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Note: This is the second of a series. Read 'The Not so Wonderful Life''surfnow free download, first!
Next is 'Afterglow'
A Special Valentine
by N.R. Levy
Two thoughts had traveled through his brain the first moment he'd seen her - he had to own her and he had to kill her.
Those two conflicting desires had waged war inside of Lyle's mind and heart from then on. From that first day when she'd walked into her father's office expecting to find the old man, her eyes had provoked him. They challenged him, called him what he was, and he both loved and hated her for that.
Now she knew everything...everything! And his entire future was at risk. Of course she couldn't make things easy by just dying from the knife wound. Stubborn as ever, she'd recovered and was now back at the Centre. The question was, what was happening?
Lyle was frozen out again. Cut off from the place that should be his empire, and it was all because of her and the pretender. Well, Lyle thought, if they are going to take away my life, then I will have to return the favor.
The trick was to hit them where they were vulnerable, and from the looks on their faces in the alley that night, Lyle knew just where that was. Now all he had to do was create a plan - the perfect plan to get the one thing he had always wanted - Parker's heart.
****
Miss Parker leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a brief second after checking to make certain Sydney and Broots were nowhere in sight. She knew that if they spied her resting they would take it as another opportunity to lecture her on coming back to work too soon. That she could do without, mostly because she knew they were right. Unfortunately, she had to be here. This time, her life depended on it.
Lyle had disappeared into the night after stabbing her, and despite Sam's diligent efforts, no sign of him had been found. Thankfully, Jarod had thought quickly and planted evidence in the mainframe that implicated Lyle in some questionable dealings, so no one at the Centre seemed surprised by his disappearance. This had allowed Parker to assign Sam to find him out in the open, with her father's approval.
Of course, no one in the Centre besides Sydney, Broots, and Sam knew it was Lyle who had attacked her. Thankfully, they weren't privy to her nightmares. Shuddering, she was suddenly even more pleased with her decision to assign Sam two new sweeper teams. The group would work exclusively on the search for her psychotic brother. They had to find him before he hurt someone else, before he went after Jarod, before...
She refused to finish that thought. She would never let Lyle get that close to her again. If she had to shoot him while he stood unarmed in front of her she would do it, and this time she would feel no guilt, no remorse for being a killer. How could you feel guilt for destroying evil itself?
For now, Sue-Li, her brother's last intended victim, was safely hidden away. Jarod had seen to it that she was somewhere Lyle couldn't find her, and her statement about Lyle's attack had been recorded on DSA and now sat tucked away in Parker's safe. She and Jarod both knew that without corroborating evidence it was still not enough to take to the Triumvirate. Still, it was a place to start. More than that, it was a place for them to start working together.
Together - like in the dream. Well, not exactly like it. She and Jarod were never going to build the picture of familial bliss together, but she knew now that she needed his help. It was time to stop pushing him away. Now all she had to do was find a way to tell him that.
Sighing, Parker stood and moved slowly around her office. Though it had been two months since the stabbing, the injury had been slow in healing. In fact, of all the injuries she had suffered during the past five years, this one had come closest to killing her and seemed destined to leave the worst scars. If only they were all on her body, she thought, at least I could learn to ignore those.
As if he'd heard her think a reflective thought, Sydney knocked on her door. He was well aware that prolonged periods of sitting made her chest muscles tighten up around her wound and she needed to walk that off, but normally she did so in her usual manner of stalking the hallways. He was glad to see her moving about, taking care not to overtire herself for a change.
"Miss Parker, I'm heading out for lunch. Can I pick you up anything?"
Parker had reached the far wall of her office, and she turned around and walked back toward her desk. She glanced up and saw Sydney trying to keep that "I'm so concerned for you" look off of his face and failing miserably.
"No thanks, Syd. I'm fine."
"Did you eat?"
"Syd, I said I'm fine."
Parker stopped in front of the window and fixed her gaze outward. Sydney watched her. Suddenly he had the desire to walk over and wrap his arms around her, as if that alone would be enough to protect her from the horrors he knew she was facing now. They had come so close to losing her - he and Broots both knew it. If Jarod hadn't been there to slow down the bleeding, she never would have survived.
With a sigh, Sydney turned to leave, but as he opened the door, he saw Broots approaching with a package in hand. The doctor held the door open, then moved to Parker's desk where Broots had sat the package.
"Miss Parker, this just came for you."
