffling. Somehow this man had found a way into her lonely world and unknowingly gave her the gift of hope. Something she had lost the day her mother died.
Jarod carried Jessie upstairs and into the lavender, floral and pinstripe bedroom she had fallen in love with the instant she’d laid eyes on it. He smiled and kissed the top of her curls. “I love you, Jessie.
“Love you too, Daddy,” Jessica whispered as she yawned and closed her eyes again. Snuggling up to Emily she fell into a deep sleep almost before Jarod reached the door and turned out the light.
Before closing the door completely, he stood for a moment in the hallway listening to the sound of her breathing. She was truly a miracle. A miracle he had the Centre to thank for. Having her with him now, it more than made up for all the pain of the past. He was glad that he had built this house now. He’d had second thoughts at first, believing that such a large home would be too empty…too depressing, without a family to enjoy it.
As he closed the door and moved toward the staircase, he passed the bathroom where Miss Parker was soaking in a hot bath, he smiled when heard her singing softly to herself. She sounded so happy that it was hard to believe that she was the same woman who, just a few weeks before, had been so hard and bitter, dead set on bringing him back to the Centre. So much had happened. So many things had changed in such a short span of time that it was almost impossible to grasp.
Jarod made his way down the stairs and into the living room. Going to the fireplace, he started a fire then settled back on the sofa. Staring into the flames, he thought about the past and how it would inevitably affect their future together. They could try to deny its power, but there would be nothing stopping it from threatening their newfound happiness. The Centre had to be brought to its knees if they were ever to have a chance at living a normal, peaceful existence.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Miss Parker come into the room. She froze in place as she took in the scene before her. The fire was the only light in the room, its glow washing over Jarod. He was dressed in his usual black jeans with a white shirt partially open. His hair was slightly damp and his face clean-shaven. The firelight dancing in his eyes nearly stole her breath. He truly was the epitome of a tall, dark, and handsome stranger. But this man was no stranger. It seemed she had known him all her life, yet it was as though she was seeing him for the first time.
Dressed in a thigh-length silk gown and wrap, she moved slowly into the firelight. When his eyes met hers, she suddenly felt like an innocent schoolgirl.
Jarod smiled shyly, his eyes shining with tears, “You--you look incredible.” Holding his hand out to her she took it. He pulled her gently to him and he slowly brushed the back of his hand along the side of her face, feeling the silky smoothness of her skin. She smelled of roses and vanilla. The mix was intoxicating. He could not find the words to tell her what he was feeling. He wasn’t even sure he knew.
Miss Parker gazed into Jarod’s eyes as she pressed her lips to his in a passionate, searching kiss, which he responded to with the same passion. “Jarod, make love to me,” she gasped softly, her voice barely a whisper.
Jarod gently lowered her back against the over-stuffed pillows of the sofa then covered her body with his own. As his lips found the base of her throat he slipped off her wrap and following the satin fabric, they burned a path to her bared shoulder. Her heart was racing, her mind spinning as the straps of her gown slid off her shoulders and he captured her breasts. His mouth set her skin on fire as he explored her body. Pulling away slightly, he touched her like a delicate flower. “You are so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful,” he whispered huskily as his heated gaze caressed her.
Miss Parker slid her hands along his exposed chest then to the back of his neck. Running her slender fingers through his hair, she pulled him to her again. Capturing his mouth in a kiss filled with unrestrained desire. He gasped as her lips grazed the smooth skin of his shoulder. She continued down toward his chest while her fingers traveled to the waistband of his jeans. When he could no longer stand the sensual torture, Jarod gently pressed her back against the pillows as he removed his clothing.
Miss Parker’s eyes filled with awe as she took in his beauty. She had not realized until that moment what a powerfully built man he was. If she were any other woman, she would be afraid. But then, Jarod was not any other man. He was the only man she had ever truly loved. She reached for him and he came to her.
The feel of her body against him nearly shattered his control. Running his hands over the gentle curves of her breasts and hips, Jarod kissed her with abandon. Never in all his life had he imagined it could be like this. He could not believe that it wasn’t all a dream. If it was, he never wanted to wake up.
The feel of his hands on her heated skin as he moved over her, nearly pushed her over the edge. Miss Parker gasped, arching her back as she felt him enter her with a gentleness that only Jarod was capable of. Never had she felt so cherished…so loved. And as she began to move with him, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her slightly. When he kissed her, her mind exploded, her whole body tensed as together they went over the edge and beyond to a place where two lost souls became one.
Jarod lowered himself to lie next to Miss Parker. His mind was reeling, his heart thundering in his chest. He gathered her to him kissing her deeply, “I love you, Parker…heart, body, and soul.”
Miss Parker’s crystal blue eyes filled with tears as she raised her hand to touch his cheek. “Jarod, I wish I could find the words to tell you what I am feeling in here,” she said as she took his hand and pressed it to her heart.
“I don’t need words, I’m a pretender remember. I feel what you feel,” Jarod whispered and kissed her again.
“Jarod,” Miss Parker’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Uh-Oh,” Jarod grinned.
“What?” she smiled innocently. “Scared?”
“Petrified.”
“Good. It’s nice to know I haven’t totally lost my edge.”
“I always did like that about you,” Jarod grinned and lifting her into his arms, he carried her upstairs to their bedroom.
Broots parked the car in front of his house and woke Emily who had fallen asleep only minutes after they had left her house. “Emily, we’re here. Sydney should be here any minute.”
Emily sat up, glancing quickly at Broots. She should not have allowed herself to fall asleep, though she trusted her new friend, he did work for the Centre. Nothing and no one with any connection to them could be taken at face value. Blinking her eyes, she fought the urge to just close them again and give in to the exhaustion that plagued her every living moment. As she straightened in her seat, she forced a smile, “Who is this Sydney?” she asked.
“Sydney,” Broots began slowly. “He raised Jarod, and though he could never admit it out loud, he loves him like a son. He was Jarod’s mentor, his teacher. Probably the only person that kept you brother safe at the Centre. If Mr. Raines had been in Sydney’s place, Jarod would have ended up a psychopath like Kyle.” As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Broots turned to Emily, a look of deep regret in his eyes. “Oh, God. Emily, I’m so sorry…I wasn’t thinking.”
Emily quickly wiped at a stray tear, and smiled slightly. “It’s okay, nobody ever said that the truth is always easy to hear. What Kyle became…well, I just thank God that my mother died never knowing. It would have devastated her to know the things he had done. She blamed herself, you know…for Jarod and Kyle’s kidnapping. She never stopped believing that there must have been something she could have done…should have done.”
Broots took Emily’s hand and shook his head, “I am so sorry for all the pain and anguish the Centre has caused your family. I wish I could have done something long ago to help Jarod. I was just so afraid that they would do something to hurt Debbie.”
“I understand, Broots. Believe me, I understand. I want them to pay for everything they have done to Jarod and our family, but alone…it’s just a hopeless dream.”
“You’re not alone anymore,” Broots smiled and touched her cheek. Usually a bumbling fool around the opposite sex, he was amazed that he felt so at ease with her. Emily had an inner strength and beauty that could rival even Miss Parker. Yet, he did not feel the least bit intimidated by her.
“Thank you, Broots,” Emily nodded.
“We’d better get inside. Sydney said he would meet us here at midnight. That is…if he can,” Broots choked on the last words as he remembered what Sydney had been planning to do when he had left his office earlier.
Emily slid out of the car when Broots opened her door. “Do you think he’s in any danger? Why would the Centre hurt him? He is their only connection to my brother, right? They need him.”
Broots shook his head and guided Emily toward his house, “You know as well as I do that the Centre ‘needs’ no one. If they see Sydney as a threat to security, they will eliminate him. It would not be the first time.”
“What if something happens to Sydney? Can we find Jarod without his help?”
“Emily, I promise you that we will find him. Sydney never told me where he thought Jarod might have gone, but I think I have a pretty good idea of another person who will be able to help us if Sydney can’t.”
Following Broots into the darkened house, Emily waited while he went to switch on a lamp. As the light flooded the room, it illuminated the still form of a man, covered in blood, lying on the floor at her feet. She gasped, “Oh dear God, no.”
Broots turned at the sound of her cry. “Sydney,” he crossed the room and dropped to his knees beside his friend. Frantically he checked for a pulse and found it, slightly erratic and weak, but a pulse. “Hang on, Syd. Don’t you die on us. You can’t die on us, you hear me, you can’t die, Syd.”
Emily had disappeared into the kitchen and returned with towels, water, and a first aid kit. “He’s not going to die, Broots. Not if I can help it,” she immediately went about examining the wounds, cleaning and bandaging them.
As Broots watched her work, he suddenly realized that she was not just doctoring Sydney. She had ‘become’ a doctor. “Emily, you are a pretender too…like Jarod and Kyle.”
Emily finished applying the last bit of gauze to Sydney’s head wound and glanced up at Broots who was staring at her with a look of both fear and awe. “Yes, Broots. I am a pretender just like my brothers. It runs in the family.” She laughed softly, “I guess you could call it a family curse.”
“Emily, if the Centre finds out…this is too dangerous. I never should have brought you here. You should go back into hiding…Jarod will never forgive me if I let anything happen to you.”
Emily stood and moved toward Broots. Placing her hands on both sides of his face, she kissed him lightly on the forehead. “Broots,” she smiled sweetly. “I thank you for caring, but the Centre and I have a score to settle and I am not about to turn tail and run. If you don’t want to help me, I will understand. You do have Debbie to think about. I, however, have no choice. I have to do this for my family…for my mother.”
Broots lost himself in the depths of her eyes as he met her gaze. “Emily, I can’t let this go on. I thought I was protecting her by not rocking the boat…so to speak. In reality, I was just sitting by while the boat slowly filled with water. Hoping that someone else would come along and save us. I cannot do that any longer. Debbie will never be truly safe until I am free of the Centre. I will help you any way I can.”
“Thank you, Broots.”
“What does it take to get a drink of water around here?” Sydney’s voice was weak but clear as he tried to pull himself up off the floor.
“Sydney, thank God. Who did this to you?” Broots helped his friend to the sofa and settled him back against the pillows. “Of course, I guess I shouldn’t have to ask. Lyle, did this didn’t he.”
Nodding slowly, Sydney grimaced in pain. “Actually, he let Sam and four other sweepers have the pleasure. They left me to die. I would be dead if Sam had not had an attack of conscience and fired the bullet into the ground next to my head. I think he suddenly envisioned what Miss Parker would do to him if he killed me,” Sydney chuckled softly and grimaced again.
Emily returned with a glass of water and handed it to Broots who put it to Sydney’s lips while the older man drank slowly. She studied the man closely. Even in his current state, he appeared distinguished. This was the man who had raised Jarod, the man who helped the Centre keep her brother prisoner for thirty years. She knew that she should hate him, but there was something in his eyes that made it impossible. And he had risked his life to help her find Jarod. That was a debt she would never be able to repay.
Broots stood and went into the kitchen leaving Emily alone in the room with Sydney. Suddenly uncomfortable, she moved toward a chair on the opposite side of the room and settled into it.
Sydney’s eyes opened and he turned his head slowly, “You must be Emily.”
Startled by the unmistakable tenderness in the older man’s voice, Emily met his gaze, “Yes, I am.”
“Please come,” Sydney motioned with his hand. “Come closer. I can’t hurt you…at least not at the moment,” he laughed softly.
After a moment of hesitation, Emily got up from the chair and moved to stand over him. She remained silent as she held his gaze.
“You look like him, you know. Especially your eyes…exactly like his.”
Emily heard all she needed to know in Sydney’s words. And suddenly she knew that it was true. Sydney did care deeply for her brother. “I’m sorry, Sydney. I didn’t mean to be cold. I just needed to know that I can trust you.”
Sydney chuckled again, “Just like your brother.”
Emily waited for the man to look at her again before speaking. “I am like Jarod…just like him.”
As the meaning behind her words sank in, Sydney stared at the young woman before him. “Emily. I should have known…I mean I wondered…suspected. Jarod and Kyle and now you. I am just thankful that the Centre did not know about you back then. Your parents suffered more than enough after losing two sons…to lose their little girl too would have destroyed them.”
“Why did you do it, Sydney?” Emily asked, her voice sounding much harsher than she had intended. “Why did you let them destroy my family?”
Sydney reached up and took hold of her hand, “Emily, if I could go back and change the past, I would, believe me. And believe me when I tell you that I did not know, back then, that Jarod had been stolen. Nor did I know that Kyle and he were brothers. As far as I knew…or what the Centre told me, was that Jarod was an orphan. I had no reason to question them. Though now I wish to God I had. I don’t have the right to ask you to forgive me, Emily. But I am so very sorry. For whatever it’s worth, I did everything in my power to protect Jarod from the worst the Centre had to offer.”
Emily nodded, “Broots told me about Mr. Raines and what he did to Kyle. I am thankful to you for being a surrogate father to my brother. And in time, maybe, I will be able to forgive you for the rest.”
Sydney smiled, “That’s all I can hope for, Emily.” Closing his eyes, he settled back against the pillows, releasing her hand as he did so. “Thank you,” he whispered before drifting off to sleep. Covering him with a blanket, Emily slowly left the room.
Miss Parker awakened in Jarod’s arms, the one place she had always dreamed of finding herself, but never thought possible. The warmth of his body against hers made her smile and snuggle closer to him.
Jarod tightened his embrace slightly afraid that she was going to leave him. “Parker,” he whispered.
Caressing his unshaven cheek, Miss Parker smiled tenderly. “Jarod, I’m not going anywhere. I couldn’t leave you, even if I wanted to. I am hopelessly in love with you. There’s no turning back now.”
Jarod flashed her a mischievous grin without opening his eyes, “Too bad…I was hoping you would turn into the ‘Ice Queen’ again. She was so much more fun.”
“Very funny, Jarod.” Miss Parker punched him hard in the shoulder.
“Ouch,” Jarod opened his eyes as he laughed and rubbed the injury. Then he pulled her to him again, holding her close he smiled, “Parker, I love you and I would never want to see that part of you again. I always hoped you would find that happy, carefree little girl I used to know hiding just beneath the surface under the cold, hard facade you had carefully constructed for your father’s benefit.
“I never could have found her without you, Jarod. You never gave up on me. I don’t know why, I never deserved your loyalty. God knows I trampled whatever remnants of our friendship that remained into the ground. I refused to remember, but I also never truly forgot what we shared. I just pushed it into the deepest recesses of my frozen heart and tried to convince you that it was gone…that I never cared about you.”
Jarod smiled, “I remembered enough for both of us. And I always knew you cared…in your own way. If you did not, you would have had me back in the Centre after the first day. I knew, even if you refused to admit it, that we would always be a part of each other and that one day you would see it too.”
“Jarod, will we ever find normality in our lives?”
“I hope so, Parker. I hope so.”
Sydney awoke with a blinding headache. The light of the coming dawn filled the room. Forcing himself to a seated position, he struggled to focus. He saw Broots sleeping soundly in his recliner. He must have given up his bed to Emily. Always the gentleman, he smiled slightly and attempted to stand. Grabbing onto the nearest chair to steady himself, Sydney managed to take a few steps before Broots awoke and sprang from his chair to help his friend.
“Syd, you shouldn’t be up. You need to rest.”
“Thank you for your concern, Broots, but I need to get back on my feet as soon as possible. It will not take long for the Centre to figure out that I am still alive and where I am. I am putting you, Emily and Debbie in danger.”
“We need to find a safe place to hide from the Sweepers. Where can we go?”
“Broots, go get your daughter and by the time you return Emily and I will have everything ready to travel. We are going to the safest place I know, Jarod’s house.”
Broots choked, “Jarod has a house. He told you where it is?”
Sydney laughed softly, “Not in so many words, but yes he did. It is his only safe haven from the Centre. The one place he could go to find peace.”
“Where is it?”
“I’ll explain everything later. Go, bring back Debbie.”
Broots left the house, and Sydney locked the door behind him. As he entered the kitchen, he found Emily dressed and preparing food for their trip. “Good morning.”
Emily smiled, “Good morning, Sydney. How do you feel?”
“I’ve had better days, but I’ll survive. I always do.”
“I guess we’re all survivors aren’t we.”
“Circumstances demand that we be.” Sydney approached the young woman and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Emily, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your mother.”
“Thank you. Broots said that Jarod does not know yet. How am I going to break it to him? How do you think he’ll take the news?”
“He’s going to be devastated. He has searched for so long…came so close. That day on the street, in Boston, being so close to the two of you. It nearly killed him to watch that taxi drive away. He didn’t even try to run until he was certain you had gotten away.”
Emily wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her denim jacket, “I saw him…the horrified look in his eyes when the Sweepers showed up. I wanted to jump out of the taxi and run to him anyway, but I couldn’t leave our mother.”
“He would not want you to put yourself in danger for him. You have to be careful, Emily. The Centre would like nothing more than to get their hands on you. If they ever do, Jarod will stop at nothing to get you back. He and Miss Parker risked everything to save their daughter from them. They would do no less for you.”
“My niece, what’s her name?” Emily asked, a slight smile shining in her eyes.
“Her name is Jessica…Jessie. And she is a beautiful, intelligent child.”
“She is a Pretender too, isn’t she.” Emily turned to face Sydney. “That’s what Broots meant when he’d said that she was another victim of the Centre’s experiments.”
Sydney took a deep breath, “There’s more to it than that, much more. The Centre ‘created’ Jessie.”
The full force of Sydney’s words hit Emily hard in the gut. “You mean she was conceived artificially from my brother and this ‘Miss Parker’ you speak of.”
“I’m afraid so. They only learned recently of her existence. She is nearly five years old. She was born to a surrogate mother at the Centre. When the woman learned the truth of their plans for Jessie she took her and ran. Unfortunately, she married a man sent by the Centre to monitor the two of them until Jessie was old enough to be trained. Jarod stumbled across them purely by an ironic twist of fate. He came back here to Blue Cove to tell Miss Parker about their child. While he was gone, the Centre stole Jessie and killed the woman.”
“So Jarod and Miss Parker broke into the Centre and rescued Jessie and now the three of them are on the run together. How are we going to find them?”
“Jarod sent me a brochure a few months back. It was of properties for sale in immediate area of Delaware. Upon inspection of the brochure, I observed nothing out of the ordinary except for a photo of a newly constructed house. Beneath it was a brief description of the location ending with ‘beautifully landscaped, resting on the edge of crystal, blue, Lake Refuge’. Refuge is the code word I gave him when he was young. He used it whenever he grew afraid and wanted to stop a simulation.”
Emily smiled, “So does this ‘Lake Refuge’ exist?”
Sydney chuckled and returned her smile, “No, but ‘Crystal Lake’ does. And it is located only thirty miles from here. Jarod knows that the Centre would not think to look right under their noses for them. It’s the safest place to be.”
“He is a clever one isn’t he,” Emily shook her head slowly.
“Something tells me that his sister is pretty clever herself. Broots told me where he found you…right under the nose of the Centre.”
Emily blushed slightly, “I needed to be close.”
“Did you find what you were looking for that day?” Sydney asked knowingly.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she glanced at him in confusion.
“I saw you in the Centre. You were coming out of one of the computer rooms. I didn’t realize until a few seconds after you disappeared into the elevator, who you were.”
Emily nodded, “How did you know? And why didn’t you sic the dogs on me?”
Sydney placed both hands on her shoulders. The expression on his face was gentle and fatherly as he spoke. “I knew those eyes…so filled with pain and anger. I’d spent the past thirty years looking into ones just like them and wishing that I could take it all away, that I could save him from the Centre without getting us both killed. Emily, Jarod was everything to me. I protected him and cared for him, but if the Centre had ever realized the depths of my feelings, they would have replaced me in the blink of an eye. Dr. Raines would have destroyed Jarod’s humanity. I could never allow that to happen. Jarod’s very being is rooted in his humanity. That is why he has devoted nearly every moment of his freedom to helping those who had no one else to turn to.”
“My brother,” Emily smiled. “A modern day Robin Hood,” she hugged Sydney tightly. “Thank you.”
Sydney’s eyes filled with tears as the young woman embraced him. Tears that he quickly wiped away when the door suddenly opened and Broots walked in with Debbie in tow.
Broots playfully scolded his friend, “I saw her first, Syd.”
Sydney was somewhat surprised by the younger man’s admission that he had feelings for Emily. He had never known Broots to be so open and at ease around the opposite sex. “Not to worry, Broots. I’m much too old for her,” he chuckled.
Emily placed her hands on her hips and watched the exchange with amusement. “Who says I’m even remotely interested in either one of you?” Broots immediately cast a worried glance in her direction, which she responded to with a knowing wink. Then she smiled down at the little girl holding her father’s hand, “And you must be Debbie. Your dad had told me so much about you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Debbie reached out and shook Emily’s outstretched hand while whispering to her father behind her other hand, “She’s really pretty, Dad. Just like you said.”
Broots immediately blushed and changed the subject, “Sydney, we had better be going. I thought I saw a black town car circling the block when we pulled in. I waited a few minutes, but it never reappeared. I don’t think we should take any chances though.”
“You’re right, but we have to do this without being too conspicuous,” Sydney thought for a moment before continuing. “Emily, do you have a cell phone?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” She quickly retrieved it from her purse and handed it to Sydney.
Sydney nodded, “Perfect, they won’t have a trace on your phone so I will use it to reach Miss Parker when the time is right. Broots I need you send an email to Lyle. You will need to find a way to make it appear to have come from Miss Parker. Make him think it came from somewhere far away from here but in the states. Write it exactly as I have written it,” he handed Broots a folded piece of paper.
Broots took it and immediately went to his computer to start the ball rolling.
“What do you need me to do?” Emily asked.
Sydney turned to her, “I need you and Debbie to quickly pack everything we are going to need into the trunk of the car in Broots’ garage.”
“But I don’t have a car in my garage,” Broots interrupted.
“You do now, a nice new black one,” Sydney raised an eyebrow and smiled as Broots’ face went pale at the thought of one of the Centre’s town cars being parked in his garage. “Emily, when everything is packed and ready, I want you to call a taxi to come to the neighbors house. You watch for it and when it comes you take Debbie and tell the driver to take you to this address.” He handed her a folded piece of paper, “My son, Nicholas, will be expecting the two of you.”
Emily nodded and accepted the piece of paper. “What should we do then?”
“Just wait for us there. We will come by after dark to get you. Then we will go to Jarod as soon it is safe.”
“I can’t believe it, after all these years. I’m finally going to meet my brother.”
Sydney hugged her, “It won’t be much longer, I promise.” When he released her he smiled, “I must say, I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”
Laughing, Emily took Debbie’s hand and they went about fulfilling their part of the plan.
Broots routed and rerouted Sydney’s email through every possible connection he had in the country. Finally, he pressed ‘send’ for the last time, leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. “I hope this works, Syd.”
“It has to work or we are all dead,” Sydney turned his attention away from Broots as Emily came back into the room.
“Everything is ready and the taxi is on it’s way.”
“Good, take this with you,” Sydney handed her a loaded 9mm with the safety on. “Do you know how to use this?”
Emily nodded and accepted the weapon. “Do you think I’ll need to?”
“I hope not, but I want you to have some sort of protection if something goes wrong. If Broots and I don’t show by midnight tonight, Nicholas has specific instructions to take you and Debbie to a safe place until we can get to you. If the worst happens and we can’t, he will take you to Jarod.”
Broots stood and nervously stared at the gun in Emily’s hands. “Sydney, maybe I should go with them.”
“Broots,” Emily whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to Debbie, I promise you.”
Broots went to her, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears, “Don’t let anything happen to you, okay. I don’t want to lose either one of you.”
Emily met his gaze, “You won’t.”
Broots kissed her softly then pulled her into his embrace. “I want you to know, Emily, I have never believed this could happen to me. I have fallen and fallen hard for you.”
As Emily choked back a sob, she smiled, “I know what you mean.”
Sydney cleared his throat and turned away from the window to face them, “I’m sorry you two but the taxi just pulled up.”
Debbie came running into the room and into her father’s arms. “Daddy, do I have to go? I don’t want to leave you.”
“Honey, I have some things I have to do. Emily will take very good care of you. You take care of her too, okay? I will see you both tonight.”
Debbie reluctantly let go of him and took Emily’s hand, “Okay.”
Broots stood at the window and watched for the two of them to appear. They came from the back of the neighbor’s house and climbed into the taxi. Sydney’s suggestion that they go out the back way had been a good one. It appeared that they were leaving from the house next door rather than his house. Anyone on the street would not give them a second glance.
Sydney came back into the room and squeezed Broots’ shoulder to reassure him. “They’ll be just fine, Broots.”
“I hope you’re right, Syd.”
“Emily is a beautiful girl. You are a lucky man.”
“I love her, Syd. I know I’ve known her less than twenty-four hours, but I can’t even begin to imagine the rest of my life without her in it.”
Sydney nodded in understanding. “When this is over Broots, no matter what happens. I want you to know that I will always be grateful to you for your friendship and I could not have made it this far without your help.”
Broots watched as Sydney turned and disappeared into the kitchen. He shuddered as a sudden chill ran down his spine. Was Sydney trying to tell him that he didn’t expect to come out of this ordeal alive? “Please God, watch over each and every one of us tonight. Let us get through this in one piece.”
