Title - High Price of Freedom
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR, Pretender/Profiler Crossover
Summary - The ramifications of a past mistake come back to haunt Jarod and could be the key to the freedom Miss Parker's searching for. But is the high price worth it in the end?
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. Just using them for a bit. No harm intended.
* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 6
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod pulls into the parking space at the CVS and marvels at the
silence from the back seat. There didn't seem to be anything
wrong with Madison. She was silently looking out the window, in
awe at all the street lights.
"Syd, does she look like she has gas to you?" Jarod asks.
"I really wouldn't know, Jarod," the older man chuckles. "She
looks fine to me."
"She was screaming earlier. Rachel said it was from an upset
stomach. She looks fine to me, too." Jarod chews on his bottom
lip, trying to shake a sudden feeling of uneasiness.
"Rachel. She's the other young woman at the house? The mother
of these children?"
"Yeah," Jarod sighs. "This is a big mess. Too bad I didn't hang
around the Centre long enough to learn the virtues of safe sex."
Jarod laughs uneasily at his situation.
"So they're yours as well," Sydney comments.
"That's Madison. Ryan is at the house with Parker and Rachel,"
he explains.
"Jarod, how did this all happen?"
"How far back do you need me to start?" Jarod jokes.
"Not that far," Sydney blushes. "How did you all end up at
Parker's house together? And might I add that neither woman
looked very happy with the situation."
"Trust me, Syd. They were on their best behavoir for you. They
were coexisting rather peacefully without the need for guns and
cuffs," Jarod laughs.
"Sounds like two dangerous women. I'd hate to be in the middle
of them. How is it that's exactly where you are, Jarod?"
"The Centre kidnapped Maddie and Ryan. I asked Miss Parker to
help me rescue them. In exchange, I'd let her take me back so
she can earn her freedom. But as we spent more time together,
one thing led to another, and we realized that we didn't want to
live without each other anymore. Unfortunately, she had been
gone so long supposedly looking for me that she had to bring me
back. For her own safety and for Tyler's. He's the only reason
we came back. But now that we have him, the situation might not
be as hopeless as we originally thought. There are some other
options now. As for things with . . ."
"Rachel," Sydney finishes.
"Yeah, things with Rachel are going to be a bit more difficult."
"No, it's Rachel," Sydney points. "Walking across the parking
lot. It looks like she has the boys with her."
"Oh no," Jarod mumbles, quickly pushing the car door open and
running across the parking lot to catch up with Rachel. "What
happened. What are you doing here?" He bends down and lifts up
Tyler into his arms.
"We have to go. Now, Jarod," she warns him. Spotting the X-
Terra, she starts to run towards it. Jarod follows her.
"Rachel, what's going on?" he asks again.
"Start driving and I'll tell you," she says, buckling Ryan in the
other car seat and then reaching for Tyler.
"Where's Miss Parker?" Jarod asks impatiently. He wasn't going
anywhere until they got answers.
"They're coming for you," Rachel lies. "As soon as you left, she
called that scary brother of hers. Now they're coming to track
you down. We have to go."
"Something's not right. I can feel it. Parker wouldn't do
that," Jarod insists.
"Oh really? She's the type of woman who'd hold me and my
children hostage, but you don't think she'd do the job she's been
paid to do for years now? You think you know her well enough to
bet your life on that? To bet our children's lives?"
"I'm not going to risk the children," he says quietly. Rachel
sighs in relief. He hands Tyler over to her. And while she's
busy trying to get him buckled on her lap, Jarod grabs the keys
to Miss Parker's car off the seat.
"Jarod, what are you doing?" Rachel panics.
"I'm not going to risk the children," he repeats. "But I know
something's wrong. Sydney, take them up to your cabin. I'm
going to go get Miss Parker."
"Jarod," Rachel calls. But it's too late. He's already gone.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod parks the car down the street, opting to walk the rest of
the way. Each step brings him closer to Miss Parker's house, but
it also brings him more and more certainty that she's in danger.
No matter what Rachel said, he knew that Miss Parker wouldn't be
working with Lyle to bring him in. Not after this past week. He
refused to believe that.
