Chapter 26 Evelyn
Evelyn
One moment, I was telling myself I needed to stay away from Parker, and the next I was making out with him in his car.
I wanted to blame mercury being in retrograde or delirium from the pound of greasy food we consumed for my actions, but I couldn’t.
The moment he asked me to let him in, I wanted to say yes.
I didn’t want to fight my feelings. I just wanted to be.
There was no way I could be just friends with him when every time he walked into the room, I wanted to be at his side.
Parker was an addiction that I couldn’t kick. Whenever we were in a room together, some part of us was always touching. He was still busy doing whatever his father had wanted him to do, but at night, when he returned to the pool house, he made sure I knew he was mine.
I craved the forehead kisses that he gave me in the morning before leaving for work and the, “I’m thinking of you,” text messages he sent during the day.
At night, we still slept in our own rooms, but in the dark, when I was alone, I imagined that I was with him.
It was getting harder and harder not to ask him to stay.
That wasn’t something I was sure I was ready for yet.
I had just arrived at the office fifteen minutes early, thanks to William, and my desk was full of the most gorgeous chrysanthemums. As I reached for my phone, a text came through. I smiled, knowing that William must have let Parker know I made it to work on time.
[Unknown]: Knock Knock
My knees went weak as I stared at the message.
Two swift knocks at the door came in succession, causing me to shriek.
The door opened quickly to reveal Sheriff Strauss with his hand on his holster.
My heart hammered in my chest as I stood there, too stunned to speak.
“Oh, sweetheart, you gave me quite the fright. I thought something nefarious was going on behind this door,” He said with a hearty laugh, his hand patting the gun on his waist.
I struggled to find the humor when I could still hear my heart thumping in my ears.
Releasing an audible breath, I pasted a smile on my face even though tension radiated through my body. The sight of Sheriff Strauss reaching for his gun left me shaken. I hid my trembling hands below the desk.
“Good morning, sheriff. What brings you by so early?”
It was 7:30 in the morning, and the club technically didn’t open until 8 AM. I came in early because I had been working on a new membership reach campaign and was pitching my ideas to the board later at 9.
“Early riser. I heard through the grapevine that you were starting here and thought I’d come see how you were settling in. Here I thought you were just passing through,” he said as he took in my office that the twins had loosely decorated.
There was a photo of the twins and me at La Selva, a small paperweight Statue of Liberty, and some of my past designs framed on the wall. The flowers were the latest addition.
“It looks like you’re adjusting to the community well, though.” He finished.
I wasn’t sure where this conversation was going or why he cared whether I stayed or moved on from Oakland Ridge.
“Yes. I’m very grateful to Thomas for offering me such a great job. It’s very kind of you to stop by and see how I’m settling in. Are you sure there wasn’t anything I could help you with?”
“Oh no, I’m alright. I look forward to getting to know you some more.” He wore a smirk on his face as he gave me a dramatic bow at the waist before walking out. “Don’t be a stranger now.”
I stood there in confusion before taking a seat behind my desk.
My phone pinged again, and I flinched at the sound.
When I looked at my phone, there were two more messages from an unknown number and one from Parker.
[Unknown]: Miss me?
[Unknown]: He won’t be able to protect you.
I felt flushed. If I weren’t already sitting down, I may have fallen over.
[Parker]: I hope you like your surprise, baby girl
It was hard for me to feel anything but apprehension at this moment. I was still so focused on the text messages that I didn’t waste another thought on Sheriff Strauss.
Remember what Dr. Beck told you to do.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath through my nose, and released it through my mouth.
Picture frame.
Keyboard.
Stapler.
Lamp.
Flowers.
I focused on five things in the room, saying the names out loud until my heart stopped racing.
The time on the wall clock read 8:30. Damnit. Right now, I need to focus on my job.
It was juvenile to think for a instant that Charles had given up.
He’d been plotting, and somehow he got my new number and knew about Parker.
Danny hadn’t given a single update in weeks.
He was determined to stay in Miami until he found a solid lead.
Danny was sure there were some cases of missing women that had to be connected to Charles, as they fit the profile he was building.
No matter how long I stared at the slide deck in front of me, I couldn’t bring my mind to focus on the meeting. The pressure I felt on my chest wouldn’t allow me to sit through a presentation. I quickly typed out an email, excusing myself from the meeting, and sat on the loveseat by the door.
Pulling out my phone again with only one person in mind.
“What’s up, baby? I’m about to walk into a meeting.” Parker’s smooth voice came through the line, the sound of it wrapping around me like a steadying hug.
I’d been doing a good job managing my emotions, but the sound of his voice broke me.
“Parker,” Tears flooded my vision, and my voice came out watery.
“Evelyn, what’s going on? Talk to me.” I could hear the concern in his voice, and my tears flowed more freely.
I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it finally did. The moment I made the decision to choose myself, life, and happiness, it was like Charles got a push notification to come and take it away from me.
“He texted me. I don’t know how he got this number, but he knows about you.”
“I’m on my way.” He sounded like he was running.
“No, no.” I stood, walking back to my desk and picking up my bag. “I’ll just ask William to take me back. I cancelled the meeting already.”
