Thanks to my reviewers! And, yes, I'll try to make longer chapters!
Moments prior, Miss Parker had soundlessly made her way into the warehouse and maneuvered herself into a position behind the don and his lackeys. From her vantage point behind some crates, she saw that time was running out for Jarod and he seemed unable to extract himself from the pending fate. She had to take action now or she'd be returning a corpse to the Centre.
Having abandoned her high heels at the warehouse door, Parker slipped from behind the crates undetected. In a flurry of motion, she crossed the space that separated her from the don. Before anyone could react, she had her gun resting against the don's skull and her arm wrapped tightly around his throat.
Immediately three guns were aimed at her head.
"Looks like we have a real Mexican standoff," Parker drawled in challenge.
Jarod's eyes snapped up in astonishment, uncertain if his final thoughts of Parker had him conjuring her up or if reality was turning stranger than fiction. As his eyes rested on Miss Parker, he knew she was no apparition. No figment of his imagination could look so stunningly beautiful and yet so unmercifully deadly.
Finding that the foot that had pinned him to the floor was now gone, Jarod sat up to watch the scene before him. He found that his heart was thudding in his chest harder now than it had been moments ago when he thought it was beating it's last. 'Parker, what are you doing?! They'll kill you!' screamed through his head but he remained outwardly silent, allowing Parker to play the scene any way she chose.
Chase seemed unrattled by his predicament. His tone was conversational, cordial, even. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you formally. I'm making the assumption that you're an acquaintance of Jarod's."
"Give the man a prize," Parker condescendingly replied and Jarod winced. She wasn't doing herself any favors with her audience.
But to Jarod's surprise, Chase laughed. "Alright. I guess we'll cut to business." He turned serious, "I believe Jarod killed a friend of mine on Tuesday, Joey Lanaro. I can't let that go, regardless of the cost."
Jarod wondered if Parker understood the 'cost' Chase was willing to expend.
Parker leaned in closer to Chase and lowly uttered in his ear, "There's one small problem with your justice." She paused for dramatic emphasis before she continued. "Jarod only got into town on Wednesday," and she tossed some papers into the middle of the floor.
Chase nodded to one of his men to retrieve the papers. After a cursory glance, the scared man reported, "It's a flight manifest and pictures from airport security....Jarod arrived on a 9:30 am flight.. on Wednesday."
Absorbing this information silently, Chase looked down to the still kneeling Jarod but posed his question to Parker, "What are you to Jarod? And how is it that you have the exact items to exonerate him"?
Before Parker could reply, Jarod answered possessively, "She's my girl." Then Jarod pulled on a sheepish look, "I tried to keep her out of this but she's apparently gotten too good at tracking me down."
"Apparently," Chase smirked as if a gun was not pressed to his temple. A moment more passed and then he signaled his men to lower their weapons. "Take the cuffs off of Jarod."
Parker watched as Jarod's hands were freed and he climbed to his feet. Though Chase's men had lowered their weapons, they hadn't reholstered them. Suddenly Miss Parker wasn't sure how best to extract Jarod and herself from the warehouse.
Chase spoke gently to her, "You have my word that no harm will come to you. Or Jarod."
Parker's eyes flickered to Jarod's. "Chase keeps his word," Jarod reassured, surprised that Miss Parker had sought out his opinion.
Seeing no other probable option for survival, Miss Parker slowly slid her arm from Chase and took a step back but made no move to put away her own gun. She watched silently as Chase casually turned to face her and assessed her from head to toe.
A smile broke out on the handsome don's face. "I can honestly say my life's never been threatened by anyone so beautiful before. Kind of makes the experience not so horrible," Chase drawled with his Italian charm.
"The experience is suppose to be horrible," Parker countered softly, as her eyes watched the other three mobsters as they stood watching her, guns very visible.
Chase's smile grew, "In that case, you had better give up making threats." Then he turned to Jarod and extended his hand. "Please accept my apology. It's hard to know who to trust."
Jarod shook Chase's hand without hesitation. And before he knew it, he was engulfed in an Italian hug.
Stepping back, Chase gave Jarod a sly look, "Looks like you won't be spending the week alone after all." Chase turned his look back to Parker but asked Jarod, "Are you going to introduce me or do I have to make my own introductions?"
