Part Six
Her head hurt and that was an understatement. The pain was ten times
worse than any hangover she had ever experienced. Her whole head hurt
with a thudding ache and sharp zinging pains. Her name was Miss
Parker. She had sand in her throat. A soft moan managed to grate its
way through her parched lips and she felt a warm hand squeeze hers in
response. Great, she was alive and she had body parts that didn't
torture her. She forced her eyes to open.
"Take it easy," a strong masculine voice soothed. He was a dark
blurry figure at the side of her bed and even though Miss Parker
couldn't get his features in focus yet, she knew it was him. He had
promised to never leave her. He was the only one she could trust, the
only one who truly loved and protected her. Everything else was just
lies. "You may have been asleep all this time, but you still need
your rest."
"Lyle." Miss Parker smiled at her brother. Her eyes fluttered closed
again as she fell into a peaceful sleep. Her brother would take care
of her.
"Sweet dreams." Lyle released Miss Parker's hand and sat back in his
chair. His sister had never smiled at him like that before. She had
smiled at him like he had imagined their mother had smiled at her when
she was a child. She loved him. She trusted him. It had worked. His
sister was on his side. Lyle chuckled. She would be groggy until the
drugs were fully out of her system and her bullet wound completely
healed, but after that there would be no stopping them. She didn't
belong to Jarod anymore.
*****
The first thing Jarod became aware of when he regained consciousness
was that she was gone. The emptiness Miss Parker's absence in his
mind created eclipsed all the physical pain caused by Lyle's beating.
Where was she? Had she left him? Was she dead? Jarod moaned in pain
and grief. He couldn't lose her, it had destroyed him when he had
thought she had died before. "M...Miss Parker," Jarod mumbled feebly,
blood from his broken and swollen lips dripped down his chin. He
wouldn't say her given name out loud. Lyle or one of his lackeys
could hear it and they didn't deserve that knowledge. Her first name
was a shared secret they had kept from the Centre. It belonged to
him.
"Shhh," a soft female voice soothed him. A hard fingernail trailed
down Jarod's cheek. "I'm here, Jarod," the voice whispered softly in
his ear.
Jarod desperately wanted to believe it was Miss Parker. He wished
that she had recovered and had found her way to him so they could
leave this hellhole together. It was how it should have been. He
should have faced his fear that night and taken her with him when he
had escaped the Centre. Jarod forced his eyes open as much as he
could. "B...Bridgette."
"Of course, Darling." Bridgette straightened up. "Were you expecting
a visit from the dearly departed? Don't hold your breath. I've been
put in charge of the search for Major Charles and the clone."
"Congratulations." Jarod wasn't worried about his father or the boy
who had been created from his DNA, they were long gone and could take
care of themselves. Miss Parker was vulnerable, she needed him and now
he was totally cut off from her with no idea as to how to find her.
Bridgette hated Miss Parker and saw her as an obstacle to her career at
the Centre. Was she the one holding Miss Parker captive and whispering
nasty things while she was in a coma?
Bridgette grimaced. "It's not a promotion. Where's your father,
Jarod?"
"What have you done with Miss Parker?" Jarod strained against his
bindings. He wanted to catch her off guard with his knowledge by
accusing her outright.
"Stuck her six feet under like her weakling of a mother." Bridgette
snorted. "Stop playing games, Jarod, and tell me what I want to know.
I might be able to help you. Mr. Lyle has quite the grudge, I guess he
had more affection for his sister than anyone realized. He'll probably
kill you."
"I know Miss Parker isn't dead. Where is she?" Jarod watched
Bridgette closely. She wasn't panicking and, despite what she thought
of herself, she was not cool under pressure. She believed that Miss
Parker was dead. He still couldn't hear her voice in his head or feel
her presence. Maybe she was dead.
"Bridgette, what are you doing here?" Lyle enquired coolly. His
flinty gaze moved from his pregnant stepmother to his captive. "Jarod
is my project now."
