Chapter 29
Chapter twenty-nine
“Maverick?” Her small voice trembles in the darkness of her bedroom, dazed and confused.
“It’s me, Parker. Give me the gun” I soothe and extend my arm. My hand grazes hers and she flinches away.
“Hey, hey.” I whisper gently and inch closer to her. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. It’s just me.” Reaching out again, my fingers touch her hand and I give it a gentle, assuring squeeze.
“Maverick.” She exhales in relief and flings herself into my arms. Sobs rack her small frame and she buries her face in the crook of my neck. She lets out a pained wail and my heart shatters into a thousand pieces. Wrapping my arms around her tightly, I rock her in my lap.
“I’m right here, Sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
The scene in front of me is devastating.
Parker–normally unafraid of anything and resilient–cowering naked against her night stand.
Her skin is ice cold and riddled with goosebumps.
The shower still runs in the bathroom, and the soft sound of Halsey’s Coming Down echoes in the otherwise quiet house.
There isn’t a single light on, not even her stove light that she keeps on all the time.
Something is wrong here. Very very wrong and I need to get to the bottom of it.
After a while her cries subside, and she stops trembling. Keeping her wrapped tightly in my arms, we sit on the floor of her bedroom bathed in darkness until she sniffs and pulls back slightly.
“What happened, Sweetheart?” I ask calmly, in stark contrast to the war of emotions raging inside of me. My body is vibrating with rage, and my heart splinters more with every tear she sheds. Unwrapping an arm from around her waist, I reach up and cup her cheek.
Doc’s had closed by the time I finished digging into Hazel’s background check.
Cole had called to tell me that someone had flattened Parker’s tires tonight.
He told me he would follow her home, and I hung up the phone.
I took a quick shower–knowing she was safe with Cole–then came right over here.
When I pulled into the driveway, something felt off.
Not a single light was on in the house, and when I entered I could hear her talking to herself.
I wasn’t able to make out what she was saying, but I could hear her voice laced with terror.
Through the pitch black of the room, I could make out her tiny, naked silhouette curled up in a ball on the floor. She saw me and tried to get away.
Someone has my girl terrified, and when I find out who, I’m going to fucking end them.
She presses her cheek into my palm and lets out a shaky breath.
“C-Cole followed me home and watched me come inside. I l-locked the doors and came in here to take a shower. When I was washing my hair, the power went out.” She takes a deep inhale before she continues.
“There were footsteps out on the porch. I grabbed my gun and came out here to check it out, but as I got closer, whoever or whatever it was started banging on the door. Over and over and over again. It was so loud.” She starts trembling again and I hear her try to reign in tears.
“It just kept happening.” Her voice breaks as she continues.
“I tripped and fell on the floor. They kept banging and then, it just…stopped. Then I saw you.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me, and pull her back into me.
Rocking her some more, she eventually calms down and I dig into my pocket to grab my phone.
Turning on the flashlight, I place it on the floor face down.
Cupping her face with both hands, I lift her head until my eyes meet hers.
The sight in front of me causes my soul to crush.
Her light brown eyes that normally glitter, are dull and filled with fear.
Silent tears continue to stream down her face, and I brush them away with my thumbs.
Bringing my right thumb to my lips, I suck the tears off of it.
“I will take every last one of these tears for you, Parker. I will take every bit of fear you feel, so you never have to feel it again.” Leaning forward, I pepper kisses along her cheeks–kissing away and remaining tears. She wraps her arms around my neck and clings to me.
“Let’s get you out of here.” Keeping my arms wrapped around her, I stand from the floor and take a few steps over to the side of the bed.
Lowering her, I gently place her on top of the mattress and her arms unwind from my neck.
Stepping to the dresser, I rummage through the drawers until I find a pair of sweatpants, socks and a long sleeved shirt.
Walking back to where Parker sits silently–fingers knotted in her lap–I bend at the knee and begin helping her get dressed.
“Where are we going?” She asks softly.
“I’m going to take you away for a couple of days.
I have a beach house we can go to. I’ll get someone here to check out the electricity tomorrow.
