Chapter 4
Jarod and Ms. Parker had arrived at the Romano home in a relatively short amount of time. Ms. Parker had jumped out, before Jarod had brought Luka's car to a complete stop, got out and ran towards the house. Jarod turned off the ignition, and looked around. They could have only minutes before Mr. Lyle and the sweeper appeared.
He got out. Ms. Parker had said nothing on the drive over here, but had drummed her nails against the side of the door, in an impatient manner.
Jarod looked around again, then decided to go inside and help Ms. Parker and his daughter, get their things. It was at that moment, that his phone rang. Jarod stared at it. His phone usually DID NOT ring. He did all of the calling. He answered it, but said nothing.
'Jarod?'
'Sydney? How did you get this number?'
'Never mind that! There is someone here with me. Someone that wants to help Ms. Parker and you.'
Jarod clenched a fist.
'Sydney, I trusted you...'
'And you can still trust me, Jarod! This is very important, I'm going to turn the phone over to her.'
'Her?' Jarod asked, eyeing the house. What was taking Ms. Parker so long?
Another voice, distinctly female, with a voice similar to Ms. Parker's, came onto the line.
'Hello, Jarod. My name is Irina Derevko. I'm your mother's younger sister.'
Jarod felt as if the wind had suddenly been knocked out of him! His mother's sister? With a Russian name? Jarod knew that name, Irina Derevko, and it wasn't because he knew her to be a relative! But where had he seen it?
It was as if the woman could read his mind.
'Jarod, I have a lot to tell you, in a short amount of time. I know that Mr. Lyle is chasing you, I know where you are at this exact moment. I will help you but you have to trust me.'
'Trust has to be earned, Ms. Derevko.'
Irina smiled on her end.
'Go to the address I'm going to give you. It is a safe place...one where you can find 'refuge'. If you are able to spend one night there, uninterrupted by Sweepers, then you can trust me.'
'And if they do show up?' Jarod asked, now somewhat intrigued by his 'aunt'.
'Then you will never hear from me again.' she said simply. 'Go to this address....'
****
Ms. Parker clutched Abigail, a car seat and other items she had tossed into a canvas bag, when she hurried from the house. Jarod was just hanging up a cell phone, when she hurried towards him. Jarod reached out for Abigail.
'Let me hold her...please?'
Ms. Parker looked at him, then moved closer, so that he could take the baby. That freed her up to put the car seat and other items in the car. Once she had everything settled, she stopped to look at the two of them.
Jarod looked as if he had fallen in love or something! And Abby...well, she was not the friendliest of babies. She didn't like being picked up by strangers, and almost always cried. But, she was so calm with Jarod, as she stared at him, with big eyes.
Jarod tore his eyes away from his daughter, to look at Ms. Parker.
'What about the babysitter?'
Ms. Parker gave him a look of disgust!
'What about her? She's passed out drunk on the living room couch with some boy I've never seen before! I wonder where Robert found her?'
Ms. Parker then hurried over to the driver's side of the car. Jarod and Abby moved towards her.
'What do you think you're doing?' he asked, glancing at Abigail. She stared at her mother as well, as if she too, wanted an answer to that question.
'I'm driving!'
'Uh, no!'
'Uh, yes, Jarod!'
'Ms. Parker, if I may be quite frank, you drive like...like..what is that phrase, 'like a bat out of hell'!'
'How do you know that?'
'Because I know you, that why! Take Abigail, and get in the car. I have arranged a hideout spot for us. Then, we need to have a serious discussion about who you really are, and where we go from here.'
Once again, Ms. Parker was forced to rely on her instincts about Jarod. She nodded slowly.
Jarod handed Abigail back over to her, then stared at them both. Ms. Parker, uncomfortable with his scrutiny, sighed.
'What? What are you looking at?'
'I'm wondering if you are even the least bit curious about the two of us? I'm wondering if you can feel the connection between us?'
Ms. Parker, blinked, glancing at Abigail, who was now staring at Jarod, as if she were waiting to hear his next word.
'I don't remember anything, including you.'
'But that's not what I asked you. I asked if you could FEEL that there is something between us...and our child?'