"It's just a friendly interrogation." Bridgette smiled and walked
toward Lyle. "You worked him over so well, it was a shame to waste it.
Where did you disappear to in such a hurry?"
"Business. Mine, not yours." Lyle kept his eyes trained on Jarod. He
had heard what he said about Miss Parker. Somehow Jarod knew that his
sister was still alive. Lyle smirked. It didn't matter, it was too
late. The bastard was in no shape to interfere anyway. He couldn't
wait to see the look on Jarod's face when he realized that Miss Parker
was not only alive, but lost to him. "Who is Jarod looking for?"
"His puppy love, who else?" Bridgette sneered. Jarod and the Parker
bitch had always made her want to puke. The Centre's 'Romeo and
Juliet' project had worked a little too well in her opinion. They
were nauseatingly devoted to each other. "You've beat him delusional,
Lyle. Jarod thinks I've got his precious Miss Parker stashed
somewhere."
"Really?" Lyle didn't bother to hide his amusement. He didn't need to,
he had won. "Then he won't be of any use to you."
"I guess not." Bridgette smiled tightly. Lyle was up to something. He
was much too smug for her for her comfort. "If you're not careful,
he won't be of any use to the Centre either."
Jarod and Lyle didn't say anything to each other after Bridgette left.
There was no need for words. Jarod had no doubts as to who had Miss
Parker. He should have known it was Lyle. Only he was underhanded and
cruel enough to take advantage of a sick woman. What did he want from
her? Jarod was almost afraid of the answer.
*****
They had left Daughter alone finally. Angelo slipped the grate off of
the air conditioning vent and slid into the room soundlessly. Daughter
was sleeping, but it was the good kind of sleep - the kind where she
could wake up - so he had to be quiet. Daughter didn't like to be
woken by loud noises and she always had her gun with her. Angelo
shuffled closer to the bed. Jarod was going to be so happy that they
had found Daughter. She was sleeping so peacefully. Angelo frowned.
Daughter was never peaceful. Tentatively, he reached out and touched
her hand. Peace. Security. An overwhelming feeling of calmness swept
over Angelo. That wasn't Daughter. Daughter worried. Daughter
feared. Daughter was a tight knot of emotions frozen in ice.
The hand Angelo was touching turned and grasped his in a punishing
grip. Angelo looked down and met Miss Parker's blue eyes. To his
relief suspicion slithered through the calm. "What do you want?"
"Daughter." Angelo smiled happily. This was the Daughter he knew.
"Daughter well."
"And it's going to stay that way." Miss Parker pushed Angelo away from
her. "Lyle! Lyle, help!"
"No!" Angelo shook his head furiously. Why was she shouting? "Don't
call him. Angelo helps Daughter." She wasn't listening to him.
Angelo scrambled back into the vent as two sweepers burst into the
room. Something was wrong with Daughter. Angelo stopped in the middle
of an intersection of vents to think. Daughter had called to the Lost
One for help. The Lost One was mean and cruel. He had killed Jarod's
brother and enjoyed torturing people. Daughter hated the Lost One.
She hated that he was her brother. Angelo shook his head in confusion
and turned to the vent on his right to continue on his way. He would
tell Jarod. Jarod would know how to help Daughter. Jarod could stop
the Lost One.
*****
Miss Parker. Amelia. Jarod let the names alternate in his head as he
lay curled up on his cot in his cell. Lyle had his henchmen dump him
in here because he had more important things to do. There was still
no answer. She wasn't dead. Jarod held onto that hope. She hadn't
died while he was unconscious from Lyle's beating. She just couldn't
tap into their connection, probably because she was no longer in a
coma. Miss Parker's consciousness always had gotten in the way of her
feelings.
God, he missed her. She had been a part of his life for so long, but
he had never really felt close to her until she had been a part of his
mind. He was not going to lose that closeness. "I won't leave you
here," Jarod promised her. He was going to drag Miss Parker away from
the Centre kicking and screaming if he had to. They were going to
disappear. Together.
