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Chapter Two

Las Vegas, Nevada

 

Parker did not like Las Vegas, never had.

 

Part of that was because she'd never had any truly good experiences there.  Whenever she happened to end up in "Sin City" she spent a good deal of her time not sinning.

 

In fact, last time she'd been here the only thing she'd done was sit in a motel room for a couple days with Broots.  Broots had spent a chunk of that time sleeping and talking in his sleep about someone named "Puff Daddy" and "Mister Wiggles", both names that disturbed Parker for reasons she did not know.

 

The time before that that she'd been here hadn't been any better.

 

Jarod had manipulated her into being strip-searched.

 

By a very unattractive man.

 

Parker ground her teeth as she remembered that particular bit of loveliness.  She turned her attention back to the dog sitting to her right.  "You need a name.  If you're going to ride along, which you appear to be, you need a name.  I refuse to call you "dog" all the time."

 

For his part "Dog" just stared at her blankly.

 

Parker stopped at a red light and turned to stare down at the dog blithely, an evil light twinkling in her baby blues.  "A name should reflect your character, don't you think?  You're skinny, you look mean, and you're ugly.  I think I'll call you 'Raines'."

 

The dog growled with displeasure.

 

The light turned green and Parker laughed as the car jumped into motion.  Her thoughts continued to spin 'round as she contemplated where they would spend the night.  "How about Lyle?  You look like the type to eat someone."

 

Another growl of displeasure.

 

Parker sped past all the big casino/hotels, their security and camera systems were too good for her to fool.  She could handle one or two cameras, but not several hundred.  That was a feat more on Jarod's level of planning.

 

As much as she disliked even the idea of it, she would be staying in a motel tonight.  A low-brow cheap motel that allowed evil looking dogs and self-hating former secret operatives of a foreign-national-funded centre for diabolical deeds.

 

The Red-Roof Inn looked good for such a situation.

 

The clerk inside, sleepy and underpaid, was far from helpful.  He didn't know if they allowed dogs here, he didn't care, and as long as she slipped in an extra twenty, he wouldn't tell.  However, add in the free breakfast buffet and Parker was happy enough.

 

The dog, still nameless, sniffed around the room for several minutes before claiming the one bed, a full, for himself.  Parker shook her finger disapprovingly, but left him there as she slipped into the bathroom to take a nice long bath.  Unfortunately the tub was actually far too short for someone of her height and she had to settle for a nice tepid shower instead.

 

Still, it was refreshing after a day of driving, a brief swim in salt-water, and the tension that had been riding her shoulders since she left L.A.  Parker smiled as she opened the door of the bathroom, steam rolling out like fog only to dissipate in the cooler air of the main room.  The dog looked up as she walked in, eyes surprisingly intelligent as it studied her.

 

"How about Bobby?" Parker asked as she slowly sat next to the animal on the bed.  She pushed back the sleeve of her robe, a chartreuse silk creation from Paris, and laid one surprisingly gentle hand on the dog's head.  She slowly stroked it, her hand moving tenderly and more than a little cautiously.  She'd always wanted a dog as a child, as every child always wanted a pet.  It'd never been allowed and she'd eventually grown out of the want.

 

There was no growl of disapproval this time.  He, and Parker was assuming it was a 'he', just looked at her and tilted his head to the side just a bit.  She had no idea why she chose that name, that name of all names, but she did and apparently he liked it.

 

"Are you going to guard me?" She asked of him, her hands cradling his long face.  "Or am I going to guard you?"

 

It was a question that resounded in her life always.

 

Was she the protector or the protected?

 

Was she chasing or being chased?

 

More importantly, who was behind it all?

 

Parker idly rubbed her animal behind its ears, her thoughts running through possibilities quickly.  The Centre was gone, as well as the Triumvirate, but many operatives of both were still running around.  The "big bads" like Raines and Lyle were in prison, but it was easy to arrange things from there.

 

It was a mystery, she admitted to herself, and one she wasn't interested in solving.  She'd done enough fact-chasing to last her a lifetime.  As long as she could keep them off her back, she'd be happy.

 

Slowly shifting her head from side to side Parker debated whether to sleep or check her email.  There were only three people who knew the address so it wasn't as if anything truly urgent was waiting for her.

 

On the other hand, two of the people who had that address were Angelo and Ethan, both men known for pulling "prophecies" out of nowhere.

 

Despite being "affordable", the motel had Wi-Fi, for which Parker was incredibly pleased.  It meant she didn't have to get off the bed to get onto the internet but only had to pull the slim laptop from one of her bags at the foot of it.

 

Imagine her surprise when she saw four emails, three from the people who had the address, and one from Jarod.

