Mesmerized by the silken smoothness of her milky white skin, Jarod stared at his "ice queen". A short deep red tee-shirt hid her upper body from view, yet, her bottomless attire drew attention to the "pretender", which was clad only in her underwear.
Snapping her fingers, she yelled. "I'm up here! What are you looking at? I see nothing in the future! Every memory has been erased of having you in my life when you chose someone else over me! You didn't pick me! Damned you! What'd you come back? You've always complicated my life! I can't take it anymore, you heard me?" Miss Parker shrieked at the top of her lungs. Picking up her glass of wine, she threw it at him.
Jarod ducked just in time as the glass shattered against the wall. "You're losing your touch, Miss Parker. You missed."
"I can't believe you dare to show your face here after what you've done to me! You've got some nerve! Who the hell do you think you are? What the hell do you think you're doing? You make my blood boil!"
Jarod slowly inched his way to his screaming hostess, and gently pressed a finger to her lips "Parker, lower your voice. You'll wake the neighbors. Shhh."
Slapping his hand away, she quickly moved away. "You know where the door is, Jarod, get out!"
"You look wonderful tonight, Miss Parker. Even one day is a long time to be away from you."
"Besides being a snake, you're a liar, Einstein! Haven't you heard a word I've said?" The "ice queen" waved her hand into the air.
"Parker, I can't dismiss the memory of our kiss," Jarod said, ignoring her screams. "I can still feel your lips on mine."
"What is wrong with you? Listen! Listen! You're not listening to me! I don't love you! That goodbye kiss was just a goodbye kiss! Nothing more to it!"
"I know you love me," he said, yet, a worried look flickered in his dark browns.
"Jarod! Look at me! You think you can read my face and it says I love you?"
He shook his head. "No, but, I can read your heart, Parker."
"I have no heart," she said through clenched teeth. "I lost it the day you walked away from me. And nothing you do will make me ever forgive you. So, get out now while it's still dark outside. Daddy may be dead, but, "The Centre" still stands. Sydney and Broots are still there. Have you forgotten about them? You haven't called that shrink since you left. Been busy?"
The "pretender" shrugged. "A lot of sorting out to do."
"Sorting what? Your life? You have no life, not with me, anyway." Miss Parker snapped.
"You're my life, Melissa. I know that now."
"It's Miss Parker! Look! Read my lips! I have no life! I never had, never will! I could have, but, you took that away from me when you went on fucking someone else!"
"So, you're going to punish me for it?" He whispered.
"I've gone back to "The Centre".
Astonished by her remark, it took him several seconds before he spoke. "What? What are you trying to say, Parker?"
"Are you even listening to me? I'm back at "The Centre"! Did you hear that?"
"How stupid can you be? How could you? You hated that place! What possessed you to have gone back there?" He raised his voice.
"Well, let's see. Maybe because Sydney and Broots are still there. They've never betrayed me. We have unfinish work to do."
Jarod scanned her living room quickly, fearing a sweeper would be in close range, which caught the attention of Miss Parker.
"Always on the look out, aren't you? I don't do busy after hours."
Jarod stood rigidly, crossing his arms. "Why, Parker? Why'd you go back? You hate "The Centre" as much as I do. Why?"
"I don't answer to you, to no one," she said in a sharp tone.
"Am I still your assignment? Should I take precautions that any minute you'll be pulling out your 9mm?" Jarod took several steps back away from his former huntress.
"You weren't listening," she snarled. "I said I don't do busy after hours. But, I will be in a few hours and if you're still here, I will blast that genius head of yours!"
Jarod's piercing dark eyes claimed hers. "What are you planning to do there? Do you actually want me to believe you went back to continue our "cat and mouse" game? That game ended after Carthis." He took precautions in approaching her. Having stood an arms length away, Miss Parker side stepped away from him. He gently grabbed her arm. "Stop and listen to your thoughts, Melissa. Is this what you really want? Bringing me back to "them"? You're punishing me for having chosen someone else? I said I made a mistake."
"Let go of me," she said calmly.
Jarod released her immediately. "Parker, you do still love me, don't you?" He hadn't been sure at that precise moment. He watched as she walked to her desk and rummaged through the drawer.