To be continued....
Her head hurt and that was an understatement. The pain was ten times
worse than any hangover she had ever experienced. Her whole head hurt
with a thudding ache and sharp zinging pains. Her name was Miss
Parker. She had sand in her throat. A soft moan managed to grate its
way through her parched lips and she felt a warm hand squeeze hers in
response. Great, she was alive and she had body parts that didn't
torture her. She forced her eyes to open.
"Take it easy," a strong masculine voice soothed. He was a dark
blurry figure at the side of her bed and even though Miss Parker
couldn't get his features in focus yet, she knew it was him. He had
promised to never leave her. He was the only one she could trust, the
only one who truly loved and protected her. Everything else was just
lies. "You may have been asleep all this time, but you still need
your rest."
"Lyle." Miss Parker smiled at her brother. Her eyes fluttered closed
again as she fell into a peaceful sleep. Her brother would take care
of her.
"Sweet dreams." Lyle released Miss Parker's hand and sat back in his
chair. His sister had never smiled at him like that before. She had
smiled at him like he had imagined their mother had smiled at her when
she was a child. She loved him. She trusted him. It had worked. His
sister was on his side. Lyle chuckled. She would be groggy until the
drugs were fully out of her system and her bullet wound completely
healed, but after that there would be no stopping them. She didn't
belong to Jarod anymore.
*****
The first thing Jarod became aware of when he regained consciousness
was that she was gone. The emptiness Miss Parker's absence in his
mind created eclipsed all the physical pain caused by Lyle's beating.
Where was she? Had she left him? Was she dead? Jarod moaned in pain
and grief. He couldn't lose her, it had destroyed him when he had
thought she had died before. "M...Miss Parker," Jarod mumbled feebly,
blood from his broken and swollen lips dripped down his chin. He
wouldn't say her given name out loud. Lyle or one of his lackeys
could hear it and they didn't deserve that knowledge. Her first name
was a shared secret they had kept from the Centre. It belonged to
him.
"Shhh," a soft female voice soothed him. A hard fingernail trailed
down Jarod's cheek. "I'm here, Jarod," the voice whispered softly in
his ear.
Jarod desperately wanted to believe it was Miss Parker. He wished
that she had recovered and had found her way to him so they could
leave this hellhole together. It was how it should have been. He
should have faced his fear that night and taken her with him when he
had escaped the Centre. Jarod forced his eyes open as much as he
could. "B...Bridgette."
"Of course, Darling." Bridgette straightened up. "Were you expecting
a visit from the dearly departed? Don't hold your breath. I've been
put in charge of the search for Major Charles and the clone."
"Congratulations." Jarod wasn't worried about his father or the boy
who had been created from his DNA, they were long gone and could take
care of themselves. Miss Parker was vulnerable, she needed him and now
he was totally cut off from her with no idea as to how to find her.
Bridgette hated Miss Parker and saw her as an obstacle to her career at
the Centre. Was she the one holding Miss Parker captive and whispering
nasty things while she was in a coma?
Bridgette grimaced. "It's not a promotion. Where's your father,
Jarod?"
"What have you done with Miss Parker?" Jarod strained against his
bindings. He wanted to catch her off guard with his knowledge by
accusing her outright.
"Stuck her six feet under like her weakling of a mother." Bridgette
snorted. "Stop playing games, Jarod, and tell me what I want to know.
I might be able to help you. Mr. Lyle has quite the grudge, I guess he
had more affection for his sister than anyone realized. He'll probably
kill you."
"I know Miss Parker isn't dead. Where is she?" Jarod watched
Bridgette closely. She wasn't panicking and, despite what she thought
of herself, she was not cool under pressure. She believed that Miss
Parker was dead. He still couldn't hear her voice in his head or feel
her presence. Maybe she was dead.
"Bridgette, what are you doing here?" Lyle enquired coolly. His
flinty gaze moved from his pregnant stepmother to his captive. "Jarod
is my project now."