 

She smirked as she debated whether to delete it without reading or to get it over with and see what the boy-genius wanted.  Ultimately curiosity won out and she clicked on his email.  Bobby lay down until his head rested between his front legs, looking innocent and vulnerable.

 

The message was short and simple.

 Where are you going? 

There was even a cute smiley face with an eyebrow quirked, definitely reflecting Jarod's mood as he wrote the email.

 

Parker didn't even hesitate before clicking the reply button.

Why do you care?

She smiled as she hit send, turning to rub Bobby's back with her foot.  He stretched under her ministrations, slowly crawling up the bed until he was curled into her body.  Parker lay back until she was staring at the spackled ceiling.

 

"So, Bobby," she said quietly as she caressed him just behind the ear, "how do you feel about Texas?  I'm in the mood for roller coasters."

 

 


 

Visalia, California 

Why do you care? 

It was an excellent question and one that Jarod had been asking himself for many days.

 

After deducing that Miss Parker was in contact with Debbie and stealing the address from the girl's email account, he'd made quick work of hacking into Miss Parker's computer.  She had three email addresses, almost fifty bookmarked webpages, and little to nothing else on her computer; she also clearly needed better internet security.

 

Jarod smirked as he sat down at his desk chair and began to type away on his keyboard, activating the virus he'd embedded in his email to Miss Parker.  It was a custom creation of his, designed to trace the location of the computer his email had been accessed from.

 

Even if she hadn't replied, as long as she opened the email he'd have been able to find her.

 

Miss Parker could no more resist playing with him than he could resist baiting her.

 

While the tracer program was running, he quickly typed up a response.

I always care, Miss Parker.  Ethan is worried.

It took only a minute for him to get a response.

Ethan is always worried. 

He grinned and was in mid-type when his program beeped its completion.  His grin became a broad and genuine smile as he read the report.

 

Miss Parker was in Las Vegas, one of his favorite cities in this country.  He'd been there several times and had friends that lived there.

 

His fingers flew across the keyboard even as his mind raced to plot out his plan.

I'm worried too, Parker.  

He grabbed his knapsack and filled it with his essentials before moving to the door.  Clothes, computer, Pez, and several other small objects filled the bag quickly.  Jarod was at the front door before he remembered that his family slept in the house around him.

 

He set the bag down quietly, his head bowed as he struggled with this decision.

 

He'd had so little time with them but in that time this place had become home.  He had responsibilities to them now, things that were expected of him.  He couldn't take off on a whim anymore, not even for Miss Parker.

 

Jarod had to do the conscientious thing.

 

He left the note explaining where he'd gone and why on the door of the fridge.

 

Within minutes all that marked his passing was the empty bedroom and the cloud of dust from the dirt road.

 


 

Parker slept for only seven hours when she was woken up by a loud banging on the door.  She swore out loud and accidentally kicked Bobby off the bed as she struggled to remove her long legs from the tangled sheets.  Bobby came to his feet quickly in the dark, a menacing growl echoing in the large room.

 

It took several seconds for Parker to realize that he wasn't growling at her.

 

She brushed her hand across the top of his head as she moved past him, her touch instantly silencing him.  He remained alert, however, and stood as if ready to pounce as she moved to the door.  She took the time to grab her gun from its holster on the bedside table before pulling the door open.

 

The little man on the other side of the door seemed shocked.

 

Whether it was because of the gun in his face or the beautiful woman wearing only a t-shirt and some lacey underwear, Parker couldn't tell.

 

"Can I help you?" She asked in her cool but clearly angry voice.

 

"Hi!  I'm Argyle."

 

"Like the pattern?" Parker asked incredulously.

 

"Yeah!  Just like that!"  He grinned widely, pleased as punch even though the gun was still in his face.  He held his hands up to demonstrate his lack of aggression and managed to give her more of a "puppy-dog" look than Bobby ever had.

 

"What do you want?"

 

"The J-man sent me," Argyle said as if that explained everything.

 

Parker, who had just been rudely woken, had not had her coffee, and was feeling a little jumpy on the trigger finger, resolved herself to the fact that she was not going to get to shoot anyone today.  She pressed the safety on the gun and tossed it onto the bed, reaching for her robe as she moved back into the room.  "And just who is the J-man?"

 

"That would be me," Jarod said as he closed the door behind him.  Argyle, after getting Parker to open the door, had scrammed as the plan required and left Jarod to follow Miss Parker into her room.

 

She now deeply regretted having discarded her gun.

 

She smiled a little to herself, pleased that her back was to him so he couldn't see.  "Hello, Jarod."

 

"Hello, Miss Parker.  I've been looking for you."