Ms. Parker did not answer. She turned and walked over to the passenger side of the car. She then unlocked the back door, opened it, and began settling Abby into her car seat. She did not look at Jarod.
Jarod, for his part, realized that Ms. Parker was beginning to remember the two of them, on some level. For her walking away just now, was a typical response for her. And she did it whenever she heard a semblance of truth about herself. Jarod smiled softly, then walked over to the driver's side of the car.
His mind went back to his phone conversation with Irina Derevko. While he didn't completely trust her, supposed aunt or not, she was the only one in years, that had offered him the chance find some real answers about his mother, and his past.
****
Mr. Lyle and the Sweeper, missed Jarod and Ms. Parker by minutes, though they were unaware of it at the time. They pulled into the Romano drive, jumped out, kicked the door open, and hurried in.
All Mr. Lyle had to show for this visit, were two drunken teenagers, that did not stir at the sound of a door being kicked open. He eyed the beer that they had been drinking. He briefly wondered if they had been doing drugs as well.
The Sweeper came running from upstairs.
'There's a baby's room, but it's empty!'
'Great!' Mr. Lyle hissed, his eyes sweeping over the house. They couldn't have that much of a head start. Maybe if they...
His cell phone rang. The Sweeper eyed him, as Mr. Lyle reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone.
'Mr. Lyle here.' he answered.
'Mr. Lyle.' the voice said, drawing out his name. Mr. Lyle tensed up. It was Arvin Sloane.
'Mr. Sloane,' Lyle said, looking at the Sweeper. 'I was just taking care of that matter for you.'
'What you've been doing is keeping secrets from me. I know that my fiancee is alive.'
Mr. Lyle rolled his eyes, his gaze falling on the passed out teens.
'Actually, my sister and yourself weren't 'officially' engaged. As a matter of fact, I don't believe you even declared your love for her...'
'Look, Lyle, I'm going to just be frank about this. You're time is running out. Either you bring Ms. Parker to me, or I find someone else to do it. And if I have to find someone else, then I will have no need for you. And I would hate to have to kill my new wife's brother.'
Mr. Lyle took a deep breath. God, why was his sister's romantic entanglements always his problem? Everyone knew that she had a thing for that damned Jarod, years ago, though you couldn't get her to admit it, if her life depended on it!
'Understood.' Mr. Lyle said curtly before hanging up. It didn't sound like Sloane knew about the child. Good. The child could be used at The New Centre anyway. Sloane probably would want to raise children with his sister, that were HIS anyway!
'Let's go! They're obviously not here!' Mr. Lyle snapped.
'Obviously!' Robert Romano snapped in response, as he stood in his kicked in doorway. What the hell had happened to his door?! And good God! What had happened to his babysitter...who the hell was that boy next to her?!
Romano walked in and glared at Mr. Lyle and the sweeper.
'Well?! Did my wife karate kick the both of you to hell and back or something?'
Mr. Lyle looked the little man up and down.
'What are you talking about?'
Romano stared at him, then at the sweeper. Something about these two cops didn't feel right. And if Christina and Jarod were so dangerous, then why didn't they call for back up or something?
'Never mind!' Romano snapped. 'Where is my daughter?'
'Gone. It looks like we've just missed them.' Mr. Lyle said.
'Then you can just go after them then, can't you? What is the story with you two? The longer you stand here, the more of a head start you give them! No wonder they were able to...'
Mr. Lyle quickly brought up his revolver. He already had the silencer put on. Romano's eyes widened, as he began to understand, that these two guys weren't cops. Which probably meant, that Christina and Jarod, weren't murderers.
'Hey!' was the last word Romano uttered, before being shot twice in the chest by Mr. Lyle. The sweeper looked at Lyle.
'I'm sorry, but I just couldn't stand that creep not one more minute!' Mr. Lyle almost whined. 'Besides, I really did Mr. Sloane a favor. If he plans to marry my sister, he at least has to make sure she's unattached. Now she's a widow. Let's get going!'
The sweeper nodded, and he and Mr. Lyle hurried out of the house and jumped into their vehicle.