Jarod was trying to come up with a false name for Parker but before he could speak, Parker was answering, "You can call me Miss Parker and I already know who you are." Her tone was not unfriendly but it had an edge to it.
Chase paid little heed to the tone. "You may call me by my first name, if you allow me the same courtesy."
Jarod cut in, "She never uses her first name," his eyes holding Miss Parker's.
"A woman of beauty, intelligence, capability, and mystery," Chase murmured. "Jarod, I'm not sure you deserve her," and he looked to Jarod with a smirk.
But Jarod had eyes only for Parker as he replied, "I know."
Focusing on Parker, Chase played the gracious host of even this dismal setting. "Well, since you've tracked Jarod here, you're officially invited to the party."
This got Parker's full attention on Chase. "Thank you for the invitation but Jarod and I have things to work out. Privately."
"Oh, you'll have plenty of privacy at the villa, I promise," Chase drawled as if the matter was settled. He turned to one of his men, "Bring a car around for Jarod and Miss Parker."
"I have my own car.." Parker began strongly but Chase cut her off, not harshly but with finality.
"You won't need your car." For the first time, the charm dropped from Chase's gaze as he met Parker's defiant blue eyes. "Or your gun." And he reached out and grabbed the barrel of the gun.
Sensing the potential for bloodshed, Jarod stepped in front of Parker. His eyes seared into hers as he lowly spoke, "They don't do Mexican standoffs around here, Parker. Instead they play a game called Last One Standing...lives."
Jarod could see the anger and the frustration in her eyes and knew she was weighing her options and gauging the risks. He spoke gently, "Please, just give Chase the gun, Parker." He watched in tense silence as she came to her decision. Slowly she relinquished her hold on the gun, allowing Chase to take it into his possession. Jarod let out the breath he hadn't known he had been holding.
Chase's charm returned as if it had never faltered, "I'm glad you 'tracked' down, Jarod, Miss Parker. You'll love the villa and I promise, you'll have a good time. Sadly, I have to conclude some business before I can head for the villa. Pauly will drive you there and get you settle in. Save a dance for me, Miss Parker." And then Chase turned on his heel and strode from the warehouse, leaving two lackeys behind to escort his 'guests' to the villa.
TBC
Moments prior, Miss Parker had soundlessly made her way into the warehouse and maneuvered herself into a position behind the don and his lackeys. From her vantage point behind some crates, she saw that time was running out for Jarod and he seemed unable to extract himself from the pending fate. She had to take action now or she'd be returning a corpse to the Centre.
Having abandoned her high heels at the warehouse door, Parker slipped from behind the crates undetected. In a flurry of motion, she crossed the space that separated her from the don. Before anyone could react, she had her gun resting against the don's skull and her arm wrapped tightly around his throat.
Immediately three guns were aimed at her head.
"Looks like we have a real Mexican standoff," Parker drawled in challenge.
Jarod's eyes snapped up in astonishment, uncertain if his final thoughts of Parker had him conjuring her up or if reality was turning stranger than fiction. As his eyes rested on Miss Parker, he knew she was no apparition. No figment of his imagination could look so stunningly beautiful and yet so unmercifully deadly.
Finding that the foot that had pinned him to the floor was now gone, Jarod sat up to watch the scene before him. He found that his heart was thudding in his chest harder now than it had been moments ago when he thought it was beating it's last. 'Parker, what are you doing?! They'll kill you!' screamed through his head but he remained outwardly silent, allowing Parker to play the scene any way she chose.
Chase seemed unrattled by his predicament. His tone was conversational, cordial, even. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you formally. I'm making the assumption that you're an acquaintance of Jarod's."
"Give the man a prize," Parker condescendingly replied and Jarod winced. She wasn't doing herself any favors with her audience.
But to Jarod's surprise, Chase laughed. "Alright. I guess we'll cut to business." He turned serious, "I believe Jarod killed a friend of mine on Tuesday, Joey Lanaro. I can't let that go, regardless of the cost."
Jarod wondered if Parker understood the 'cost' Chase was willing to expend.
Parker leaned in closer to Chase and lowly uttered in his ear, "There's one small problem with your justice." She paused for dramatic emphasis before she continued. "Jarod only got into town on Wednesday," and she tossed some papers into the middle of the floor.
