Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
PARKER
True to Callum’s word, Alex came through without asking for a single detail. He’d set up some kind of VPN on steroids so that I could effectively video chat from my laptop or phone without revealing my location. The confidence with which he explained I was effectively untraceable by anyone with fewer toys than the NSA made me want to ask all kinds of questions about exactly what his job in the military had been. But I left it alone, simply expressing my gratitude that he’d done what I needed.
Neither he nor Finn was treating me any differently, though I had noted all three men were just a little more watchful, and they’d been deliberate in marking off the schedule so that I was never left in the office alone. Overkill? Maybe. But it made me feel protected and cared for. Well, that was how Finn and Alex made me feel. Callum made me feel so much more.
I’d spent the last three days replaying his declaration that no one would force me to do anything I didn’t want to do, in that devastating, over-my-dead-body tone. He’d looked ready to go to war, fierce and furious and possibly the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. It hadn’t done a damned thing to help with my crush. Neither had that probably ill-advised hug before he’d left my flat. But God, it did something to me, knowing he’d defend me. Because I understood him well enough by now to know that meant he’d let me past some of those mile-high walls of his. Not into his inner circle. I wasn’t sure he let anyone that far in—not even his former squad members. But we were… something other than strangers and mere coworkers. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t fantasized about being more. A lot more. And I didn’t really know what to do about that.
I mean, objectively, I should do nothing at all. He was my boss. But he was also… a friend. Perhaps not like any friend I’d ever had, but a friend nonetheless. Given this new life I was building, I couldn’t afford to screw that up. But that hadn’t stopped my dreams from rivaling the steam of the radiators I’d finally figured out how to use in my flat.
“Get it together, girl. You have more important things to worry about. Like setting some ground rules with Jade.”
At the sound of my voice, Falkor’s tail began to swish, and he tipped his head back against my leg, begging for pets. Of course I complied. Who was I to resist that face?
“Let’s do this thing, buddy.”
Scanning behind my spot on the sofa, I made sure there was nothing that would betray my location. Then I wrapped my favorite comfy cardigan around myself and settled with the laptop, following the steps Alex had given me to make a video call to my bodyguard.
She picked up almost immediately. Her fine-boned brown face filled the screen, so close I could easily spot the lines around the dark eyes that were filled with relief. “Parker.” With a gusty exhale, she dropped her head, running one hand over her cap of tight, natural curls. “Girl, do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
“I can guess.” I had the good grace to look chagrined.
“It’s good to see your face.”
I offered a half smile. “Yours, too.” It had been a little over three weeks since I’d executed my plan, faking a flare and sending her out to sight-see while I slipped out of our Airbnb and made for King’s Cross, leaving just a note behind for explanation. God, at this point, it felt like a lifetime, and the guilt weighed a ton.
“Are you planning on running away again after two minutes?”
“No. We can talk as long as you want. But I’m still not telling you where I am.”
Jade pinched the bridge of her nose and fixed me with what I always thought of as her serious Dora Milaje expression. Deeply unamused and dangerous. “Parker Lawrence, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Look, I’m sorry. That’s the first thing I want to say. I know I put you in a really tough spot by disappearing the way I did.”
Just the faintest incline of her head acknowledged the apology. In Jade-speak, that meant, I hear you, and I haven’t decided if I’m forgiving you yet .
“Why did you feel like you needed to concoct some elaborate plan and give me the slip?”
I fought the urge to squirm under her gaze, digging my fingernail into my thumb hard enough I knew it would leave a crescent-shaped indention in the skin. No matter how uncomfortable this conversation was, I still believed I’d done the necessary thing. “Because I wanted the chance to be completely normal. I wanted to prove that I could find a job, get a place to live, manage all my own affairs without a trust fund, without an assistant, and without a bodyguard.”
“You don’t think I’d have helped you with all that?”
“That’s exactly the point. I wanted to be able to prove to myself that I could do it on my own. I needed to prove that I can live like a normal person.”
Her face softened. “Honey, I understand that desire. But you are not a normal person. Apart from the fact that you have some limitations because of your fibro, you’re not just any person because of who your family is.”
“No one knows me here. No one has any idea who my family is. And it’s nice. People just see me for me.”
It felt oddly thrilling to have this sort of secret life, and even more so to have someone like Callum in on it. Someone who understood why I needed this independence and would fight to help me keep it.
“How have you been managing the fibro?”
“Doing pretty well. It’s that thing where, as long as I maintain momentum, I’m usually good. I’ve been making sure to get adequate rest and whatnot. And, well, I have a little help.” I patted the space beside me on the sofa, and Falkor immediately leapt up, dropping down to snuggle with his usual rag-doll collapse.
Her eyes went wide. “Did you adopt a yeti?”
“This is Falkor.” I explained his backstory and how he’d come to me. “He’s well-trained for mobility assistance.”
Jade looked reluctantly impressed. “Actually, that’s a really great idea.”
“He’s been wonderful. He’s great company. Sweet as can be. And you know I always wanted a dog.”
Apparently, the acquisition of a pet drove home the seriousness of my intentions to stay in a way nothing else had. She settled back in her chair. I couldn’t tell where she was. Indoors. There was an exposed brick wall behind her.
“Okay, you’re not going to tell me where you are. What are you willing to tell me? How are you?”
“I meant what I said the other day. I’m good. I’m happy. I found a job. I found a place to live. I’m settling in, doing exactly what I wanted to do.” For the first time in my life, I felt truly in control of my destiny, and that knowledge straightened my spine.
“What are you doing, exactly? What kind of job?”
I’d considered this and kept things vague. “I’m working as an office manager. It’s similar to the kind of stuff I do for Paisley, keeping things organized, answering phones, maintaining a schedule.”
Jade snickered. “That kind of thing always did make you unreasonably happy.”
Given she was just starting to unbend a little, I hated to ruin it all, but I needed to know. “What have you been telling my parents?”
As predicted, all signs of ease disappeared. She pursed her full lips, looking frustrated and more than a little uncomfortable. “I’ve been maintaining your social media presence and sending email updates to them from your account to keep them from panicking and sending out a search party.”
I blinked in shock. “Really?”
Her brows drew down into a scowl. “What do you take me for? They may pay my paycheck, but my allegiance is to you. And you know that none of this is about my job.”
Twist, twist went the guilt knife. Because, yeah, I knew all of that. But I’d already apologized and beating that dead horse wasn’t going to improve the situation.
“Look, I’m not ready to disclose where I am, but I will agree to regular contact, so you know I really am doing okay.”
Jade absorbed that and considered. “What am I supposed to be doing in the meantime?”
“Exactly what we said we were going to do. Explore the country. Take some time for yourself for once. You’ve been joined to my hip since college. Do something you’d like to do.”
“Uh-huh. And when exactly are you planning to tell your parents about all this?”
“I haven’t decided. I’d rather be a little more firmly established before I do that, because you and I both know they’re not going to take it well.”
“That’s an understatement. And what about your security? You’ve just admitted that your new dog is more likely to kiss a threat than to take him down.”
I snorted because, for all his wonderful traits, Falkor would one hundred percent present his belly for rubs if a burglar showed up. “I am perfectly safe. My bosses are all ex-military, and they’re very protective.”
Jade’s gaze sharpened with obvious curiosity at that. “Okay. I will agree to this for now. But if I determine that there’s any kind of threat, we reevaluate.”
“I can live with that.” We lapsed into a silence made all the more awkward for its rarity. I leaned closer to the screen. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, Parks. Be safe.”
“I will. Talk soon.”