He approaches the house from the rear, scanning the area
carefully for signs this is a trap. He manages to make his way
to the back porch without spotting any sweepers waiting for him.
So far so good. But he wouldn't put anything past Lyle. Peeking
inside the house, he sees Miss Parker sitting on the couch, her
back to him. No one appears to be in the room with her. He
quietly slides the door open and creeps inside.
"Parker," he whispers. Her head snaps up she struggles to look
around. He can see as he gets closer that she's been gagged.
More than likely, she's also been bound.
"Parker, I'm here," he says a little louder, moving to where he's
now in front of her. He works to remove the gag from her mouth
first before moving to the restraints around her legs.
"Jarod, you gotta go. Rachel told Lyle you were here and he came
for you," she spits out as soon as the gag is removed.
"Not without you," he refuses.
"Don't worry about me. Just go," she orders. With her feet
free, Jarod pulls out his pocket knife to work on the ropes
around her wrists. So intent on his task, he misses the look of
horror cross her face. "Jarod watch out!"
But the warning comes too late. A sharp pain cracks Jarod skull
and all he sees is darkness.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Sydney?" Rachels asks meekly. "You think you can pull over for
a minute? I need to use the restroom and I'm sure the kids could
use a diaper change."
Sydney glances down at the clock. They'd only been driving an
hour, but he figures they were far enough outside of Blue Cove to
safely stop for a minute. He nods at her and smiles gently as he
begins to search for a place to stop. A few minutes later, he
takes the next exit and follows the signs to a grocery store,
passing by a number of gas stations along the way.
"All of Tyler's stuff is still at Parker's house. I'll need to
run in and get him some diapers and snacks," Sydney explains his
strange stopping place. "You stay here and get started changing
the babies."
Rachel smiles at him until he disappears into the store. As soon
as he's out of view, she reaches for the cell phone he left. She
thinks for a second before dialing a number. She goes through a
series of automated question before finally reaching a live
person.
"FBI, Dover. Can I help you?"
"Yes, this is Agent Rachel Burke. My badge number is AQ-4390657.
I'm calling to report a hostage situation that I need immediate
assistance on."
"Hold please," the operator calmly says. Rachel nervously taps
her fingers, waiting for someone to get back on the line.
"Agent Burke? This is Agent Charles. Now I need for you to tell
me your exact location."
"I'm about 75 miles outside of Blue Cove, Delaware. At a Safeway
right off of exit 29 of I-47," she reports. "The hostage is back
in Blue Cove, last seen at the residence of one of the
kidnappers. 1720 Mountainbrook Lane. The hostage could possibly
have been relocated to a business in the area. A place called
the Centre."
"The Centre? How did you get mixed up with them?" Agent Charles
asks, noticeably shaken by mention of the place.
"It's a long story. They had my children, who have been rescued.
But their father is still there."
"Agent Burke, stay where you are. There will be agents there to
retrieve you in a few minutes. They've already been dispatched."
"Thank you," she says before hanging up the phone. She unstraps
Madison from her seat and changes her quickly. She was in the
middle of changing Ryan's diaper when Sydney emerges from the
store.
"Sorry it took so long. There was only one register open," he
explains.
"No problem," she comments distractedly. She's focussing on a
sound in the distance that was getting closer and closer.
Sirens! The cavalry was near. She turns back to Sydney and
gives him a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry, Sydney. But there's
been a change of plans."
"What are you talking about?" Sydney looks around and notices
the sirens were surrounding them now. "What is all this?"
"I'm not playing this game the Centre way anymore," she snarls.
"I'm going to get Jarod and then that place is going down." She
holds up her badge as the other agents get closer to identify
herself.
"Agent Burke?" one of them calls.
"Right here," Rachel answers. "Who's in charge?"
"Agent Charles is leading the rescue. He'll be here
momentarily," the agent tells her.
"I need this man and these children to be placed in protective
custody," Rachel orders.
"We can take them back to headquarters, Ma'am. They'll be safe
there."
Rachel kisses her babies on the cheeks before handing them over
to a female agent. She watches the children get safely inside
the FBI vehicles and pull away. Sydney glances back at her
before he's placed in a separate car.