Meanwhile, Lisa, the drunken babysitter, woke up. She looked at her boyfriend, yawned, then looked over to her left. She then screamed when she laid eyes on Dr. Romano's still form on the floor.
****
The 'safe place' Irina Derevko had directed Jarod to, turned out to be an apartment complex in a high rent area. Irina had told Jarod that he could just get keys from the doorman, who would have them in his suit pocket, when he walked up to him, and said 'refuge'.
If Ms. Parker was the least bit curious about the cloak and dagger part of this, she did not comment. She was holding a sleeping Abigail, as the three of them made their way to an elevator.
When they finally reached the apartment door, Jarod tentatively opened the door. He didn't see anyone in the front room. But, sitting on a coffee table, was a laptop. There was a note sitting next to it.
Ms. Parker began to walk in with Abigail, but Jarod blocked her with his arm. He then closed and locked the door. He then looked at her.
'I'm going to check out the rest of the apartment. It won't take but a moment.'
Ms. Parker nodded, then watched as he moved cautiously off into another room. She walked over to the table with the laptop sitting on it. There was a note next to it.
Ms. Parker had begun to read it, when Jarod reappeared. She stopped reading it and looked at him. She stroked the back of Abigail's head.
'Find anything?' she asked, giving him a tiny smile.
Jarod smiled back. Ms. Parker still didn't believe this whole thing was real. Hopefully, if he could keep her and Abby safe, she would never find out how real this whole thing was.
'There's a crib about two rooms back. Put Abby there, and then come back out here. We need to talk.'
Ms. Parker looked away from him when he said that, and focused her attention on Abby. She walked back towards the rooms. Jarod watched her for a moment, before looking at the laptop.
Irina Derevko had known they would need a crib. He didn't like that. He didn't like it one bit.
Jarod pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Sydney soon answered.
'Jarod?'
'Tell me what's going on here, Sydney! Tell me you haven't set me up?'
'Jarod, my gut tells me to trust your aunt. But, I do think she wants something from you.'
'What? And why is her name so familiar?'
'She is an associate of Arvin Sloane's. A traitor to this country. She was discovered giving secrets to the Russians years ago. Her daughter, Sidney Bristow, is your cousin...and...'
'And what, Sydney?' Jarod asked, trying to keep the anger from creeping into his voice. He knew that catch in Sydney's voice. It was guilt.
'Your cousin is here at The New Centre. I can't go into why...'
'Damnit, Sydney! This woman is keeping her own daughter prisoner there, and I'm supposed to trust her?!'
'Jarod, I think she wants information about your mother.'
'She can forget it!'
'Calm down, please. Look, I believe that in her own way, she is trying to help Ms. Parker and you. Just rest for a bit, until you can think of what to do. How is Ms. Parker's memory?'
Jarod was not fooled by the sudden change in subject, but played along, for now.
'The same. I'm hanging up now. If I find I can trust Irina Derevko, you will hear from me again.'
'And if you can't?' Sydney asked, knowing full well what the answer was. All he heard was a click in response.
Ms. Parker came out of the back room. Jarod looked at the note. It said: The laptop is for you. What you need to find out about me, is all on there.
The note was not signed, but Jarod knew it was from their benefactor. He looked up, when Ms. Parker moved into his peripheral vision.
'How is Abby?'
Ms. Parker shrugged.
'Sleeping like the baby she is. You said you wanted to talk. Fine. But I am dying for a cigarette, so I'm just going to go out...'
'No, no you are not! And may I ask, did you smoke when you were pregnant?'
Ms. Parker's mouth dropped open! She didn't like his tone or his gall!
'Robert wouldn't allow it. Now that's all you need to know. I'm going to go buy some cigarettes.'
Jarod stepped in front of her.
'Ms. Parker, I can't let you leave. You don't know who the people that are after us look like. I do.'
Ms. Parker rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She walked over to a window and stared out. Jarod slowly walked up behind her. He didn't dare touch her in anyway, since he was not so sure how she felt about him yet.
'I need to tell you everything about our lives, Ms. Parker. But, I sense you need to say something me first.'
