Disclaimer:  In first chapter

Chapter 2

“Angel, what are you doing?” her father’s voice rang through her head.  “Get control of yourself.  A Parker doesn’t let their guard down in front of the enemy.”

Still hearing her father’s words reverberating through her mind, Miss Parker’s eyes instantly snapped opened.  What the hell was the matter with her?  Here she was sitting on Jarod’s lap as she cried her eyes out while holding him close to her chest.  God, if the Centre barged in now they would both be whisked off to the Renewal Wing.  She needed to get control of the situation, and fast.  Miss Parker wasn’t going to let another moment of weakness get in the way of bringing in Jarod, especially now with Mr. Lyle in charge of the Centre.

A few months after the Carthis fiasco, Mr. Raines met his maker.  His death was ruled accidental, but she knew without a doubt, that her cannibalistic freak of a brother was behind it.  Sydney, Broots, and herself knew how mentally disturbed her brother was when they found his secret little torture chamber in his apartment a few years back.  Just thinking about that little make shift shed gave her chills till this day.

Roughly pushing Jarod away, Miss Parker brought her pistol back up, pressing the cold, hard metal under his chin.  “Not this time, Lab Rat,” she spat out, trying her best to get back to her old self.

“W…what are you doing?  I thought…”

“You thought, what?” she interjected harshly, “You thought that I would run off with you into the sunset due to my moment of weakness.  Please Jarod; you should know me better than that.”  She paused an added, “There’s no such thing as happily ever afters.”

Jarod glared at her as he clenched his jaw.  “How do you know that if you haven’t lived your life outside the box they’ve created for you?  No one is stopping you from leaving.  All you have to do is open the door and walk away.”

“That’s so easy for you too say, isn’t it,” she hissed out as she brought her face closer to his.  “You know Jarod, not all of us have the luxury of living a nomadic lifestyle where we can just pick up and leave whenever we want.  We…”  Miss Parker didn’t finish her sentence when something caught her eye.

Turning her gaze towards the living room she saw someone standing in front of the window, watching her and Jarod from afar.  As lightning illuminated the room, Miss Parker could see at what looked like to be an older, skinny woman dressed in a long, white nightgown that went all the way down to her ankles as she clutched the cotton fabric closely to her chest.  When their gazes locked, the older woman smiled at her before vanishing into thin air. 

“What the…”  Miss Parker trailed off, too shocked at what she just witnessed.  Tearing her gaze away from the living room she looked down at Jarod who seemed just as shaken as she was.  “Jarod, who, or shall I say what the hell was that?” she asked as she got up to get her Smith and Wesson that was hidden under the table. 

“I…I don’t know,” he replied back as he eased himself off the floor.  “I thought I was just imagining things earlier, but now…”

“But what?” she interjected, trying to hide the uneasiness that was slowly building within her.

“Maybe what we saw was a…a ghost,” he whispered out in a dread filled voice as he ran a shaky hand through his hair.

Miss Parker stared at him for a brief moment before letting out a nervous chuckle.  “A ghost?  Are you kidding me with this?  Jarod, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”  Just as Miss Parker said the words, she could hear a dull, almost inaudible thumping sound coming from the floor above them.  She shivered at the noise, realizing her fears were growing more rampant with each passing second.  Parker, get a hold of yourself.  It’s most likely a tree branch hitting the side of the house.  Hell, there’s still a storm brewing outside, it’s perfectly logical, she chided herself, but still, she couldn’t shake the creepy feeling that wrapped around her like a shroud.

“I’m surprised you would say that,” Jarod commented from beside her, breaking her from her reverie.

“What?” she replied back in annoyance.

“Not believing in ghosts, I’m just surprised you would say something like that, since you work at the Centre and all, where ghosts always walk among the hallways.” 

Miss Parker rubbed her forehead in a fit of frustration.  Her brief fear was now beginning to be replaced by irritation.  Sighing, she ignored Jarod’s words as she slipped her small pistol back in her ankle holster.

“I was wondering where you got that,” smiled Jarod as he watched her put the pistol away.  “I’ll have to file that in my mind along with all the other little tidbits about you,” he commented as he made his way to the front door.  He was halfway to his goal when he heard a safety from a gun being clicked off behind him.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?  As I recall, I don’t remember giving you a ‘get out of jail free’ card.”  Stepping closer to him, she pressed the muzzle of her gun into his back.  “Now, open the door nice and slowly.  Any sudden moves and you’ll be wishing for the sweet release of death when I’m done with you,” she warned.