Parker turned her head and saw the package. It was a medium sized box wrapped in plain brown paper.
"From Jarod?"
"I don't think so. The handwriting doesn't look like his, and normally he leaves some kind of clue on the packaging."
Parker raised her eyebrow, then took the few steps to her desk. She moved the package in front of her and tore into the paper as her eyes flitted from it to Broots and back again.
"Any word from Sam?"
"No, Miss Parker, nothing yet, but you know Sam's going to find him." Broots could hear the nerves in his own voice as he spoke. Just mentioning Lyle now gave him the creeps. It had been bad enough knowing the terrible things the man had done to strangers, but since he'd hurt Miss Parker - well, Broots had discovered a whole new level of revulsion for his boss's twin brother.
The paper now tossed aside, Parker grabbed her letter opener to break the tape on the plain white shipping box. She was lifting the flaps as Sydney started to speak but his words died inside the sound of Parker's scream as she moved away from the package, her hand coming to cover her mouth as she paled to pure white before the eyes of her friends. Sydney moved to Miss Parker's side instantly as Broots leaned over to look in the box.
"Oh, jeez. Oh, jeez!"
Sydney saw Broots turn away as he felt Parker turn toward him. For a moment, Sydney almost thought she would lean on him for support. That moment passed quickly, however, as Parker forced herself to stand taller and turn back toward the desk. She closed her eyes a moment before she willed them back onto the package. She glimpsed a piece of paper sticking up out of the horror inside and she cautiously reached in to retrieve it as Broots's panicked words began to fill the room.
"Jeez, Miss Parker, who would - I mean, what kind of freak would send you -"
As Parker brought the small envelope out of the box, Sydney saw that it had bloodstains on the edges - fresh bloodstains. No longer able to stop himself, he leaned forward and looked into the package.
Inside was a heart - a bloody and unmistakably human heart.
Parker's hands shook as she opened the envelope. Inside was a picture of a young woman, mid 20's with dark hair and blue eyes. The girl was smiling brightly, her whole future ahead of her as the photographer snapped the photo. Now, Parker knew, that future was over. Though she knew in her soul who had sent the gift, she turned the photo over anyway, finding the familiar handwriting she had expected.
"Until I have your heart, I'll have to settle for theirs."
Next is 'Afterglow'
A Special Valentine
by N.R. Levy
Two thoughts had traveled through his brain the first moment he'd seen her - he had to own her and he had to kill her.
Those two conflicting desires had waged war inside of Lyle's mind and heart from then on. From that first day when she'd walked into her father's office expecting to find the old man, her eyes had provoked him. They challenged him, called him what he was, and he both loved and hated her for that.
Now she knew everything...everything! And his entire future was at risk. Of course she couldn't make things easy by just dying from the knife wound. Stubborn as ever, she'd recovered and was now back at the Centre. The question was, what was happening?
Lyle was frozen out again. Cut off from the place that should be his empire, and it was all because of her and the pretender. Well, Lyle thought, if they are going to take away my life, then I will have to return the favor.
The trick was to hit them where they were vulnerable, and from the looks on their faces in the alley that night, Lyle knew just where that was. Now all he had to do was create a plan - the perfect plan to get the one thing he had always wanted - Parker's heart.
****
Miss Parker leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a brief second after checking to make certain Sydney and Broots were nowhere in sight. She knew that if they spied her resting they would take it as another opportunity to lecture her on coming back to work too soon. That she could do without, mostly because she knew they were right. Unfortunately, she had to be here. This time, her life depended on it.
Lyle had disappeared into the night after stabbing her, and despite Sam's diligent efforts, no sign of him had been found. Thankfully, Jarod had thought quickly and planted evidence in the mainframe that implicated Lyle in some questionable dealings, so no one at the Centre seemed surprised by his disappearance. This had allowed Parker to assign Sam to find him out in the open, with her father's approval.
Of course, no one in the Centre besides Sydney, Broots, and Sam knew it was Lyle who had attacked her. Thankfully, they weren't privy to her nightmares. Shuddering, she was suddenly even more pleased with her decision to assign Sam two new sweeper teams. The group would work exclusively on the search for her psychotic brother. They had to find him before he hurt someone else, before he went after Jarod, before...
She refused to finish that thought. She would never let Lyle get that close to her again. If she had to shoot him while he stood unarmed in front of her she would do it, and this time she would feel no guilt, no remorse for being a killer. How could you feel guilt for destroying evil itself?