Ms. Parker turned around suddenly, a little surprised that he was so near.
'Okay. Here it goes. The night of the party, I realized that I had been dreaming about you...and other people...but...'
Jarod gently reached out and touched her chin.
'But?'
'But, when I have those dreams, there is a different man in them. One that I remember...I remember making love to. And it is not you. I'm just wondering if you're pulling my leg here about being Abigail's father...which means I made a big mistake coming here with you!'
Jarod carefully put both of his hands on her shoulders.
'I will explain who that man is and who I am to you right now.'
Ms. Parker nodded reluctantly, then allowed him to pull her down onto a couch. For the next 45 minutes, Jarod explained The Centre, the evil it did, his own kidnapping as a child, her parents, their growing up there together, his escape and her hunt for him, the secrets they exposed, Thomas Gates, Carthis and the change in their relationship.
Jarod was not shy about telling Ms. Parker about their lovemaking in the barn, and how he knew Abigail was the result. But, he did admit, he did not know what happened to her to put her in this amnesiac like condition, though he suspected Mr. Lyle was responsible.
After, Ms. Parker slowly stood up. She then burst out laughing!
'Tell me you're joking?! This is a joke?!'
Jarod slowly stood up as well.
'No, Ms. Parker. It's not a joke. And neither is the fact that these people would love to get their hands on Abby.'
Ms. Parker cut her eyes away from his and began to pace.
'I really need a cigarette! I'm going out now!'
Ms. Parker hurried towards the front door! She didn't know why she needed to get away from Jarod, but she did! What he had told her was too overwhelming! She would be right back, all she needed was one puff!
Ms. Parker whipped open the door before Jarod could stop her.
'Ms. Parker!' he yelled. Abigail began to cry from the other room. The baby's cry caused Ms. Parker to turn back around towards Jarod.
That was when Irina Derevko, wearing a clack catsuit, stepped in from the hall, and hit Ms. Parker on the back of her head with a gun! She then stepped inside the apartment, closed the door, then put her gun away.
'Hello, Jarod. We need to talk.' she said.
Jarod and Ms. Parker had arrived at the Romano home in a relatively short amount of time. Ms. Parker had jumped out, before Jarod had brought Luka's car to a complete stop, got out and ran towards the house. Jarod turned off the ignition, and looked around. They could have only minutes before Mr. Lyle and the sweeper appeared.
He got out. Ms. Parker had said nothing on the drive over here, but had drummed her nails against the side of the door, in an impatient manner.
Jarod looked around again, then decided to go inside and help Ms. Parker and his daughter, get their things. It was at that moment, that his phone rang. Jarod stared at it. His phone usually DID NOT ring. He did all of the calling. He answered it, but said nothing.
'Jarod?'
'Sydney? How did you get this number?'
'Never mind that! There is someone here with me. Someone that wants to help Ms. Parker and you.'
Jarod clenched a fist.
'Sydney, I trusted you...'
'And you can still trust me, Jarod! This is very important, I'm going to turn the phone over to her.'
'Her?' Jarod asked, eyeing the house. What was taking Ms. Parker so long?
Another voice, distinctly female, with a voice similar to Ms. Parker's, came onto the line.
'Hello, Jarod. My name is Irina Derevko. I'm your mother's younger sister.'
Jarod felt as if the wind had suddenly been knocked out of him! His mother's sister? With a Russian name? Jarod knew that name, Irina Derevko, and it wasn't because he knew her to be a relative! But where had he seen it?
It was as if the woman could read his mind.
'Jarod, I have a lot to tell you, in a short amount of time. I know that Mr. Lyle is chasing you, I know where you are at this exact moment. I will help you but you have to trust me.'
'Trust has to be earned, Ms. Derevko.'
Irina smiled on her end.
'Go to the address I'm going to give you. It is a safe place...one where you can find 'refuge'. If you are able to spend one night there, uninterrupted by Sweepers, then you can trust me.'
'And if they do show up?' Jarod asked, now somewhat intrigued by his 'aunt'.
'Then you will never hear from me again.' she said simply. 'Go to this address....'
