One hour later, Parker was starting to get worried.

Considering that the journey from the restaurant to their house wasn’t long, it would have taken Jarod 25 minutes to return, maybe 20 if he walked fast.

When she heard the door squeaking, Parker didn’t flinch, but she had to admit that she was relieved. Jarod locked the door behind him in time to see Parker approaching him silently.

“The kids?” he asked her.

“In bed. I guess I scared them with my running act, before. They’ve had their fill of surprises, today.”     

Jarod smiled sadly, but he wasn’t angry anymore. He was, when he’d started to walk back home, but then he’d also pondered Parker’s words. One hour of thoughts and steps later, Jarod had finally found himself in front of his house without even noticing.

“I’m sorry if I overreacted, Jarod.” Parker apologized. “I didn’t mean to leave you like that, but I’d be a liar if I told you that it wasn’t fun. Call it payback.”

Jarod sighed, “I’m the one who should be sorry, Parker. I should have told you about Lyle getting married, but the news got me so…overwhelmed…that I decided to hide it from you.”

“Why? He’s nothing to do with us, why do you even care?”

“I was thinking about that poor woman. She has probably no idea about who Lyle really is.”

“Chuntao?” Parker inquired.

Jarod nodded slowly, “What did he tell you about her?”

“Not much. I saw her picture in a frame and I had the special privilege to find out that Lyle usually calls her Peachy. You discovered something else?”

Jarod shook his head in exasperation, “Only that she comes from the Chinese branch of the Centre.”

“Beijing?”

“Shangai”, Jarod corrected her, “That’s the most terrible annex the Centre has in Asia. And the worst thing is that I can’t find anything about this Chuntao. It’s like she came out of nowhere!”

“This can be no coincidence. First that man who’s following me, then Lyle getting married with a stranger...”

Jarod finally remembered why Parker had visited Lyle in the first place, “Did he tell you anything useful about him?”

“Lyle swears he’s nothing to do with this. He asked me to give him some photos to investigate, though.”

“And you trust him?” Jarod demanded, between resignation and exasperation.

“My inner sense never twitched while I was there. However disgusting my brother is, I always know when he’s not telling the truth. He wasn’t lying, Jarod. And I had a distinct feeling that he’s really changed.” Parker replied, looking very determined.

“Maybe he’s really in love.”

Jarod chuckled sarcastically at Parker’s remark, “Watching Lyle taking a woman to the altar? I’d rather eat a bowl of pistachios!”

“Watch it, Wonder Boy, you could eat your words, instead!”

Parker smiled tenderly and embraced him, her cheeks leaning delicately on his.

“So, are you still mad at me?”

“Yes.” She stated, still holding his gaze. “Tell me the truth, you were afraid that I’d want to attend my beloved twin’s wedding, weren’t you? Just forget for a moment how crazy you are to even think something like that, but what if I actually wanted to go?!”

Jarod purred in her ears, “I wouldn’t let you.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I would.” He replied, kissing the sensible spot under her ear. “You know what I think of Lyle. I will – never – trust him.”

“Me neither, Jar. But I need you to understand how stupid it was to hide this fom me.”

“Ok. Later.” He almost kissed her, but she drew back.

“No, now!” she snapped at him. “Jarod, ten years ago you promised me that you would have never hidden anything from me!”

“Parker, I wanted to protect you!”

“I don’t need you to do that!” she stated, “God, sometimes you really behave like Sydney! Always the same old story, acting like the knight in shiny armour, coming to save the damsel in distress! But what I want from you, what I need from you, is only the truth!”

Jarod nodded, he felt guilty and embarassed, two feelings that only Parker was able to raise in him at the same time.

“My father, Raines, Lyle...They all kept secrets from me. But you…I’ve always trusted you, we never lied to each other. I don’t want us to start now, are we clear?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?” she urged him, pinching his arm only to listen to Jarod’s exagerrated whim of pain, “Yes, Ma’am!”

The pretender grinned from ear to ear and took her wrists in his hands, then he kissed her passionately and Parker felt the arousal increasing immediately. She opened his shirt in one fast movement, probably ripping a couple of bottons. While Parker manoeuvred to unbuckle his belt and open his zip, Jarod pulled off her shirt and lowered the straps of her bra, delivering all his attention to her neck.

“The kids...” Parker moaned in her last seconds of lucidity.

“The shower.” He murmured.

Parker grinned, “I’ve always said you’re a genius.”

---

After a quick and passionate encouter in the shower, Jarod and Parker decided that a long relaxing bath was in need. Jarod was lying comfortably inside the bathtub with Parker leaning on his chest. She was revelling in the sensation of his fingers caressing her arms and she’d totally forgotten why they’d argued in the first place.

“We should fight more often”, Jarod whispered to her ear.

Parker giggled in answer, “Careful, lab rat. One day your grin won’t affect me anymore and I’ll have to kill you.”

“I’ll take the chance, Parker.”

“Let’s get out of here, or we’re going to freeze”, she returned as she stood up and got out from the bathtub. Jarod followed her lead and put on his bathrobe.

“Jarod”, she called to him, “I meant what I’ve said before. And I’m still frightened.”

Jarod nodded in answer, “If Lyle is trustworthy, then we must find out who that man really is. But I don’t want to scare him away. Could you just pretend for a couple of days while I check with my sources?”

“I thought pretending was only a prerogative of yours, Jarod.”

“Parker...” he scolded her, wishing that she could be serious just for once.

“Ok.” she sighed.

Jarod watched as she put a hand on her forehead and started to rub it in nervousness.

“You inner sense is really talking to you again, isn’t it?”

Miss Parker stared at him, “I guess…it’s…just a gut feeling. It comes from underneath. I’m almost sure I’ve never seen him before, and yet...I felt like he knew me, Jarod.”

“Come here.”

He took her in his arms and hugged her lovingly, “I won’t belittle your feelings anymore. If there’s something dangerous about that man, I’ll find out. I promise.”

“How?”

“Let me take care of it, will you? And I’m taking the kids to school tomorrow, I want to see that man, too.”