"It's just a friendly interrogation." Bridgette smiled and walked
toward Lyle. "You worked him over so well, it was a shame to waste it.
Where did you disappear to in such a hurry?"
"Business. Mine, not yours." Lyle kept his eyes trained on Jarod. He
had heard what he said about Miss Parker. Somehow Jarod knew that his
sister was still alive. Lyle smirked. It didn't matter, it was too
late. The bastard was in no shape to interfere anyway. He couldn't
wait to see the look on Jarod's face when he realized that Miss Parker
was not only alive, but lost to him. "Who is Jarod looking for?"
"His puppy love, who else?" Bridgette sneered. Jarod and the Parker
bitch had always made her want to puke. The Centre's 'Romeo and
Juliet' project had worked a little too well in her opinion. They
were nauseatingly devoted to each other. "You've beat him delusional,
Lyle. Jarod thinks I've got his precious Miss Parker stashed
somewhere."
"Really?" Lyle didn't bother to hide his amusement. He didn't need to,
he had won. "Then he won't be of any use to you."
"I guess not." Bridgette smiled tightly. Lyle was up to something. He
was much too smug for her for her comfort. "If you're not careful,
he won't be of any use to the Centre either."
Jarod and Lyle didn't say anything to each other after Bridgette left.
There was no need for words. Jarod had no doubts as to who had Miss
Parker. He should have known it was Lyle. Only he was underhanded and
cruel enough to take advantage of a sick woman. What did he want from
her? Jarod was almost afraid of the answer.
*****
They had left Daughter alone finally. Angelo slipped the grate off of
the air conditioning vent and slid into the room soundlessly. Daughter
was sleeping, but it was the good kind of sleep - the kind where she
could wake up - so he had to be quiet. Daughter didn't like to be
woken by loud noises and she always had her gun with her. Angelo
shuffled closer to the bed. Jarod was going to be so happy that they
had found Daughter. She was sleeping so peacefully. Angelo frowned.
Daughter was never peaceful. Tentatively, he reached out and touched
her hand. Peace. Security. An overwhelming feeling of calmness swept
over Angelo. That wasn't Daughter. Daughter worried. Daughter
feared. Daughter was a tight knot of emotions frozen in ice.
The hand Angelo was touching turned and grasped his in a punishing
grip. Angelo looked down and met Miss Parker's blue eyes. To his
relief suspicion slithered through the calm. "What do you want?"
"Daughter." Angelo smiled happily. This was the Daughter he knew.
"Daughter well."
"And it's going to stay that way." Miss Parker pushed Angelo away from
her. "Lyle! Lyle, help!"
"No!" Angelo shook his head furiously. Why was she shouting? "Don't
call him. Angelo helps Daughter." She wasn't listening to him.
Angelo scrambled back into the vent as two sweepers burst into the
room. Something was wrong with Daughter. Angelo stopped in the middle
of an intersection of vents to think. Daughter had called to the Lost
One for help. The Lost One was mean and cruel. He had killed Jarod's
brother and enjoyed torturing people. Daughter hated the Lost One.
She hated that he was her brother. Angelo shook his head in confusion
and turned to the vent on his right to continue on his way. He would
tell Jarod. Jarod would know how to help Daughter. Jarod could stop
the Lost One.
*****
Miss Parker. Amelia. Jarod let the names alternate in his head as he
lay curled up on his cot in his cell. Lyle had his henchmen dump him
in here because he had more important things to do. There was still
no answer. She wasn't dead. Jarod held onto that hope. She hadn't
died while he was unconscious from Lyle's beating. She just couldn't
tap into their connection, probably because she was no longer in a
coma. Miss Parker's consciousness always had gotten in the way of her
feelings.
God, he missed her. She had been a part of his life for so long, but
he had never really felt close to her until she had been a part of his
mind. He was not going to lose that closeness. "I won't leave you
here," Jarod promised her. He was going to drag Miss Parker away from
the Centre kicking and screaming if he had to. They were going to
disappear. Together.
To be continued....