” I tell her and watch as the tension leaves her body slightly.
Standing, I make my way to her closet and grab a duffel bag off of the top rack, my eyes flash to the safe containing the letter to Nick.
That’s going to have to wait.
My plans of pushing her a little more to tell me what she’s hiding took a back seat the moment I saw her on the floor.
Back in the bedroom, Parker steps to her dresser and begins pulling out more clothes.
I drop the bag on her bed and she places them inside.
She disappears into the bathroom and I hear her opening and closing drawers.
My eyes flick to the floor where her weapon lays, and I walk over to pick it up.
Inspecting it, I see the safety is off and I pull back the slide.
A bullet sits in the chamber, ready to be fired off.
Smirking to myself, I put the slide back in its place and drop it on the bed next to her bag.
That’s my girl, even when terrified, she wasn’t going to back down from a fight.
She exits the bathroom with an arm full of shower products and her phone, then goes to finish packing her bag.
Once she’s done, I pick my phone up off the floor and the duffel bag, then lead her to the front door.
She grabs her purse then slips into a pair of Vans and we exit the house.
Shining my light for her, she locks the front door and we walk off the porch in silence to my truck.
Opening the door for her, she climbs in while I drop the duffel into the back seat.
Once she’s seated, I round the vehicle and slide into the driver's seat.
Firing up the engine, I turn up the heat and my eyes slide over to her. I can see she’s still shaken up and I place my hand on her thigh.
“It’s about three hours away, why don’t you try to get some sleep.
” I give her a small smile then lean across the center console to drop a kiss on her forehead.
Her hands wrap around my wrist and she lets out a sigh.
Pulling back, I settle into the seat and put the truck in gear.
We back out of the driveway and head for the interstate.
Looking over at Parker, I see she’s already closed her eyes.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and fire off a text to Karson, Cole and Slater.
Maverick
I’m taking Parker to the beach house for a couple of days. I need a favor.
They all answer immediately and I give them a brief explanation of what I walked in on tonight.
They tell me they’ll look into it and I drop the phone in one of the cupholders.
Cole and Karson are going to watch the house and Slater is going to tap into her security system to check the cameras.
Keeping my eyes focused on the road ahead, I punch the gas pedal, ready to get to the beach and get her the fuck away from that house.
We arrived at the house around six in the morning and I carried Parker to bed, where she stayed most of the day.
The sun is beginning to set as I lean back in an Adirondack chair on the deck that overlooks the ocean.
Waves crash into the shoreline and the cool, salty breeze sends a shiver down my spine.
I’m texting with Karson when I hear the sliding glass door open and I look up.
Parker steps out onto the deck, wrapped in the knitted blanket that I covered her with when we arrived.
She offers me a smile and walks toward me.
She stops at the chair next to me and I lean forward, grab her by the wrist and give her a gentle tug.
She lets out a chuckle and steps in front of me, then I pull her onto my lap.
Curling up, she lays her head on my shoulder as I wrap my arms around her as she looks out over the ocean.
“This place is beautiful.” She says in awe. “Do you come here a lot?”
“Not as much as I’d like to. A couple of times a year at most. How did you sleep?” I ask, pushing some hair out of her face so I can see her better.
“I slept great. Thank you for bringing me here.” Parker says softly and I give her a gentle squeeze. “Do you own this house or is it a family vacation home?”
“I bought it five or six years ago. I’m the only one that's been here, until now.”
She nods and bites the corner of her lip. She wants to ask about my family, otherwise she wouldn’t have asked that question. Parker watches the waves for a moment before she shifts in my lap to look up at me.
“Are you close with them? Your family?” I take a deep breath and shake my head. “We don’t have to talk about it. I was just curious.” She soothes, sensing the tension I feel.
“It’s okay. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me, Parker.
” Inhaling deeply again, I gaze out to the water.
“My mom was beautiful. She had long black hair, crystal blue eyes and the warmest smile. She played with me, read to me, she’d sing to me.
” I swallow to rid the lump in my throat and continue, “She was the best mom a kid could have had. That I’m sure of. ”