“Amen.” Sydney’s closure to Broots’ prayer was followed by silence as they contemplated the inevitable climax of the crazy tale fate had been weaving for them all. One they hoped would have the longed for ‘happily ever after’ ending of a fairy tale.
Miss Parker turned over in bed and found that Jarod was gone. Slipping out from under the warm quilt she quickly pulled on the royal blue, chenille robe, and slippers. Crossing the hallway to Jessie’s room she opened the door and saw that her daughter was gone too.
Moving slowly down the stairs, she quietly rounded the corner and found Jarod and Jessie in the kitchen. The two of them were covered in flour and giggling uncontrollably as they continued to toss handfuls of the white stuff all over each other and the kitchen.
Miss Parker stifled her own laughter and pasted on a stern face. “Cute…very cute. I hope you two realize that I am not cleaning up this mess you have made.”
Jarod and Jessie looked at each other then at her. They both grinned, their eyes filled with mischief as they moved toward her in unison.
“Oh no you don’t.” Miss Parker made a run for the living room followed closely by her pursuers. She lost control over her own laughter as they tackled her on the sofa covering her in flour in no time flat.
“Gotcha,” they both giggled and started tickling Miss Parker unmercifully.
“Stop, please. You’re killing me,” she squealed between fits of giggling. She had not laughed so hard since she was a child.
“Say uncle,” Jarod called out to her.
“Uncle!” Miss Parker laughed.
Jessie threw her arms around her mother’s neck, “You give up.”
“I give up,” she hugged her daughter and glanced up at Jarod who was grinning from ear to ear and breathing heavily. “You two are definitely father and daughter.”
Jarod settled onto the sofa and kissed her flour-dusted lips. “Parker, do you know how good it is to see you smile again…to hear your laughter.”
“Do you know how good it feels for me to do so after so many years? And I have you and our silly little girl to thank for showing me how to do so.”
Jessie released Miss Parker and grabbed Jarod’s hand. “Daddy, the muffins will burn. Better get them out of the oven now.”
“You’re right,” Jarod followed her back into the kitchen leaving Miss Parker to catch her breath.
Throwing herself back against the pillows, she sent a cloud of flour floating into the air only to settle once again over the living room. Laughing softly, Miss Parker reveled in this newly discovered joy of being part of a family…a real family. She never wanted it to end. Loving Jarod and Jessie made her life complete. That realization brought a sense of peace that she had never felt before.
“Mommy, muffins are ready,” she heard Jessie’s voice from the kitchen.
“Coming,” Miss Parker stood and all but danced into the next room.
“Time to go, Broots.”
The tone of Sydney’s voice sent a shiver through Broots. “Were going to get them now? It’s only nine-thirty…barely dark, Syd.”
Sydney handed Broots a gun identical to the one he had given to Emily. “We have a stop to make first.”
Choking on the panic suddenly rising in his throat, Broots fought to take control of his fear. “I was afraid of that.”
There was not a trace of humor in Sydney’s eyes when he smiled and disappeared into the darkened garage without another word.
Broots followed, trusting Sydney with every ounce of his being. It was the only way they would come out of this alive.
‘You’ve got new mail’ his laptop computer announced. Jarod sat down and pressed the key to open his mailbox. The message downloaded and flashed on the screen in bright red…blood red letters: ‘DANGER…SYDNEY REVENGE…CENTRE PAY.’ Jarod flew upstairs, passing Miss Parker on the landing.
The look on his face struck instant fear in Miss Parker’s heart. She knew that look. Something was wrong…very wrong. She followed him into their bedroom. “Jarod, talk to me. What is it?”
Jarod pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the wall safe. From inside he produced his gun and loaded it. “Parker, stay here. Sydney is in trouble. Promise me you will stay here,” he took placed the gun in his shoulder holster and pulled on his black leather coat. “Parker, if I don’t come back…I love you.”
Miss Parker’s mind was screaming, “Jarod, tell me what the hell is happening. You can’t do this without me.”
Jarod pulled her into his embrace and kissed her, “I have to, Parker. If anything happens to me, Jessie will need her mother. She can’t lose both of us…she’s lost so much already.”
“Jarod, you come back. You don’t and I will hunt you down to the end of the universe.” Miss Parker held on to his hand as he moved toward the door.
“I know you will,” Jarod smiled as their fingers lost their grip and he was gone.
Taking her mother’s rosary from her jewelry box, Miss Parker sank slowly to the floor at the foot of her bed. Tears streamed down her face as she said a silent prayer, repeating it over and over inside her head. “Oh God, Jarod. I can’t lose you too. Please, God,” she cried out softly.
The sound of tiny footsteps coming slowly into the room went unnoticed until tiny arms wrapped themselves around her neck. “Mommy, don’t be scared. Daddy will be safe. He’s a hero.”
Miss Parker took Jessie into her lap and held her close, rocking her gently. “Yes, baby, your daddy is that and more…much, much more.”
The Centre was deathly quiet as Broots and Sydney slipped into Lyle’s office and closed the door behind them. Checking the computer on the desk, Broots pulled up Lyle’s mailbox and nodded as he confirmed that the email, they had sent, had been opened.
“I wonder if he bought it,” Broots whispered.
“We’ll soon find out,” Sydney said as he went about searching the walls of the room for a hidden panel or wall safe. “If he didn’t, we are as good as dead.”
Broots searched Lyle’s desk for hidden drawers or panels. He ran his hand along the bottom edge of the top drawer. He smiled as his fingers closed over a piece of metal and pulled it free of the sticky substance adhering it to the wood. “Syd, I think I’ve got it.”
Sydney turned and shined his flashlight on the object in the tech’s hand. “It appears to be a key.” Taking it from Broots, he turned it over in his hand and glanced toward the only wall he had not explored. Taking a step toward it, he noticed suddenly that the wall covering was just slightly darker in one part of the 10x12 wall. Pressing his hands along the edge, he found that there was a definite seam around what was shaped like a small door.
“What is it, Syd?” Broots asked, his voice shaky.
Without answering, Sydney proceeded to reach for a small painting hanging in the center of the door. Moving it aside slightly triggered a soft scrapping noise as the door swung inward revealing a pitch-black tunnel beyond it. Smiling slightly, he turned to Broots, “After you.”
Broots choked, “Me, why me?”
“No offense, but I don’t particularly feel safe with you behind me. You have to be willing to shoot to kill, Broots. Can you honestly say you can do so if the need arises?”
Broots took a deep breath and proceeded through the door into the dank, dusty blackness. He heard Sydney close the door and come up behind him. Their two flashlights combined hardly made a dent in the suffocating darkness of the passageway which was only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.
Neither man said a word until they suddenly came to a place where the tunnel widened into a massive chamber. Their lights could not penetrate the darkness but they could here their footsteps echoing off the walls and the ceiling high above. The floor was hard-packed clay that felt like solid cement under their feet and the walls were solid stone.
“What is this place, Syd?”
“It appears to be some kind of dungeon or tomb,” Sydney smiled, his voice filled with a scientists curiosity.
“Uh, Syd. I think I prefer your ‘dungeon’ theory.”
Chuckling softly, Sydney moved away from Broots, going deeper into the room. He walked slowly, holding his hand out in front of him until he came to another wall. Turning to his left, he followed the stone wall all the way around to where they had started.
On the second pass, he came upon another door. He pulled and it swung outward, groaning loudly as it did so. Another much larger room awaited them on the other side. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled to capacity with boxes upon boxes of files and ledgers.
Broots reached for a metal box on a shelf next to him. Opening it he gasped, “Syd, this is full of DSAs.”
Sydney moved to stand next to him, “Anything to tell us what’s on them?”
“Nothing.”
“Take them with us,” Sydney stated flatly as his attention was drawn to a massive safe in the far corner of the room. Producing the key Broots had found from his pocket he slid it into the lock and turned it. A resounding click signaled that the key had worked. Sydney glanced toward Broots as he turned the handle and pulled on the massive door. It opened with a hiss, as the airtight seal was broken.
As the door swung wide, Broots shined both flashlights upon the contents of the safe. “What could be so important that the Centre would want to keep it under lock and key down here?”
Sydney reached for a large book and a blue file on the second shelf of the safe. The file was labeled ‘Project Nighthawk’ and was filled with details of the Centre’s secret dealings with several well-known terrorists and white-collar criminals.
The book was one of at least ten in the safe. Bound in leather and labeled ‘Pretender Project’ and the dates that the log covered. Sydney opened it carefully and read the name inside. “Broots, these are detailed records of every simulation that Jarod performed during his time here and all the Centre application of those simulations. From the assassination of the high officials of foreign countries, to the kidnapping, and killing of innocent people for money.” Suddenly feeling sick, his hands started to shake so violently that he lost his hold on the book. Broots saved it just in time and started to read. Sydney braced himself against the far wall, struggling with the weight of his guilt as he slid slowly down to the floor, “Dear God, what have I done?”
Broots moved toward him quickly, “Sydney, this is no more your fault than it is Jarod’s. Neither of you knew what the Centre’s motives were.” Broots turned several more pages, “It’s just like Jarod said…only worse. They used all his simulations for unspeakable crimes against society.”
“I should have questioned. I should have stopped them,” his voice was wracked with emotion as he covered his face with his hands.
Broots shook his head as he turned the page. “Uh—Syd, you should see this.”
Kneeling down next to Sydney, Broots showed him the log entry dated 12/10/79. It was for simulation #1257A. Sydney read the application of the sim, “That was a simulation Jarod performed for NASA to determine the location of an American satellite that fell from the sky somewhere over Soviet soil.”
Broots gasped, “According to this, the Centre sold the information to the Russians who used it to locate the satellite and steal it’s data to be used against the US in the event of another world war.” Getting to his feet, he paced in front of Sydney, “This is evidence of treason. The Centre betrayed its own government. If we can get this to the FBI, they would be able to put an end to this place, one and for all.”
“Getting it to the FBI, is the problem,” Sydney frowned as he closed the book.
Broots thought for a moment, then stood and headed for the door, “I’ve got an idea. I will be right back.”
“Broots, where are you going?”
“To call in the Calvary,” he called over his shoulder.
“Be careful, Broots,” Sydney whispered.
Jarod made his way across the Centre grounds and entered the main building through the manhole that was partially hidden under a layer of dirt and gravel. Dropping through the opening, he slid the cover back over it. When he turned, Angelo was there.
“Must hurry. Sydney danger,” Angelo took off down the corridor with Jarod on his heels.
“Where is he, Angelo?”
“Under the world,” the empath pointed to a grate in the floor, which Jarod knew hid the entrance to a never-ending maze of ventilation shafts.
Quickly they lifted the heavy iron grate and dropped silently into the air ducts below. As Angelo led the way, Jarod followed praying they were not too late.
Broots slipped silently from the passageway, closing the hidden door behind him. Moving quickly he left Lyle’s office and headed for the tech room. He was terrified. If he failed…he did not want to think about what the Centre would do to him and all the people he loved and cared about. Fighting back nausea and wiping his sweaty palms on his shirt he settled down in front of his computer and quickly accessed the program he needed to break into the FBI data base.
Taking a deep breath, Broots pressed enter. He watched as top secret information from the Centre mainframe downloaded to the FBI. “This ought to set off a few sirens,” he whispered. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the mainframe security alarms went berserk and all hell broke loose.
Broots was just about to make a run for the door when the grate in the wall opened and he saw Angelo waving to him. Diving into the ventilation shaft, he heard the grate fall back into place. Seconds later, the tech room was invaded by sweepers.
“Thank you, Angelo,” Broots whispered.
“Go, that way,” Angelo motioned.
Broots turned and was startled when he found himself face to face with Jarod. “Jarod, how…”
“Let’s go Broots,” Jarod smiled. “Nice move, by the way.”
Broots shrugged his shoulders and grinned, “Nothing I shouldn’t have done a long time ago.”
When they finally reached Lyle’s office, Jarod immediately kicked the grate out of the wall sending it crashing to the floor below. He landed on his feet and waited for Broots to follow. When they turned to look back up at the opening, Angelo was gone.
“In there,” Broots motioned toward the hidden panel.
They hadn’t taken three steps when the lights came on, they saw Lyle and Mr. Parker standing on either side of Sydney whose head was bowed to his chest, and he wasn’t moving.
Panic filled Jarod’s voice as he took a step toward his friend, “Sydney.”
“Back off,” Lyle warned. He dropped to one knee and brought his gun up, pressing it into Sydney’s neck.
“Leave him out of this, Lyle.” Jarod’s eyes shot daggers into Lyle as he struggled to keep his voice calm. If Lyle realized the truth of his feelings for Sydney, he would not hesitate to pull the trigger. “This is between you and me, Lyle. Let them go.”
“I don’t think so,” Mr. Parker spoke up. “As long as we have the people you care about, we have you.” He then motioned to someone in the hallway and four sweepers entered with a raging Miss Parker and a struggling Jessie in tow. Behind them another sweeper led in Debbie Broots, Nicholas and a young dark-haired woman whose eyes burned with hatred and anger.
Jarod’s heart stopped as he realized the woman was his sister Emily. His mind spinning with uncontrollable emotions, he barely managed to speak. “Let them all go, you win. Just please, let them go.”
Lyle stood and stepped toward Jarod. “I guess you aren’t as smart as we thought you were, boy genius. You have let emotions cloud your judgment. You really should have never let yourself care for them. They have made you weak…gullible.”
Jarod waited as Lyle came closer, bowing his head slightly as he pretended to surrender. As soon as Lyle reached to take the gun from under his jacket, Jarod spun around and grabbed him by the throat pressing him down to his knees. Anger boiled up and overflowed as he slowly squeezed the life out of the monster.
“Daddy,” Jessie escaped from her captor. “Daddy, no.” Jarod felt her hand on his arm and immediately released Lyle.
“Oh, God. Jessie, honey.” Jarod swept her up in his arms and held on to her. He felt his furor flowing out of him as her love filled his heart.
He looked toward Miss Parker who was now holding the sweepers at bay with her own gun. He nodded slowly and she smiled.
Emily could only stare in disbelief at the man and the child. Her heart hammered in her chest as her eyes filled with tears. “Jarod,” she whispered.
Still holing his daughter, Jarod moved quickly toward her. “Emily,” he gasped and reached a hand out to touch her face as if afraid he had imagined her.
“You know me,” Emily laughed softly and shook her head slowly.
Jarod nodded, “You are even more beautiful than your picture.”
As brother and sister embraced, Miss Parker glanced toward her father. “It’s over, Daddy. It’s over,” the bitterness in her words did not even faze the man she had spent her entire life trying to please.
Mr. Parker reached a hand out to her. “Angel, I did it all for you.”
“No, Daddy. You did it all for this place. I was only a pawn in your sick little game.”
“That’s not true, Angel. I love you.”
“Jarod tried to tell me…tried to get me to see you for what you really are and I wouldn’t listen. I was blinded by loyalty and you used that loyalty for your own hidden agenda. And because of that I almost became you.”
A sudden flash of movement across the room caught Miss Parker’s attention. She jerked her head around just as Lyle pulled a gun and aimed it at Jarod. Without a moment of hesitation she leveled her gun at her own brother and fired. She heard her father cry out as Lyle dropped to the floor.
Jarod quickly handed Jessie to Emily and went to check Lyle. Shaking his head he stood and went to Miss Parker, gathering her into his arms. He could not find the words to express the emotions in his heart.
“He’s dead,” Miss Parker stated flatly.
Jarod nodded as he pulled back slightly, “I’m sorry.”
Miss Parker shook her head slowly, “I’m not. You and Jessie are my life…my family. No one else matters.” She turned to her father and whispered harshly, “Goodbye, Daddy.”
Mr. Parker lifted his gaze to her and nodded sadly. His grief was clearly showing in his eyes but he knew it was over…the war was lost and he had paid a heavy price. “Goodbye, Angel,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“My name is not ‘Angel’,” Miss Parker hissed. She turned to look into Jarod’s eyes and smiled slightly, “My name is Madeline.”
Broots looked up from where he and Nicholas were untying Sydney and smiled, “I’ve always wondered about that.”
A few minutes later, they walked out of the Centre and into the early morning chill. The sun was little more than a glimmer on the horizon as Jarod and Miss Parker with Jessie between, stopped to watch it rise slowly into the sky, signaling a new beginning for all of them. Behind them, Emily, Debbie, and Broots embraced, as did Sydney and Nicholas.
Angelo stepped out from the shadows and pointed toward an approaching motorcade, “The Calvary.”
“Better late than never,” Jarod smiled.
In a matter of seconds, they were swallowed up in a sea of FBI agents. As they watched, Mr. Parker was led to a waiting car in handcuffs. Mr. Raines soon joined him. The FBI coroner brought out Lyle’s body and put it into a black van.
Miss Parker felt nothing as she watched them close the doors and drive away with the body of her twin brother inside. She knew she should feel something, but she could not. He should not have forced her to make a choice between him and Jarod. It was no contest.
Jarod wrapped his arms around her and pressed her gently against him. “I love you, Madeline.”
Miss Parker looked up into his deep brown eyes, “Jarod, let’s go home.”
Laughing softly, he took hold of Jessie’s hand and keeping his arm around Miss Parker’s shoulder, he took his family home
By Jennifer DeNaughel
Thunder rumbled as lightening flashed violently across the darkening sky. Jarod drove his rental car as fast as the narrow, wet highway would allow. He knew that they were behind him. He could not see them, but he knew. He smiled to himself. Miss Parker had to be fuming at having just missed him again.
Sydney and Broots were probably enduring her wrath. He could not help feeling a little sorry for them. It really was not their fault. Miss Parker just did not realize how close they had come to catching him. If not for a timely email from Angelo warning him, they would have had him for sure.
Jarod kept one eye on the road and one on the rear-view mirror. A bright yellow sign, alerting motorists of a dangerous curve in the road ahead, caught his attention. Immediately he backed off the accelerator and slowed the car.
Just as the curve began, there was a deafening explosion. Jarod felt the steering wheel being wrenched from his grip. Frantically, he fought for control of the car, but the wet pavement and darkness were working against him. The wheels left the road sending the car careening over a steep embankment and hurtling toward a massive tree looming in the headlights. His last thoughts, before the collision, were of her.
Miss Parker’s serene expression revealed none of the raging anger burning deep inside her. They had missed him again. So close, but so far…same old story. Jarod could not possibly keep evading capture forever. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she was wrong. He would keep right on evading them…forever. And she was going to be trapped, in the Centre…forever.
Sydney searched through the items that Jarod had left behind. He could not hold back a sigh of relief that the pretender had once again narrowly escaped his pursuers. In the past four years since his escape from the Centre, he had helped so many people and righted so many wrongs. Sydney was proud of the man Jarod had become and the way he was using his gift for good.
Broots cleared his throat as he entered the dreary motel room. Miss Parker turned on him and he flinched as he braced himself for her wrath.
“Well?” Miss Parker asked impatiently.
“Uh, Miss Parker, I have good news--Jarod just left. About five minutes ago, he’s heading east---into the mountains.”
Miss Parker raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Good work, Broots.” She slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over. “Let’s go.”
Broots regained his balance and glanced in Sydney’s direction, shrugging his shoulders. Sydney just smiled and followed Miss Parker out of the room. Broots closed the door behind him and trailed after them.
Jarod slowly became aware of the distinct smell of smoke and gasoline. He forced his eyes open to face the bone-chilling darkness surrounding him. He noticed an eerie orange glow coming from under the twisted piece of metal that had once been the hood of the car. He knew he had to get out of there, fast.
He tried the door handle…nothing. It was jammed tight. He groaned in pain as he shifted his position to try the passenger side door. It was like a giant can opener had shredded the metal leaving behind a mass of jagged knife-like edges. Reaching up he found that the sunroof was cracked in several places. While protecting his eyes, Jarod covered his hand with the sleeve of his leather jacket and finished breaking the glass. Pushing upward he was able to move it away and slowly raised himself up through the opening. His entire body was numb from the cold. The icy rain pelted him as he slid off the roof of the car and dropped to the ground.
Struggling to find his footing in the mud, he steadied himself against the side of the car. His eyes burned from the fumes and smoke. Coughing to clear his lungs, he stumbled away from the burning car and collapsed against a tree. A few seconds later it exploded, sending flames shooting twenty feet into the air. Not even the torrential downpour could diminish the blaze as it lit up the night sky.
Jarod felt blood trickling from a head wound just above is left eye. His left shoulder throbbed and his right knee, exposed through a large tear in his black jeans, was bleeding badly. Struggling to his feet, he braced himself against the tree and shook his head, trying to clear his vision. He needed help.
Jarod tried in vain to remember how far he was from the small town he had just left. He found that he could not even remember the name of it. The only clear thought he had was that he would not be alone for long. They were right behind him. And unless he wanted to go back to the Centre, he had to find the strength to run. As badly as he needed help, he would not go back there. He would rather die in the middle of nowhere, alone.
Reaching deep down inside, Jarod somehow managed to block out the pain and took a step toward the woods. He could do this. He had survived worse. He could survive this. One step at a time he made his way through the underbrush and ran deep into the forest.
They saw the flames from a mile away. Miss Parker stopped the black car at a safe distance from the burning wreckage. As her gaze met Sydney’s, she felt the sudden panic that she read in his eyes. Her heart leaped into her throat. “Jarod,” she whispered as she watched Sydney exit the car. An instant later, she was running through the pouring rain after him. With Broots following closely at her heels.
Miss Parker scrambled down the embankment and came to a stop next to Sydney where he stood on the edge of the flames. The sheer horror in his eyes would haunt her into eternity. The license plate lying at her feet confirmed their fears. It was Jarod’s car.
Suddenly, the reality of the scene before them blind-sided her. The overpowering feeling of helplessness and anguish shook her to her very core. If Jarod was in that car, he was dead. No one could survive such an inferno, not even a pretender. He was dead, and she killed him. She had killed her best friend…the one person who had known her better than anyone. She fell to her knees as she realized that she had killed the man she loved. She refused any comfort that Sydney tried to offer. She did not deserve it.
Sydney held her against his chest as she screamed Jarod’s name. He had not realized how this would affect her. He had forgotten that she was not the cold-hearted woman she pretended to be. Her heart-wrenching cries were testament to her true nature. The woman in his arms had suddenly become the little girl he remembered from so long ago. The little girl who had been forced to betray her best friend and had become a part of the evil her own mother had died trying to stop. Sydney’s own tears mixed with the rain as together the two people shared their grief.
Broots stood on the edge of the road above them, his own eyes filled with a deep sadness. Jarod was dead…the Pretender was gone.
Jarod ran blindly through the pouring rain and biting wind. The brush tore at his clothing and scratched at his exposed skin adding to his growing list of injuries. Fighting the urge to just lie down and accept his fate, he continued to push himself forward. He came to a raging creek and without even a moments hesitation, plunged into it’s icy depths. The current threatened to drag him under, but somehow Jarod managed to keep his footing. If he fell, it would be over, he would not have the strength to pull himself out.
Struggling up onto the opposite bank, he kept running. He was losing the battle, he could feel his body weakening. His mind was telling him to just give up. His heart was telling him to hold on just a little longer. Just a little farther.
He stumbled, but did not fall. He could not fall. Jarod reached the edge of the woods and before him stood a large, ramshackle, old barn. He smiled in relief as he paused to catch his breath. His lungs burned and his whole body was shaking violently. It took every remaining ounce of strength to pull open the door of the structure and close it behind him. He took only two steps before falling into a pile of straw, immediately slipping into unconsciousness.
The firefighters extinguished the flames just as dawn approached. Miss Parker, wrapped in a blanket, sat in the back of the ambulance watching as Sydney sifted through the remains of Jarod’s car. She could not tear her eyes away. She prayed that they would not find him…his body. She wanted him to be alive…to be somewhere safe, laughing and enjoying the affect his latest ruse had had on her. She could almost make herself believe it was true until she found herself faced with the undeniable proof.
Miss Parker looked up as Sydney approached; he was carrying what appeared to be a piece of metal melted by the heat of the fire. Part of the car? “No,” she whispered as the realization of what the contorted object was brought tears to her eyes all over again. She shook her head in disbelief. It was the remains of the DSA case. He would never leave that behind…it was his only connection with his past. His entire life had been recorded on the small discs and now they were gone…destroyed. All hope, of Jarod being alive, drifted away on the early morning breeze. Miss Parker felt her frozen heart shatter into a million pieces.
Jarod awoke to a wet tongue laving his face. Opening his eyes, he found himself face to face with a hairy, black and white dog. “Thanks for the wake-up call,” he smiled weakly. He grimaced as he tried to raise himself up into a seated position. He felt small hands pulling gently on his arm and looked up into a set of beautiful blue eyes framed by the face of an angel and a mass of curly dark hair.
“Hello,” Jarod grinned as he forced himself to his feet his joints screamed and his head felt as though it would explode at any moment. “Thank you for your assistance.”
“You’re welcome.” The little girl smiled, “Are you lost?”
Jarod laughed softly, nodding, “Yes, I guess you could say that.”
“My mommy says that I shouldn’t talk to strangers. What’s your name?”
“Your mommy is a very smart lady,” Jarod grinned. “My name is Jarod. What’s yours?”
“Jessica. But everybody calls me Jessie. You can too…if you want.”
“Nice to meet you, Jessie.”
