Parker: A Reed Security Romance

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “I have to grab my stuff.”

  “Put on some fucking clothes,” he grumbled, leaning heavily on the doorframe. I glanced down at myself and took in the small cuts all over my body from the glass and winced. This was going to hurt. I quickly pulled on my clothes and ignored the small shards that dug into my skin. It would have to wait. If I didn’t get Parker to help, he was going to die. Although, how I went from fighting for my life to helping the man that was trying to kill me, I really had no idea. I grabbed my duffle and headed back to Parker, glancing one last time at the destruction. The good news was, the motel didn’t have anything more from me than a fake number, so they wouldn’t be coming after me for damages. The bad news was that my blood, along with Parker’s was in the room.

  “Uh…not to be the bearer of bad news, but the blood all over the room is going to be a problem.”

  He nodded, jerking his phone out of his pocket. “Let’s go,” he grumbled, pulling up a number on his phone and raising it to his ear. I listened intently as I walked to the back of the lot, my shoulder propping Parker up as best I could. The man was built like a brick house. I wasn’t sure that I was even helping to hold him up all that much at this point.

  “I need you to clean up,” he panted. “I got into a little bit of a fight…No dead bodies…No, I’m heading to you. I need a medic….I don’t know. An hour. My truck’s here….Yeah.”

  He hung up and I let my curiosity get the better of me. “Who was that?”

  “You’re about to find out.”

  I stopped, shaking my head. “No, I’m not going anywhere with you unless I know where.”

  He gazed at me, pushing back to lean against the building. “Tell me what you were looking for in Cortez’s house.”

  “I can’t tell you that.”

  “Then I can’t tell you where we’re going.”

  “Look, I can leave you here to die. I’m sure it’ll be so easy for you to drive yourself wherever the hell we’re going. Or I’m sure you’d like to wait for whoever is supposed to come here and ‘clean up’. They can take care of the mess while you slowly bleed out.”

  His jaw hardened and he glanced down at his shirt that was covered in blood. “Reed Security,” he bit out.

  I pulled back in shock. I had heard of that company. They were in the news quite a bit a couple of years back for helping to take out a trafficking ring. “Reed Security?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, alright then.” I turned and started for my car when he called out to me.

  “That’s it? You heard their name and you’re good to go?”

  “Well, I know they’re not the type of people that cut people up into tiny pieces, so yeah, I’ll take you to them.”

  He shook his head slightly and started limping toward me. I smirked at him, shoving my shoulder back under his arm and helped him to my car. This was going to be interesting.

  Chapter Six

  Parker

  Holy shit. I just got my ass kicked by a woman. And not just any woman. This woman was hot as fuck. When I barged into her motel room and saw her standing there in her fucking lace bra and panties, I almost lost my shit. I was so shocked that it was her that had beaten me to Cortez’s house, that I charged at her, thinking I would just take her down and tie her to the bed. Maybe I would even seduce her and get off while I was at it. But then she fought back and knocked me on my ass. I was trying to be gentle with her, but damn, she wasn’t going easy on me. So, I fought harder, even threw her against the fucking wall, thinking that would knock her out, but she just came back even stronger. It pissed me off and turned me on all at the same time. But when she tossed me through that fucking window, I knew I had met my match.

  Why did she have to be so fucking hot though? I rolled my head to the side to stare at her. It could have been the blood loss; I was pretty sure that I was going to pass out if we didn’t get to Reed Security soon. But I just couldn’t stop looking at the woman. She was so fucking beautiful. Dark, short hair that was pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck and bright blue eyes, this woman was a knockout. And if the ass-kicking she gave me didn’t clue me in, her muscular body definitely signaled that this was no ordinary woman. She was trained, though I wasn’t sure yet if she was military. I should ask her.

  “Ask me what?” she asked, turning to look at me for a moment.

  “What?”

  “You said that you should ask me.”

  My brows crinkled in confusion. Did I really say that out loud?