****
Ms. Parker clutched Abigail, a car seat and other items she had tossed into a canvas bag, when she hurried from the house. Jarod was just hanging up a cell phone, when she hurried towards him. Jarod reached out for Abigail.
'Let me hold her...please?'
Ms. Parker looked at him, then moved closer, so that he could take the baby. That freed her up to put the car seat and other items in the car. Once she had everything settled, she stopped to look at the two of them.
Jarod looked as if he had fallen in love or something! And Abby...well, she was not the friendliest of babies. She didn't like being picked up by strangers, and almost always cried. But, she was so calm with Jarod, as she stared at him, with big eyes.
Jarod tore his eyes away from his daughter, to look at Ms. Parker.
'What about the babysitter?'
Ms. Parker gave him a look of disgust!
'What about her? She's passed out drunk on the living room couch with some boy I've never seen before! I wonder where Robert found her?'
Ms. Parker then hurried over to the driver's side of the car. Jarod and Abby moved towards her.
'What do you think you're doing?' he asked, glancing at Abigail. She stared at her mother as well, as if she too, wanted an answer to that question.
'I'm driving!'
'Uh, no!'
'Uh, yes, Jarod!'
'Ms. Parker, if I may be quite frank, you drive like...like..what is that phrase, 'like a bat out of hell'!'
'How do you know that?'
'Because I know you, that why! Take Abigail, and get in the car. I have arranged a hideout spot for us. Then, we need to have a serious discussion about who you really are, and where we go from here.'
Once again, Ms. Parker was forced to rely on her instincts about Jarod. She nodded slowly.
Jarod handed Abigail back over to her, then stared at them both. Ms. Parker, uncomfortable with his scrutiny, sighed.
'What? What are you looking at?'
'I'm wondering if you are even the least bit curious about the two of us? I'm wondering if you can feel the connection between us?'
Ms. Parker, blinked, glancing at Abigail, who was now staring at Jarod, as if she were waiting to hear his next word.
'I don't remember anything, including you.'
'But that's not what I asked you. I asked if you could FEEL that there is something between us...and our child?'
Ms. Parker did not answer. She turned and walked over to the passenger side of the car. She then unlocked the back door, opened it, and began settling Abby into her car seat. She did not look at Jarod.
Jarod, for his part, realized that Ms. Parker was beginning to remember the two of them, on some level. For her walking away just now, was a typical response for her. And she did it whenever she heard a semblance of truth about herself. Jarod smiled softly, then walked over to the driver's side of the car.
His mind went back to his phone conversation with Irina Derevko. While he didn't completely trust her, supposed aunt or not, she was the only one in years, that had offered him the chance find some real answers about his mother, and his past.
****
Mr. Lyle and the Sweeper, missed Jarod and Ms. Parker by minutes, though they were unaware of it at the time. They pulled into the Romano drive, jumped out, kicked the door open, and hurried in.
All Mr. Lyle had to show for this visit, were two drunken teenagers, that did not stir at the sound of a door being kicked open. He eyed the beer that they had been drinking. He briefly wondered if they had been doing drugs as well.
The Sweeper came running from upstairs.
'There's a baby's room, but it's empty!'
'Great!' Mr. Lyle hissed, his eyes sweeping over the house. They couldn't have that much of a head start. Maybe if they...
His cell phone rang. The Sweeper eyed him, as Mr. Lyle reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone.
'Mr. Lyle here.' he answered.
'Mr. Lyle.' the voice said, drawing out his name. Mr. Lyle tensed up. It was Arvin Sloane.
'Mr. Sloane,' Lyle said, looking at the Sweeper. 'I was just taking care of that matter for you.'
'What you've been doing is keeping secrets from me. I know that my fiancee is alive.'
Mr. Lyle rolled his eyes, his gaze falling on the passed out teens.
'Actually, my sister and yourself weren't 'officially' engaged. As a matter of fact, I don't believe you even declared your love for her...'
'Look, Lyle, I'm going to just be frank about this. You're time is running out. Either you bring Ms. Parker to me, or I find someone else to do it. And if I have to find someone else, then I will have no need for you. And I would hate to have to kill my new wife's brother.'