“Jarod, you are hurt. Come on, my mommy can make you better. She always makes hurts go away.” Jessie tugged on Jarod’s arm as he struggled to his feet.
“Jessie, how old are you?” Jarod asked.
“Four-and-a-half,” the little girl smiled proudly as she pulled Jarod along behind her.
The morning sun felt warm on his face and as Jarod followed Jessie toward a two-story farmhouse that stood just east of the barn, he silently thanked God that he had survived. His entire body ached, complaining incessantly with every step he took, but he was alive.
“Jessica Elizabeth Thomas, get away from that man,” Jarod saw a very angry blonde woman rushing toward them.
“This is Jarod, Mommy. He’s hurt. I told him you would make him better.”
“Jessie, go inside the house.”
“Mommy, no.” Jessie pouted, “Jarod is my friend.”
“He’s a stranger, Jessie. What did I tell you about strangers?”
“He’s nice, Mommy,” Jessie pleaded. “Look, Jasper likes him.”
The woman’s gaze fell to the old Border collie standing protectively next to the man. Jasper hated men. Why would he trust this stranger? Shaking her head slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his, and she suddenly knew why.
“Okay, Jessie. You win. Go get the first aid kit from the upstairs bathroom.”
Jessie turned and hugged Jarod’s arm, “See, I told you she would make you better.” Then she ran into the house taking the steps two at a time.
“Who are you?” the blonde woman asked cautiously.
“My name is Jarod. I had an accident on the highway last night…tire blew I think. My car hit a tree. I was disoriented. I found my way here and took shelter in your barn…where Jessie found me. I did not mean to frighten you, I will leave if you don’t feel comfortable about this.”
“What?” the blonde smiled. “And have my daughter disown me for life? I don’t think so. Come on, let’s get you patched up and get some food in you.”
Jarod smiled, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t tasted my cooking.”
“I’m sure it’s delicious.”
“By the way, I’m Emily Thomas.”
“Pleased to meet you, Emily. That is my sister’s name too,” Jarod’s eyes filled with a deep sadness.
“Where is she?” Emily asked before she could stop herself.
“I don’t know. I’ve never actually met her.”
Emily glanced at him in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“She was born a shortly after I was stolen from my parents. I was just a boy, about Jessie’s age.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll find them…someday,” Jarod whispered.
“I hope so, Jarod.” Emily frowned, she had only just met this man, and already she felt as though she could trust him with her life, and Jessie’s. She had not trusted a man in a very long time. What was it about Jarod that made her feel no fear of him? Maybe it was his eyes. Something in their depths told her that he would never hurt them.
The Centre was like Grand Central Station as Miss Parker walked slowly down the corridor. The noise was unbearable. She entered her dimly lit office and slammed the door shut behind her. She wasn’t even sure what she was doing there. Jarod was dead. There was nothing keeping her there. Her father was still on the run with Brigitte. Lyle was in the Tower, meeting with the Triumvirate, discussing Jarod’s demise.
She had no doubt that they would be ecstatic. With Jarod dead, they had no more worries that he would expose the Centre. Knowing Lyle, he was probably taking credit for the whole situation.
Sydney was making arrangements for Jarod’s memorial service. She could not bring herself to help him. The thought of saying goodbye to Jarod…she did not want to think about it.
Miss Parker collapsed onto the sofa and laid her head back against the pillow. This was not going to be easy on Sydney. She knew that he and Jarod had shared a special bond that ventured way beyond professional boundaries. She thought of Jarod’s family. Would they even know that he was gone? She remembered the emptiness she had felt after losing her mother. Jarod had filled a part of that emptiness over the years. He had become a part of her life that she had refused to acknowledge for far too long.
Sitting up suddenly, Miss Parker stood and stormed out of her office. She had made up her mind to do what she should have done long ago. Jarod may be dead, but he was not going to be forgotten. She would find the truth about his past, if it was the last thing she did. His family deserved to know the truth…to know him.
True to Jessie’s word, her mother made Jarod 'better'. She stitched up the gash on his forehead and then she cleaned and bandaged his other injuries, including his knee. Luckily, there were no broken bones. Then she gave him some clean clothes to put on while she washed and mended his.
“These belonged to my husband. They should fit fine. You are about the same size,” Emily laid the clothing down on the bed and left the room.
Jarod wondered where her husband was. She had referred to him in the past tense. He had noticed also, that when she had spoken of him, her hands shook slightly, and her eyes had darted unconsciously toward the window, she seemed terrified of something…or someone. Shaking his head slowly, he undressed and went into the bathroom to wash up.
When he came out, his clothes were gone. He put on the clothing she’d left which included a pair of well-worn blue jeans, white T-shirt, and a dark blue flannel shirt. Emily was right, they fit well, though the sleeves were just a little bit short. Jarod pushed them up to his elbows and sat down to slip on his own black boots.
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Come in.”
Jessie peeked around the corner as she opened the door. She was smiling widely, “All better now?”
Jarod laughed, “All better now.”
“Good. Wanna come see my horse?”
“I’d love to,” Jarod grinned and followed her out of the room and down the stairs.
Emily was in the kitchen when they passed through. “Jessie, let Jarod rest. You can show him your horse later.”
“It’s okay,” Jarod nodded. “I feel much better now. I’d like to see Jessie’s horse.”
Jessie looked pleadingly at her mother.
Emily gave in, again. “All right, but lunch will be ready in a few minutes.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Jessie took hold of Jarod’s hand and led him out of the house and around to the corral behind the barn.
Jessie climbed the split-rail fence and sat down, balancing precariously on the top rail. The whistle that escaped the little girl’s lips rivaled that of any adult. Jarod smiled as a beautiful buckskin mare left the rest of the horses and galloped toward them.
Jessie slid off the fence and onto the horse’s back. She beamed proudly at Jarod, “Her name is Cocoa, because she looks like chocolate.”
“Pleased to meet you, Cocoa.” Jarod ran a hand over the neck of the magnificent animal. “She is a very pretty horse, Jessie.”
“My mommy gave her to me. We were born at the same time.”
Jarod smiled, “So Cocoa is four-and-a-half too.”
“Uh-huh,” Jessie nodded. “My mommy says we are twins.”
Jarod laughed softly, “I can see the resemblance.”
Jessie’s smile faded as she looked into Jarod’s eyes, “Are you going to leave now that you’re all better?”
“I’m afraid I have to go, Jessie. I can’t stay, I’m sorry.”
“Please stay. My mommy won’t be scared now that you’re here.”
Jarod was unsure how to respond to the child’s request. “Why is your mommy scared, Jessie?”
“My daddy hurt her. She doesn’t want him to come back.”
“Where is your daddy now?” Jarod asked.
“He’s where he belongs,” Emily’s voice sounded behind him.
Jarod turned to face her, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Jessie, go water the horses please.”
“Okay,” Jessie said and turned Cocoa toward the water trough.
When she was gone, Emily sighed and sat down in the rope swing hanging in the large oak next to the corral. “I wish I could have shielded her from that knowledge. There are some things a child should not have to see, much less try to understand.”
Jarod leaned against the fence and nodded slowly, “Jessie is a very smart little girl. There aren’t many things you can hide from her.”
Emily started to swing slowly, “I can’t get a divorce. I’ve tried, but he will not release me. He won’t let us go.”
“You said that he’s where he belongs,” Jarod moved toward her and sat down on the grass at the base of the tree. “Is he in prison?”
“For now,” Emily frowned. “He’s up for parole in two days. He’s coming after me, I know it,” her eyes brimmed with tears which she quickly wiped away. “He is going to punish me for betraying him, just like he said he would.”
“How did you betray him?” Jarod asked.
“I put him in prison and I tried to divorce him. In his eyes, he did nothing wrong.”
Jarod had to ask, though he all ready had a pretty good idea. “What did he do to you?”
Emily turned to meet Jarod’s gaze, her hazel eyes flashed with reserved anger, “You don’t even know me, and I’d really appreciate it if you would just mind your own business.”
“You’d be surprised what I know, Emily,” Jarod smiled slightly. “I have an unusual gift for understanding people.”
“I can’t believe I’m even considering telling you this. I haven’t told anyone. Not even my own parents.”
“I’d like to help you, Emily. But in order to do so, I need to know everything there is to know about your husband and what he did to you.”
Emily was silent for a moment before finally nodding slowly. “It was a little over a year ago. I had just put Jessie to bed when I heard his truck pull up in front of the house. He had his friends with him and they had all been drinking. I went downstairs, they came into the house laughing and shouting. I asked them to leave because I was afraid they would wake Jessie. My husband slapped me across the face, knocking me to the floor. He proceeded to kick me while his friends watched. I begged him to stop.”
Jarod listened silently, his anger growing by the minute. Any man who would hit a woman deserved a lot more than prison.
Emily continued, “They were laughing and shouting, egging him on. When I stopped moving, he tore my clothes off and he…”
“He raped you.”
Emily nodded, her tears now flowed freely. “In front of his friends. And then he let them have a turn.”
Jarod’s anger reached boiling point, “Emily, I am so sorry you had to endure that kind of pain and humiliation. Please let me help you make him pay for what he did to you."
“It’s not just what he did to me. Jessie witnessed the whole scene, Jarod. I think she was too little to really understand, but she saw the whole thing. When they finally left the house, I managed to pull myself together and started up the stairs. She was huddled in the corner of the landing with her doll, crying silently.”
“Dear God,” Jarod glared at down at the ground for several minutes trying to control the rage that was building toward the man who hurt her. Then softening his gaze, he turned back to Emily. “What kind of monster would do that to his family?”
“That monster is getting out of prison in two days, Jarod. I’m really scared.”
Jarod gathered her into his arms and held her, “I won’t let him hurt you again, Emily. I promise you, he will pay for what he did.”
Emily accepted the comfort Jarod offered. She almost believed his words. This man was a stranger to her, but she felt a connection with him that she could not explain. He understood her. He did not judge her. For the first time since that night, she didn’t feel alone and vulnerable anymore. She did not know how Jarod could possible help them, but she was more than willing to let him try, for Jessie’s sake.
Miss Parker let herself into her father’s…Lyle’s, office. Her brother was evidently still brown-nosing the Triumvirate. There was no sign of him. She settled into his chair behind the desk and quickly searched every drawer and file she could get her hands on. Nothing about Jarod, or his family. Glancing at Lyle’s blank computer screen, Miss Parker picked up the telephone and dialed Broots’ number.
“Hello?” Broots answered the telephone on the second ring.
“I need you to do something for me.”
“Miss Parker?”
“Broots, I need to see you right now. Come to my father’s office.”
“Don’t you mean, Mr. Lyle’s office?”
“Just get your ass up here, now.”
Broots heard the urgency in her voice and wondered what could possibly be so important that she had broken in to Mr. Lyle’s office. “I’ll be right there.”
Miss Parker slammed down the telephone and stood, walking over to the window she watched as the sun slipped slowly out of sight signaling the end of another day. She wondered what it had been like for Jarod. To have been denied the sight of a sunset for so many years, then to see one for the first time. What she would give for that kind of innocence, to experience life through his eyes. God, she missed him.
“Miss Parker,” Broots whispered, trying not to startle her since she had not heard him enter. There had been tears in her eyes, which she immediately wiped away upon hearing his voice.
“Broots, I need your help. I want to find out everything about Jarod’s past. But we have to keep this between us. No one can learn what we are doing.”
“What about Sydney?”
“Sydney has enough on his mind right now. I will tell him after the memorial service. Can you hack into Lyle’s computer?”
Broots’ face paled, “Yes, but if he finds out…”
“Then he had better not find out,” Miss Parker warned. “I’m going to leave the Centre, Broots. But I cannot leave until I have found out everything I can about Jarod’s past and his family. Find out whatever you can about Kyle too. I owe it to Jarod to find the truth.”
“Miss Parker, I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?” Broots asked, against his better judgment. He braced himself for her reaction, expecting an explosion. Instead, she just stared out the window. When she finally turned to face him again, the words she uttered surprised him beyond mention.
“Because I loved him,” Miss Parker’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Broots wasn’t sure how to respond to her revelation. “Oh God, Miss Parker I never realized…”
“Neither did I…until it was too late.”
“I--I will get to work on it right away.”
“Thank you, Broots. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“I think I do, Miss Parker,” Broots said as he turned to leave the office. He stopped at the door to look back, and she was staring out the window again. He knew she was crying. He wanted to comfort her, but she would never accept it--not from him. Quietly he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Emily was in the kitchen when Jarod came downstairs. She was singing softly to herself as she moved about the room. It was barely light outside, just after six o’clock. The hypnotic aroma of blueberry muffins and fresh brewed coffee had pulled him gently from a sound sleep and lured him down to the kitchen. If he wasn’t careful, he could get used to this place, and as much as he longed for a home, it would be a mistake to become too comfortable. He would not put the lives of his new friends in danger.
“Need some help,” Jarod smiled as he walked lazily toward the screen door and stared outside at the approaching dawn.
Emily turned and returned his smile, “No, thank you. What are you doing up at this hour? You need to rest.” His sudden appearance in her kitchen caught her off guard, but she felt no fear, no anxiety. Actually, Jarod was a strange comfort to her, she did not mind his company, and if she would admit it to herself, she did not mind looking at him either. His dark, chiseled looks cast a hard, dangerous air about him. While in stark contrast, his warm smile and soft brown eyes reminded her of an irresistible lost puppy. Emily barely managed to tear her eyes away from him in time to save her blueberry muffins from certain death.
“I smelled your muffins and couldn’t control myself. My feet carried me down here before I even completely awake.”
Emily laughed softly, “Yeah, well, when you taste them, you’ll wish you’d stayed in bed. My coffee is just shy of being motor oil.”
“Ah,” Jarod sighed, “Just the way I like it. And if those taste half as good as they smell, they’ll be delicious.”
“You’re a real charmer aren’t you, Jarod?” Emily glanced over her shoulder just as he sat down at the kitchen table.
“Am I?” Jarod grinned. His eyes were the epitome of innocence.
“Who are you?”
“You’ll be better off not knowing.”
“That is not very reassuring.”
“Emily, there are people that are looking for me. If you know too much, they might try to use you to get to me and I can’t put you in that position.”
“At least tell me if you are wanted by the law.”
“Emily, I would never hurt you or Jessie.”
“I know that, I just wanted to know if I’d be guilty of aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
Jarod smiled, “I am a fugitive of sorts, but not from the law…at least not the type you are envisioning.”
“All right, I won’t pry. But, Jarod, you can trust me. I owe you for staying on here to help us, though I don’t understand why you want to do hard labor. I realize that things need fixing around here, but you don’t strike me as the handyman type.”
“I can become anyone I want to be,” Jarod chuckled. “And I enjoy hard work. It gives me a feeling of normalcy and pride. I’ve spent most of my life using my head, it’s nice to be able to burn some physical rather than mental energy.”
Emily nodded, “Well, okay. I can’t afford to pay you much.”
“You won’t have to pay me anything. And I will buy the materials that are needed as well. You just keep these blueberry muffins coming,” he raised his eyebrows and devoured his third muffin.”
“You are a glutton for punishment, you know that,” Emily stood with her hands on her hips shaking her head in amusement.
“I guess I’ve had plenty of practice,” Jarod stood and kissed her cheek. “I’d better go upstairs and change into work clothes, lot’s to be done today.”
“Take it easy, Mister. You get those wounds dirty and bleeding again, I’ll have to take a switch to you,” Emily warned shaking her finger at him like a mother hen.
“I’ll be careful, I promise,” Jarod said as he climbed the stairs.
Emily cleaned up the kitchen, laughing to herself. Something she had not been able to do for a very long time. How could one man, a stranger no less, walk into their lives and change everything in such a short time? Jarod was a bright light at the end of the long, dark tunnel she had been traveling through ever since the night Robert had betrayed and humiliated her. Her heart was slowly beginning to heal thanks to whatever magic Jarod had brought into their world.
As she entered Jessie’s room, Emily noticed that her daughter’s Whinny the Pooh lamp was turned off. She had not slept without a light on since that night. “Thank you, Jarod,” Emily whispered. For the first time, she began to feel that there was hope for a normal life without night-lights and dead bolts. Robert could not hold them prisoners of their fears forever. Even when the time came for Jarod to move on, she believed that they would be fine, thanks to him.
She leaned over her sleeping daughter and kissed her gently on her forehead. “I love you, my little angel,” she whispered then closed the door as she went back downstairs.
When she stepped out onto the porch, she saw Jarod. He was chopping wood out by the barn. The sweat glistening on his bare arms and broad back with every swing of the ax. Emily blushed slightly and smiled as she forced herself to go back into the house before he turned and caught her watching him. She could not resist another glance as she walked back into the kitchen and let the screen door slowly swing closed behind her.
Miss Parker was alone in her office when Lyle decided to grace her with his presence. The glacier-melting glare she laid on him should have taken the wind out of his sails. Instead he just smiled and sat down behind her desk to gloat.
“What the hell do you want, Lyle?”
“Just to see how my dear sister is fairing now that the game is done. What’s the matter, Parker? A little sore now that your little toy has been taken away? Don’t worry, I am sure we can find you something to keep you occupied. I hear that Raines is looking for a new lab rat. Want to apply for the job?”
“Go to hell, Lyle,” Miss Parker hissed as she slowly approached him. When her face was a mere inch from his, she smiled sweetly and winked. “I have no intentions of staying here now that Jarod is dead. A deal is a deal…I will be leaving the Centre. And no one, especially you, brother dear, is going to stop me. Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” Lyle smirked. “But what makes you think that the Triumvirate is going to just let you walk out of here, Parker? You know too much. They will not let you live if they have the slightest inkling that you might reveal Centre secrets to the outside world.
Miss Parker straightened and slammed her fists down on the desktop. “I do not care about the Centre secrets. I want to be left alone. I want to have a normal life, as normal as possible. I have spent my entire existence trying to please my father and this place. I became someone that I despise. I have to find out who I really am. I have to make peace with myself and…”
“With Jarod,” Lyle finished for her.
Miss Parker’s face softened as she turned away from her brother’s prying eyes. Her voice was shaky but she did her best to hide that fact from him. “Leave…now,” she whispered harshly.
Lyle ignored her, “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. You were in love with the lab rat.”
Before she knew it, Miss Parker had a death grip on Lyle’s throat, “If I ever hear you call him that again, Lyle, I will rip out your black heart and feed it, piece by piece, to whatever mutant creature Raines has in this little house of horrors nowadays. Got it?”
Her outburst and the speed at which she had turned on him surprised Lyle. He could not disguise the sudden fear that crept into his blue eyes. “Parker,” he smiled slightly, “I’m sorry, all right. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Miss Parker released him, “Yeah right, I mean it. I will not let Jarod be degraded in death as he was in life. I owe him that much.”
“Jarod is dead, Sis. It is pointless to dwell on the past. He was what he was and because of that he gave up any right to a normal life when he came to the Centre.”
“No, Lyle, he had that right stolen from him when he was ripped away from the family who loved him. I owe it to his memory to find the truth about his past and one way or another, I will.”
“The Triumvirate will not allow that, Parker. Jarod’s past must stay buried. It doesn’t matter now anyway. It won’t bring him back.”
“I was his best friend…I betrayed that friendship by allying with the people who kept him prisoner for half a lifetime. I will carry that guilt with me for as long as I live, and maybe even beyond.”
Lyle stood and walked toward the door. He paused and turned slightly to face her, “I hope his honor is worth dying for, Sis.”
“If that’s what it takes,” she stated flatly, her heated gaze burning holes in his back as Lyle left her office. She had never dreamed it was possible to hate as deeply as she hated him. Flesh and blood or not, she despised the man. Quickly she picked up the ashtray on her desk and hurled it across the room. It struck the wall next to the door and shattered into a million pieces.
A few seconds later Lyle opened the door and winked at her, “You really should learn to control that temper, Sis.” Then he smiled and closed the door.
Fuming, Miss Parker spun on her heels and went after him. In the corridor she whispered to herself though it was meant for his ears, “One day, Lyle. One day you will pay for the pain you have caused.”
It broke her heart every time she watched the DSA Sydney had given her. The things Lyle had done to Jarod during the three weeks they kept him isolated after he was captured made her blood boil. Especially since Jarod never would have been caught if he had not stayed behind to help her. He’d lost his freedom to save her life and she had repaid him by continuing to hunt him once she had recovered.
Miss Parker ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back against the wall. She stared up at the vaulted ceiling high above her. She was paying, and paying dearly, for all the pain she had caused the people in her life. And the price was Jarod.
Jarod sat alone, on the front porch steps, long after dark. Jessie and Emily had gone to bed. When he thought about what they had been through… Robert Thomas was a monster. Somehow, Jarod knew he had to protect his new friends and find a way to teach Mr. Thomas a lesson. In less than twelve hours, the judicial system would turn loose that man. He would come after Emily, there was no doubting that fact.
Jasper curled up next to him on the porch and licked his hand. Jarod rubbed behind the old dog’s ears, “Jasper, we have a long day tomorrow. Better try and get some sleep.” He stood, stretching out his tired muscles, and looked up at the sky. A million stars sparkled against a black velvet background. He had never seen a more beautiful night. He thought of Miss Parker and wondered if she had returned to Blue Cove. For some strange reason, he wished she could be there to share that moment in time with him. The little girl he used to know always loved the stars.
Slowly Jarod turned and entered the house. Upstairs he quietly closed the door to his room. After slipping off his boots, he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. “Good night, Miss Parker,” he whispered.
The telephone rang just as Miss Parker was about to go to bed. Her heart stopped. Jarod usually called her late at night. Her hand paused above the handset, she prayed that it would be him. “Please let it be him,” she whispered. Picking up the telephone, she held her breath. “What?”
“Miss Parker,” Broots’ voice on the other end shattered what little hope she had held on to for Jarod to be alive.
She struggled to control the quiver in her voice, “Broots.”
“I’m sorry for calling so late. I found something you need to see.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the Centre.”
“Still?” Miss Parker raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Debbie is spending the night with a friend so I thought I would use the time to do some digging.”
“What did you find?”
“Not over the phone, Miss Parker.”
“All right, I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
“I think I should bring it to your house. There are too many eyes and ears around this place, and this is not something they are going to let us live knowing,” Broots whispered.
“Okay, hurry. And Broots…”
“Yes, Miss Parker.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. See you in a few.”
Miss Parker laid down the telephone and ran her fingers through her long dark hair. What could he have found? Whatever it was, it had to be important for Broots to risk his neck bringing it to her house.
An hour later she heard a knock at her door. Opening it she let Broots in and made a quick check outside before turning the lock. Broots wandered over to a chair and collapsed.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I drove around awhile to make sure no one followed me.”
“I can’t believe you took such a risk, Broots,” Miss Parker sat down in the chair across from him.
“Neither can I,” Broots chuckled softly. “But I knew you would want to see this right away. You aren’t going to believe what I found.”
Miss Parker took the three files from Broots while he set up his laptop computer. The first file was Jarod’s. The information inside was nothing new to her. The next file was a different story. It was about another pretender. No picture…just a description, a description that eerily fit her.
“Who is this girl? There’s no picture?”
“Miss Parker, you were…are a pretender too. Like Jarod.”
“I knew that I was tested, but I thought I failed.”
“No, you didn’t fail. Your IQ is right up there, almost as high as Jarod’s,” Broots paused, unsure of how she would take the news he was about to break to her.
“Broots?”
“Miss Parker, they---uh---I can’t do this. I’ll just show you.” Broots turned on the laptop and hit a few keys. A DSA recording came up of her father and Mr. Raines.
“Are you sure he will cooperate?” Mr. Parker asked.
“Sydney will not have a choice. I assure you he will do as he is told,” Raines answered. “Jarod will be placed in isolation until after the procedure.”
“My daughter is not going to be aware of any of this?”
“She will not remember anything. The drug is perfectly safe.”
Mr. Parker nodded, “If this procedure is successful we will have created a pretender that will be ours from the very beginning. We will be able to mold it and train it without fear of outside interference.”
“Yes, and the two donors will never know they have a child together.”
Broots turned off the recording. He could not bring himself to look at her.
Miss Parker opened the other file. Inside was a report signed by her father. It spelled out exactly what the procedure was and that a child, a girl, was born to a surrogate mother nine months later. The date of birth was listed as April 20, 1995. As she flipped through the rest of the file, a picture slipped out and fell to the floor.
Slowly Broots reached down and retrieved the photograph. Miss Parker took it from him and turned it over. It was of a beautiful baby girl, not more than a few weeks old, with dark hair and blue eyes. “Oh my God, Broots. I have a daughter.”
“Yes, Miss Parker. I confirmed everything. Her name is Ashley.”
“Ashley,” Miss Parker whispered. “Where is she, Broots? I have to find her.”
“I don’t know—yet. I’m sorry. I’ll keep working on it. I’ll find her, Miss Parker, I promise you.”
“How could my father do this to me…to Jarod and to our child…his grandchild?” Miss Parker asked, as tears flowed down her face. “How could Sydney do this?”
Broots shook his head, “Sydney refused to cooperate, Miss Parker. They waited until he was out of town to do the procedure. I have no reason to believe that he knows about any of this.”
“Jarod died, never knowing he has a child.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Parker. I can’t even imagine never knowing about Debbie.”
“Broots, I really need to be alone right now.”
Broots nodded, “I understand. If you need anything—anything at all, please call.”