Jarod turned his head to look back at her.  “You know I’ll find a way to escape you.  I always do,” he answered back knowingly.

Miss Parker smirked at him.  “Well Jarod, I hate to say this, but this time the cards are stacked against you.”  Pushing the gun more forcefully into his back she commanded, “Now move.”

As Jarod jiggled with the door, trying to pry it open, she felt a cold breeze wash through her, chilling her to the bone.  Wrapping her arms around herself, she let out a deep breath, surprised to see a light, cloudy mist come from her mouth due to her breathing.  Spinning around the foyer she noticed the room temperature dropped about twenty to thirty degrees.   Walking over to the mirror, she noticed a light frost building around the edges of the glass.  Glancing back at Jarod, she noticed he was still trying to open the door.

“Can’t you open it?” she asked as she came over to him.

Jarod threw his hands up in frustration.  “It won’t budge.  It’s stuck,” he answered in an aggravated voice.  “I know this will put a damper on things with bringing me back to the Centre,” he added caustically.

Miss Parker glared at him.  She wanted to get away from him and this damn house more than anything else in world.  He was starting to work on her last nerve.  Shoving him aside, she wrapped her hands around the two doorknobs, trying to pry the doors open, but to no avail.  Taking her gun, she tried to break the glass pane on the door, but surprisingly it didn’t break.  Cursing under her breath, she took a few steps back and pointed her gun at the doorknobs then fired.  After five shots, nothing could open the door.

“I don’t believe this shit!” she growled out in frustration.  Glancing to her side, she could see Jarod taking delight in her recent predicament.  “You think this is funny, Lab Rat.”

“Considering where I’m about to be taken, oh very much so.  It seems even the house is against you on this,” he snickered.

Miss Parker glowered at him as she walked past him into the living room.  She tried the same thing with two of the windows in the living room only getting the same results as she did at the front door.  Not wanting to waste any more bullets, she gave up and walked back into the foyer.

“No such luck, huh?” he asked.

“No.”

Squatting down, she retrieved her pistol.  She held the light weight gun in her hand deciding if she should give it too Jarod.  The decision was easily made for her when they both heard the floorboards above them creaking, then a slamming of a door.  Quickly handing Jarod the gun she said, “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but we need to watch our backs.  No telling who’s upstairs, roaming about.”

“It’s a ghost,” he stated matter-of-factly, taking small delight in her discomfort.  As they slowly made their way up the stairs he continued to talk, “This past Halloween I saw the movie Poltergeist, and I have to say, it was quite an interesting film.”

Miss Parker spun around.  “Would you shut up before they hear you.”

“Oh Miss Parker, don’t tell me you’re scared of a little ole ghost,” he teased.

“I’m scared of nothing,” she stated evenly as she continued up the stairs.

Jarod smiled at her.  “Oh come on Miss Parker, everyone is scared of something.  You know, if you want, you can hold my hand in case you get scared,” he joked.

“Sorry, but I won’t need it,” she shot back.   “Instead why don’t you use your hand and entertain yourself in the bathroom.  Just use that imagination yours.  I’m sure you have a lot of time to make up for.”

Behind her, she heard Jarod gasp.  “Miss Parker, was that a sexual innuendo you just said to me?”

“Just call it what you will,” she stated simply.

Jarod smiled at her.  “So, do you dream about me in the buff when you’re at home late at night?”  When she didn’t answer, he took a couple of steps closer.  With her back still towards him, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, in a low, almost seductive voice, “When you slip under the covers and lay your head hits the pillow, do you dream about the way I touch you, kiss you, and hold you, while whispering sweet nothings into your ear?  So tell me, am I any good?”

“Sorry Jarod, hate to burst your bubble, but I haven’t thought about you in that way,” she replied back, trying to ignore the husky tone in his voice that sent a shiver down her spine.  If Jarod really knew about some of the dreams she had about him, she would never live it down.

“What if I was the last man on earth?” he suggested light heartily.

“I’d demand a recount,” she replied back.

They remained silent for a moment before Jarod spoke up again with an ever present grin on his face.  “Just so you know Miss Parker, I’ve had a few X-rated dreams about you too.”  Seeing the annoyed look on her face at knowing she was caught red handed, his grin got broader as he walked past her and up the stairs.

“Pain in the ass,” she mumbled to herself, trying to stifle her smile as she followed up after him. 

XXXXXX

To Be Continued…