Chapter 14 Rose
I yank Parker into the corridor outside our apartment. “What the fuck were you thinking, having Ella in there?” Is he trying to torture himself? I need to get him out of here before it’s too late. Before he does something reckless. I drag on my vape and take off along the corridor.
“She was locked out. What was I supposed to do, let her sleep in the corridor?” he asks, easily keeping up with my brisk strides.
I suppress the urge to hit him. Typical, arrogant Parker, never admitting his mistakes.
“Yes, you should have. The more time you spend with her, the higher the chances our memories will split when we get back. Plus, being around her puts her in danger.” I bring my hand to my pounding head.
“I shouldn’t need to spell this out to you. ”
“She was in danger.” His mouth twists, and he gestures to the worn hallway carpet. “Look at this floor.”
I yank him into the small rec room by the stairs, feeling like a bomb with a faulty switch, ready to explode at any second. “This isn’t a fucking joke, Parker.” I jab him in the chest. “You need to leave her alone.”
“You’re the one wearing her jacket. It looks good on you, by the way.” He reaches up and adjusts my collar, his bulging biceps encasing my face. “Who knew you could wear anything but black and not combust into flames.”
I smack his hands away. “Don’t change the subject. Put an end to this. Tell her you won’t see her again.”
His smile falters. “I promised I’d take her to see her mother.”
“So? She’ll get over it. We aren’t here for her.
Jesus Christ, Parker, we’re here to fix your powers, not play house in the past.” Parker’s expression hardens, but I step forward, my face an inch from his.
“You need to hear this. You’re deluding yourself if you think you can have a life here with her. ”
“I know that,” he says, stepping away from me, but I match him step for step.
“I don’t think you do.”
“I said, I got it.” Parker turns away from me, running his hand through his hair. “Shit, how many times do I have to say it?”
I want to trust him, but when it comes to Ella, Parker’s judgment has always been clouded.
A knot forms in my stomach. What if Parker only wants to get his powers back so he can stay here with her?
Would he do that? I shake my pounding head.
It doesn’t matter. Once his powers are restored, Parker won’t be my problem anymore.
“Good, because McGregor emailed me, and he wants to meet.”
Parker’s head shoots to the desk dividing our beds, and the ancient, second-hand laptop we use to communicate with McGregor. “Already?”
“Yep.” I take off, but Parker’s hand snakes around my arm.
“Wait.” His eyes search mine. “Rose, I need to talk to you.”
“Later,” I bark. “McGregor’s waiting.” I shrug him off and run down the stairs.
I hold my breath and open McGregor’s office door. Please tell me he has good news.
He’s silent as we enter, remaining seated behind his large oak desk. On its surface, a pendulum of metal balls swings back and forth. Click. Click. Click.
The silence between each click is deafening.
“Please sit,” McGregor says, gesturing to the chairs before his desk.
I tiptoe between piles of coffee-rimmed papers—many with notes scribbled in the margins—and sit among the organized chaos.
I can see Parker’s reflection in the shiny pendulum, a dark blur shifting on his feet behind me.
Click. Click. Click.
I look away. I’ve been too hard on him. If this doesn’t work, he has a lot more to lose than I do. “Please tell me you have something, McGregor,” I say, leaning so far forward in my chair I’m in danger of falling.
He considers us. “I analyzed the blood from the sample you gave me, and I found cells I’ve never seen before. They must be the key to your time-traveling abilities, albeit a small component of a much larger signaling pathway… I’ll need to conduct more studies to further my understanding.”
There’s excitement in the professor’s voice. He’s as intrigued as we are desperate to discover what was done to Parker. He wants answers.
Join the club, buddy.
“Does this mean you can find out what’s wrong with me?” Parker asks.
“I can tell you what’s different about this person’s blood from a normal individual. But to tell you what’s happening in your body, Parker, without a sample of your blood, would be quite impossible.”
Click. Click. Click.
I suppress the urge to grab the pendulum and hurl it across the room. “That’s not what you said before,” I say through gritted teeth. “You know we can’t get that for you.”
When did I stand? I clench my shaking hands into fists. I can’t believe we’re back to square one. What the hell are we going to do?
Professor McGregor is also on his feet. “I’m sorry. But if you can get me another sample of blood, I—”
My mind goes blank, McGregor’s words fading to white noise. The clicking of the balls on his desk reverberates through me. Click. McGregor can’t help us. No one can. Click. Everything that brought us to this moment has been a complete waste of time. My pulse pounds in my ears.
Click.
I want to scream. I want to lunge across the desk and throttle McGregor. Parker’s hand touches my shoulder, pulling me from my trance. His face is as dark and empty as the pit in my stomach.
“Rose, let’s go. We’ll find another way,” he says, turning toward the door.
“Wait,” McGregor says. “There must be research behind the drug given to Parker. Scientific articles or future literature?”
I pause, halfway between McGregor and the door.
I should follow Parker, but my feet won’t budge.
Can I even get access to that sort of information?
It goes against the oath I live my life by.
And it’s risky. If it doesn’t get us killed, it’s going to take an incredible toll.
But what’s the alternative? If we don’t fix Parker, we’re stuck.
I can’t carry him in a different time forever. McGregor’s our only hope.
I shake my head, but find myself staring at Parker, waiting for me by the door.
I will risk my life to save him. Repeatedly. I swallow the bile rising in my throat. “And that’s what you need, to fix Parker?” I ask McGregor.
He nods. “It’s the only way I’ll be able to try.”
“Rose,” Parker says. “We need to find another way.”
Ignoring him, I speak to McGregor in a low voice. “Then I’ll get it for you. Everything I can about the drug given to Parker. And when I bring it to you, you’ll fix him.” McGregor’s blue eyes narrow as I extend a trembling hand toward him. A cold sweat breaks out over my skin. “Deal?”
Parker’s firm shoulder presses against mine. “Rose,” he warns under his breath.
“Deal?” I repeat to McGregor, arm still extended.
“Deal,” he says, and his burly palm slides into mine.
The moment our fingers part, I check my watch and plant my hands on Parker’s broad shoulders. Energy flares beneath my sternum, lashing against the walls of my chest like a tiger’s claw through the bars of its cage.
Parker grips my hand, still clutching his shoulder. “Rose, stop.”
Head hammering and body vibrating, I close my eyes and push the volatile energy into him. Every cell in his body pulsates alongside mine, as if his blood and flesh are an extension of my own. Pain rips through my head, but I grit my teeth and muffle the cry building in my throat.
Parker’s grasp on my hand is almost painful. “Rose, don’t do this. Let me see her one last time.”
He doesn’t believe we’ll return. Which means he’s guessed where I’m taking us, or he thinks I’m too weak to bring us back.
Maybe I am. Either way, Parker’s words are my ammunition, fueling the shaking of every single cell in my body.
I suck in a breath and the energy in my chest explodes, engulfing us both.