“I will,” Miss Parker nodded. “Thank you.”
When Broots had gone, she sat staring at the picture in her hand. The tears blinded her as she curled into a fetal position in the chair and lost all control of the storm of emotions she had been struggling desperately to hold in check.
The distant sound of thunder woke Jarod from a sound sleep. Glancing at the clock next to the bed, he noted that it was only a little after four in the morning. A strange sense of unease came over him as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and glanced out the window. Quietly as he could, Jarod slipped on his boots and went downstairs.
As he stepped out of the house, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a dark figure as it slipped around the corner of the barn and disappeared into the woods. He started to follow when something told him not to leave the house…not to leave Jessie and Emily alone. Quickly Jarod turned and went back inside. Emily met him on the stairs.
“Jarod, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Emily, do you have a gun?” Jarod asked.
Emily nodded slowly and pointed toward a locked cabinet in the corner of the living room. “In there, Robert kept them in there. I don’t have a key though. He would never tell me where he hid it.”
Jarod went to the cabinet and made quick work of picking the lock. The doors swung open and he grabbed a shotgun and loaded it. Handing it to Emily he then loaded a semi-automatic handgun and slipped it into the waistband of his jeans. “Emily, do you know how to use that?”
“Yes, my father taught me.”
“Good, go get Jessie and go up to the attic. No matter what happens, do not come out until I return.”
“Jarod, be careful. If it’s Robert, he will kill you.”
“I will be careful. Now go get Jessie.”
Emily nodded and quickly ran up the stairs.
Jarod took the remaining guns from the cabinet and locked it back. He then hid the weapons on a high shelf in the kitchen pantry. Robert might try to get to them and Jarod wanted to keep the odds even. He had a feeling that Mr. Thomas was not alone.
Locking all the windows and doors, Jarod took his position below the living room window where he had an unobstructed view of the barn and the woods. He waited and watched. Silence. Then a sudden flash of lightening illuminated the entire barnyard. He saw three figures heading for the house. They were not even bothering to keep out of sight, which told Jarod that they thought Emily and Jessie were alone.
“Surprise surprise,” Jarod whispered.
As soon as the three men reached the front porch Jarod moved to the door. Robert tried to open it and found it was locked.
“Damned fool woman never kept this locked before.”
“Maybe she heard you were in town,” one of his friends chuckled.
“Shut your big mouth, Joe. I want this little visit to be a surprise,” Robert slipped his key into the lock and when he opened the door he came face to face with his own prized shotgun. “What the…?”
“Hello, Robert Thomas, I’m Jarod. And I am not real pleased to meet you. Now I suggest that if you want to live to see another day you and your friends there need to turn around and leave this woman and her little girl alone.”
Robert laughed, “Who the hell do you think you are? This is my house…”
“And this is your gun. I’m thinking that it would be poetic justice to kill you with it,” Jarod flashed them a menacing grin.
“Do you really think you can take us on alone?” Joe piped up.
“Who said I was alone?” Jarod raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Nervously the three men looked around. Robert shook his head, “You are lying.”
Jarod raised the shotgun and aimed it directly between Robert’s eyes. “Actually, it’s called pretending…there is a difference.”
“You’re crazy,” Robert chuckled but Jarod saw the flash of fear in the man’s eyes.
“Yes, I am. And you are a miserable excuse for a man, a monster. You do not deserve to live. Not after what you have done to your family.” Jarod stepped forward, dropping the barrel of the shotgun, he fired. Joe and the other man danced in the dirt. Robert made a move toward Jarod, stopping short when Jarod pulled the semi-automatic on him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’m just itching to put a bullet between your eyes.”
Robert stepped back and Jarod followed, backing the man down the steps and into the yard. “Joe…Jimmy, help me out here,” Robert whined.
Joe and Jimmy shook their heads in unison then turned and high-tailed it into the woods where they had left their truck. “Ah,” Jarod grinned, “Your friend’s are all gone…now what ya gonna do?”
“You aren’t going to get away with this,” Robert warned weakly.
“Not so tough without your sidekicks are you?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m someone who believes that monsters like you deserve to die for what you did,” Jarod’s voice became even more menacing. “You will give Emily a divorce and disappear forever or I will personally make your life a living hell. Do you understand, or shall I give you a little bit of incentive?” Training both guns on the cowering man, Jarod waited for his response.
“What’s to keep me from coming back after you are gone?” Robert glared at the stranger. Something about this man made him very, very nervous. The lightening flash illuminated the stranger’s face just long enough for Robert to catch a glimpse of the sheer disgust and hatred in his eyes. Suddenly he decided that she wasn’t worth dying for. And neither was that brat of hers.
“Well, what’s it gonna be?”
“All right,” Robert threw his hands up in surrender. “Whatever you say, I’ll do it.”
“Good choice. Now sign these.” Jarod tossed him a pen and the documents releasing Emily from their marriage and an agreement to stay away from her and Jessie under penalty of prison.
Robert examined the papers in the light the coming dawn. “What are you, some kind of lawyer?”
“I am today,” Jarod grinned.
Robert quickly signed every single page and handed the documents back to the stranger. “Well, you can have her. She’s worthless anyway.”
“Wrong,” Jarod growled. “You are worthless. You had what some people are never lucky enough to find and you threw it all away. You destroyed her. You humiliated her. And you exposed an innocent, little girl to a kind of ugliness that no grown adult should ever have to witness. You had better count your lucky stars that I am letting you walk away.”
A sudden look of regret passed over Robert’s features. “You mean…Jessie. She saw what happened?”
Jarod raised the shotgun, “Time to go, Robert. Unless, of course, you enjoy tempting fate.”
“I’m going. I’m going,” he stepped back with his hands in the air. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about Jessie. I didn’t know…”
“Go,” Jarod shouted, “And if you ever come near them again you won’t live to regret it, I promise you.”
Jarod watched Robert disappear into the woods in the direction his friends had taken. After he had gone, Jarod took a deep breath and released it slowly. He felt his heartbeat slowly returning to normal. As he walked back toward the farmhouse, a light rain began to fall.
Emily waved to him from the attic window and Jarod nodded, telling her that it was safe to come down. When she appeared in the doorway, Jessie was right behind her. The little girl rushed passed her mother and into Jarod’s arms. “I knew you would save us. You’re a hero,” she wrapped her arms around Jarod’s neck and hugged him tightly.
Jarod laughed softly, “Jessie, I’m not a hero. I'm just someone who wants you and your mommy to be safe.”
Emily stood silently at the top of the porch steps. Tears began sliding down her cheeks as a sudden realization washed over her. Spinning on her heels, she quickly ran back into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom.
Locking the door behind her, she pulled a heavy wooden box out from under her bed. Lifting the lid, she sighed heavily. Inside were hundreds of photographs, several files and many red notebooks. Scanning the files, Emily pulled out the one she was searching for. Opening it, she spilled its contents over the antique patchwork quilt covering the bed. Frantically she picked through the various documents and reports. She emptied every file onto the bed and searched desperately for what would confirm that which she all ready knew in her heart to be true.
Jarod took Jessie’s hand and led her into the house, “Emily?” Where had she disappeared to so quickly? “Emily?”
A few minutes later she came walking slowly down the stairs. She looked from Jarod to Jessie then back to Jessie and nodded. There was no doubt. She had that same look in her eyes…that same, all-knowing look. Taking a deep breath, Emily smiled sadly, “Jarod you have been searching for the family you lost when you were young…well, I found a part of your family that you did not even know existed.”
Jarod looked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
Emily looked to Jessie, “Honey, please go upstairs and play, Jarod and I have something to discuss. Once Jessie had gone, Emily handed Jarod a file and a red notebook that looked all too familiar to him. “This will prove that what I am about to tell you is true.”
Jarod took the items from her and sat down at the table. He could not stop his hands from shaking as he opened the file and scanned its contents. His heart froze as he read. “Oh my God,” Jarod gasped. Struggling with the reality facing him, he suddenly could not breathe. “How can this be?”
Emily sat down across the table from him and took hold of his hand. “Jarod, I’m so sorry. I cannot expect you to forgive me, but I want to tell you everything. You need to hear the whole ugly story.”
Jarod focused his shocked gaze on her. “I’m listening,” he whispered, his tone hard and bitter.
“I worked for the Centre. I was a receptionist…later I became a personal assistant to Mr. Raines. I was unmarried and barely getting by. Mr. Raines offered me a large sum of money to become a surrogate mother for a couple desperate to have children. I read the file he gave me and after meeting the couple I agreed.”
“How much money?” Jarod hissed.
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
Jarod said nothing, just nodded.
“It wasn’t until after Jessie was born that I overheard Mr. Raines talking to Mr. Parker. I learned then that the whole thing had been a lie and that Jessie was to be used as a test subject by the Centre. I immediately made my decision to take her and leave. I had a friend in the Centre, a man who lived in the ventilation system…”
“Angelo,” Jarod smiled slightly.
“Yes, he helped us to escape. He gave me a laptop computer and showed me how to use it to communicate with him. I did not know he knew the truth about Jessie. At least not until I started receiving these files and notebooks. He shipped them to me every week. “I know I should have gone to the authorities for help, but I was scared for our safety. I came here to Oregon and met Robert. We married and I thought the worst was over. Then one day I received a package…a series of newspaper clippings about a man who had been helping those in need. I didn’t put all the pieces together until I watched the two of you together outside, and heard your response when Jessie called you a hero…the same response you gave in one of those newspaper articles.”
Jarod sat in stunned silence as the truth set in. “Who is her real mother?”
“I think you know the answer to that, Jarod.”
Jessie came into the kitchen just then and Jarod turned to her. He stared at her in awe. She was his daughter, his flesh and blood. He looked into her eyes…her stunning blue eye. Yes, he knew.
Emily stood and hugged the little girl. “Jessie, I think you should take Jarod out to see Cocoa now.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Jessie grabbed hold of Jarod’s hand and together, father and daughter, walked toward the barn.
Emily choked back her tears as she sat back down at the table and placed her head in her hands. She had known this day would come, but her heart was still breaking. Now Jessie was where she belonged, with her father. And soon, her real mother would become a part of the child’s life. Emily did not know how she would ever begin to find the strength to let her go, but she knew she had to.
Jarod stopped near the swing and lifted Jessie into it. As he began to gently push her, he calmly thought through the entire situation. It was still so hard to absorb. He was a father…Miss Parker was Jessie’s mother. Fate had brought him to this little farm in the middle of the woods. If the tire had not blown--he would have never known he had a child. And Miss Parker had no idea that she was a mother. How would she react? Jarod smiled to himself. He had a feeling that the Centre would never be the same after she learned the truth. Heads were definitely going to roll. Firstly, her father’s.
“Jarod,” Jessie’s small, sad voice brought Jarod out of his thoughts.
He stopped the swing and moved around in front of her. Kneeling down on one knee Jarod smiled, “What is it Jessie? Why are you sad?”
“I just don’t want you to leave. I know you are going to leave now,” Jessie’s eyes filled with tears.
Jarod pulled her to him and held his daughter close, “I have to go. But I will be back. I promise I will be back.”
“Jarod, are you my daddy?”
He stared in stunned silence as she looked expectantly into his eyes. Then he nodded slowly, “Yes, baby. I am your daddy. Your real daddy.”
“I knew it,” Jessie squealed and threw her arms around his neck.
Jarod pulled back slightly in confusion, “You knew? How?”
Jessie reached into the pocket of her bib overalls and pulled out a small photo, holding it out so he could see it. “I found this in my mommy’s room.”
Jarod looked at the photo of himself. It had been clipped from a newspaper article dating from just a few months after his escape from the Centre. “How long have you had this, Jessie?”
“Since my birthday,” Jessie smiled shyly.
“What made you keep it?”
“I just liked it.”
“Jessie, that day you found me in the barn, did you know me from this picture. Is that why you weren’t scared of me?”
The little girl nodded, “I knew you.”
Jarod pulled her into his arms again lifting her of her feet. “Jessie, I am so thankful to know you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
Emily stood in the shade of the oak leaning against the broad trunk, needing its support to keep from falling apart. She took a hesitant step toward them just as Jarod looked up and caught sight of her. The look of pure joy in his deep brown eyes took her breath away.
Turning to Jessie, Emily smiled, “Jessie, I need to explain something to you, honey. I need you to be brave and try to understand.” She sat down on the grass and brought Jessie into her lap. “I want you to know that I love you.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
Emily took a deep breath and released it slowly before continuing. “Jessie, I think you understand that Jarod is your real daddy, right?”
Jessie nodded silently.
“I need you to understand that you have another mommy…your real mommy. And she will be coming for you one day, very soon. I have taken care of you and loved you for your whole life, but I am not your mommy.”
Jessie looked from Emily to Jarod and back to Emily. “I have a real mommy?”
Emily nodded, “Yes, sweetheart.”
Jessie turned to Jarod, “I have two mommies?”
Jarod whispered, “Yes, Jessie.”
“Where is she?” Jessie asked softly.
“That is why I have to leave, for just a little while. I need to find her and bring her here to meet you,” Jarod pleaded with her to understand.
“You promise to come back.”
“I promise.”
“Okay,” Jessie hugged Jarod tightly.
Jarod was amazed at her ability to grasp the situation before her and make some sense out of it. Jessie seemed so much older than her years. His little girl…her father’s daughter.
Sydney sat at his desk, in front of his computer, staring blindly at the screen. It was no use. He could not work. He wasn’t even sure why he bothered to come into the office. Jarod was gone…and with his death came an emptiness that could not be filled with meaningless work.
Slowly he got up from his chair and moved toward the door. The ringing of his cell telephone froze him in his tracks. Jarod? Quickly he picked up the telephone and pressed the button. “This is Sydney.”
“Sydney, how are you?” Broots’ voice came over the line.
Unable to cover his deep disappointment and grief, “Broots, what can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry, Syd. I know you miss him.”
“I know I should just accept that he’s gone, but I can’t. A part of me wonders if he is still out there somewhere.”
“Have you seen Miss Parker?” Broots asked.
Sydney looked confused, “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her for a few days.” As he sat down in his chair again, he whispered, “I hope she is all right. Jarod’s death has affected her in ways I never would have expected.”
Broots cleared his throat, “Syd, there’s more to it than that. Something that you don’t know.”
“What is it Broots? Tell me.”
“I’m sorry, Syd. It’s not my place to tell you.”
“Broots if Miss Parker is in danger, I want to help. I can’t lose her too.”
“Just call me if you see her, please. She will tell you when she’s ready.”
“All right, Broots. I will.”
Sydney laid down the telephone and placed his head in his hands. A few seconds later, it rang again. “This is Sydney,” he said weakly as he answered.
“Hello, Sydney.”
Sydney’s heart leaped at the sound of his pretender’s voice over the line. “Dear God, Jarod. You’re alive.” Tears of joy filled his eyes as he smiled with relief.
“Sydney?” Jarod asked in confusion. “What do you mean…alive?”
“Jarod, we thought you burned inside the car. We found the DSA case…but you are alive.”
“I’m sorry, Sydney. I had no idea. I just figured you would assume that I had gotten out safely. I would never have put you through that intentionally.”
“I know, Jarod. I know.”
“I need your help, Sydney. Something has changed in my life…and Miss Parker’s.”
Sydney gasped softly, “Is she with you?”
“No, why. Where is she?”
“Broots just called looking for her. No one has seen her in days.”
“Sydney, get Broots and meet me at her house, right away.”
“What’s going on, Jarod?”
“Hurry, Sydney,” Jarod said just before Sydney heard a soft click and he was gone.
Dialing Broots’ number, he waited for him to answer.
“Hello?”
“Broots, meet me at my car in five minutes. No time to explain.”
Miss Parker had just dragged herself out of bed and to the sofa where she collapsed again. She knew that she needed to pull herself together, but she could not stop thinking about Ashley, her child…Jarod’s child. And Jarod…his smile…those incredible brown eyes…she was going insane. What happened to the ‘Ice Queen’? Where was she now that she really needed her strength…her courage?
Struggling to her feet, Miss Parker hugged herself tightly and walked slowly toward the kitchen before deciding that she was not really hungry. Her body refused to eat and sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d see their faces…hear their voices calling out to her…
A sudden crash brought her around to face a tall silhouette standing in the opening where her front door had been only a moment before. A familiar voice whispered her name…
“Miss Parker, thank God you’re okay. I was afraid they’d hurt you.”
The silhouette came slowly toward her. Her eyes could not adjust to the bright light behind him. Then he was there, gathering her into his arms. She looked up and choked back a sob before curling herself into Jarod’s embrace and allowing him to lift and carry her into her bedroom. Somewhere in her exhausted mind, she heard him speaking softly to her…comforting her.
Jarod carefully lowered her down onto her bed and then sat down next to her. As his strong hands gently smoothed back her hair he smiled, “It’s all right, Parker. I am here and I will not leave you. Sleep…just sleep now. I love you.”
Sydney and Broots stood in the doorway of the bedroom staring at each other in disbelief as Jarod kissed Miss Parker softly then walked toward them.
Jarod hugged Sydney, “I’m sorry, Syd.”
“It’s all right, Jarod. All that matters is you are safe,” Sydney squeezed Jarod’s shoulder and smiled, “I know I’m not your father, but when I thought I’d lost you forever, all I could think about is how I never told you what you really mean to me.”
Jarod nodded, “I know, Sydney. I guess I’ve always known.”
“The Centre…they think you are dead,” Sydney said as the three of them went into Miss Parker’s living room.
Broots stuttered slightly as he smiled, “Jarod, I just realized something.”
“What is it, Broots?” Jarod asked.
Broots sat down on the coffee table and nodded. “It just might work,” he whispered mostly to himself.
“Broots, what are you talking about? What might work?” Sydney asked.
“Jarod, everyone at the Centre thinks you are dead. That means…”
Sydney glance quickly at Jarod as he suddenly came to the same conclusion, “You’re free, Jarod. As long as they believe that you died in that car accident, you are free to go on with your life the way you’ve always wanted.” “Not quite, I’m afraid.” Jarod moved to stand by the window.
“I don’t believe I’m following you, Jarod. If the Centre and the Triumvirate believe you are dead, they won’t be hunting you any longer.”
“Sydney, there’s something I need to tell you,” Jarod turned to face his mentor. “I need to tell, Miss Parker first. I’m not sure how she will handle it, but right now she needs to rest.”
Broots spoke up, “Jarod, she all ready knows.”
“What are you saying?” Jarod asked.
“I’m saying, she knows about her.”
Jarod ran a hand through his hair, “God, no wonder she’s falling apart.”
“Would one of you please tell me what is going on?” Sydney pleaded.
Nodding, Jarod motioned toward the sofa. “Have a seat, Syd. This is going to come as quite a shock.”
Miss Parker thought she heard voices. Opening her eyes, she found her room completely dark. The clock by her bedside registered just after midnight. Slowly she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Standing she made her way through the darkness to the door which was slightly ajar. Opening it, she crept down the hallway and into the living room.
She recognized Sydney’s voice just as she came into the room. Broots was there with him. Miss Parker sighed softly, “What are you two doing here?”
Neither of them said a word, they just turned toward the fireplace. She followed their gazes and gasped as she saw Jarod crouched in front of the fire, placing a log into the flames. The golden firelight danced in his eyes as he smiled.
“You look, a little better,” he said.
“Jarod,” she whispered. Her hands flew to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
Jarod reached her in two strides, gathering her into his arms as she swayed, “Hey, Parker, please don’t cry. Everything’s going to be all right now.”
“Oh God, Jarod I thought I’d dreamed it, but you are really here.”
Gently Jarod brushed away her tears with the back of his hand. “Yes, I’m here, Parker, and I’m not leaving, not without you.”
Neither of them noticed as Sydney and Broots slipped quietly out of the house, leaving them alone together. Both grinning from ear to ear as they walked toward Sydney’s car. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a happy ending to this crazy story after all.
Miss Parker shook her head, “Jarod, no. I can’t leave yet…I have to find someone.”
“I have all ready found her.”
Miss Parker stared at him in disbelief, “You knew?”
“No, I found her purely by the grace of God. The night of my accident, I ran through the woods to get away from there before you caught up with me. I was injured and disoriented, but some unseen force led me to a barn where I took shelter. The next morning I was awakened by a beautiful, dark-haired angel with the most incredible blue eyes…very familiar blue eyes.”
“Ashley is in Oregon?” Miss Parker smiled.
“Her name is Jessica now, though she likes to be called Jessie,” Jarod grinned.
Throwing her arms around Jarod’s neck, Miss Parker laughed in relief. “Jarod, I want to go to her.”
“We will leave in the morning,” Jarod held her close. “I love you, Parker.”
“I love you too. I’m just sorry it took me so long to realize it.”
“You know, Parker,” Jarod touched her cheek and stared into the bottomless blue depths of her eyes. “After everything we’ve been through in our lives…I have a feeling that we are finally on the right path?”
“I hope so, Jarod. Promise me that we will never look back, that the past will be put to rest, once and for all.”
Jarod kissed her tenderly. “What past?” Jarod grinned.
Miss Parker reached up to touch his face, “I almost lost you…”
Jarod brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, “I’m not going anywhere, Parker. Like it or not, you are stuck with me.”
The look in Jarod’s eyes nearly made her want to cry again. He loved her…she had spent four years making his life a living hell and yet he loved her. She did not deserve him.
As if reading her thoughts, Jarod shook his head slowly and smiled, “Parker, that’s the past…the past is dead. All that matters now is that we are together and we have a little girl who needs us. She has been through a lot and I have a feeling that it is not going to be an easy road ahead. The Centre is not going to be kept in the dark for long.”
Nodding, Miss Parker turned and walked a short distance away from Jarod. “Why do they keep torturing us like this, Jarod? What did we ever do to deserve this life they have dealt us?”
“I don’t know, but we cannot let them win. They can never win,” Jarod moved behind her and wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head.
Turning to face him again, Miss Parker smiled slightly, “Now that we’re on the same side, the Centre won’t stand a chance.”
“Why do you think they turned us against each other? They knew what they would be up against if we ever found the truth and turned against them.”
Miss Parker chuckled softly, “I almost feel sorry for them.”
“Me too,” Jarod grinned.
“Jarod,” Miss Parker turned to stare into the dancing flames. “Is Jessica going to accept me? She is four years old and has been raised by another woman, whom she believed to be her real mother. Is she going to understand?”
“Parker, Jessie is a very bright child. You are forgetting who her father is,” Jarod raised both eyebrows and flashed her that mischievous grin she had always hated. Somehow this time she found it amusing.
“Okay, Boy Genius,” Miss Parker laughed, “I think that is more egotism than I can tolerate on an empty stomach.”
Jarod made a bee-line for the phone, “Pizza or Chinese?”
“Do this often? How in the hell do you keep in shape?”
Jarod glanced sideways at her as he dialed the telephone. “I run it off.”
“Funny.”
A few hours later, Jarod carried a sleeping Miss Parker into her room. Once she was tucked in tight he laid down next to her. He fell asleep listening to her breathing and for once, the nightmares did not come.
The ringing of the telephone woke Miss Parker from a sound sleep. Normally she would have snapped, but for some strange reason, she felt rested and content. The feeling would be short-lived…
“Good Morning,” she smiled into the telephone as she glanced over her shoulder to see Jarod grinning sleepily at her. She could definitely get used to this.
“Miss Parker?” Broots responded in a confused voice.
“Hello, Broots.”
“Miss Parker, is he there?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but Lyle just left. He said something about having business in Oregon. Miss Parker, I think he knows.”
“Damn,” Miss Parker shot out of bed. “Broots, get the jet ready. We’ve got to get there before he does.”
Jarod leapt from the bed, “Lyle.” He scrambled to put on his boots, “If he touches her, I’ll kill him.” The unrestrained menace in Jarod’s voice did not surprise her. She had seen that look in his eyes before.
Miss Parker slammed down the telephone and headed for her closet. She dressed quickly in jeans and a black sweater. She pulled on her boots and grabbed her gun. “Jarod, if he gets to Jessie before we do…”
“He won’t,” Jarod took hold of her hand and squeezed. “They can’t win.”
Miss Parker nodded silently and fighting to control her tears, headed out the door with Jarod hot on her heels. Neither of them dared to think about what would happen if they did not reach Jessie in time.
The jet had barely touched down and coasted to a stop on the runway before Jarod threw open the door. Miss Parker climbed down and ran toward a waiting helicopter.
The pilot looked up from his magazine to see a tall, angry and determined brunette heading directly for him. Behind her came a tall man with desperation in his eyes. Instinct told him that these two were not to be messed with. “Ma’am, can I help you?”
“Is this thing ready to fly?”
“Yes, ma’am, but I am a waitin’ for someone else.”
“They can find another way,” Miss Parker hissed and slapped a roll of cash into the pilot’s hand.
“Yes, ma’am,” the pilot winked and opened the door to the cockpit for her. The man went around and climbed into the front seat. Evidently, they didn’t need him. He stepped back from the helicopter just as the blades came to life. He waved as they took off then counted the wad of bills in his hand, nearly passing out as he realized that it added up to just over ten thousand dollars. “This must be my lucky day,” he grinned and walked toward the hangar counting his riches over and over again.
As the farm came into view, Jarod immediately sensed that something was not right.