"You don't know what you're getting into," he warns Rachel.
"These are dangerous people. And Miss Parker isn't one of them."
"As far as I'm concerned, she is. I'm going to get Jarod. And
whatever happens to her . . . well, I'll have no control over
that," she says coldly before turning back to the other agent.
Sydney sighs heavily and allows the agents to place him in the
car. He says a silent prayer for the safety of the two people he
loves as if they were his own children. The car pulls away and
he realizes that all he can do now is hope for the best.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod works hard to pry his eyes open and quickly realizes that
one of them is swollen shut. With the one eye that did open, he
glances around at his surroundings and knows immediately he's not
at Miss Parker's house anymore. All he can see are bars. He
pushes is aching body up off the floor and reaches out for one of
the bars to help pull himself up. Once he's on his feet, he can
get a better look around. But he realizes that may have been a
mistake. With a groan, his mind begins to process where he is.
He's back at the Centre. Locked in that cage he was in the last
time he was here. Right after he was captured when Miss Parker
was shot.
Parker! His mind picks up on the name and he goes on alert
again, looking around for her. His heart sinks when he notices a
lump huddled in the far corner. He moves his battered body as
quickly as he can until he's right next to the body. He prays
desperately that it's not her as he gently rolls the body over.
"No," he gasps when it's her face he sees. "Parker. Wake up,
Honey."
With a groan, she begins to stir, not yet opening her eyes.
"That's it," he encourages her. "Wake up, Parker. Open those
gorgeous eyes for me."
"Jarod?" she asks. Her eyes pop open and he can see the fear in
them. "Where are we?"
He helps her sit up while he checks her for any injury. Not
seeing any, he's relieved to know they left her alone. All he
can see is a small needle-sized mark on her upper arm.
"I think we're at the Centre. The accommodations seem to be a
bit familiar," he tells her.
"Jarod, what did they do to you?" She lifts a shaky hand up to
his bruised face.
"I don't know." He hisses when her fingers touch a sensitive
spot. "But something tells me I'm glad I don't remember. They
may have drugged me like they probably did you." He points to
the mark on her arm.
"We have to get out of here. What if they come back for you?"
"There's no way out," he whispers, dropping his head so he won't
have to look at her. "I've been here before. Right after you
were shot and they captured me."
"They had you caged up like an animal?" she asks incredulously.
"You had a room when you were here before."
"When I was here before, I may not have had any rights, but they
at least treated me like a person. I wasn't just a pet for you
demented brother. Lyle's not as accommodating as Sydney was. He
drugs me. He tortures me. He keeps me in this cage. And
there's no way out."
"There's got to be a way out," she insists. "Jarod, I'm not
going to let us die in here."
"That won't happen," he promises. He grabs her face and kisses
her gently on the lips. "I won't let anything happen to you."
He bites back the pain shooting through his chest as he pulls
himself from her arms. Holding on to the bars, he pulls himself
back up.
"Hey," he yells up towards where he knows the camera is hidden.
"I know you can hear me."
"Jarod, what are you doing?" she asks.
"Just what I was going to ask," a voice says from the darkness.
They hear a couple of footsteps before Lyle's face is visible.
"What do you want, Jarod? Is your room not to your liking?" he
laughs.
"Listen, you sick freak. I don't care what you do to me. But
she doesn't need to be in here," Jarod says, nodding his head in
Miss Parker's direction. Miss Parker looks at Jarod with
surprise.
"Oh, isn't that sweet. Trying to save her. How noble of you.
Sis, I told you your white knight would come to your rescue,
didn't I?"
"Shut up," she growls. "Both of you. Jarod, I'm not going
anywhere without you."
"She has something you need, Lyle," Jarod continues, ignoring
Miss Parker's words. "Capturing me is only half of it. There's
something else the Triumvirate wants returned."
"You mean the DSA's? I took them from your place, Parker."
"That was just the case, you moron," she spits.
"The DSA's are some place safe," Jarod continues. "Some place
only she can get to."
"Where are they?" Lyle demands to know, sighing impatiently when
Jarod just smiles.
"I think someone's ready to make a deal," he says with his
trademark smirk. "Release her and then we talk."