  “Yes.”

  Huh. Must be the blood loss.

  “Well, I’m sure that has something to do with it. So, what did you want to ask me?”

  “Are you military?”

  “No, but maybe that would have been the better way to go.”

  I blinked slowly at her, trying to focus on what she was saying. “What way did you go?”

  She grinned at me. “FBI.”

  “Oh, fuck,” I groaned. I was so going to jail. I should have listened to my gut instincts and stayed the fuck away from Knight. I knew he would only get me in trouble, but his offer was so fucking tempting. I could imagine myself carrying a gun again and not getting in trouble for it. I could see myself getting a job and not worrying that they were judging me based on my service record, even though they weren’t supposed to. It all sounded so fucking good, but I should have fucking known.

  “I take it that means that you really can’t afford to be caught breaking and entering.”

  “You broke and entered first,” I shot back.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I did, but I’m not FBI anymore.”

  “Why?” I asked, a little dumbfounded as to why someone would leave a job like that. It wasn’t like you could just walk off the street and become an FBI agent. In fact, none of those agencies were a cakewalk. You had to prove that you had something special to get in there.

  “I was fired as of three days ago.”

  “For what?”

  “I dug into something I wasn’t supposed to. Well, at the time I hadn’t done much digging at all, but my boss was an ass and he knew I wouldn’t let it go. So, he told me to hand in my badge and gun.”

  I grunted, huffing out a harsh breath that fucking hurt like hell. “Well, at least it makes sense now.”

  “What does?”

  “Why you were a good sparring partner,” I mumbled.

  “Sparring partner? I kicked your ass.”

  “That’s debatable.”

  “Who is sitting in the passenger seat with a piece of glass sticking out of him?”

  I rolled my eyes, pissed that she had me there. “Me.”

  “That’s right. I kicked your ass.”

  “You shoved me in a glass through a window,” I slurred. “If I did that glass to you, the window wouldn’t be looking too good now either.”

  “That didn’t make any sense.”

  I shrugged. “Whatever.”

  My eyes slipped closed and I felt my head droop, and then a hard punch to the arm.

  “Stop fucking hitting me. You won already.”

  “Stay awake. We’re almost there, and you have to tell them to let us in.”

  “Just fucking tell them to call Knight,” I mumbled, letting my head fall to the side again.

  “Hey!” she shouted, but I swatted at her the best I could and nodded off to sleep, only to jump when there was a sharp rap on the window my head was resting against.

  “What the fuck?” I grumbled, squinting out at the face on the other side of the window. “Oh goodie.”

  Knight opened the door and looked down at my stomach. “How the hell did that happen?”

  “Xena, the Warrior Princess,” I grumbled.

  “Who?”

  I jerked my chin toward the woman and moved to step out of the car. It took a lot more effort than I thought, and when I stood, the world spun around me. I collapsed, feeling hands catch me and then a shit ton of swearing. I smiled at the fact that I was swearing about the
shit ton of swearing in my head.

  “What the fuck are you smiling about? You got flayed with glass.”

  “A window,” I corrected.

  “Goddamnit. Kate’s gonna be pissed at me.”

  “That your wife?”

  “Don’t even fucking speak her name,” he growled at me. I felt my body being lifted and then I was laying down on something that felt surprisingly like a bed.

  “Do you sleep outside?” I asked, looking around at the night around us.

  “Why the fuck would you ask that?”

  “It’s just that I’m in a bed and we’re outside,” I mumbled.

  “You’re on a fucking gurney.”

  I grinned. Well, that made a hell of a lot more sense than a bed being outside. Although, sleeping outside wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

  “Would you just shut the fuck up?” Knight snapped. “Jesus, I don’t need a running commentary on every fucking thing you’re thinking.”

  “He did it all the way here,” my mystery woman said.

  I waved for Knight to come closer. He leaned down and I whispered loudly to him, “Don’t tell her too much, Knight. She’s FBI.”