It was too quiet. Nothing was moving. He flew over the corral and startled the horses. It only took him a split second to notice that Cocoa was not among them. Something was definitely wrong. He had begun to worry when Emily had not answered the telephone when he called to warn her.
Miss Parker scanned the ground below. Her heart was in her throat as she willed herself to believe that Jessica was safe. She could not let herself fall apart. Sensing the fear in Jarod’s movements, she barely managed to hold back the tears.
Jarod set down just a hundred feet or so from the barn. Both he and Miss Parker pulled their guns as they moved quickly toward the house. They found the front door locked, but Jarod threw himself against it and it gave way with very little resistance.
The silence of the home was deafening. There were no smells of fresh-baked blueberry muffins. No Emily, singing softly to herself as she cooked and cleaned. No laughter…no Jessie. Jarod had only spent a few days there, but it had been the closest thing to a home that he had ever known. Now it seemed lonely and abandoned.
Miss Parker searched the first floor rooms while Jarod went upstairs to search. The first place he looked was the attic. It was empty. Just before going back downstairs, he glanced out the window toward the barn. His heart stopped as he saw something or someone lying on the ground in the shadow of the oak tree. At breakneck speed, he ran down the stairs passing Miss Parker as he flew out the door.
She followed, keeping up with him as best she could. She saw him heading for a still form lying on the ground. As she dropped to her knees next to him, she saw that it was a petite, blonde woman.
“Oh God, Emily,” Jarod gasped as he carefully examined her from head to toe. She was lying on her stomach and as he gently rolled her onto her back, they saw that the front of her dress was soaked in blood. Checking for a pulse, he found it…weak and erratic. Frantically, he tore the lower part of her skirt and held it over the bullet hole in her side.
Emily suddenly coughed and opened her eyes, “Jarod. Thank God…you…came back…Jessie…”
“Emily, stay with me. Hang on. We’ll get you to a hospital,” Jarod whispered softly, trying to make his voice sound as reassuring as possible. He knew the wound was fatal. He could not save her…no one could. “Emily, can you hear me?”
“Jarod, Jessie…she’s gone…they took her. The Centre came and took…her away. I tried to stop them…” she gasped and went into a fit of coughing.”
Miss Parker knew also that this woman, who had raised Jessica from birth, was dying. She had never felt so helpless. Jessica was in the hands of the Centre. “Emily, you don’t know me…”
Emily focused on the brunette’s face and smiled weakly, “Miss Parker…Jessie looks just like you…”
Miss Parker fought back her tears, “I want you to know that I will be forever indebted to you for saving Jessie from the Centre when she was born and raising her. Thank you.”
Emily reached for Miss Parker’s hand and took hold. “Tell her that I love her…please, don’t let her…forget me.”
“I promise you, I will never let her forget you,” Miss Parker whispered.
“Jarod,” Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “Take everything from the house…don’t bring Jessie back here…I don’t want the bad memories to…to haunt her.”
Jarod nodded, “Emily, do you know where they are taking her?”
Shaking her head slowly, Emily started to cry. Huge sobs wracked her whole body. “It’s my fault…Robert…he brought them here…they took her.”
“Damn,” Jarod swore. “I never should have let him live. Who shot you, Emily?”
“I didn’t know him…but he wore…a glove…one hand.”
“Lyle.” Miss Parker leapt to her feet and ran a hand through her dark hair.
Jarod glanced up at her then back to the dying woman in his arms. “Emily, was Robert with them?”
She nodded, “He laughed…he killed Cocoa.”
“Oh God, Jessie didn’t see…did she?”
Emily nodded again, “She saw…the look on her face…he just…laughed.”
Miss Parker wasn’t sure who or what Cocoa was, but she knew that witnessing violent death could traumatize a child for life.
Jarod’s shoulders sagged as Emily gasped her last breath her last words would be forever etched in his memory.
“Jarod, Jessie is…just…like…you.” And with those words, Emily’s eyes closed and she was gone.
The flight back to Blue Cove seemed to take an eternity. Miss Parker sat staring silently out the window of the jet. Jarod sat next to her with his head resting in his hands. She reached for him but something told her that he needed to work through the pain in his own way. She knew that the guilt was weighing heavily on his shoulders, eating away at him little by little.
They had arranged for Emily’s burial before leaving Oregon. They left immediately after making their statement to the police. It had cost them three hours, but they knew that Jessica’s life was not in danger. If she was a pretender, as Emily’s last words had suggested, the Centre would not hurt her…physically. Mentally was another story.
Miss Parker jumped as her cell phone rang. “What,” she gasped, running her fingers through her dark hair.
“Miss Parker,” Sydney’s soothing voice came over the line. “I need to speak with Jarod, is he there?”
“Yes,” she handed the telephone to Jarod.
“Sydney,” Jarod’s voice was barely audible.
“Jarod, Jessica is here. Lyle brought her in about an hour ago. She appears to be unhurt. She will not speak to anyone though. Jarod, they still believe you are dead and they don’t know that I am aware of Jessica’s true identity.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Evidently, Robert did not tell them about our little encounter. He must not have known who I was.”
Sydney cleared his throat, “Jarod, I believe that this Robert Thomas worked for the Centre and was given a directive to marry Emily so they could monitor Jessica until she was old enough to be trained. She is approximately the same age as you were when you were brought here."
“She is a pretender, Sydney.”
“Lyle has asked me to meet with Jessica and try to get her to cooperate. I am going down there as soon as we hang up. She is on SL-20, corridor 3…room 52. Be careful. They may not be expecting you, but they know Miss Parker is coming for her daughter.”
“We’ll be careful, Syd. Thank you.”
After cutting the connection, Jarod turned and gathered Miss Parker into his arms. “She’s there and she’s safe…for now. Sydney is on his way down to see her. He will protect her.”
“Thank God,” Miss Parker whispered as she curled into Jarod’s embrace.
“We’re going to get her out, Parker,” Jarod gently kissed the top of her head.
Jarod and Miss Parker were within a mile of the Centre grounds when a flash of movement ahead caught their attention. Jarod slammed on the brakes. The car came to a sliding stop, just inches from a figure crouched in the road, covering his head. As Jarod exited the car, the figure raised his head and blinked quickly, blinded by the headlights.
“Angelo.” Bending, Jarod helped his friend to his feet, “Angelo, are you all right? What are you doing out of the Centre?”
Miss Parker joined them just as Angelo grinned and hugged Jarod tightly, “Angelo knew Jarod not dead. Angelo glad.”
Laughing, Jarod hugged him back, “It’s good to see you too, but why did you run out into the road like that? You could have been killed.
“Angelo find Jarod and Miss Parker. Little girl sad…scared. She cries…when no one sees. Brave…strong…when they see.”
Miss Parker put an arm around Angelo, “Is Jessica all right? Have they hurt her?”
Angelo shook his head, “Sydney there now…little girl safe.”
Jarod started to help Angelo toward the car, but after only a few steps, Angelo grabbed Jarod’s arm and shook his head. “What is it, Angelo?”
“Angelo help. Come this way.”
“Parker,” Jarod said. “Take the car and go on to the Centre. I will go with Angelo.”
“All right, but be careful. He may not be the only one who knows you aren’t dead.”
Jarod covered her lips with his own in a quick but tender kiss, “You be careful. And remember the plan. We have to stick to the plan. I’ll meet you inside.”
Miss Parker watched until they disappeared into the darkness before getting back into the car and driving the remaining distance to the Centre. She said a prayer for Jessica and for Jarod before sliding out from behind the wheel and slamming the car door behind her as she stormed into the main building.
The elevator doors closed and she pressed the button for SL-20. Pulling out her gun, she checked the clip to make sure it was loaded, then returned it to its home under her jacket. Dressed in the jeans and black sweater from that morning, Miss Parker felt strangely vulnerable…almost human. As she watched the sub-level indicator, she struggled with the overwhelming fear that something ominous would be awaiting her when the elevator doors opened.
When they finally did, Miss Parker scanned the corridor warily and as she moved along, keeping close to the walls, she became aware of the distinct sound of a child crying. She followed the sound until she came to Room 52. The door was slightly ajar. This can’t be good, she thought to herself.
Cautiously, Miss Parker pushed open the heavy steel door and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior of the room. Slowly she moved farther into the small cell. The crying had stopped but she could still hear the choked sobs as the child tried to keep silent.
As her eyes adjusted, she saw a tiny form huddled into the farthest corner of the room behind the bed.
“Jessica,” Miss Parker whispered. “It’s all right…you can come out now.”
The little girl moved ever so slightly, as if trying to decide whether she could trust this new stranger.
“Jessie, I’m here now, baby. You don’t really know me, but I’m…”
“You are my real mommy?” a small voice said.
Miss Parker’s eyes filled with tears suddenly, “Yes, Jessie, I’m your real mommy.”
“Where’s my daddy?”
Sitting down on the small bed, Miss Parker reached out to her daughter, “He’s here too. We’ve come to take you away from this place.”
Jessie reached up and took hold of Miss Parker’s outstretched hand. “Good. I don’t like it here. They wanted me to play games with them…I told them no.”
“You are a very smart girl, Jessie.” Miss Parker gently pulled the little girl into her embrace and held her, comforted her. “Come now, we have to go. Before they come back.”
Lifting Jessie, Miss Parker smiled as she wrapped her arms tightly around her neck. Moving toward the door, she had no more taken a step that the door flew completely open, banging against the wall and the lights came on, blinding her for a moment.
“Well, well what do we have here,” Lyle flashed his charming but deadly smile. “If this isn’t a touching sight. Just where do you think you are taking her, Sis.”
“Out of this hell-hole,” Miss Parker hissed.
“She belongs to the Centre.”
“She is my daughter, Lyle. I will not let you hurt her. I will kill you if I have to.”
“You will have to, Parker. And do you want your little girl to see that her real mommy is a killer?”
Jessie lifted her head and glared at Lyle. The look she gave him was pure ‘Miss Parker’. Her mother quickly stifled a chuckle as her heart filled with a powerful emotion that she had never known before. Pride…love…devotion…all rolled into one amazing feeling that renewed her courage and overpowered all doubt.
Miss Parker started toward her brother, “Lyle, my daughter and I are going to walk out of here now. You and Raines should really learn that playing God will only pave your way to hell. But then…you both should fit right in.”
“Sorry, Sis. You are not going anywhere…except maybe a cold, dark cell on SL-27. That will keep you out of the way for a long, long time,” Lyle motioned with his head and two sweepers came into the room.
Miss Parker backed away from them until her back hit the wall. “Lyle, I’m warning you, I am not letting you take her from me.”
“I don’t see that you have a choice in the matter, Parker. Give her up and we won’t kill you,” Lyle stood just inside the doorway, an amused look in his eyes.
The sweepers were only a few feet away when Miss Parker heard a scratching noise coming from the vent above her. Smiling slyly, she dove to the floor just as the grate exploded out of the wall and Jarod dropped out of the opening, instantly wiping the smug grin off Lyle’s face. In its place was a panic and fear that nearly made Miss Parker burst out laughing.
“Hello, Lyle.” Jarod raised an eyebrow and grinned, “So nice to see you again.”
“Jarod,” Lyle gasped. “But you’re supposed to be dead.”
“Sorry, I guess I’m just not gonna go away.”
“Kill them all,” Lyle ordered the sweepers.
“I don’t think so,” Jarod aimed his gun directly at Lyle’s head. They move, you die.”
Lyle swallowed hard and cleared his throat, “Jarod, the girl is the Centre’s property. Look at it this way. With her, we no longer need you. You are free to go. Fair trade?”
Jarod glared at the cowering man, “Jessica is not going to have her childhood stolen from her the way mine was. She is going to live a happy, normal life with parents who love her and no one will ever take her away from us again.” Then to Miss Parker he jerked his head toward the opening in the wall, “Go, take Jessie. There’s a friend waiting inside to show you the way out.”
Miss Parker nodded and quickly lifted Jessica into the ventilation shaft. With a glance over her shoulder, she met Jarod’s gaze. The silent communication between them spoke louder than words ever could. As she followed Jessica into the vent, she knew that Jarod would die to protect them. She prayed that it would not come to that.
Once Jessie and Miss Parker were gone, Jarod focused all of his attention on Lyle. The sweepers had backed off enough that he had some room to maneuver. His mind mechanically ticked off the seconds as he moved toward the vent. “Time to go. It’s been a pleasure.”
And in one fluid movement, Jarod lifted himself up into the shaft and tossed a time-delayed hand grenade into the room behind him. He heard Lyle and his goons diving for cover and chuckled softly to himself as he moved stealthily through the ventilation system. The explosion rattled the ductwork around him and forced him to cover his ears for a few seconds before moving on.
Miss Parker followed Angelo out into the night air. She had wrapped her jacket around Jessie to keep her warm. Her arms were growing tired but she refused to let go of her daughter. They finally reached the car and she settled Jessie into the back seat. When she turned around, Angelo was gone.
“Thank you,” she smiled into the darkness. Slipping into the driver’s seat, she started the engine, waited, and prayed. There was still no sign of Jarod. He heart was beating rapidly in her chest. She looked at her watch. Two more minutes, Jarod had told her to leave him if he was not out two minutes after they reached the car.
A full minute had passed and there was still no sign of him. Two minutes…time to go. She fought back tears as she pressed her foot down on the accelerator and the car tore out of the parking area. “Come on, Jarod. Where are you?” she whispered.
As the car rounded a curve, she saw headlights coming toward them. As the car drew closer, Miss Parker recognized it. “Broots.”
The two cars came to a stop in the middle of the road. Broots rolled down his window and grinned, “I think I found something that belongs to you.”
The passenger side door opened and Jarod got out. He slid into the passenger seat and immediately kissed her. When he pulled away, he was grinning from ear to ear, “I love you, Parker.”
Miss Parker slugged him playfully in the chest. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“I do my best,” Jarod laughed.
They waved to Broots as he drove away then Miss Parker stepped on the gas and did the same. Jarod reached over the back of the seat to adjust Miss Parker’s jacket over Jessie. He smiled as he gently smoothed back his daughter’s dark hair. She was truly her mother’s daughter, he thought, as he turned his gaze to Miss Parker. Beautiful…strong, definitely stubborn and he loved them both more than his own life. They were his family and his home now and nothing would ever come between them again.
It was nearing dawn when Jarod pulled the car off the road and shut off the engine. They were on the outskirts of a small town in Maryland. The Lazy Day motel caught his attention. Pulling the car into the parking space in front of the office, he glanced back over his shoulder. He smiled gently, Miss Parker was sleeping soundly, and curled in her embrace was Jessie. The sight gave him a deep feeling of contentment and peace despite the circumstances.
Jarod tried not to think about how hard their lives would be from here on out. To raise a child while constantly on the move was not going to be easy. After one more, quick look at his little family, he climbed out of the car.
The motel office was dark so Jarod pressed the buzzer. A few minutes later a small, kindly, old woman flipped on the lights and came to open the door. Although he could tell by her bathrobe and the curlers in her hair, that he had awakened her, she was the picture of happiness. Unlocking the door, she smiled a warm, smile that reminded Jarod of sunshine on a rainy day.
“Welcome,” she chuckled and touched her hand to her face. “I must look a fright. What can I do for you, child?”
Jarod gave her a slight nod and smiled, “I’m sorry to wake you so early, but my family and I have been traveling all night. We would like to rest for the day.”
“Of course, child. Let me see…oh yes. I have just the thing for you. It is a small two-bedroom cabin with a kitchen. It’s quiet and very cute…I decorated it myself. It rents for seventy-five dollars a night.”
“Sounds just perfect, thank you,” Jarod nodded and handed her two hundred dollars. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to stay.”
“Well, you are welcome here for as long as you like. Oh, and…by the way, breakfast comes with the room. It will be ready in an hour if you and your family are hungry.”
“Thank you, we are.”
The woman glanced down at the registry and smiled knowingly, “Well, Jarod Michaels, we will be expecting you. And my name is Martha, my husband is George…no, not Washington…Kensington.”
Jarod laughed, “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kensington.
“Call me Martha, please. ‘Mrs. Kensington’ makes me sound so old,” Martha winked and with a soft chuckle she followed Jarod to the car. Peeking inside the back window, she whispered, “You have a beautiful family, Jarod. Cherish them always.”
“Thank you, Martha. And I will.”
“Jarod, don’t worry. My lips are sealed,” Martha made a motion with her fingers of ‘zipping’ her lips and throwing away the key, winked again and disappeared back inside the office.
Jarod could only stare in confusion after her. What had she meant? Did she know that they were on the run and from whom? Shaking his head with disbelief, he slid behind the wheel and drove toward the back of the property where Martha had said that the cabin would be.
True to her word, it was quiet and secluded, located in the woods behind the motel. Jarod pulled the car into a small carport that was attached to the rear of the small cabin. It would definitely conceal it from any passing vehicles in the parking lot of the motel. And it was well out of view of the highway.
Jarod wondered again about Martha’s strange behavior. She had known they were running from someone. She gave them this cabin because she knew they needed a safe place to rest. But how could she know?
Leaning over the back of the seat, Jarod brushed his hand through Miss Parker’s dark hair. “Parker, wake up. I found us a place to rest.”
Miss Parker smiled slightly as she opened her eyes and looked down at Jessie. “Jarod, she’s really here. I was afraid that it had all been a dream,” her eyes filled with tears. “She’s beautiful.”
Jarod nodded and gently traced a line along Miss Parker’s cheek, “Just like her mother…beautiful as a sunrise. With the temperament of a thunderstorm and a stubbornness that cannot be matched.”
“Very funny.”
“I kinda thought so,” he grinned. “Here let me take her, you can open the door to the cabin.” Handing her the key, Jarod lifted Jessie into his arms, cradling her to his chest as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do.
Miss Parker’s heart filled with a sense of warmth she’d never known before. Jarod did not have to pretend to be a father, he was a natural, in every way possible. He loved Jessie with every fiber of his being. She could see it in his eyes. Those same eyes that looked upon her with an unconditional love that she did not deserve.
The cabin was tiny, two bedrooms…one bath, and a galley-style kitchen. The sitting area was furnished with a small sofa and a chair, a coffee table and a grandfather clock. There was a fireplace with a river-rock hearth large enough for someone to sit on without being too close to the flames. Above the mantle hung an incredible painting of the ocean and a lighthouse on a jagged cliff.
Miss Parker entered the smaller bedroom ahead of Jarod and watched as he gently placed their daughter on the double bed. He covered her with the patchwork quilt, tucking it around Jessie’s tiny body. Then he bent to kiss her softly on the cheek and straightened slowly as he turned toward Miss Parker and held out his hand to her. Taking it, she walked toward the bed and smiled as she too bent to kiss Jessie’s cheek.
Together they watched her sleeping. Then Jarod wrapped his arm around Miss Parker’s waist and led her into the other bedroom. “Lie down and rest, Parker. I’m going to go get us some breakfast at the motel. I will be back in a few minutes.”
“Jarod, be careful.” Miss Parker whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
Jarod smiled and quietly left the cabin, being sure to lock the door behind him. Then he made his way on foot back to the motel.
Martha spotted him and waved from an open door behind the office. “Come in, come in, child. Where is your lovely family?” she asked as she guided him through the door and into the breakfast area.
Jarod took a deep breath and inhaled the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen, smiling he turned to Martha, “They are asleep. If it’s all right, I’d like some food, to go.”
“Of course, it’s all right. But first, you sit down and eat your fill. You look as though you haven’t had a decent home-cooked meal in quite awhile,” Martha ushered Jarod into a chair near the window. The table was covered in an antique lace with a protective glass top. Everything in the room was antique and delicate.
Jarod relaxed a bit and accepted the mountainous plate of food that Martha placed in front of him. There were pancakes smothered in maple syrup and blue berry muffins, bacon, eggs, and sausage. His first bite of the pancakes seemed to literally melt in his mouth. He smiled widely as Martha approached with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. “This is incredible,” Jarod took another bite.
“Good, good, you eat every bite. I will pack some food for your family,” Martha patted Jarod on the back. “George and I will take good care of you, don’t you worry.”
Jarod met the old woman’s gaze, “Thank you, thank you both.”
“Nonsense. Thank you, Jarod,” she smiled. “We owe you a debt that can never be repaid.”
“I don’t understand,” Jarod looked at her in confusion.
“Of course you don’t. You don’t know us, but you saved our grandson’s life. You found him a heart. You gave him your brother’s heart.”
Jarod’s eyes lit up, “JR, how is he? I’m afraid, I haven’t been able to call him in awhile.”
“He’s doing just great. He told us all about you when he came to stay with us last summer. He thinks the world of you, Jarod. You are his hero.”
Jarod looked away to glance out the window. “My brother is the hero. He gave his life for mine. I gave JR his heart. Kyle is the hero.”
“I’m so very sorry Jarod, I know you miss him.”
“I hardly had the chance to know him.”
“JR told us that he visited this strange place in Delaware. Something called…the Centre. They asked questions about you. What do they want with you, Jarod?” Martha asked as she sat down in the chair across from him.
“They want me back under their thumb, and now they want my daughter,” he spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I was taken from my family when I was her age, and raised by the Centre. I performed simulations that they then sold to unknown sources to be used for acts of terrorism and other unspeakable crimes against society.”
“So you feel that you have to make up for the evil that they did using your work.” Martha nodded slowly then stood, she hugged Jarod and smiled, “Jarod, you have nothing to make up for. Those people hurt you deeply. What they did, was not your fault. You are a wonderful man and I hope that someday you will be able to forgive yourself and move on.”
Jarod shook his head slowly, “Maybe…someday. For now, I have to concentrate on protecting my daughter. I can’t let them do to her what they did to me.”
Martha nodded, “You eat. I’ll get the food ready.”
As she disappeared into the kitchen, Jarod lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and drank the rich liquid. Somehow, he had to find a way to protect his family. Then, once they were safe, he would make the Centre pay for everything they have done and for everyone they have hurt.
Miss Parker awoke with a start at the sound of Jessica’s screams. Rushing to her room, she found Jessie on the bed, huddled against the wall.
“Jessie, baby. You are safe now. No one is going to hurt you again,” Miss Parker sat down on the bed and Jessie immediately came into her embrace. “It’s all right, I’m here. I’ll stay with you.” Lying down next to her daughter, Miss Parker held her close and sang softly to her until they both fell back to sleep.
That was how Jarod found them when he returned an hour later. He smiled as he crept silently into the room and carefully covered them with the patchwork quilt, then placed a kiss on Miss Parker’s forehead. He turned to leave the room, but paused to look at them once more. His family…he had wondered many times what it would be like to be a father…a husband. It was still so new, so strange.
In the kitchen, he went about putting the food away. When he began to reheat some of it, the sweet aroma filled the cabin.
Jessie appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with both hands. “Daddy?”
Jarod turned and dropped to one knee, “Hi, Jessie.” He held his arms out to her, smiling, “You don’t know how glad I am to see you.”
Running to him, she threw her arms around his neck. “I knew you would come back. I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Jarod laughed and hugged her tightly. “Now, why don’t you go wake your mommy and tell her that breakfast is ready.”
“Okay,” Jessie giggled and ran back into her bedroom. She returned a few minutes later towing Miss Parker, still half-asleep, behind her.
“I hope you are hungry, Martha sent me back here with enough food for an army,” Jarod grinned and placed a bowl of apple-cinnamon oatmeal in front of Jessie who immediately picked up her spoon and dug in.
Miss Parker laughed softly, “Good, I am starving.”
“Eat up,” Jarod said as he placed a plate heaped with pancakes and maple syrup on the table in front of her.
Sighing loudly, Miss Parker smiled, “Their goes my diet.”
Jarod reached down and picked up her fork, loading it with a huge bite of the pancakes. “The last thing you need to worry about is your diet. Now eat.” He placed the fork to her lips. She took the bite from the fork and chewed. “Good girl,” Jarod praised her.
“Ha ha, very funny, boy genius.”
Jarod winked at her then disappeared into the other room. Miss Parker continued to eat while she watched Jessie devouring the last of her oatmeal. Smiling to herself, she thought about how much her life had changed in such a short time. A week ago she could not have dreamed where her fate was taking her, much less who she would be with. Suddenly, here she was a mother and in love with the man she had been hunting only a week earlier. Ironic didn’t even come close…
Jessie had finished eating and sat staring at Miss Parker without speaking.
Miss Parker grew uncomfortable with the little girl’s silent scrutiny. Smiling slightly she dropped her fork and met her daughter’s gaze. “Jessie, why are you staring at me?”
Jessie ducked her head shyly, “I’m sorry. I just think that you’re pretty.”
Blushing, Miss Parker whispered, “Thank you. You are very pretty too.”
“Like mother, like daughter,” Jarod was leaning against the wall, behind Miss Parker, with an amused glint in his brown eyes.
“How long have you been standing there?” Miss Parker tried to sound annoyed, but somehow she had lost that edge when she lost the ‘Ice Queen’. The sarcasm and anger had vanished, leaving behind a vulnerable woman. A woman she did not know, nor want to be.
“Long enough,” Jarod motioned toward her plate, “to see that you are not eating.”
Jessie jumped up from her chair and went to Jarod. “Daddy, I want some ice cream, please.”
Jarod laughed heartily, “Ah, a woman after my own heart. Parker, let’s go get us some ice cream.”