To be continued . . .
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR, Pretender/Profiler Crossover
Summary - The ramifications of a past mistake come back to haunt Jarod and could be the key to the freedom Miss Parker's searching for. But is the high price worth it in the end?
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. Just using them for a bit. No harm intended.
* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 6
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod pulls into the parking space at the CVS and marvels at the
silence from the back seat. There didn't seem to be anything
wrong with Madison. She was silently looking out the window, in
awe at all the street lights.
"Syd, does she look like she has gas to you?" Jarod asks.
"I really wouldn't know, Jarod," the older man chuckles. "She
looks fine to me."
"She was screaming earlier. Rachel said it was from an upset
stomach. She looks fine to me, too." Jarod chews on his bottom
lip, trying to shake a sudden feeling of uneasiness.
"Rachel. She's the other young woman at the house? The mother
of these children?"
"Yeah," Jarod sighs. "This is a big mess. Too bad I didn't hang
around the Centre long enough to learn the virtues of safe sex."
Jarod laughs uneasily at his situation.
"So they're yours as well," Sydney comments.
"That's Madison. Ryan is at the house with Parker and Rachel,"
he explains.
"Jarod, how did this all happen?"
"How far back do you need me to start?" Jarod jokes.
"Not that far," Sydney blushes. "How did you all end up at
Parker's house together? And might I add that neither woman
looked very happy with the situation."
"Trust me, Syd. They were on their best behavoir for you. They
were coexisting rather peacefully without the need for guns and
cuffs," Jarod laughs.
"Sounds like two dangerous women. I'd hate to be in the middle
of them. How is it that's exactly where you are, Jarod?"
"The Centre kidnapped Maddie and Ryan. I asked Miss Parker to
help me rescue them. In exchange, I'd let her take me back so
she can earn her freedom. But as we spent more time together,
one thing led to another, and we realized that we didn't want to
live without each other anymore. Unfortunately, she had been
gone so long supposedly looking for me that she had to bring me
back. For her own safety and for Tyler's. He's the only reason
we came back. But now that we have him, the situation might not
be as hopeless as we originally thought. There are some other
options now. As for things with . . ."
"Rachel," Sydney finishes.
"Yeah, things with Rachel are going to be a bit more difficult."
"No, it's Rachel," Sydney points. "Walking across the parking
lot. It looks like she has the boys with her."
"Oh no," Jarod mumbles, quickly pushing the car door open and
running across the parking lot to catch up with Rachel. "What
happened. What are you doing here?" He bends down and lifts up
Tyler into his arms.
"We have to go. Now, Jarod," she warns him. Spotting the X-
Terra, she starts to run towards it. Jarod follows her.
"Rachel, what's going on?" he asks again.
"Start driving and I'll tell you," she says, buckling Ryan in the
other car seat and then reaching for Tyler.
"Where's Miss Parker?" Jarod asks impatiently. He wasn't going
anywhere until they got answers.
"They're coming for you," Rachel lies. "As soon as you left, she
called that scary brother of hers. Now they're coming to track
you down. We have to go."
"Something's not right. I can feel it. Parker wouldn't do
that," Jarod insists.
"Oh really? She's the type of woman who'd hold me and my
children hostage, but you don't think she'd do the job she's been
paid to do for years now? You think you know her well enough to
bet your life on that? To bet our children's lives?"
"I'm not going to risk the children," he says quietly. Rachel
sighs in relief. He hands Tyler over to her. And while she's
busy trying to get him buckled on her lap, Jarod grabs the keys
to Miss Parker's car off the seat.
"Jarod, what are you doing?" Rachel panics.
"I'm not going to risk the children," he repeats. "But I know
something's wrong. Sydney, take them up to your cabin. I'm
going to go get Miss Parker."
"Jarod," Rachel calls. But it's too late. He's already gone.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod parks the car down the street, opting to walk the rest of
the way. Each step brings him closer to Miss Parker's house, but
it also brings him more and more certainty that she's in danger.
No matter what Rachel said, he knew that Miss Parker wouldn't be
working with Lyle to bring him in. Not after this past week. He
refused to believe that.