Mr. Lyle took a deep breath. God, why was his sister's romantic entanglements always his problem? Everyone knew that she had a thing for that damned Jarod, years ago, though you couldn't get her to admit it, if her life depended on it!
'Understood.' Mr. Lyle said curtly before hanging up. It didn't sound like Sloane knew about the child. Good. The child could be used at The New Centre anyway. Sloane probably would want to raise children with his sister, that were HIS anyway!
'Let's go! They're obviously not here!' Mr. Lyle snapped.
'Obviously!' Robert Romano snapped in response, as he stood in his kicked in doorway. What the hell had happened to his door?! And good God! What had happened to his babysitter...who the hell was that boy next to her?!
Romano walked in and glared at Mr. Lyle and the sweeper.
'Well?! Did my wife karate kick the both of you to hell and back or something?'
Mr. Lyle looked the little man up and down.
'What are you talking about?'
Romano stared at him, then at the sweeper. Something about these two cops didn't feel right. And if Christina and Jarod were so dangerous, then why didn't they call for back up or something?
'Never mind!' Romano snapped. 'Where is my daughter?'
'Gone. It looks like we've just missed them.' Mr. Lyle said.
'Then you can just go after them then, can't you? What is the story with you two? The longer you stand here, the more of a head start you give them! No wonder they were able to...'
Mr. Lyle quickly brought up his revolver. He already had the silencer put on. Romano's eyes widened, as he began to understand, that these two guys weren't cops. Which probably meant, that Christina and Jarod, weren't murderers.
'Hey!' was the last word Romano uttered, before being shot twice in the chest by Mr. Lyle. The sweeper looked at Lyle.
'I'm sorry, but I just couldn't stand that creep not one more minute!' Mr. Lyle almost whined. 'Besides, I really did Mr. Sloane a favor. If he plans to marry my sister, he at least has to make sure she's unattached. Now she's a widow. Let's get going!'
The sweeper nodded, and he and Mr. Lyle hurried out of the house and jumped into their vehicle.
Meanwhile, Lisa, the drunken babysitter, woke up. She looked at her boyfriend, yawned, then looked over to her left. She then screamed when she laid eyes on Dr. Romano's still form on the floor.
****
The 'safe place' Irina Derevko had directed Jarod to, turned out to be an apartment complex in a high rent area. Irina had told Jarod that he could just get keys from the doorman, who would have them in his suit pocket, when he walked up to him, and said 'refuge'.
If Ms. Parker was the least bit curious about the cloak and dagger part of this, she did not comment. She was holding a sleeping Abigail, as the three of them made their way to an elevator.
When they finally reached the apartment door, Jarod tentatively opened the door. He didn't see anyone in the front room. But, sitting on a coffee table, was a laptop. There was a note sitting next to it.
Ms. Parker began to walk in with Abigail, but Jarod blocked her with his arm. He then closed and locked the door. He then looked at her.
'I'm going to check out the rest of the apartment. It won't take but a moment.'
Ms. Parker nodded, then watched as he moved cautiously off into another room. She walked over to the table with the laptop sitting on it. There was a note next to it.
Ms. Parker had begun to read it, when Jarod reappeared. She stopped reading it and looked at him. She stroked the back of Abigail's head.
'Find anything?' she asked, giving him a tiny smile.
Jarod smiled back. Ms. Parker still didn't believe this whole thing was real. Hopefully, if he could keep her and Abby safe, she would never find out how real this whole thing was.
'There's a crib about two rooms back. Put Abby there, and then come back out here. We need to talk.'
Ms. Parker looked away from him when he said that, and focused her attention on Abby. She walked back towards the rooms. Jarod watched her for a moment, before looking at the laptop.
Irina Derevko had known they would need a crib. He didn't like that. He didn't like it one bit.
Jarod pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Sydney soon answered.
'Jarod?'
'Tell me what's going on here, Sydney! Tell me you haven't set me up?'
'Jarod, my gut tells me to trust your aunt. But, I do think she wants something from you.'
'What? And why is her name so familiar?'