Miss Parker rolled her eyes, but the sparkle in their blue depths gave away her own amusement, “You two go ahead. I am going to hit the shower. I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay then, we’ll be back shortly. Lock the door behind us,” he leaned over and kissed her lightly. “Call my cell phone if you need me, we won’t be far away.”
“Go on,” she ushered them out of the cabin shutting the door behind them. Turning the lock, she heard it click into place. Moving the curtain aside, she watched Jarod lift Jessie onto his broad shoulders as he headed for the motel. Then smiling, Miss Parker went into the bathroom to take her shower.
Jarod and Jessie entered Martha’s office and rang the bell on the counter. She appeared a moment later with a wide smile on her face.
“Well, well, just who do we have here?” Martha reached up and took hold of Jessie’s small hand.
“This is my daughter Jessica,” Jarod beamed with pride.
“What a lovely child,” Martha touched her hand to Jarod’s arm. “She has your smile, Jarod. Jessica, what can I do for you today?”
“I’d like some ice cream please.”
Martha chuckled, “Such a polite child. I believe we can arrange that, come with me.”
Jarod followed them into the kitchen where Martha motioned for them to sit at the same table where he had eaten breakfast. Jessie’s eyes lit up when Martha brought her a huge bowl of ice cream topped with hot fudge. Jarod laughed as she tried to find a starting point to dig in.
Martha gave Jarod his ice cream then returned a moment later with a cup of coffee. “Is there anything else I can get for you today, Jessica?”
“No, ma’am. Thank you very much.”
The three of them talked and laughed until the ice cream was gone. Then Jarod picked up the dishes and carried them to the kitchen.
“Jarod, I can do that,” Martha said as she followed him.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“Before you go back to the cabin, I have something I’d like to give Jessica. Wait here for just a minute,” Martha disappeared into the residential part of the motel. She returned carrying a beautiful doll dressed in an old fashioned, blue floral dress and bonnet. “This belonged to my daughter, JR’s mother, I know she would want Jessica to have it.”
Jarod watched as Martha gave the doll to Jessie. Jessie’s eyes lit up and she hugged Martha tightly.
“I love her, Martha. Thank you,” Jessie touched the doll’s hair and dress with such care that Jarod wondered if she had ever had a doll of her very own.
“You are very welcome child. Her name is Becky. Though you can change it if you want to.”
Jessie looked up at Jarod, “I’d like to call her Emily.”
Jarod nodded his approval and kneeled down to look at the doll more closely, “I think ‘Emily’ is the perfect name for her.”
Martha shook her head in amazement, for a father and daughter who had only just found each other, they seemed as though they had never been apart. And Jarod, never being a father before, took to it like a duck to water.
“Well, we had better be getting back to the cabin. Your mommy will be looking for us,” Jarod said as he swept Jessie up onto his shoulders and handed Emily to her. “Thank you, Martha. We’ll be seeing you for breakfast in the morning if we don’t get any unexpected visitors.”
Martha nodded, “I’ll call you immediately if I see anything suspicious, anything at all. I have explained everything to George also, so he knows what to do also.”
“We really appreciate this, Martha. But please don’t put yourselves at risk for us. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to the two of you.”
“Hush now, Jarod. Do not worry about us, we’re tough,” Martha smiled at Jessie. “It was very nice meeting you Miss Jessica. Come again real soon.”
“Thank you for the ice cream and Emily,” Jessie smiled. “Nice to meet you to,” she added quickly.
Martha stood in the open doorway watching them as they walked away. She said a silent prayer then closed the door.
Miss Parker was standing in front of the mirror brushing out her long hair when Jarod and Jessie entered the cabin. She glanced in their direction and smiled, “So how was the ice cream?”
“Yummy!” Jessie squealed. “And look what I got,” she ran to her mother and showed her the doll.
“What a lovely doll, where did you get it?”
“Martha gave it to me. I named her Emily. Is that okay?”
Miss Parker remembered her promise to Emily before she died, to never let Jessie forget her. “That’s a very beautiful name, Jessie,” she smiled as Jessie rushed into her room to play with her new doll.
Jarod leaned his shoulder against the wall next to the mirror, “It belonged to her daughter, JR’s mother.”
Miss Parker looked confused for a moment before she remembered the boy, “She is JR’s grandmother? The boy you gave Kyle’s heart to.”
Nodding, Jarod turned and went to the fireplace to start a fire. There was already a chill in the air and it was not even mid afternoon yet. “I’m beginning to realize what a small world we live in,” his smile was reserved as he placed a log on the flickering flames.
“What’s a matter, Jarod?” Miss Parker teased, “All your heroic deeds starting to catch up to you?”
“Funny, Parker.”
“It’s okay to feel good about all you’ve done, Jarod, all the people you’ve helped. I never told you this before, for obvious reasons, but I envied you. I wish I had half the compassion and courage that you have. Maybe I would have been able to walk away from my father and the Centre a long time ago. And maybe I would have been able to face my true feelings for you long before now.” Miss Parker wrapped her arms around Jarod’s neck, “I love you, Pretender.”
Jarod pulled her into his embrace, “Parker, I still can’t believe this is real. I have loved you since we were ten. I never dared to hope that you would forgive me for all the pain I caused you.”
“Jarod, I know I blamed you for everything bad that happened in my life. The truth is, you are the only person who ever really cared about me. When my mother died, you were there to help me through the grief and the anger I felt because she left me. If anything, I made your life a living hell, and you can still say that you love me?”
“I love you, Parker,” Jarod kissed her tenderly.
Miss Parker pulled back slightly and looked up into his chocolate-brown eyes and smiled, “You know, it’s funny, my ulcer hasn’t bothered me at all lately.”
“Great,” Jarod grinned playfully, “Mexican or Tai for dinner?”
“You want to kill me?”
“Never.”
Jessie came skipping into the room and smiled up at her parents, “Can we go somewhere now?”
“Where do you want to go, baby?” Miss Parker knelt down on one knee and placed a quick kiss on her daughter’s cheek.
“Want to go shoppin’. Want to buy Emily some new shoes.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Jarod laughed.
“Do you think it’s safe to go out?” Miss Parker stood and went into the bedroom to dress and put on her makeup.
“Unless your brother has taken to shopping at WalMart, we should be safe enough. And until I can arrange for Jessie’s things to be sent to us, I think we should get her some new clothes and things. And we need to find another mode of transportation. I hope you aren’t too attached to that black town car, Parker.”
“I’m not, but the Centre might be. Since it is theirs, after all.”
“Which is exactly why we need to get rid of it.”
“What shall we get, Jarod?” Miss Parker asked as she came out of the bedroom. “A mini van or a station wagon?”
“I don’t think we need to go that inconspicuous. And we will need something with speed when and if we need it.”
“Well, let’s go then,” Miss Parker swept Jessie up into her arms and headed out the door. “We’re going shopping.”
Jarod laughed and followed them, locking the door behind them. After a quick stop at the office to tell Martha that they would be gone for awhile, they went in search of a new car lot and Walmart.
An hour later, Miss Parker drove out of the lot in a new Dodge Durango with Jarod and Jessie following in the town car. She turned into Walmart and waited while Jarod parked the car on the outskirts of the parking lot and collected their things to transfer them to the Durango. Then he and Jessie climbed into the vehicle and Miss Parker drove around to the opposite side of the building to park.
The store was full of people, everyone shopping for the Holidays, which seemed to come earlier and earlier every year. Miss Parker found herself suddenly looking forward to Christmas this year. For the first time since her mother’s death, she would have a family to share it with. She was no longer alone.
Jarod lifted Jessie and lowered her gently into a shopping cart, which mysteriously turned into an Indy 500-race car as he pushed her down the aisles. Jessie giggled hysterically every time Jarod ‘revved’ the engine. Miss Parker could not hide her own enjoyment of his antics.
When they came to the toy department, Miss Parker knew she was in trouble as he and Jessie became totally engrossed in each and every toy they set eyes on. “I’m going to finish our shopping, I guess I know where to find you two when I’m done.”
“Uh-huh,” Jarod grinned. His eyes were lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning.
“Don’t go crazy, or we’ll have to trade the Durango for an eighteen-wheeler.”
“We won’t,” Jarod placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Watch your back, Parker. I can’t be one hundred percent sure that they will not show up here. Be careful.”
“You too,” Miss Parker warned as she steered the cart down another aisle.
Jarod collected a second cart an loaded it with toys for Jessie, and just a few for himself. By the time Miss Parker returned Jessie was adding a Barbie Doll to their haul.
“All right you two, I think you have kinda overdone it. Put half of that stuff back.” Father and daughter both looked at her with puppy-dog eyes until she could not take it any longer. “What am I going to do with you two,” she chuckled.
Jarod winked, “We’ll put back all but a couple of items. We just wanted to see your reaction. You know, you’ve got a knack for this mothering thing.”
“I guess we’re both naturals,” Miss Parker smiled. “Jessie, I need you to try on some clothes for me. I’m not exactly sure what size you wear.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Jessie climbed back into the cart and they headed for the children’s clothing department. Jarod tagged along behind with the other cart, which was at least only half full of toys.
Two hours later, they were sitting in a small café eating dinner, when Jarod suddenly stood up and dropped a fifty on the table. “Parker, come on. We’ve got company.”
Miss Parker grabbed Jessie and together they left the restaurant just as a pair of black town cars rounded the corner and parked near the front of the building. They kept low as they ran to the Durango and slipped inside. They were thankful for the falling darkness and for the tinted windows as they casually drove out of the parking lot and headed for the motel.
Jarod had just pulled under the carport when Martha came rushing toward them, “Oh, thank goodness your all right. I was so afraid they had found you.”
“They were here?” Miss Parker asked.
“Did they hurt you?” Jarod placed his hands on the old woman’s shoulders.
“No, no. They just showed us your pictures and I showed them the guest registry. Well, what they thought was the guest registry,” Martha smiled proudly. “We told them that you had been here for only a few hours and left. To make it even more convincing, I pretended to be afraid and asked if the two of you were dangerous criminals,” she chuckled and patted Jarod’s cheek. “They bought it, hook, line, and sinker.”
Jarod hugged her and grinned slightly, “Thank you, Martha. But we cannot take any chances. We have to leave. If they come back and find out we were here, they might hurt you and George.”
“Jarod, please be careful. And promise me that you and your family will come back for a visit when it’s safe.”
“We will, Martha,” Miss Parker said as she moved to stand next to Jarod. Taking hold of Martha’s hand she squeezed it gently, “Thank you so much for all you’ve done for us.”
“Oh, my dear, you are so very welcome. Take care of each other…love each other and they will never beat you.” Touching Miss Parker’s cheek, Martha smiled, “Such a beautiful girl. You make Jarod very happy.”
Jessie leaped out of the vehicle and came to hug Martha, “Bye Martha, I’ll miss you. Thank you for Emily.”
“You are welcome, child. You be a good girl and take care of your mommy and daddy for me, okay?”
“I will, I promise.”
Jarod came out of the cabin carrying the things they had left inside. He loaded everything into the back of the Durango and placed the key to the cabin in Martha’s hand, “Goodbye, Martha.”
“Goodbye, and God Bless,” she hugged him tightly. “Never give up hope, Jarod. JR didn’t, and then you came along. Never give up.”
“We won’t,” Jarod kissed the top of her silver curls then climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.
As they drove away, she waved until they were out of sight then walked slowly back to the motel. George met her halfway and placed an arm around her shoulders. “They’ll make it, Martha,” he whispered as he guided her toward their home. “They’ll be okay.”
Jarod kept watching the rearview mirror until he felt that they were safe. The digital clock in the dashboard reminded him of how tired he was. It was after midnight, but he knew they could not stop…not yet. Not until they had put some time, and distance, between themselves and Lyle. The Centre would not give up until they were dead. With Miss Parker and him out of the way, there would be no one to protect Jessie and she would be at their mercy.
Glancing over at Miss Parker in the seat next to him, he worried about the stress on her and what it had to be doing to her ulcer. She seemed pale in the moonlight pouring through the windows. Jarod reached over and took hold of her hand, bringing it gently to his lips.
Miss Parker smiled, “You want me to take over for a little while? You look tired.”
“No, I’m fine. Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
“Jarod, don’t worry about me. I am a big girl, I can still take care of myself you know,” she rolled her eyes slightly.
“I can see that, Parker,” Jarod winked at her, leaving the rest unsaid.
Despite herself, Miss Parker actually blushed. She hoped that the shadows hid that fact. “Why, Jarod, are you flirting with me?”
“You noticed.”
“I definitely noticed.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Maybe…then again, maybe not.”
Jarod laughed softly, “What are we doing, Parker?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are we continuing this cat-and-mouse game of ours?”
“I’m not sure. Force of habit I suppose.”
“I suppose,” Jarod frowned slightly.
Miss Parker turned toward the darkened window and stared blindly at the moon. Its soft glow was somehow comforting, a guardian spirit watching over them…guiding them. For some unknown reason, her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she wept silently.
Jarod felt her sadness and the fear she tried to bury deep inside her heart. He didn’t have to see her tears to know that she was crying. “Parker?”
Miss Parker wiped her eyes quickly, not wanting him to see what a blubbering fool she had become. But her shaky voice betrayed her. “What?” she asked softly.
“I’m sorry.”
Shaking her head quickly she glanced at him, “Jarod, you are going to live to regret loving me. I am not capable of loving or being loved. My love kills everyone it touches. It killed my mother…and Thomas. I could not bear it if something happened to you and Jessie. You two should leave me behind. I belong at the Centre with all the other horrid creatures they have locked away there. They created me…this heartless woman. You were the only good to ever come from that place…you and Jessie.”
Jarod pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and shut off the engine. Climbing out he came around to her side and opened the door. Gently he pulled her into his embrace. “Parker, I know you believe that is who you are, but I see the truth…the real person you are in here,” he smiled tenderly and covered her heart with his hand. “I fell in love with that person, not the one created by circumstances beyond both of our control. I have never believed that you were the woman you pretended to be for your father’s benefit. No matter how hard he tried, he could not destroy the part of you that he viewed as a weakness. That tenacious part of you that reminded him of your mother.”
As she laid her head against his broad, comforting chest, Miss Parker realized she had never loved him more than she did at that moment. His words reached the deep, dark places in her heart she had kept hidden for so long. The demons controlling her entire, miserable life…gone, banished forever by a man’s unconditional love. She suddenly felt as though a long, lost part of her had come home. It had…Jarod had come home to her.
“Parker, I love you, please don’t ever forget that,” Jarod whispered as his lips captured hers in a breathtaking kiss.
“Never…never again,” she gasped when he finally released her. “I love you, Jarod.”
“If you start to doubt yourself again, I’ll be forced to remind you of that fact,” he grinned teasingly.
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“If this is how you are going to remind me,” Miss Parker’s eyes sparkled with amusement and mischief. “I just might forget intentionally.”
“I think I can live with that,” Jarod smiled and kissed her again.
Miss Parker forced herself to drag them both back to reality, “Jarod, we’d better get going before our ‘friends’ catch up with us.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jarod’s eyes revealed his disappointment. “We’ll continue this discussion later,” he winked after he had helped her back into the Durango and closed the door. Then he went around and climbed back into the driver’s seat. As he started the engine, he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, “But not too much later.”
Jessie was still sound asleep in the back seat as Miss Parker reached over to pull the blanket back over her tiny body. “Poor baby, she’s exhausted.”
“It’s not much farther. We’ll be there in less than an hour.”
“One of your old lairs?” Miss Parker teased.
“Something like that,” Jarod reached over and playfully tugged on a lock of her hair.
“Are you sure we’ll be safe there?”
“You never found me there…”
“That’s not saying a whole lot,” Miss Parker frowned.
“Parker, of all the people the Centre set on my trail, you were the one I feared the most,” Jarod stared straight ahead, focusing on the dark highway.
“Why is that, Jarod?” Miss Parker asked with an amused glare.
“Because, with the exception of Sydney, you knew me better than any of them. You would be surprised to realize how close you came to catching me on several occasions. I’ve always known what you were truly capable of, and I knew that one day you would get the upper hand on me.”
“That’s bull, and you know it. You were always one step ahead.”
“One hard-earned step. You and I think a lot alike in many ways. It wasn’t easy for me to mislead you, Parker.”
“Just one question,” Miss Parker turned to him, “Why all the tricks? The roach motel, the flu virus, and why torture me with all those clues to my past?”
Jarod grinned, “That’s two questions.”
“So sue me.”
Jarod thought for a moment, “To tell you the truth, the tricks were just plain fun. I enjoyed them immensely.”
“I’m so glad I was able to entertain you,” Miss Parker said dryly.
“As for the clues to your past, I just wanted you to find the truth. I gave you the pieces to the puzzle, you just need to put them together.”
“Was that the message behind the stained glass picture with the missing heart?”
“No, there was another reason for that. One you have yet to discover,” Jarod said softly and reached for her hand, taking it in his own.
Miss Parker stared down at their intertwined fingers and nodded slowly. Raising her gaze to look at him she whispered, “I already know, Jarod. The missing piece…my heart…it was you, you are my heart.”
Jarod smiled and brought her hand to his lips, “I love you, Parker.”
“I was supposed to capture you, not the other way around,” Miss Parker laughed softly. It’s funny, I was so afraid of what you really meant to me that I had to push you away. Make myself believe that you were nothing more than Centre property. It was the only way I could deny my feelings for you, Jarod, I’m sorry.”
“None of that matters, Parker. We are together now.”
Miss Parker turned her attention back to the highway before them. A moment later they passed the state line. The sign read ‘Delaware Welcomes You’. She glanced at Jarod who was smiling knowingly. “You mean to tell me that were going back to Blue Cove?”
“Not quite, but close.”
“So you were hiding right under our noses and we didn’t know it.”
“There’s no better place to be. I could keep tabs on the goings on at the Centre and make sure that the people I care about were safe.”
“People like Sydney?”
“Yes, and Angelo, Broots, you.”
“So all the time that I was out in Timbuktu chasing your shadow, you were holed up here laughing your ass off at me.”
Jarod chuckled, “No, Parker. Truthfully, I never spent more that a day or two here at the most. The shadow you were chasing was me every time.”
“Oh, that’s comforting,” Miss Parker rolled her eyes her voice laced with that all too familiar sarcasm. “You must think I am the biggest fool.”
“No, but you definitely are the most beautiful one I know,” Jarod teased.
Miss Parker turned to glare at him, but the amused glint in his deep brown eyes and the crooked grin on his handsome face immediately melted her anger away to nothing. “I hate you, you know that?” she smiled slightly.
“I hate you too,” Jarod laughed softly as he pulled her against him.
Miss Parker rested her head on his shoulder, his arm draped protectively around her shoulders, as her thoughts drifted into the future…their future. She fought the tears as she realized that it was a dark one. She prayed that they would make it out of this alive and together. Jarod and Jessie were a part of her very being and she would fight to the death to protect them. The Centre had stolen her past, she would not let them have her future.
They both fell silent as Jarod turned the Durango off the highway and guided it onto a narrow dirt road. As the pitch-black woods closed in around them, the night sky disappeared above a thick canopy of trees. The moon shone through it in places, splashing white light randomly on the road in front of them.
“Where are we going, Jarod?” Miss Parker asked.
Jarod whispered softly, “Home.”
Miss Parker stared at him in confusion until a lake came into view around a bend in the road. On it’s shore stood a beautiful, white, Victorian-style house, bathed in the moonlight. She smiled, “Home.”
Broots charged into Sydney’s office with a look of urgency on his face, “Sydney, have you heard from them?”
Sydney looked up from his computer screen and shook his head, a deep frown creased his forehead. “Not a word. I’m really getting worried.”
Taking a seat on Sydney’s couch, Broots sighed, “I need to reach them…somehow.”
“What is it, Broots?”
“I found it, Syd. The truth…Jarod’s past,” he whispered just barely loud enough for Sydney to hear without being overheard by unseen ears.
Sydney immediately stood and moved toward the sofa. Sitting down next to Broots he squeezed the younger man’s shoulder, “What did you find? Do you know where his family is?”
Broots shook his head, “No, I haven’t found them…not physically anyway. I did find his real name. Sydney, his name is McKenna…Jarod McKenna. His parents…Major Charles and Margaret McKenna, his sister Emily…”
“Wonderful, Broots. Jarod will be forever grateful to you. This will mean so much for him to finally know who he is. Thank you.”
Broots shook his head and glanced down at his feet, “There’s more Sydney.”
“More?”
Broots raised his head to meet Sydney’s concerned gaze, “Jarod’s mother…she died, about three months ago. She suffered a stroke that left her in a coma for several days. She passed away. Syd, this is going to kill Jarod.”
Sydney nodded sadly, as his eyes filled with tears. “Dear God, this could push him over the edge. He’s going to be devastated.”
“What are we going to do, Syd?”
“I don’t know, Broots. But I do know that this is not something he should hear over the telephone. I have to tell him in person, be there for him. Or at the very least we need to get word to Miss Parker…let her break it to him gently.”
“How are we going to do that?”
Sydney thought for a moment, trying to figure out where Jarod might go, someplace safe. Someplace the Centre would not know about. Then suddenly he remembered something Jarod sent him a few weeks after his second escape.
“Broots, I think I know where they are.”
“Where?”
“I’ll explain later, right now I need to pay a little visit to Lyle.”
“Lyle,” Broots gasped. “Why?”
“I’m going to resign from the Centre.”
“Syd, no offense, but are you crazy? No one ‘resigns’ from the Centre and lives.”
“Don’t worry Broots, I have a feeling that Lyle is going to be more than happy to accept my resignation. I will meet you at your house around midnight. I’ll explain everything then. Right now I want you try to find Emily.”
“Emily?”
“Yes, I would start with the hospital records. Find out who paid the bills and a possible address.”
Broots smiled slightly, “I’m on it. I will find her.”
“Good, Broots. Now I am off to see Lyle.”
“Be careful, Syd.”
“I will,” Sydney left the office and Broots immediately went to work.
Four hours later, after staring non-stop at the computer screen, he smiled and sang out softly, “Hello Emily.” He picked up the telephone and dialed Sydney’s cell phone number but there was no answer. “Well, I guess it’s up to me,” he said as he waited for the information to print, saved it to disc, deleted everything, then left Sydney’s office.
As the sun rose in the sky, Miss Parker stared in awe at the beautiful home before her as Jessie charged passed her heading for the edge of the lake. “Jarod who does this place belong to, it’s incredible.”
“It belongs to me and now it’s ours. Our safehouse, no one can touch us here. No one knows it even exists…except possibly Sydney. I had it built a few months ago as a safe haven from the Centre and my pursuers,” Jarod grinned. “Do you really like it?”
“Like it? I love it, but I’ll be willing to bet you never dreamed you would be bringing one of your pursuers here. Not quite part of the plan was it?” Miss Parker climbed the porch steps and settled into the porch swing.
Jarod followed, leaning against the railing as he watched Jessie feeding the ducks on the lake. “Actually I built this house for you. Hoping that one day we would find our way back to each other. I wanted us to be together…raise a family. I just never dared to believe it would ever happen. I never thought you would ever be able to forgive me for all the hell I put you through.”
Miss Parker stood and moved to stand next to him, “Jarod any hell I went through in my life was brought on by the Centre and my father. I was so willing to destroy your life to earn his approval. It was my own foolish pride that prevented me from finding the happiness I longed for. The love I longed for. I was too blinded by my own misplaced loyalty to realize that everything I really needed was right here with you.”
Jarod pulled her into his arms and held on to her as if afraid she would vanish, that she was only a figment of his imagination…a dream. “Parker, I’m the luckiest man in the world right now. I have you and a beautiful little girl who looks just like you.”
“Ironic isn’t it, Jarod. The Centre destroyed our friendship…transformed innocence and first love into bitterness and anger. Then they took a part of each of us and created a bond that could never be broken…a child, destined to unite us forever.” Miss Parker smiled, “I’d say their plan backfired, wouldn’t you?”
Jarod chuckled, “Slightly, Parker. Just slightly.”
Jessie came running toward them, her eyes were filled with an excitement for life that only a child possessed. Both her parents fell into a contented silence as they watched their daughter play.
Broots was careful to stay under the speed limits and kept a wary eye on the rearview mirror. His heart hammered unmercifully in his chest, his palms were slick with sweat. Every car that approached him from behind made his heart rate go off the charts until he was sure it wasn’t a team of sweepers sent to follow him.
Finally, he spotted his destination. A roadside truck stop and Mama C’s Diner. Turning the car into the huge parking lot, Broots drove around to the back of the diner and parked. He waited for a few minutes before going into the building. He needed to pull himself together and figure out what he was going to say to her.
When he climbed out of his car and reached the sidewalk, he paused anxiously scanning his surroundings for any sign that he had been followed. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he proceeded toward the entrance. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and entered.
All eyes turned to stare at him for a moment before continuing with their meals and returning to their conversations. An older, red-haired woman approached him with a wide smile, “Hello there, just one today?”
Broots nodded nervously, “Uh—Yes ma’am.”
“Any particular place you would like to sit?” she asked.
“Is there a waitress on duty by the name of--Emily?” Broots stammered.
The waitress beamed at him, “Why yes, she is. Her section is right over here, follow me, I will seat you and then tell her you’re here. Do you have a name?”