For now, Sue-Li, her brother's last intended victim, was safely hidden away. Jarod had seen to it that she was somewhere Lyle couldn't find her, and her statement about Lyle's attack had been recorded on DSA and now sat tucked away in Parker's safe. She and Jarod both knew that without corroborating evidence it was still not enough to take to the Triumvirate. Still, it was a place to start. More than that, it was a place for them to start working together.
Together - like in the dream. Well, not exactly like it. She and Jarod were never going to build the picture of familial bliss together, but she knew now that she needed his help. It was time to stop pushing him away. Now all she had to do was find a way to tell him that.
Sighing, Parker stood and moved slowly around her office. Though it had been two months since the stabbing, the injury had been slow in healing. In fact, of all the injuries she had suffered during the past five years, this one had come closest to killing her and seemed destined to leave the worst scars. If only they were all on her body, she thought, at least I could learn to ignore those.
As if he'd heard her think a reflective thought, Sydney knocked on her door. He was well aware that prolonged periods of sitting made her chest muscles tighten up around her wound and she needed to walk that off, but normally she did so in her usual manner of stalking the hallways. He was glad to see her moving about, taking care not to overtire herself for a change.
"Miss Parker, I'm heading out for lunch. Can I pick you up anything?"
Parker had reached the far wall of her office, and she turned around and walked back toward her desk. She glanced up and saw Sydney trying to keep that "I'm so concerned for you" look off of his face and failing miserably.
"No thanks, Syd. I'm fine."
"Did you eat?"
"Syd, I said I'm fine."
Parker stopped in front of the window and fixed her gaze outward. Sydney watched her. Suddenly he had the desire to walk over and wrap his arms around her, as if that alone would be enough to protect her from the horrors he knew she was facing now. They had come so close to losing her - he and Broots both knew it. If Jarod hadn't been there to slow down the bleeding, she never would have survived.
With a sigh, Sydney turned to leave, but as he opened the door, he saw Broots approaching with a package in hand. The doctor held the door open, then moved to Parker's desk where Broots had sat the package.
"Miss Parker, this just came for you."
Parker turned her head and saw the package. It was a medium sized box wrapped in plain brown paper.
"From Jarod?"
"I don't think so. The handwriting doesn't look like his, and normally he leaves some kind of clue on the packaging."
Parker raised her eyebrow, then took the few steps to her desk. She moved the package in front of her and tore into the paper as her eyes flitted from it to Broots and back again.
"Any word from Sam?"
"No, Miss Parker, nothing yet, but you know Sam's going to find him." Broots could hear the nerves in his own voice as he spoke. Just mentioning Lyle now gave him the creeps. It had been bad enough knowing the terrible things the man had done to strangers, but since he'd hurt Miss Parker - well, Broots had discovered a whole new level of revulsion for his boss's twin brother.
The paper now tossed aside, Parker grabbed her letter opener to break the tape on the plain white shipping box. She was lifting the flaps as Sydney started to speak but his words died inside the sound of Parker's scream as she moved away from the package, her hand coming to cover her mouth as she paled to pure white before the eyes of her friends. Sydney moved to Miss Parker's side instantly as Broots leaned over to look in the box.
"Oh, jeez. Oh, jeez!"
Sydney saw Broots turn away as he felt Parker turn toward him. For a moment, Sydney almost thought she would lean on him for support. That moment passed quickly, however, as Parker forced herself to stand taller and turn back toward the desk. She closed her eyes a moment before she willed them back onto the package. She glimpsed a piece of paper sticking up out of the horror inside and she cautiously reached in to retrieve it as Broots's panicked words began to fill the room.
"Jeez, Miss Parker, who would - I mean, what kind of freak would send you -"
As Parker brought the small envelope out of the box, Sydney saw that it had bloodstains on the edges - fresh bloodstains. No longer able to stop himself, he leaned forward and looked into the package.
Inside was a heart - a bloody and unmistakably human heart.
Parker's hands shook as she opened the envelope. Inside was a picture of a young woman, mid 20's with dark hair and blue eyes. The girl was smiling brightly, her whole future ahead of her as the photographer snapped the photo. Now, Parker knew, that future was over. Though she knew in her soul who had sent the gift, she turned the photo over anyway, finding the familiar handwriting she had expected.
"Until I have your heart, I'll have to settle for theirs."