“Baby, please don’t fight me on this. You said you’d try to let me in. I’m coming to you.” His plea made me drop my bag on the floor and return to the couch.
My shoulders dropped as I blinked tears from my eyes, exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions. “Okay. I’ll wait here for you.”
Parker barged through the door of my office within twenty minutes of us hanging up. I was lying down with my eyes closed, trying to combat the unsteady feeling that had my stomach in knots. The sound of the lock clicking nearly had me jumping out of my skin.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he said, taking a seat on the couch and gathering me in his arms. Smoothing my curls from my face, he cupped my chin. “Are you okay?”
His honey eyes were filled with worry, and his brows were furrowed as he took me in.
“I’m alright. Shaken, but alright.”
“We need to tell Danny about this.”
Letting go of my chin, he pulled out his phone from his suit pants.
We looked at each other as the phone rang. After the fourth ring, I was sure Danny wouldn’t answer, but when he switched the call to video, neither of us was prepared for the sight.
Danny was sitting in his car, smoking a cigarette with a black eye.
A string of curses left Parker’s mouth while my eyes widened in shock.
“You should see the other guy,” Danny muttered between puffs of smoke.
“What the hell happened to you?” Parker said at the same time I asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. I can’t talk for long, there's somewhere I need to be.” He said as he started the car.
“Charles texted me again. He knows I’m with Parker.”
“And he knows I’m in Miami snooping around.”
Danny’s voice was casual, as if he were telling us about the lunch special for this afternoon.
“It sounds like you already know this, man. So why are we just hearing about it?” Parker was right. It sounded like Danny wasn’t surprised at all by this information.
“We already knew this guy had someone on the inside in the PD. It was only a matter of time before they put two and two together. The only other person that visited Evelyn in the hospital was you, and since someone tried to knife me in an alleyway, I have to assume he knows you’re not with me.”
Catching Parker’s eye, I shrug my shoulders in response. I couldn’t argue with that logic.
“Listen—he got someone to attack me last night because I’m getting close.
I’ve been here for weeks now, that’s the only explanation I can think of.
I’ve been following a few missing persons cases around the area where Charles works and presumably lives.
They all have something in common. There are inconsistencies in every case, so local PDs won’t label him a serial killer, but I see what they're missing.”
“What is it?” Parker seemed like he was at the end of his patience. His shoulders were tense, and his hands were balled up in fists.
“They all look like Celeste.”
He built an entire new life, and still he searched for her. He still chose violence.
When would he let us go?
One week. One week, I envisioned a different kind of future. I took the first steps out of the darkness that I was in. That was all the time it took for things to come crumbling down.
If Charles knew who Parker was, then it wasn't a matter of whether he was on his way here. It was a matter of when.
Now Parker was on his radar, and he would hurt him to get to me. He made it pretty clear back in New York that he was willing to harm the people around me.
My hands shook as I reached for the water bottle in my purse.
Parker reached for my hands and took the bottle, uncapping it before handing it back to me. Worry lined his face as he watched me.
“So you’re looking for evidence to connect him to their missing persons? You’re building a case.”
“That’s right. Everything I’ve found so far has exposed a network of shady police officers, judges, and other government officials.
Charles has a connection to someone on the inside, whoever that is, they’re using their power to make things go away.
Tampering with evidence, leaving details out of reports, and missing witnesses—all these women have gone missing from the same club strip, yet all the cases have gone cold for some reason.
“This is bigger than both of us thought, brother,” he said, dragging his hand down his beard.
“So much bigger. I need you to stay strapped and vigilant. He’s on his way there if he isn’t there already. If he’s taunting you, then he’s getting ready to make a move.”
“Thank you for being so committed to this case. Please take care of yourself.”
Parker switched the call from video and put the phone to his ear as he walked to the opposite end of my office.
I sat on the couch watching as he spoke to his best friend in a low whisper. Once he hung up, he came back to the couch and pulled me to him.
“I’m sorry you missed your big presentation. I know you were looking forward to sharing your ideas.”
He pushed a curl behind my ear, and I leaned closer to him.
“I knew the quiet wouldn’t last for long. I shouldn’t have gotten so comfortable.”
Pushing my chin up so I could meet his gaze, “You’re not alone in this. We’re going to tighten security—you might have to have two shadows now, Leon and William, but you’re going to be protected.”
“What about you, Parker? He’s going to use you to hurt me.” I pushed up from the couch and walked behind my desk, fiddling with the paperweight, feeling too vulnerable to be close to him.
“I’m carrying at all times, and I usually have Nate with me following behind closely. I’m more concerned with your safety.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. You don’t even seem worried about your own well-being. Charles won’t hesitate to hurt you or the twins.” I tried to catch my breath, but I couldn’t.
He moved fast from the sofa to me, grabbing my hands.
“Take a deep breath. Slowly.”
The rough pad of his thumb caressed my wrist as I stared into his eyes.
“That’s it.” Kissing my forehead, he pulled me into his arms. My body melted against his, the sound of his heartbeat whispering a calm word to mine. “You said you wanted to fight, and we are. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that man can never hurt you again.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
Before, I had nothing to lose, and now, I’d never be able to live with myself if anything happened to Parker and his family.