  “You brought an FBI agent here?” he asked, rearing back. “Why the fuck would you do that?”

  “Shh,” I said, glancing at the woman again. Fuck, she was hot, but she did shove me through a window, so I had to gage the hotness factor against the killer factor. I glanced back at Knight, waving him closer again. “Didn’t bring her. She shoved me through a window. Totally kicked my ass, but don’t tell her that.”

  “I’m standing right here,”my mystery woman scoffed.

  I laughed to myself again, not really sure why, but it was kind of funny. I was former military and just got my ass handed to me. My life was in shambles and the woman that took me out was former FBI. I was so fucked. I peeled my eyes open, wondering why the hell I was in some bright hallway now. “Where the fuck am I?”

  “Reed Security,” Knight grumbled. “Kate’s on her way over.”

  “The wifey?”

  “Do you want me to shove the glass the rest of the way through?” he snapped.

  I tried to lift my head to glance down, but it felt like a lead weight. I wasn’t going anywhere. “Do you think it would be easier to get out?” He shook his head. “I say let’s give it a try.”

  I placed my hands on the glass, but when I was just about to shove the glass down, someone else entered the room, eyes wide as he ran toward me.

  “Whoa! No, no, no! What the fuck are you doing?”

  “Oh, hey man.” I snapped my fingers, or I tried to. “Hunter, right? Pappy,” I said, popping the P. “Pappy Papacosta. The Papster.”

  “What the fuck did you guys give him?” Hunter said, leaning over me and shining a light in my eyes.

  “I may have given him a little something,” my mystery woman said. I saw Hunter glare at her, but she just shrugged. “What? He was in pain and he was being a pain in the ass. I had some stuff from the bureau in my bag, so I stuck him. He didn’t even notice.”

  “Mystery woman,” I mumbled. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

  “One can only hope so,” she shot back.

  “But you did try to save my life after you killed me. You love me, don’t you?”

  “I hardly know you.”

  I grinned, lifting my hand to pat her cheek. “Yeah, you love me.”

  “What’s he talking about ‘the bureau’?” Pappy asked. “Did you bring a fed here?”

  “Awww, does that scare you?” I asked, then giggled. I tried to slap my hand over my mouth, but hit my chest instead. “Relax, she’s FBI ex.”

  “She’s ex-FBI,” Hunter clarified.

  I nodded in a rounded way, grinning like a fool. Whatever this woman gave me, it was good shit. “Hey, hey, Knight,” I said, reaching out to grab onto his arm. “Maybe you could talk to her about the thing that you were thinging about.”

  He glared at me, snatching my hand from his arm and tossing it back at me. “Can you knock him the fuck out?”

  “Not unless I know what she gave him,” Hunter sighed. “Do you know the name of the medication?” he asked my mystery woman.

  She shrugged. “I’d like to hear more about what he has to say.”

  “Knock him the fuck out,” Knight growled.

  I looked to Hunter, who was staring at Knight. “Did you tell him?” Hunter asked.

  I swung my gaze over to Knight, laughing when everything swirled around me.

  “I didn’t tell him shit. That doesn’t mean that I want him opening his mouth.”

  “I’d definitely like him to open his mouth. This sounds intriguing,” my woman grinned.

  I grabbed at her hand, pulling her closer to me. “Hey, what’s your name?”

  “Why?”

  “Because saying Mystery Woman takes too much fucking time. So unless your name is Madame Bijou or Carly Jo Anne, knowing your name would make this a lot easier.”

  “I say we just shoot him,” Knight said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “He’s your guy,” Hunter said incredulously.

  “Yeah, I’m your guy,” I tried to say indignantly.

  “He didn’t get the job done.”

  “How do you know?” I asked, motioning with two fingers for Knight to come closer. “It’s the girl,” I hissed. “She’s got the Motts.”

  “The Motts?” Hunter questioned.