He approaches the house from the rear, scanning the area
carefully for signs this is a trap. He manages to make his way
to the back porch without spotting any sweepers waiting for him.
So far so good. But he wouldn't put anything past Lyle. Peeking
inside the house, he sees Miss Parker sitting on the couch, her
back to him. No one appears to be in the room with her. He
quietly slides the door open and creeps inside.
"Parker," he whispers. Her head snaps up she struggles to look
around. He can see as he gets closer that she's been gagged.
More than likely, she's also been bound.
"Parker, I'm here," he says a little louder, moving to where he's
now in front of her. He works to remove the gag from her mouth
first before moving to the restraints around her legs.
"Jarod, you gotta go. Rachel told Lyle you were here and he came
for you," she spits out as soon as the gag is removed.
"Not without you," he refuses.
"Don't worry about me. Just go," she orders. With her feet
free, Jarod pulls out his pocket knife to work on the ropes
around her wrists. So intent on his task, he misses the look of
horror cross her face. "Jarod watch out!"
But the warning comes too late. A sharp pain cracks Jarod skull
and all he sees is darkness.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Sydney?" Rachels asks meekly. "You think you can pull over for
a minute? I need to use the restroom and I'm sure the kids could
use a diaper change."
Sydney glances down at the clock. They'd only been driving an
hour, but he figures they were far enough outside of Blue Cove to
safely stop for a minute. He nods at her and smiles gently as he
begins to search for a place to stop. A few minutes later, he
takes the next exit and follows the signs to a grocery store,
passing by a number of gas stations along the way.
"All of Tyler's stuff is still at Parker's house. I'll need to
run in and get him some diapers and snacks," Sydney explains his
strange stopping place. "You stay here and get started changing
the babies."
Rachel smiles at him until he disappears into the store. As soon
as he's out of view, she reaches for the cell phone he left. She
thinks for a second before dialing a number. She goes through a
series of automated question before finally reaching a live
person.
"FBI, Dover. Can I help you?"
"Yes, this is Agent Rachel Burke. My badge number is AQ-4390657.
I'm calling to report a hostage situation that I need immediate
assistance on."
"Hold please," the operator calmly says. Rachel nervously taps
her fingers, waiting for someone to get back on the line.
"Agent Burke? This is Agent Charles. Now I need for you to tell
me your exact location."
"I'm about 75 miles outside of Blue Cove, Delaware. At a Safeway
right off of exit 29 of I-47," she reports. "The hostage is back
in Blue Cove, last seen at the residence of one of the
kidnappers. 1720 Mountainbrook Lane. The hostage could possibly
have been relocated to a business in the area. A place called
the Centre."
"The Centre? How did you get mixed up with them?" Agent Charles
asks, noticeably shaken by mention of the place.
"It's a long story. They had my children, who have been rescued.
But their father is still there."
"Agent Burke, stay where you are. There will be agents there to
retrieve you in a few minutes. They've already been dispatched."
"Thank you," she says before hanging up the phone. She unstraps
Madison from her seat and changes her quickly. She was in the
middle of changing Ryan's diaper when Sydney emerges from the
store.
"Sorry it took so long. There was only one register open," he
explains.
"No problem," she comments distractedly. She's focussing on a
sound in the distance that was getting closer and closer.
Sirens! The cavalry was near. She turns back to Sydney and
gives him a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry, Sydney. But there's
been a change of plans."
"What are you talking about?" Sydney looks around and notices
the sirens were surrounding them now. "What is all this?"
"I'm not playing this game the Centre way anymore," she snarls.
"I'm going to get Jarod and then that place is going down." She
holds up her badge as the other agents get closer to identify
herself.
"Agent Burke?" one of them calls.
"Right here," Rachel answers. "Who's in charge?"
"Agent Charles is leading the rescue. He'll be here
momentarily," the agent tells her.
"I need this man and these children to be placed in protective
custody," Rachel orders.
"We can take them back to headquarters, Ma'am. They'll be safe
there."
Rachel kisses her babies on the cheeks before handing them over
to a female agent. She watches the children get safely inside
the FBI vehicles and pull away. Sydney glances back at her
before he's placed in a separate car.
"You don't know what you're getting into," he warns Rachel.