“No—I mean…she won’t know me. Someone just told me that she was a great waitress.” Broots knew his explanation was lame, but she accepted it.
After seating him in a booth near the jukebox which was playing “Country Club”, one of the few country songs he liked. It was by Travis Tritt if he remembered correctly. He watched as the waitress went behind the counter and spoke to a dark-haired younger woman waiting at the window for an order.
Broots held his breath and waited for her to turn around. When she finally did, he gasped. Emily’s was stunning. Shoulder length, straight, chestnut hair, contrasted by high cheekbones and skin that reminded him of fine porcelain. She looked directly at him and literally stole his breath away. Even from that distance, he could see the intelligence and wariness in her soft brown eyes as she studied him. A strange feeling began to build in his chest, a feeling that was not at all unpleasant. There was something about her…
Emily cautiously approached Broots’ table, she had a feeling that he wasn’t there for the cuisine. Taking in his appearance, he seemed harmless enough, but she had been misled before. “Can I get you some coffee?” she asked while trying to maintain a nervous smile.
“Yes—thank you,” Broots managed to blurt out.
Emily filled his cup and handed him the menu. “The special is chicken-fried steak.”
“Actually, I’d like a cheeseburger and fries, please,” Broots smiled and handed the menu back to Emily. “And when you get a moment,” he kept his voice low. “I need to talk to you, about your brother Jarod.”
Emily’s face paled, “Who are you and how do you know Jarod?”
“I am a friend…I owe him my life and my daughter’s. I can help you find him.”
Sliding into the booth across from Broots, Emily’s brown eyes flashed with mistrust. “You better be on the level, mister. If you’re not, I’ll disappear so fast your head will spin.”
“You know that trick too, huh. Must run in the family,” Broots grinned.
Emily relaxed a bit at this stranger’s easy manner, “Want to tell me your name?”
“Broots.”
“Well, Mr. Broots, I will get your order. I get off in half an hour. We can talk then.” Emily slid out of the booth and walked away.
Broots could not tear his eyes away from her. His stomach filled with butterflies and his heart raced in his chest. She was beautiful, intelligent…amazing. Though he knew it was dangerous to let himself feel anything for Emily, he couldn’t help himself.
Twenty minutes later she returned with his cheeseburger and one for herself as well. She laughed softly as she sat down, “I guess you know this is the best burger in the whole state of Delaware. I mean how many places have you actually witnessed the waitresses eating the same food that they served to customers?”
“Come to think of it, never.”
“My point exactly,” Emily winked as she sank her teeth into her burger.
Broots grinned and followed suit. “Mmm,” Broots said between bites. “You weren’t kidding, this is delicious.”
“So, Mr. Broots, how long have you worked for the Centre?”
Nearly choking on his food, Broots stammered, “How did you know?”
“Just a guess. And the fact that you are wearing that ‘Centre Recycles’ T-shirt,” Emily laughed as Broots glanced down. “Don’t worry, I don’t judge people by the company they keep. Besides, something tells me that you don’t really have a choice. From what I’ve learned about the place, they don’t believe in retirement benefits.”
Broots frowned and stared down at his coffee cup, “I never thought that it would come to this. If only I had taken that job offer from Microsoft instead. Now I live everyday wondering if it’s my last. Wondering if the Centre would hurt Debbie if I ever tried to leave.”
“Debbie is your daughter?”
Broots smiled proudly and produced a picture of her from his wallet, “She’s ten and smart as a whip.”
Emily took the photo he held out to her and smiled, “She’s looks just like her daddy…adorable.”
Broots blushed as he returned Debbie’s picture to his wallet. “Thank you,” he said softly unable to meet her gaze.
“Hey, we’d better get going. It’s after nine. I’ll just clear these dishes and get my things. I’ll be right back.” Emily disappeared into the kitchen and was gone for several minutes. She returned dressed in jeans and a lavender sweater, carrying her purse and denim jacket.
“You look nice,” Broots smiled shyly.
Emily held out her arms and chuckled, “It’s not my uniform, but hey, it’ll do.”
Broots opened the door for her then followed her out of the diner. It was already dark and the slight breeze had a bite to it, reminding them of the coming winter. He helped Emily into her jacket then into the car. As he slid into the driver’s seat he started the engine and backed the car out of the parking space.
“I need to stop by my place and collect the rest of my belongings. Something tells me I won’t be coming back here,” Emily motioned for Broots to turn left onto the highway. “Go one mile, then turn right.”
Broots followed her directions, which brought them to a small trailer park. She pointed to a run down, single-wide trailer that had definitely seen better days. “This is your place?” Broots asked somewhat surprised. It made some of Jarod’s lairs seem like The Ritz. He shuddered at the thought of Emily living in such a place.
Emily nodded, “I know, it’s bad. But after my mom died…”
Broots placed a gentle hand on her arm, “I am so sorry. I just found out about her death. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.”
“It hasn’t been easy,” Emily shook her head slowly. “If only I could have found Jarod before…maybe he would have given her back the will to live.”
“Emily, Jarod doesn’t know. It is going to tear him apart. He came so close to the two of you that day in Baltimore, he’s never stopped searching for his family…for you.”
“What is he like, Broots?”
Broots smiled, “I don’t know him all that well…personally. I did spend some time in hiding with him though. I was the soul witness of the murder of several Centre personnel. He risked his own life to help me. And when the murderer had me at gunpoint, Jarod killed him. It was the first time he had ever killed anyone and it affected him deeply. He sacrificed his own sense of morality to save my life…I owe him.”
Emily smiled and kissed him on the cheek, “Thank you, Broots.”
“For what?”
“For finding me and bringing me one step closer to finding my family.”
Broots smiled back, “You’re welcome.”
Emily opened her door and climbed out of the car. She looked back, “Are you coming or not?”
Nodding, Broots got out and followed her into her house. The inside was only slightly better than the outside though it was spotless. The first thing he noticed was the absence of any decoration. It barely looked lived in.
He watched as Emily wrote a note to her landlord and placed two hundred dollars into the envelope with the note. Then she disappeared into the bedroom, returning a moment later with a leather backpack and small duffel bad. She dropped them near the door and reached down behind a sagging, lime-green sofa. From behind it she pulled out a laptop computer and glanced around the room.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s get this show on the road,” she turned and dropped her house keys onto the kitchen table next to the envelope.
Broots bent to pick up her bags, which he fully expected to weigh a ton. He should have known better, just like her brother, Emily had to travel light. A life on the run left little room for frivolous items. She deserved better, she deserved a normal life with children and a husband to love her and take care of her. Suddenly aware of where his thoughts were taking him, he shook his head and headed out to the car with her whole world in his hands.
Emily followed and waited while he put her things in the trunk. “Broots, why are you so quiet all of the sudden? What’s bothering you?”
Broots frowned and reached for her laptop computer. She handed it to him and he placed it in the trunk with her bags. Closing the trunk he turned to her and shrugged his shoulders, “I just can’t help thinking about how hard things have been for you. The Centre has hurt people I care about and I haven’t done anything to stop them. I’m a coward.”
Emily shook her head and moved toward him, “No, Broots. You are not a coward. I know that you have done everything in your power to protect your daughter from them. That is more than some father’s have done for their child. I have not seen my father since I was a baby. I sometimes wonder if he abandoned us.”
“I met your father briefly. Major Charles is a good man, he would never have left you and your mother if he didn’t believe he was protecting the two of you. He and Jarod found each other a while back but were separated again. They rescued a boy from the Centre…Jarod’s clone. I guess he would be your brother too. Your father took the boy with him and disappeared. Jarod stayed behind to help Miss Parker who had been shot trying to save her father from a Centre assassin. The Centre captured him, but he escaped a few weeks later.”
Emily gasped, “The Centre cloned Jarod? I have a new brother?”
Broots nodded, “You also have a niece.”
“Jarod has a daughter?”
“Yes, he and Miss Parker. She was another victim of the Centre’s experiments.”
“Is there nothing those people won’t do to hurt my family,” Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “What did we ever do to them?”
“I’m sorry, Emily. I should not have dumped all this on you right now. It’s too much to absorb, I’m so sorry.” Emily seemed so small and vulnerable as Broots gathered her to him and held her. “Emily, I promise you, we will find your family and somehow we will put a stop to the evil of the Centre once and for all. I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
Emily could not bring herself to leave Broots’ arms. How she could open her heart to him so soon after meeting him was baffling. Somehow this man had found a way into her lonely world and unknowingly gave her the gift of hope. Something she had lost the day her mother died.
Jarod carried Jessie upstairs and into the lavender, floral and pinstripe bedroom she had fallen in love with the instant she’d laid eyes on it. He smiled and kissed the top of her curls. “I love you, Jessie.
“Love you too, Daddy,” Jessica whispered as she yawned and closed her eyes again. Snuggling up to Emily she fell into a deep sleep almost before Jarod reached the door and turned out the light.
Before closing the door completely, he stood for a moment in the hallway listening to the sound of her breathing. She was truly a miracle. A miracle he had the Centre to thank for. Having her with him now, it more than made up for all the pain of the past. He was glad that he had built this house now. He’d had second thoughts at first, believing that such a large home would be too empty…too depressing, without a family to enjoy it.
As he closed the door and moved toward the staircase, he passed the bathroom where Miss Parker was soaking in a hot bath, he smiled when heard her singing softly to herself. She sounded so happy that it was hard to believe that she was the same woman who, just a few weeks before, had been so hard and bitter, dead set on bringing him back to the Centre. So much had happened. So many things had changed in such a short span of time that it was almost impossible to grasp.
Jarod made his way down the stairs and into the living room. Going to the fireplace, he started a fire then settled back on the sofa. Staring into the flames, he thought about the past and how it would inevitably affect their future together. They could try to deny its power, but there would be nothing stopping it from threatening their newfound happiness. The Centre had to be brought to its knees if they were ever to have a chance at living a normal, peaceful existence.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Miss Parker come into the room. She froze in place as she took in the scene before her. The fire was the only light in the room, its glow washing over Jarod. He was dressed in his usual black jeans with a white shirt partially open. His hair was slightly damp and his face clean-shaven. The firelight dancing in his eyes nearly stole her breath. He truly was the epitome of a tall, dark, and handsome stranger. But this man was no stranger. It seemed she had known him all her life, yet it was as though she was seeing him for the first time.
Dressed in a thigh-length silk gown and wrap, she moved slowly into the firelight. When his eyes met hers, she suddenly felt like an innocent schoolgirl.
Jarod smiled shyly, his eyes shining with tears, “You--you look incredible.” Holding his hand out to her she took it. He pulled her gently to him and he slowly brushed the back of his hand along the side of her face, feeling the silky smoothness of her skin. She smelled of roses and vanilla. The mix was intoxicating. He could not find the words to tell her what he was feeling. He wasn’t even sure he knew.
Miss Parker gazed into Jarod’s eyes as she pressed her lips to his in a passionate, searching kiss, which he responded to with the same passion. “Jarod, make love to me,” she gasped softly, her voice barely a whisper.
Jarod gently lowered her back against the over-stuffed pillows of the sofa then covered her body with his own. As his lips found the base of her throat he slipped off her wrap and following the satin fabric, they burned a path to her bared shoulder. Her heart was racing, her mind spinning as the straps of her gown slid off her shoulders and he captured her breasts. His mouth set her skin on fire as he explored her body. Pulling away slightly, he touched her like a delicate flower. “You are so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful,” he whispered huskily as his heated gaze caressed her.
Miss Parker slid her hands along his exposed chest then to the back of his neck. Running her slender fingers through his hair, she pulled him to her again. Capturing his mouth in a kiss filled with unrestrained desire. He gasped as her lips grazed the smooth skin of his shoulder. She continued down toward his chest while her fingers traveled to the waistband of his jeans. When he could no longer stand the sensual torture, Jarod gently pressed her back against the pillows as he removed his clothing.
Miss Parker’s eyes filled with awe as she took in his beauty. She had not realized until that moment what a powerfully built man he was. If she were any other woman, she would be afraid. But then, Jarod was not any other man. He was the only man she had ever truly loved. She reached for him and he came to her.
The feel of her body against him nearly shattered his control. Running his hands over the gentle curves of her breasts and hips, Jarod kissed her with abandon. Never in all his life had he imagined it could be like this. He could not believe that it wasn’t all a dream. If it was, he never wanted to wake up.
The feel of his hands on her heated skin as he moved over her, nearly pushed her over the edge. Miss Parker gasped, arching her back as she felt him enter her with a gentleness that only Jarod was capable of. Never had she felt so cherished…so loved. And as she began to move with him, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her slightly. When he kissed her, her mind exploded, her whole body tensed as together they went over the edge and beyond to a place where two lost souls became one.
Jarod lowered himself to lie next to Miss Parker. His mind was reeling, his heart thundering in his chest. He gathered her to him kissing her deeply, “I love you, Parker…heart, body, and soul.”
Miss Parker’s crystal blue eyes filled with tears as she raised her hand to touch his cheek. “Jarod, I wish I could find the words to tell you what I am feeling in here,” she said as she took his hand and pressed it to her heart.
“I don’t need words, I’m a pretender remember. I feel what you feel,” Jarod whispered and kissed her again.
“Jarod,” Miss Parker’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Uh-Oh,” Jarod grinned.
“What?” she smiled innocently. “Scared?”
“Petrified.”
“Good. It’s nice to know I haven’t totally lost my edge.”
“I always did like that about you,” Jarod grinned and lifting her into his arms, he carried her upstairs to their bedroom.
Broots parked the car in front of his house and woke Emily who had fallen asleep only minutes after they had left her house. “Emily, we’re here. Sydney should be here any minute.”
Emily sat up, glancing quickly at Broots. She should not have allowed herself to fall asleep, though she trusted her new friend, he did work for the Centre. Nothing and no one with any connection to them could be taken at face value. Blinking her eyes, she fought the urge to just close them again and give in to the exhaustion that plagued her every living moment. As she straightened in her seat, she forced a smile, “Who is this Sydney?” she asked.
“Sydney,” Broots began slowly. “He raised Jarod, and though he could never admit it out loud, he loves him like a son. He was Jarod’s mentor, his teacher. Probably the only person that kept you brother safe at the Centre. If Mr. Raines had been in Sydney’s place, Jarod would have ended up a psychopath like Kyle.” As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Broots turned to Emily, a look of deep regret in his eyes. “Oh, God. Emily, I’m so sorry…I wasn’t thinking.”
Emily quickly wiped at a stray tear, and smiled slightly. “It’s okay, nobody ever said that the truth is always easy to hear. What Kyle became…well, I just thank God that my mother died never knowing. It would have devastated her to know the things he had done. She blamed herself, you know…for Jarod and Kyle’s kidnapping. She never stopped believing that there must have been something she could have done…should have done.”
Broots took Emily’s hand and shook his head, “I am so sorry for all the pain and anguish the Centre has caused your family. I wish I could have done something long ago to help Jarod. I was just so afraid that they would do something to hurt Debbie.”
“I understand, Broots. Believe me, I understand. I want them to pay for everything they have done to Jarod and our family, but alone…it’s just a hopeless dream.”
“You’re not alone anymore,” Broots smiled and touched her cheek. Usually a bumbling fool around the opposite sex, he was amazed that he felt so at ease with her. Emily had an inner strength and beauty that could rival even Miss Parker. Yet, he did not feel the least bit intimidated by her.
“Thank you, Broots,” Emily nodded.
“We’d better get inside. Sydney said he would meet us here at midnight. That is…if he can,” Broots choked on the last words as he remembered what Sydney had been planning to do when he had left his office earlier.
Emily slid out of the car when Broots opened her door. “Do you think he’s in any danger? Why would the Centre hurt him? He is their only connection to my brother, right? They need him.”
Broots shook his head and guided Emily toward his house, “You know as well as I do that the Centre ‘needs’ no one. If they see Sydney as a threat to security, they will eliminate him. It would not be the first time.”
“What if something happens to Sydney? Can we find Jarod without his help?”
“Emily, I promise you that we will find him. Sydney never told me where he thought Jarod might have gone, but I think I have a pretty good idea of another person who will be able to help us if Sydney can’t.”
Following Broots into the darkened house, Emily waited while he went to switch on a lamp. As the light flooded the room, it illuminated the still form of a man, covered in blood, lying on the floor at her feet. She gasped, “Oh dear God, no.”
Broots turned at the sound of her cry. “Sydney,” he crossed the room and dropped to his knees beside his friend. Frantically he checked for a pulse and found it, slightly erratic and weak, but a pulse. “Hang on, Syd. Don’t you die on us. You can’t die on us, you hear me, you can’t die, Syd.”
Emily had disappeared into the kitchen and returned with towels, water, and a first aid kit. “He’s not going to die, Broots. Not if I can help it,” she immediately went about examining the wounds, cleaning and bandaging them.
As Broots watched her work, he suddenly realized that she was not just doctoring Sydney. She had ‘become’ a doctor. “Emily, you are a pretender too…like Jarod and Kyle.”
Emily finished applying the last bit of gauze to Sydney’s head wound and glanced up at Broots who was staring at her with a look of both fear and awe. “Yes, Broots. I am a pretender just like my brothers. It runs in the family.” She laughed softly, “I guess you could call it a family curse.”
“Emily, if the Centre finds out…this is too dangerous. I never should have brought you here. You should go back into hiding…Jarod will never forgive me if I let anything happen to you.”
Emily stood and moved toward Broots. Placing her hands on both sides of his face, she kissed him lightly on the forehead. “Broots,” she smiled sweetly. “I thank you for caring, but the Centre and I have a score to settle and I am not about to turn tail and run. If you don’t want to help me, I will understand. You do have Debbie to think about. I, however, have no choice. I have to do this for my family…for my mother.”
Broots lost himself in the depths of her eyes as he met her gaze. “Emily, I can’t let this go on. I thought I was protecting her by not rocking the boat…so to speak. In reality, I was just sitting by while the boat slowly filled with water. Hoping that someone else would come along and save us. I cannot do that any longer. Debbie will never be truly safe until I am free of the Centre. I will help you any way I can.”
“Thank you, Broots.”
“What does it take to get a drink of water around here?” Sydney’s voice was weak but clear as he tried to pull himself up off the floor.
“Sydney, thank God. Who did this to you?” Broots helped his friend to the sofa and settled him back against the pillows. “Of course, I guess I shouldn’t have to ask. Lyle, did this didn’t he.”
Nodding slowly, Sydney grimaced in pain. “Actually, he let Sam and four other sweepers have the pleasure. They left me to die. I would be dead if Sam had not had an attack of conscience and fired the bullet into the ground next to my head. I think he suddenly envisioned what Miss Parker would do to him if he killed me,” Sydney chuckled softly and grimaced again.
Emily returned with a glass of water and handed it to Broots who put it to Sydney’s lips while the older man drank slowly. She studied the man closely. Even in his current state, he appeared distinguished. This was the man who had raised Jarod, the man who helped the Centre keep her brother prisoner for thirty years. She knew that she should hate him, but there was something in his eyes that made it impossible. And he had risked his life to help her find Jarod. That was a debt she would never be able to repay.
Broots stood and went into the kitchen leaving Emily alone in the room with Sydney. Suddenly uncomfortable, she moved toward a chair on the opposite side of the room and settled into it.
Sydney’s eyes opened and he turned his head slowly, “You must be Emily.”
Startled by the unmistakable tenderness in the older man’s voice, Emily met his gaze, “Yes, I am.”
“Please come,” Sydney motioned with his hand. “Come closer. I can’t hurt you…at least not at the moment,” he laughed softly.
After a moment of hesitation, Emily got up from the chair and moved to stand over him. She remained silent as she held his gaze.
“You look like him, you know. Especially your eyes…exactly like his.”
Emily heard all she needed to know in Sydney’s words. And suddenly she knew that it was true. Sydney did care deeply for her brother. “I’m sorry, Sydney. I didn’t mean to be cold. I just needed to know that I can trust you.”
Sydney chuckled again, “Just like your brother.”
Emily waited for the man to look at her again before speaking. “I am like Jarod…just like him.”
As the meaning behind her words sank in, Sydney stared at the young woman before him. “Emily. I should have known…I mean I wondered…suspected. Jarod and Kyle and now you. I am just thankful that the Centre did not know about you back then. Your parents suffered more than enough after losing two sons…to lose their little girl too would have destroyed them.”
“Why did you do it, Sydney?” Emily asked, her voice sounding much harsher than she had intended. “Why did you let them destroy my family?”
Sydney reached up and took hold of her hand, “Emily, if I could go back and change the past, I would, believe me. And believe me when I tell you that I did not know, back then, that Jarod had been stolen. Nor did I know that Kyle and he were brothers. As far as I knew…or what the Centre told me, was that Jarod was an orphan. I had no reason to question them. Though now I wish to God I had. I don’t have the right to ask you to forgive me, Emily. But I am so very sorry. For whatever it’s worth, I did everything in my power to protect Jarod from the worst the Centre had to offer.”
Emily nodded, “Broots told me about Mr. Raines and what he did to Kyle. I am thankful to you for being a surrogate father to my brother. And in time, maybe, I will be able to forgive you for the rest.”
Sydney smiled, “That’s all I can hope for, Emily.” Closing his eyes, he settled back against the pillows, releasing her hand as he did so. “Thank you,” he whispered before drifting off to sleep. Covering him with a blanket, Emily slowly left the room.
Miss Parker awakened in Jarod’s arms, the one place she had always dreamed of finding herself, but never thought possible. The warmth of his body against hers made her smile and snuggle closer to him.
Jarod tightened his embrace slightly afraid that she was going to leave him. “Parker,” he whispered.
Caressing his unshaven cheek, Miss Parker smiled tenderly. “Jarod, I’m not going anywhere. I couldn’t leave you, even if I wanted to. I am hopelessly in love with you. There’s no turning back now.”
Jarod flashed her a mischievous grin without opening his eyes, “Too bad…I was hoping you would turn into the ‘Ice Queen’ again. She was so much more fun.”
“Very funny, Jarod.” Miss Parker punched him hard in the shoulder.
“Ouch,” Jarod opened his eyes as he laughed and rubbed the injury. Then he pulled her to him again, holding her close he smiled, “Parker, I love you and I would never want to see that part of you again. I always hoped you would find that happy, carefree little girl I used to know hiding just beneath the surface under the cold, hard facade you had carefully constructed for your father’s benefit.
“I never could have found her without you, Jarod. You never gave up on me. I don’t know why, I never deserved your loyalty. God knows I trampled whatever remnants of our friendship that remained into the ground. I refused to remember, but I also never truly forgot what we shared. I just pushed it into the deepest recesses of my frozen heart and tried to convince you that it was gone…that I never cared about you.”
Jarod smiled, “I remembered enough for both of us. And I always knew you cared…in your own way. If you did not, you would have had me back in the Centre after the first day. I knew, even if you refused to admit it, that we would always be a part of each other and that one day you would see it too.”
“Jarod, will we ever find normality in our lives?”
“I hope so, Parker. I hope so.”
Sydney awoke with a blinding headache. The light of the coming dawn filled the room. Forcing himself to a seated position, he struggled to focus. He saw Broots sleeping soundly in his recliner. He must have given up his bed to Emily. Always the gentleman, he smiled slightly and attempted to stand. Grabbing onto the nearest chair to steady himself, Sydney managed to take a few steps before Broots awoke and sprang from his chair to help his friend.
“Syd, you shouldn’t be up. You need to rest.”
“Thank you for your concern, Broots, but I need to get back on my feet as soon as possible. It will not take long for the Centre to figure out that I am still alive and where I am. I am putting you, Emily and Debbie in danger.”
“We need to find a safe place to hide from the Sweepers. Where can we go?”
“Broots, go get your daughter and by the time you return Emily and I will have everything ready to travel. We are going to the safest place I know, Jarod’s house.”
Broots choked, “Jarod has a house. He told you where it is?”
Sydney laughed softly, “Not in so many words, but yes he did. It is his only safe haven from the Centre. The one place he could go to find peace.”
“Where is it?”
“I’ll explain everything later. Go, bring back Debbie.”
Broots left the house, and Sydney locked the door behind him. As he entered the kitchen, he found Emily dressed and preparing food for their trip. “Good morning.”
Emily smiled, “Good morning, Sydney. How do you feel?”
“I’ve had better days, but I’ll survive. I always do.”
“I guess we’re all survivors aren’t we.”
“Circumstances demand that we be.” Sydney approached the young woman and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Emily, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your mother.”
“Thank you. Broots said that Jarod does not know yet. How am I going to break it to him? How do you think he’ll take the news?”
“He’s going to be devastated. He has searched for so long…came so close. That day on the street, in Boston, being so close to the two of you. It nearly killed him to watch that taxi drive away. He didn’t even try to run until he was certain you had gotten away.”
Emily wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her denim jacket, “I saw him…the horrified look in his eyes when the Sweepers showed up. I wanted to jump out of the taxi and run to him anyway, but I couldn’t leave our mother.”
“He would not want you to put yourself in danger for him. You have to be careful, Emily. The Centre would like nothing more than to get their hands on you. If they ever do, Jarod will stop at nothing to get you back. He and Miss Parker risked everything to save their daughter from them. They would do no less for you.”
“My niece, what’s her name?” Emily asked, a slight smile shining in her eyes.
“Her name is Jessica…Jessie. And she is a beautiful, intelligent child.”