Chase nodded to one of his men to retrieve the papers. After a cursory glance, the scared man reported, "It's a flight manifest and pictures from airport security....Jarod arrived on a 9:30 am flight.. on Wednesday."
Absorbing this information silently, Chase looked down to the still kneeling Jarod but posed his question to Parker, "What are you to Jarod? And how is it that you have the exact items to exonerate him"?
Before Parker could reply, Jarod answered possessively, "She's my girl." Then Jarod pulled on a sheepish look, "I tried to keep her out of this but she's apparently gotten too good at tracking me down."
"Apparently," Chase smirked as if a gun was not pressed to his temple. A moment more passed and then he signaled his men to lower their weapons. "Take the cuffs off of Jarod."
Parker watched as Jarod's hands were freed and he climbed to his feet. Though Chase's men had lowered their weapons, they hadn't reholstered them. Suddenly Miss Parker wasn't sure how best to extract Jarod and herself from the warehouse.
Chase spoke gently to her, "You have my word that no harm will come to you. Or Jarod."
Parker's eyes flickered to Jarod's. "Chase keeps his word," Jarod reassured, surprised that Miss Parker had sought out his opinion.
Seeing no other probable option for survival, Miss Parker slowly slid her arm from Chase and took a step back but made no move to put away her own gun. She watched silently as Chase casually turned to face her and assessed her from head to toe.
A smile broke out on the handsome don's face. "I can honestly say my life's never been threatened by anyone so beautiful before. Kind of makes the experience not so horrible," Chase drawled with his Italian charm.
"The experience is suppose to be horrible," Parker countered softly, as her eyes watched the other three mobsters as they stood watching her, guns very visible.
Chase's smile grew, "In that case, you had better give up making threats." Then he turned to Jarod and extended his hand. "Please accept my apology. It's hard to know who to trust."
Jarod shook Chase's hand without hesitation. And before he knew it, he was engulfed in an Italian hug.
Stepping back, Chase gave Jarod a sly look, "Looks like you won't be spending the week alone after all." Chase turned his look back to Parker but asked Jarod, "Are you going to introduce me or do I have to make my own introductions?"
Jarod was trying to come up with a false name for Parker but before he could speak, Parker was answering, "You can call me Miss Parker and I already know who you are." Her tone was not unfriendly but it had an edge to it.
Chase paid little heed to the tone. "You may call me by my first name, if you allow me the same courtesy."
Jarod cut in, "She never uses her first name," his eyes holding Miss Parker's.
"A woman of beauty, intelligence, capability, and mystery," Chase murmured. "Jarod, I'm not sure you deserve her," and he looked to Jarod with a smirk.
But Jarod had eyes only for Parker as he replied, "I know."
Focusing on Parker, Chase played the gracious host of even this dismal setting. "Well, since you've tracked Jarod here, you're officially invited to the party."
This got Parker's full attention on Chase. "Thank you for the invitation but Jarod and I have things to work out. Privately."
"Oh, you'll have plenty of privacy at the villa, I promise," Chase drawled as if the matter was settled. He turned to one of his men, "Bring a car around for Jarod and Miss Parker."
"I have my own car.." Parker began strongly but Chase cut her off, not harshly but with finality.
"You won't need your car." For the first time, the charm dropped from Chase's gaze as he met Parker's defiant blue eyes. "Or your gun." And he reached out and grabbed the barrel of the gun.
Sensing the potential for bloodshed, Jarod stepped in front of Parker. His eyes seared into hers as he lowly spoke, "They don't do Mexican standoffs around here, Parker. Instead they play a game called Last One Standing...lives."
Jarod could see the anger and the frustration in her eyes and knew she was weighing her options and gauging the risks. He spoke gently, "Please, just give Chase the gun, Parker." He watched in tense silence as she came to her decision. Slowly she relinquished her hold on the gun, allowing Chase to take it into his possession. Jarod let out the breath he hadn't known he had been holding.
Chase's charm returned as if it had never faltered, "I'm glad you 'tracked' down, Jarod, Miss Parker. You'll love the villa and I promise, you'll have a good time. Sadly, I have to conclude some business before I can head for the villa. Pauly will drive you there and get you settle in. Save a dance for me, Miss Parker." And then Chase turned on his heel and strode from the warehouse, leaving two lackeys behind to escort his 'guests' to the villa.
TBC