"These are dangerous people. And Miss Parker isn't one of them."
"As far as I'm concerned, she is. I'm going to get Jarod. And
whatever happens to her . . . well, I'll have no control over
that," she says coldly before turning back to the other agent.
Sydney sighs heavily and allows the agents to place him in the
car. He says a silent prayer for the safety of the two people he
loves as if they were his own children. The car pulls away and
he realizes that all he can do now is hope for the best.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod works hard to pry his eyes open and quickly realizes that
one of them is swollen shut. With the one eye that did open, he
glances around at his surroundings and knows immediately he's not
at Miss Parker's house anymore. All he can see are bars. He
pushes is aching body up off the floor and reaches out for one of
the bars to help pull himself up. Once he's on his feet, he can
get a better look around. But he realizes that may have been a
mistake. With a groan, his mind begins to process where he is.
He's back at the Centre. Locked in that cage he was in the last
time he was here. Right after he was captured when Miss Parker
was shot.
Parker! His mind picks up on the name and he goes on alert
again, looking around for her. His heart sinks when he notices a
lump huddled in the far corner. He moves his battered body as
quickly as he can until he's right next to the body. He prays
desperately that it's not her as he gently rolls the body over.
"No," he gasps when it's her face he sees. "Parker. Wake up,
Honey."
With a groan, she begins to stir, not yet opening her eyes.
"That's it," he encourages her. "Wake up, Parker. Open those
gorgeous eyes for me."
"Jarod?" she asks. Her eyes pop open and he can see the fear in
them. "Where are we?"
He helps her sit up while he checks her for any injury. Not
seeing any, he's relieved to know they left her alone. All he
can see is a small needle-sized mark on her upper arm.
"I think we're at the Centre. The accommodations seem to be a
bit familiar," he tells her.
"Jarod, what did they do to you?" She lifts a shaky hand up to
his bruised face.
"I don't know." He hisses when her fingers touch a sensitive
spot. "But something tells me I'm glad I don't remember. They
may have drugged me like they probably did you." He points to
the mark on her arm.
"We have to get out of here. What if they come back for you?"
"There's no way out," he whispers, dropping his head so he won't
have to look at her. "I've been here before. Right after you
were shot and they captured me."
"They had you caged up like an animal?" she asks incredulously.
"You had a room when you were here before."
"When I was here before, I may not have had any rights, but they
at least treated me like a person. I wasn't just a pet for you
demented brother. Lyle's not as accommodating as Sydney was. He
drugs me. He tortures me. He keeps me in this cage. And
there's no way out."
"There's got to be a way out," she insists. "Jarod, I'm not
going to let us die in here."
"That won't happen," he promises. He grabs her face and kisses
her gently on the lips. "I won't let anything happen to you."
He bites back the pain shooting through his chest as he pulls
himself from her arms. Holding on to the bars, he pulls himself
back up.
"Hey," he yells up towards where he knows the camera is hidden.
"I know you can hear me."
"Jarod, what are you doing?" she asks.
"Just what I was going to ask," a voice says from the darkness.
They hear a couple of footsteps before Lyle's face is visible.
"What do you want, Jarod? Is your room not to your liking?" he
laughs.
"Listen, you sick freak. I don't care what you do to me. But
she doesn't need to be in here," Jarod says, nodding his head in
Miss Parker's direction. Miss Parker looks at Jarod with
surprise.
"Oh, isn't that sweet. Trying to save her. How noble of you.
Sis, I told you your white knight would come to your rescue,
didn't I?"
"Shut up," she growls. "Both of you. Jarod, I'm not going
anywhere without you."
"She has something you need, Lyle," Jarod continues, ignoring
Miss Parker's words. "Capturing me is only half of it. There's
something else the Triumvirate wants returned."
"You mean the DSA's? I took them from your place, Parker."
"That was just the case, you moron," she spits.
"The DSA's are some place safe," Jarod continues. "Some place
only she can get to."
"Where are they?" Lyle demands to know, sighing impatiently when
Jarod just smiles.
"I think someone's ready to make a deal," he says with his
trademark smirk. "Release her and then we talk."
To be continued . . .