“She is a Pretender too, isn’t she.” Emily turned to face Sydney. “That’s what Broots meant when he’d said that she was another victim of the Centre’s experiments.”
Sydney took a deep breath, “There’s more to it than that, much more. The Centre ‘created’ Jessie.”
The full force of Sydney’s words hit Emily hard in the gut. “You mean she was conceived artificially from my brother and this ‘Miss Parker’ you speak of.”
“I’m afraid so. They only learned recently of her existence. She is nearly five years old. She was born to a surrogate mother at the Centre. When the woman learned the truth of their plans for Jessie she took her and ran. Unfortunately, she married a man sent by the Centre to monitor the two of them until Jessie was old enough to be trained. Jarod stumbled across them purely by an ironic twist of fate. He came back here to Blue Cove to tell Miss Parker about their child. While he was gone, the Centre stole Jessie and killed the woman.”
“So Jarod and Miss Parker broke into the Centre and rescued Jessie and now the three of them are on the run together. How are we going to find them?”
“Jarod sent me a brochure a few months back. It was of properties for sale in immediate area of Delaware. Upon inspection of the brochure, I observed nothing out of the ordinary except for a photo of a newly constructed house. Beneath it was a brief description of the location ending with ‘beautifully landscaped, resting on the edge of crystal, blue, Lake Refuge’. Refuge is the code word I gave him when he was young. He used it whenever he grew afraid and wanted to stop a simulation.”
Emily smiled, “So does this ‘Lake Refuge’ exist?”
Sydney chuckled and returned her smile, “No, but ‘Crystal Lake’ does. And it is located only thirty miles from here. Jarod knows that the Centre would not think to look right under their noses for them. It’s the safest place to be.”
“He is a clever one isn’t he,” Emily shook her head slowly.
“Something tells me that his sister is pretty clever herself. Broots told me where he found you…right under the nose of the Centre.”
Emily blushed slightly, “I needed to be close.”
“Did you find what you were looking for that day?” Sydney asked knowingly.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she glanced at him in confusion.
“I saw you in the Centre. You were coming out of one of the computer rooms. I didn’t realize until a few seconds after you disappeared into the elevator, who you were.”
Emily nodded, “How did you know? And why didn’t you sic the dogs on me?”
Sydney placed both hands on her shoulders. The expression on his face was gentle and fatherly as he spoke. “I knew those eyes…so filled with pain and anger. I’d spent the past thirty years looking into ones just like them and wishing that I could take it all away, that I could save him from the Centre without getting us both killed. Emily, Jarod was everything to me. I protected him and cared for him, but if the Centre had ever realized the depths of my feelings, they would have replaced me in the blink of an eye. Dr. Raines would have destroyed Jarod’s humanity. I could never allow that to happen. Jarod’s very being is rooted in his humanity. That is why he has devoted nearly every moment of his freedom to helping those who had no one else to turn to.”
“My brother,” Emily smiled. “A modern day Robin Hood,” she hugged Sydney tightly. “Thank you.”
Sydney’s eyes filled with tears as the young woman embraced him. Tears that he quickly wiped away when the door suddenly opened and Broots walked in with Debbie in tow.
Broots playfully scolded his friend, “I saw her first, Syd.”
Sydney was somewhat surprised by the younger man’s admission that he had feelings for Emily. He had never known Broots to be so open and at ease around the opposite sex. “Not to worry, Broots. I’m much too old for her,” he chuckled.
Emily placed her hands on her hips and watched the exchange with amusement. “Who says I’m even remotely interested in either one of you?” Broots immediately cast a worried glance in her direction, which she responded to with a knowing wink. Then she smiled down at the little girl holding her father’s hand, “And you must be Debbie. Your dad had told me so much about you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Debbie reached out and shook Emily’s outstretched hand while whispering to her father behind her other hand, “She’s really pretty, Dad. Just like you said.”
Broots immediately blushed and changed the subject, “Sydney, we had better be going. I thought I saw a black town car circling the block when we pulled in. I waited a few minutes, but it never reappeared. I don’t think we should take any chances though.”
“You’re right, but we have to do this without being too conspicuous,” Sydney thought for a moment before continuing. “Emily, do you have a cell phone?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” She quickly retrieved it from her purse and handed it to Sydney.
Sydney nodded, “Perfect, they won’t have a trace on your phone so I will use it to reach Miss Parker when the time is right. Broots I need you send an email to Lyle. You will need to find a way to make it appear to have come from Miss Parker. Make him think it came from somewhere far away from here but in the states. Write it exactly as I have written it,” he handed Broots a folded piece of paper.
Broots took it and immediately went to his computer to start the ball rolling.
“What do you need me to do?” Emily asked.
Sydney turned to her, “I need you and Debbie to quickly pack everything we are going to need into the trunk of the car in Broots’ garage.”
“But I don’t have a car in my garage,” Broots interrupted.
“You do now, a nice new black one,” Sydney raised an eyebrow and smiled as Broots’ face went pale at the thought of one of the Centre’s town cars being parked in his garage. “Emily, when everything is packed and ready, I want you to call a taxi to come to the neighbors house. You watch for it and when it comes you take Debbie and tell the driver to take you to this address.” He handed her a folded piece of paper, “My son, Nicholas, will be expecting the two of you.”
Emily nodded and accepted the piece of paper. “What should we do then?”
“Just wait for us there. We will come by after dark to get you. Then we will go to Jarod as soon it is safe.”
“I can’t believe it, after all these years. I’m finally going to meet my brother.”
Sydney hugged her, “It won’t be much longer, I promise.” When he released her he smiled, “I must say, I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”
Laughing, Emily took Debbie’s hand and they went about fulfilling their part of the plan.
Broots routed and rerouted Sydney’s email through every possible connection he had in the country. Finally, he pressed ‘send’ for the last time, leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. “I hope this works, Syd.”
“It has to work or we are all dead,” Sydney turned his attention away from Broots as Emily came back into the room.
“Everything is ready and the taxi is on it’s way.”
“Good, take this with you,” Sydney handed her a loaded 9mm with the safety on. “Do you know how to use this?”
Emily nodded and accepted the weapon. “Do you think I’ll need to?”
“I hope not, but I want you to have some sort of protection if something goes wrong. If Broots and I don’t show by midnight tonight, Nicholas has specific instructions to take you and Debbie to a safe place until we can get to you. If the worst happens and we can’t, he will take you to Jarod.”
Broots stood and nervously stared at the gun in Emily’s hands. “Sydney, maybe I should go with them.”
“Broots,” Emily whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to Debbie, I promise you.”
Broots went to her, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears, “Don’t let anything happen to you, okay. I don’t want to lose either one of you.”
Emily met his gaze, “You won’t.”
Broots kissed her softly then pulled her into his embrace. “I want you to know, Emily, I have never believed this could happen to me. I have fallen and fallen hard for you.”
As Emily choked back a sob, she smiled, “I know what you mean.”
Sydney cleared his throat and turned away from the window to face them, “I’m sorry you two but the taxi just pulled up.”
Debbie came running into the room and into her father’s arms. “Daddy, do I have to go? I don’t want to leave you.”
“Honey, I have some things I have to do. Emily will take very good care of you. You take care of her too, okay? I will see you both tonight.”
Debbie reluctantly let go of him and took Emily’s hand, “Okay.”
Broots stood at the window and watched for the two of them to appear. They came from the back of the neighbor’s house and climbed into the taxi. Sydney’s suggestion that they go out the back way had been a good one. It appeared that they were leaving from the house next door rather than his house. Anyone on the street would not give them a second glance.
Sydney came back into the room and squeezed Broots’ shoulder to reassure him. “They’ll be just fine, Broots.”
“I hope you’re right, Syd.”
“Emily is a beautiful girl. You are a lucky man.”
“I love her, Syd. I know I’ve known her less than twenty-four hours, but I can’t even begin to imagine the rest of my life without her in it.”
Sydney nodded in understanding. “When this is over Broots, no matter what happens. I want you to know that I will always be grateful to you for your friendship and I could not have made it this far without your help.”
Broots watched as Sydney turned and disappeared into the kitchen. He shuddered as a sudden chill ran down his spine. Was Sydney trying to tell him that he didn’t expect to come out of this ordeal alive? “Please God, watch over each and every one of us tonight. Let us get through this in one piece.”
“Amen.” Sydney’s closure to Broots’ prayer was followed by silence as they contemplated the inevitable climax of the crazy tale fate had been weaving for them all. One they hoped would have the longed for ‘happily ever after’ ending of a fairy tale.
Miss Parker turned over in bed and found that Jarod was gone. Slipping out from under the warm quilt she quickly pulled on the royal blue, chenille robe, and slippers. Crossing the hallway to Jessie’s room she opened the door and saw that her daughter was gone too.
Moving slowly down the stairs, she quietly rounded the corner and found Jarod and Jessie in the kitchen. The two of them were covered in flour and giggling uncontrollably as they continued to toss handfuls of the white stuff all over each other and the kitchen.
Miss Parker stifled her own laughter and pasted on a stern face. “Cute…very cute. I hope you two realize that I am not cleaning up this mess you have made.”
Jarod and Jessie looked at each other then at her. They both grinned, their eyes filled with mischief as they moved toward her in unison.
“Oh no you don’t.” Miss Parker made a run for the living room followed closely by her pursuers. She lost control over her own laughter as they tackled her on the sofa covering her in flour in no time flat.
“Gotcha,” they both giggled and started tickling Miss Parker unmercifully.
“Stop, please. You’re killing me,” she squealed between fits of giggling. She had not laughed so hard since she was a child.
“Say uncle,” Jarod called out to her.
“Uncle!” Miss Parker laughed.
Jessie threw her arms around her mother’s neck, “You give up.”
“I give up,” she hugged her daughter and glanced up at Jarod who was grinning from ear to ear and breathing heavily. “You two are definitely father and daughter.”
Jarod settled onto the sofa and kissed her flour-dusted lips. “Parker, do you know how good it is to see you smile again…to hear your laughter.”
“Do you know how good it feels for me to do so after so many years? And I have you and our silly little girl to thank for showing me how to do so.”
Jessie released Miss Parker and grabbed Jarod’s hand. “Daddy, the muffins will burn. Better get them out of the oven now.”
“You’re right,” Jarod followed her back into the kitchen leaving Miss Parker to catch her breath.
Throwing herself back against the pillows, she sent a cloud of flour floating into the air only to settle once again over the living room. Laughing softly, Miss Parker reveled in this newly discovered joy of being part of a family…a real family. She never wanted it to end. Loving Jarod and Jessie made her life complete. That realization brought a sense of peace that she had never felt before.
“Mommy, muffins are ready,” she heard Jessie’s voice from the kitchen.
“Coming,” Miss Parker stood and all but danced into the next room.
“Time to go, Broots.”
The tone of Sydney’s voice sent a shiver through Broots. “Were going to get them now? It’s only nine-thirty…barely dark, Syd.”
Sydney handed Broots a gun identical to the one he had given to Emily. “We have a stop to make first.”
Choking on the panic suddenly rising in his throat, Broots fought to take control of his fear. “I was afraid of that.”
There was not a trace of humor in Sydney’s eyes when he smiled and disappeared into the darkened garage without another word.
Broots followed, trusting Sydney with every ounce of his being. It was the only way they would come out of this alive.
‘You’ve got new mail’ his laptop computer announced. Jarod sat down and pressed the key to open his mailbox. The message downloaded and flashed on the screen in bright red…blood red letters: ‘DANGER…SYDNEY REVENGE…CENTRE PAY.’ Jarod flew upstairs, passing Miss Parker on the landing.
The look on his face struck instant fear in Miss Parker’s heart. She knew that look. Something was wrong…very wrong. She followed him into their bedroom. “Jarod, talk to me. What is it?”
Jarod pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the wall safe. From inside he produced his gun and loaded it. “Parker, stay here. Sydney is in trouble. Promise me you will stay here,” he took placed the gun in his shoulder holster and pulled on his black leather coat. “Parker, if I don’t come back…I love you.”
Miss Parker’s mind was screaming, “Jarod, tell me what the hell is happening. You can’t do this without me.”
Jarod pulled her into his embrace and kissed her, “I have to, Parker. If anything happens to me, Jessie will need her mother. She can’t lose both of us…she’s lost so much already.”
“Jarod, you come back. You don’t and I will hunt you down to the end of the universe.” Miss Parker held on to his hand as he moved toward the door.
“I know you will,” Jarod smiled as their fingers lost their grip and he was gone.
Taking her mother’s rosary from her jewelry box, Miss Parker sank slowly to the floor at the foot of her bed. Tears streamed down her face as she said a silent prayer, repeating it over and over inside her head. “Oh God, Jarod. I can’t lose you too. Please, God,” she cried out softly.
The sound of tiny footsteps coming slowly into the room went unnoticed until tiny arms wrapped themselves around her neck. “Mommy, don’t be scared. Daddy will be safe. He’s a hero.”
Miss Parker took Jessie into her lap and held her close, rocking her gently. “Yes, baby, your daddy is that and more…much, much more.”
The Centre was deathly quiet as Broots and Sydney slipped into Lyle’s office and closed the door behind them. Checking the computer on the desk, Broots pulled up Lyle’s mailbox and nodded as he confirmed that the email, they had sent, had been opened.
“I wonder if he bought it,” Broots whispered.
“We’ll soon find out,” Sydney said as he went about searching the walls of the room for a hidden panel or wall safe. “If he didn’t, we are as good as dead.”
Broots searched Lyle’s desk for hidden drawers or panels. He ran his hand along the bottom edge of the top drawer. He smiled as his fingers closed over a piece of metal and pulled it free of the sticky substance adhering it to the wood. “Syd, I think I’ve got it.”
Sydney turned and shined his flashlight on the object in the tech’s hand. “It appears to be a key.” Taking it from Broots, he turned it over in his hand and glanced toward the only wall he had not explored. Taking a step toward it, he noticed suddenly that the wall covering was just slightly darker in one part of the 10x12 wall. Pressing his hands along the edge, he found that there was a definite seam around what was shaped like a small door.
“What is it, Syd?” Broots asked, his voice shaky.
Without answering, Sydney proceeded to reach for a small painting hanging in the center of the door. Moving it aside slightly triggered a soft scrapping noise as the door swung inward revealing a pitch-black tunnel beyond it. Smiling slightly, he turned to Broots, “After you.”
Broots choked, “Me, why me?”
“No offense, but I don’t particularly feel safe with you behind me. You have to be willing to shoot to kill, Broots. Can you honestly say you can do so if the need arises?”
Broots took a deep breath and proceeded through the door into the dank, dusty blackness. He heard Sydney close the door and come up behind him. Their two flashlights combined hardly made a dent in the suffocating darkness of the passageway which was only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.
Neither man said a word until they suddenly came to a place where the tunnel widened into a massive chamber. Their lights could not penetrate the darkness but they could here their footsteps echoing off the walls and the ceiling high above. The floor was hard-packed clay that felt like solid cement under their feet and the walls were solid stone.
“What is this place, Syd?”
“It appears to be some kind of dungeon or tomb,” Sydney smiled, his voice filled with a scientists curiosity.
“Uh, Syd. I think I prefer your ‘dungeon’ theory.”
Chuckling softly, Sydney moved away from Broots, going deeper into the room. He walked slowly, holding his hand out in front of him until he came to another wall. Turning to his left, he followed the stone wall all the way around to where they had started.
On the second pass, he came upon another door. He pulled and it swung outward, groaning loudly as it did so. Another much larger room awaited them on the other side. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled to capacity with boxes upon boxes of files and ledgers.
Broots reached for a metal box on a shelf next to him. Opening it he gasped, “Syd, this is full of DSAs.”
Sydney moved to stand next to him, “Anything to tell us what’s on them?”
“Nothing.”
“Take them with us,” Sydney stated flatly as his attention was drawn to a massive safe in the far corner of the room. Producing the key Broots had found from his pocket he slid it into the lock and turned it. A resounding click signaled that the key had worked. Sydney glanced toward Broots as he turned the handle and pulled on the massive door. It opened with a hiss, as the airtight seal was broken.
As the door swung wide, Broots shined both flashlights upon the contents of the safe. “What could be so important that the Centre would want to keep it under lock and key down here?”
Sydney reached for a large book and a blue file on the second shelf of the safe. The file was labeled ‘Project Nighthawk’ and was filled with details of the Centre’s secret dealings with several well-known terrorists and white-collar criminals.
The book was one of at least ten in the safe. Bound in leather and labeled ‘Pretender Project’ and the dates that the log covered. Sydney opened it carefully and read the name inside. “Broots, these are detailed records of every simulation that Jarod performed during his time here and all the Centre application of those simulations. From the assassination of the high officials of foreign countries, to the kidnapping, and killing of innocent people for money.” Suddenly feeling sick, his hands started to shake so violently that he lost his hold on the book. Broots saved it just in time and started to read. Sydney braced himself against the far wall, struggling with the weight of his guilt as he slid slowly down to the floor, “Dear God, what have I done?”
Broots moved toward him quickly, “Sydney, this is no more your fault than it is Jarod’s. Neither of you knew what the Centre’s motives were.” Broots turned several more pages, “It’s just like Jarod said…only worse. They used all his simulations for unspeakable crimes against society.”
“I should have questioned. I should have stopped them,” his voice was wracked with emotion as he covered his face with his hands.
Broots shook his head as he turned the page. “Uh—Syd, you should see this.”
Kneeling down next to Sydney, Broots showed him the log entry dated 12/10/79. It was for simulation #1257A. Sydney read the application of the sim, “That was a simulation Jarod performed for NASA to determine the location of an American satellite that fell from the sky somewhere over Soviet soil.”
Broots gasped, “According to this, the Centre sold the information to the Russians who used it to locate the satellite and steal it’s data to be used against the US in the event of another world war.” Getting to his feet, he paced in front of Sydney, “This is evidence of treason. The Centre betrayed its own government. If we can get this to the FBI, they would be able to put an end to this place, one and for all.”
“Getting it to the FBI, is the problem,” Sydney frowned as he closed the book.
Broots thought for a moment, then stood and headed for the door, “I’ve got an idea. I will be right back.”
“Broots, where are you going?”
“To call in the Calvary,” he called over his shoulder.
“Be careful, Broots,” Sydney whispered.
Jarod made his way across the Centre grounds and entered the main building through the manhole that was partially hidden under a layer of dirt and gravel. Dropping through the opening, he slid the cover back over it. When he turned, Angelo was there.
“Must hurry. Sydney danger,” Angelo took off down the corridor with Jarod on his heels.
“Where is he, Angelo?”
“Under the world,” the empath pointed to a grate in the floor, which Jarod knew hid the entrance to a never-ending maze of ventilation shafts.
Quickly they lifted the heavy iron grate and dropped silently into the air ducts below. As Angelo led the way, Jarod followed praying they were not too late.
Broots slipped silently from the passageway, closing the hidden door behind him. Moving quickly he left Lyle’s office and headed for the tech room. He was terrified. If he failed…he did not want to think about what the Centre would do to him and all the people he loved and cared about. Fighting back nausea and wiping his sweaty palms on his shirt he settled down in front of his computer and quickly accessed the program he needed to break into the FBI data base.
Taking a deep breath, Broots pressed enter. He watched as top secret information from the Centre mainframe downloaded to the FBI. “This ought to set off a few sirens,” he whispered. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the mainframe security alarms went berserk and all hell broke loose.
Broots was just about to make a run for the door when the grate in the wall opened and he saw Angelo waving to him. Diving into the ventilation shaft, he heard the grate fall back into place. Seconds later, the tech room was invaded by sweepers.
“Thank you, Angelo,” Broots whispered.
“Go, that way,” Angelo motioned.
Broots turned and was startled when he found himself face to face with Jarod. “Jarod, how…”
“Let’s go Broots,” Jarod smiled. “Nice move, by the way.”
Broots shrugged his shoulders and grinned, “Nothing I shouldn’t have done a long time ago.”
When they finally reached Lyle’s office, Jarod immediately kicked the grate out of the wall sending it crashing to the floor below. He landed on his feet and waited for Broots to follow. When they turned to look back up at the opening, Angelo was gone.
“In there,” Broots motioned toward the hidden panel.
They hadn’t taken three steps when the lights came on, they saw Lyle and Mr. Parker standing on either side of Sydney whose head was bowed to his chest, and he wasn’t moving.
Panic filled Jarod’s voice as he took a step toward his friend, “Sydney.”
“Back off,” Lyle warned. He dropped to one knee and brought his gun up, pressing it into Sydney’s neck.
“Leave him out of this, Lyle.” Jarod’s eyes shot daggers into Lyle as he struggled to keep his voice calm. If Lyle realized the truth of his feelings for Sydney, he would not hesitate to pull the trigger. “This is between you and me, Lyle. Let them go.”
“I don’t think so,” Mr. Parker spoke up. “As long as we have the people you care about, we have you.” He then motioned to someone in the hallway and four sweepers entered with a raging Miss Parker and a struggling Jessie in tow. Behind them another sweeper led in Debbie Broots, Nicholas and a young dark-haired woman whose eyes burned with hatred and anger.
Jarod’s heart stopped as he realized the woman was his sister Emily. His mind spinning with uncontrollable emotions, he barely managed to speak. “Let them all go, you win. Just please, let them go.”
Lyle stood and stepped toward Jarod. “I guess you aren’t as smart as we thought you were, boy genius. You have let emotions cloud your judgment. You really should have never let yourself care for them. They have made you weak…gullible.”
Jarod waited as Lyle came closer, bowing his head slightly as he pretended to surrender. As soon as Lyle reached to take the gun from under his jacket, Jarod spun around and grabbed him by the throat pressing him down to his knees. Anger boiled up and overflowed as he slowly squeezed the life out of the monster.
“Daddy,” Jessie escaped from her captor. “Daddy, no.” Jarod felt her hand on his arm and immediately released Lyle.
“Oh, God. Jessie, honey.” Jarod swept her up in his arms and held on to her. He felt his furor flowing out of him as her love filled his heart.
He looked toward Miss Parker who was now holding the sweepers at bay with her own gun. He nodded slowly and she smiled.
Emily could only stare in disbelief at the man and the child. Her heart hammered in her chest as her eyes filled with tears. “Jarod,” she whispered.
Still holing his daughter, Jarod moved quickly toward her. “Emily,” he gasped and reached a hand out to touch her face as if afraid he had imagined her.
“You know me,” Emily laughed softly and shook her head slowly.
Jarod nodded, “You are even more beautiful than your picture.”
As brother and sister embraced, Miss Parker glanced toward her father. “It’s over, Daddy. It’s over,” the bitterness in her words did not even faze the man she had spent her entire life trying to please.
Mr. Parker reached a hand out to her. “Angel, I did it all for you.”
“No, Daddy. You did it all for this place. I was only a pawn in your sick little game.”
“That’s not true, Angel. I love you.”
“Jarod tried to tell me…tried to get me to see you for what you really are and I wouldn’t listen. I was blinded by loyalty and you used that loyalty for your own hidden agenda. And because of that I almost became you.”
A sudden flash of movement across the room caught Miss Parker’s attention. She jerked her head around just as Lyle pulled a gun and aimed it at Jarod. Without a moment of hesitation she leveled her gun at her own brother and fired. She heard her father cry out as Lyle dropped to the floor.
Jarod quickly handed Jessie to Emily and went to check Lyle. Shaking his head he stood and went to Miss Parker, gathering her into his arms. He could not find the words to express the emotions in his heart.
“He’s dead,” Miss Parker stated flatly.
Jarod nodded as he pulled back slightly, “I’m sorry.”
Miss Parker shook her head slowly, “I’m not. You and Jessie are my life…my family. No one else matters.” She turned to her father and whispered harshly, “Goodbye, Daddy.”
Mr. Parker lifted his gaze to her and nodded sadly. His grief was clearly showing in his eyes but he knew it was over…the war was lost and he had paid a heavy price. “Goodbye, Angel,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“My name is not ‘Angel’,” Miss Parker hissed. She turned to look into Jarod’s eyes and smiled slightly, “My name is Madeline.”
Broots looked up from where he and Nicholas were untying Sydney and smiled, “I’ve always wondered about that.”
A few minutes later, they walked out of the Centre and into the early morning chill. The sun was little more than a glimmer on the horizon as Jarod and Miss Parker with Jessie between, stopped to watch it rise slowly into the sky, signaling a new beginning for all of them. Behind them, Emily, Debbie, and Broots embraced, as did Sydney and Nicholas.
Angelo stepped out from the shadows and pointed toward an approaching motorcade, “The Calvary.”
“Better late than never,” Jarod smiled.
In a matter of seconds, they were swallowed up in a sea of FBI agents. As they watched, Mr. Parker was led to a waiting car in handcuffs. Mr. Raines soon joined him. The FBI coroner brought out Lyle’s body and put it into a black van.
Miss Parker felt nothing as she watched them close the doors and drive away with the body of her twin brother inside. She knew she should feel something, but she could not. He should not have forced her to make a choice between him and Jarod. It was no contest.
Jarod wrapped his arms around her and pressed her gently against him. “I love you, Madeline.”
Miss Parker looked up into his deep brown eyes, “Jarod, let’s go home.”
Laughing softly, he took hold of Jessie’s hand and keeping his arm around Miss Parker’s shoulder, he took his family home