 

She pulled her robe on and belted it before turning to her former prey.  "I know.  I've been busy."

 

"Running?"

 

"I prefer the term traveling," she explained with a cool smile that did not reach her eyes.  She sat down on the edge of the bed, her hand held out until Bobby came and pressed against her body.  He glared at Jarod as if he didn't like the man and Parker found herself growing even fonder of the animal.

 

"Nice dog," Jarod said as he moved through the room, peering into the bathroom and the closets before moving back to the window.  "Are you aware you're being followed?"

 

"Yes, and are you aware that there are stalker-laws in this state?"


"I'm not talking about me, Miss Parker," Jarod replied stoically, before ruining the statement by grinning widely.  "Though now that we're on the subject-"

 

"Who's following me, Jarod?" Parker smoothly shifted the conversation back on track.

 

Jarod moved the curtains just a bit to see outside, his eyes scanning for any possible intruders.  "Old friends."

 

"What kind of old friends?"

 

"Old dangerous friends, Miss Parker."

 

"Do those friends have na-"

 

The shots slammed through the window with startling suddenness.  Jarod flew back into the wall opposite, next to the door, blood staining his jacket.  Parker was on her feet and at his side in a second.  She covered him with her body, instinctively trying to protect him as the gunshots continued to sound outside and the bullets thudded into the area around them.  It was pure luck and little else that prevented any of them from getting fatally wounded.

 

The sudden silence that came from the cessation of shooting made the ringing in Parker's ears even more noticeable.  Her hands streaked up Jarod's shirt as she struggled to see where he was hit.  He was losing a good amount of blood all over the motel floor but the wound itself didn't seem that bad.

 

She struggled to reassure herself and him at the same time.  "It's just a flesh wound.  You need stitches though."

 

"They were aiming for you, Parker," Jarod said through grinding teeth, his eyes clouded with pain.


"I realize that," she snapped as she grabbed one of her towels from her shower, which she'd conveniently left on the floor, and pressed it against his side.  "Hold that!"

 

He did so and watched as Parker began to move around the room.  She grabbed up the bedside phone and dialed the emergency number, demanding an ambulance and giving the address.  She slammed down the phone and stared over at Jarod for several seconds.

 

When she began to move again it was only to throw the few things she'd removed from her luggage back into it.

 

Jarod didn't have to be a Pretender to know what she was doing.  "Parker," he growled as he struggled to stand, pain rocketing down his body as his wound stretched.

 

She pressed one long-fingered hand on his shoulder and kept him down.  "An ambulance is on the way, but I need to go.  Let them take care of you."

 

"We'll run together.  I can help you."

 

"I don't want your help, Jarod," Parker said snidely as she grabbed up her bags and headed for the door, her dog right on her heels.  She paused to look back at him.  "Stop following me."

 

Then she was gone and he was left bleeding against her motel room wall.

 

All in all, it hadn't gone as bad as he'd thought it would.

 


 

Her car most likely had some sort of tracer on it, but she could deal with that once she got away from the scene of the crime.  She did look under the car for a bomb, however, because blowing up was not in her plans.

 

She slipped into the car, throwing her luggage into the backseat, grateful that she'd left the top down last night.  Bobby launched himself over the passenger door, scratching her paint job, not that she cared.  They screeched out of their parking space, her hair slapping into her face sharply as she struggled to control the speeding car just enough to not hit anything or anyone.

 

She was a block away and gaining speed when a flash of garish color on the corner of her eye had her slamming the brakes and rolling her car up onto a sidewalk.

 

She narrowly missed hitting the man who'd caught her attention.

 

"Hey, you!" Parker shouted as she leaned over her passenger door to point at Argyle threateningly.  He was already startled by almost getting hit by her car, but her yell actually made him start to shake.  "Jarod's been shot.  Go take care of him.  Now."

 

Even if she hadn't been a balls-to-the-wall bitch, that authoritarian tone in her voice brooked no arguments.  Argyle managed to stutter an agreement before he took off in the opposite direction of where she was headed.

 

Somehow making sure that Jarod had someone to take care of him eased a bit of the panic inside Miss Parker.  She had more control as she reversed off the sidewalk and slipped back into traffic.

 

She was three miles out of Las Vegas when she realized just how cold she was even though the sun was shining bright and hot into her car.

 

Her laugh echoed in the wind and Bobby looked at her like she'd gone crazy.

 

She ran a trembling hand over his head before focusing back on the road.

 

"I should probably stop somewhere and put some pants on," she said to her companion as she laughed hard enough to have tears slipping from her eyes.

 

She wasn't in the mood to ride roller coasters anymore.










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