'She is an associate of Arvin Sloane's. A traitor to this country. She was discovered giving secrets to the Russians years ago. Her daughter, Sidney Bristow, is your cousin...and...'
'And what, Sydney?' Jarod asked, trying to keep the anger from creeping into his voice. He knew that catch in Sydney's voice. It was guilt.
'Your cousin is here at The New Centre. I can't go into why...'
'Damnit, Sydney! This woman is keeping her own daughter prisoner there, and I'm supposed to trust her?!'
'Jarod, I think she wants information about your mother.'
'She can forget it!'
'Calm down, please. Look, I believe that in her own way, she is trying to help Ms. Parker and you. Just rest for a bit, until you can think of what to do. How is Ms. Parker's memory?'
Jarod was not fooled by the sudden change in subject, but played along, for now.
'The same. I'm hanging up now. If I find I can trust Irina Derevko, you will hear from me again.'
'And if you can't?' Sydney asked, knowing full well what the answer was. All he heard was a click in response.
Ms. Parker came out of the back room. Jarod looked at the note. It said: The laptop is for you. What you need to find out about me, is all on there.
The note was not signed, but Jarod knew it was from their benefactor. He looked up, when Ms. Parker moved into his peripheral vision.
'How is Abby?'
Ms. Parker shrugged.
'Sleeping like the baby she is. You said you wanted to talk. Fine. But I am dying for a cigarette, so I'm just going to go out...'
'No, no you are not! And may I ask, did you smoke when you were pregnant?'
Ms. Parker's mouth dropped open! She didn't like his tone or his gall!
'Robert wouldn't allow it. Now that's all you need to know. I'm going to go buy some cigarettes.'
Jarod stepped in front of her.
'Ms. Parker, I can't let you leave. You don't know who the people that are after us look like. I do.'
Ms. Parker rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She walked over to a window and stared out. Jarod slowly walked up behind her. He didn't dare touch her in anyway, since he was not so sure how she felt about him yet.
'I need to tell you everything about our lives, Ms. Parker. But, I sense you need to say something me first.'
Ms. Parker turned around suddenly, a little surprised that he was so near.
'Okay. Here it goes. The night of the party, I realized that I had been dreaming about you...and other people...but...'
Jarod gently reached out and touched her chin.
'But?'
'But, when I have those dreams, there is a different man in them. One that I remember...I remember making love to. And it is not you. I'm just wondering if you're pulling my leg here about being Abigail's father...which means I made a big mistake coming here with you!'
Jarod carefully put both of his hands on her shoulders.
'I will explain who that man is and who I am to you right now.'
Ms. Parker nodded reluctantly, then allowed him to pull her down onto a couch. For the next 45 minutes, Jarod explained The Centre, the evil it did, his own kidnapping as a child, her parents, their growing up there together, his escape and her hunt for him, the secrets they exposed, Thomas Gates, Carthis and the change in their relationship.
Jarod was not shy about telling Ms. Parker about their lovemaking in the barn, and how he knew Abigail was the result. But, he did admit, he did not know what happened to her to put her in this amnesiac like condition, though he suspected Mr. Lyle was responsible.
After, Ms. Parker slowly stood up. She then burst out laughing!
'Tell me you're joking?! This is a joke?!'
Jarod slowly stood up as well.
'No, Ms. Parker. It's not a joke. And neither is the fact that these people would love to get their hands on Abby.'
Ms. Parker cut her eyes away from his and began to pace.
'I really need a cigarette! I'm going out now!'
Ms. Parker hurried towards the front door! She didn't know why she needed to get away from Jarod, but she did! What he had told her was too overwhelming! She would be right back, all she needed was one puff!
Ms. Parker whipped open the door before Jarod could stop her.
'Ms. Parker!' he yelled. Abigail began to cry from the other room. The baby's cry caused Ms. Parker to turn back around towards Jarod.
That was when Irina Derevko, wearing a clack catsuit, stepped in from the hall, and hit Ms. Parker on the back of her head with a gun! She then stepped inside the apartment, closed the door, then put her gun away.
'Hello, Jarod. We need to talk.' she said.