"Where the hell is it? Shit!" She yelled, throwing contents of the drawer atop the desk.
"What are you looking for? Your Smith and Wesson? You're planning on shooting me now?"
"Cigarettes! I need a cigarette! You're the reason I want those cancer sticks again!"
"Bad for your health. Drinking and smoking could kill you, unless "The Centre" gets to you first."
"Thank you, Dr. Jarod. Fuck! Why don't you be a good boy and run out to get me a pack," she screamed.
"I see you're back to your old self again, not the same one I left behind months ago, who had begged me to stay."
"I can take care of myself. I don't need you in my life!"
"Stop it. You're such a screamer!" Jarod shook his head in disgust.
"It's what I do best! Alright?"
"What about us?" He asked, pulling her into him.
"I don't know. I don't know! You...you talk to much! I can't think. Let me think! There are other things besides you, Jarod. Like bringing down "The Centre. Let go of me!"
"What? Are you insane? And who's going to help you with that? Sydney? He's getting on in years. Broots? That's a laugh. Debbie would do a better job of that than her father," he snickered. "Is that why you went back? To bring down "The Centre"? Is that it?"
"What I do is none of your business!"
"It is my business!" Jarod yelled. "You don't have to be there! You know they're capable of everything. Especially murder! And if something happened to you, I...Parker, I'm back. I won't screw up. Let me take you away from all of this."
She hesitated, as if pondering options. "I...I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. I haven't practiced any conversation in my head of what I'd say to you if you ever came back."
"Parker."
She leant her forehead on his shoulders. "You weren't supposed to have come back. You made it clear you were leaving for good."
"Parker," he said, placing a finger under her chin. "Look at me. Running away with me would be a lot simpler. How the hell are we going to bring down "The Centre"?
She shook her head. "We? Since when it's we? I don't recall inviting you to join me on my plans of destroying and demolishing "The Centre". You'll only be in the way, Jarod."
"You're planning on bringing down "The Centre" alone?"
"For what they've done, the pains and sorrows they've put the innocents through from the very beginning, I won't rest until I can eliminate that place and each and everyone of them. Get away from me," she said, moving away from him, in fear of falling into his warm embrace.
"You're scaring me, Parker."
"You should be."
"When did you suddenly conjure up this plan of yours?"
"I've always had it on my things to do list, and now it's time."
"Sydney, Broots, do they know of your stupid plan?"
Grabbing Jarod by the collar of his shirt, she spoke in her throaty voice. "It's not stupid. "The Centre" killed people I loved, cared about. And they took you away from me. You were their property. You were supposed to have been mine, not theirs, but, then, in the end someone else owned you."
"I'm not a possession, Miss Parker. And I'm no longer with her. And if you're set in your mind on your plans of getting rid of "The Centre", I'll be alongside of you. As much as I'm terrified of what the outcome might be, I'm not letting you do this alone."
"Alongside of me? Didn't you ever think, that maybe, there was a slight chance I wanted to be alongside of you when you were running away? I would have gone anywhere with you. You never asked. I was put on opposite side of you, me chasing, you running. There were several times, I cornered you and still, you didn't ask."
"Not with that pistol of yours pointing at me. Parker, stop this nonsense about "The Centre". Let's just get out of here and start a new life elsewhere."
"Not without Sydney, Broots and Debbie! Don't you understand? I need to do this. I want to make sure "The Centre" never existed. I'm doing this for mama."
"In the meantime, you'll probably get killed doing whatever the hell you're planning on doing! So, if that's the case, I guess I'll be joining you in your demise."
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Jarod."
"I want you to want me. I'd do anything for you. Even die for you. So, whatever it will take to keep you safe, I'm with you all the way. Deal?" He held out his hand to her.
"Deal," she said, extending a handsake. "And furthermore, just because I'm allowing you to help me bring that place down, does not mean it's an invitation to my bed. We're just business associates. Alright? Nothing more."
"If you insist."
"Fine. First thing in the morning, you'll go out and buy tons of dynamite sticks," she ordered.
"What the hell are you talking about? Are you nuts?"
TBC - Chapter 3