  “Yeah, you know, when someone wants applesauce, they say, ‘Who’s got the Motts?’ It’s her. She’s got the Motts. Only, the Motts is the information I was supposed to collect.”

  “Then why don’t you just fucking say that?” Knight spat.

  I felt my whole face scrunch up, like I was staring at him like he was weird. And he was weird. He obviously didn’t know the ingeniousness of the phrase. It worked for pretty much anything. I got the Motts. Who wouldn’t want to say that?

  I wiggled my fingers, waving him closer again. “She’s got a key,” I whisper-hissed. “It was on the table in her room, but I didn’t get it because she was kicking my ass in fucking lingerie. It was hot.”

  Knight shook his head, stepping back as the door opened again. A gorgeous woman walked through, shaking her head as she saw me. “Who’s this?”

  “Parker, at your service, ma’am,” I grinned.

  “A charmer, huh?”

  Knight slapped me upside the head, growling at me. My eyes shot back to the woman and then back to him. I pointed at the woman, my eyes bugging out. “Is this…is this your woman? Man, she’s fucking hot!”

  Hunter just barely grabbed Knight, pushing him away from me and shoving him up against the wall. His little wifey spun, her eyes wide. “Garrick!”

  I saw Knight’s cheek twitching in anger and I snorted. “Oops. I take it I shouldn’t call his wife hot.”

  I started laughing, which only pissed Knight off even more. Hunter had him pressed against the wall, his arm digging into the guy’s neck. He was shaking in rage, making him look like a tomato. I shouldn’t have laughed, but whatever the mystery woman gave me made me not really give a shit about anything.

  “I think we should go ahead and get you taken care of before my husband decides to kill you,” Kate said.

  “He might kill you anyway,” Hunter growled, still holding Knight back.

  “Alright, I’m gonna get the glass out of you and then make sure that we stop any bleeding. Hunter, I’m going to need you on this.”

  “You sure you want me to let him go?” Hunter asked. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea right now.”

  “He’ll be fine. He promised me.” She turned to Knight and gave him a look that had me questioning ever getting involved with a woman. “Isn’t that right, Hudson?”

  I watched in amusement as Hunter slowly released Knight from his hold and stepped away from him. Knight glared at me and stormed toward the door.

  “Make him keep his hands to himself and his
mouth shut, or I’ll come back and finish the job,” he spat at Hunter.

  Hunter walked over to me, shaking his head. “You should have kept your mouth shut.”

  “Blame her,” I pointed in the direction of the mystery woman. “She gave me something.”

  “Well, this has been fun, and even entertaining, but I think I’m going to head out.”

  I grasped at her hand, thinking for some reason that she shouldn’t be leaving yet. There was something I was supposed to get from her. “Nah, you can’t leave.”

  “I’d like to see you try to stop me.”

  I grinned as I felt something cool enter my arm, making everything seem a little fuzzy. “Knight’ll stop you,” I grumbled just before everything went dark.

  Chapter Seven

  Blake

  I walked out of the room that Parker was being treated in and headed down the hall. I didn’t get far before I saw Knight pacing one area, stopping when he saw me approach.

  “Where’s the stuff you stole?”

  “Why would I tell you that?”

  “I need it. Whatever you think is going on here, I can guarantee you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

  I had to laugh at that. “Really? You think I don’t realize how bad this is? I lost my job. I ran. My boss is out there looking for me. He sent agents to my house immediately after I left the office.”

  His eyes shot up in surprise. “What did you take?”

  “I never said I took anything.”

  “Don’t fuck with me. I know they didn’t come after you because of some files that you read. You took something and they want it back.”

  “Well, I’m not giving it to you.”

  His nostrils flared and his fists clenched tight. He was just about to say something when his wife walked out of the room I left Parker in. “He’s going to be fine. He’s going to be sore, but it didn’t hit anything major.” She smiled at me, holding out her hand. “I take it you were with him?”

  “Yeah, we were…having a disagreement.”