Dark Obsession

by Sydney Somers

  “And they were both gone when you came to,” Adrian guessed. “At least we know he’s in the area. But a Scion, truly?”

  “Seems their mutual interest in the gatekeeper brought them together.”

  “The Scion is looking for the gatekeeper?” Adrian cursed. “We suspected that if we knew about the prophecy so might some of the master demons. I just never imagined one would be looking…” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “So you think that’s what the security breaches have been about? Them trying to find the gatekeeper?”

  Adrian’s expression turned considering. “It’s certainly possible.”

  “There’s something else.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  She was almost afraid to say it, but something about the encounter with her father wouldn’t leave her alone. “Amara has been calling Parker. The Scion,” she clarified at Adrian’s blank look.

  “Why?”

  A flicker of something in his eyes had Rae sitting up straighter. She’d seen an almost identical look on her father’s face earlier.

  “She’s been insisting that the network lied to him, betrayed him.”

  “And he would believe a demon? That’s ridiculous.”

  Was it? Something in Adrian’s voice didn’t fit with his body language. “Tell me what happened that day.”

  “You know everything. You were there.”

  “Afterward, yes. There hadn’t been any sign a hostile had been there or anything else that pointed to foul play.”

  Adrian stood and headed for the door.

  Rae cut him off. “There’s more to it, isn’t there?” Her heart rate kicked up and her stomach churned.

  “No.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “You need to let this go.”

  She shook her head. “You’ve been holding out on me from the start of this assignment.” How much more did he plan on keeping from her?

  “This is different.”

  “Tell me.”

  Anger flared in his eyes. “No good can come from digging up the past, Rae.”

  When she didn’t move out of the way, he crossed his arms. “It’s classified.”

  “Fuck that. Parker deserves to know the truth.”

  “Some truths are better left alone, damn it.”

  “Not when I watched him spiral so low that I didn’t think he was ever going to come back from that. If all this time he’d been right to doubt what he was told then I need to know. He needs to know.”

  “Please, Rae.”

  “She didn’t kill her daughter did she? Did she even kill herself?”

  He shook his head.

  “Who did it?”

  “Rae,” he pleaded, anger giving way to desperation.

  “Who?”

  Adrian’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “You did.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rae staggered back as if she’d been slapped.It wasn’t possible. She hadn’t even been there. They were both already dead by the time she’d arrived.

  Anger burned through the shock. “Why would you say that?”

  He let out a breath. “Because you wanted to know the truth.”

  “No.” She backed up, shaking her head. “Just, no.” She couldn’t have.

  “You were doing your job. If you hadn’t, I’d be dead.”

  “That’s not how I remember it.” She remembered the blood, her heart breaking at the thought of how Parker would take the news.

  “Your father made sure of that.”

  Her stomach bottomed out. “My father had already disappeared by then. He never even met Parker.”

  “You father was there that day. He wasn’t as far from you as you’d believed and after what happened…” He sighed. “I called him, knowing that he’d come if you needed him.”

  “You’re saying that he…what? Played with my memories?” Her father was a gifted telepath, but even his mental abilities didn’t extend that far, did they? Although someone had played with Mrs. Farnsworth’s memory for her to forget that she’d even called Rae about Nico. She’d just assumed the Scion was responsible.

  “You were willing. Parker had lost his family and if he found out the truth he would have lost you too.”

  Even if she were willing to consider the possibility her memories had been somehow tampered with, that didn’t explain how she could have killed Parker’s mother. She’d adored Helen, grateful the other woman had treated her like her own daughter.

  The anxious tightening in her stomach had her turning away from Adrian. “That still doesn’t explain how I could have…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say the words aloud.

  “Kerri called me. She found my card, the one I’d given Parker’s mother after she’d been initiated a few weeks before. She said her mother was acting strangely, that she couldn’t get a hold of Parker or you and that she was worried.”

  “So you went over there.”

  He nodded. “But not alone. I managed to track you down and you agreed to meet me there.”

  She remembered the call from Adrian, but by the time she’d arrived, Parker’s mother and sister were already dead.

  “When I got there,” Adrian continued, “Kerri and her mother were arguing, and when I tried to get Kerri out of the room, Helen lost it. She came at me with a sword and Kerri got in the way.” Adrian rubbed his eyes as if it would wipe out the memory of that day.

  “I tried to get close to help her, but her mother came at me again, just before you arrived.”

  Rae shook her head, unable to voice the denial constricting her throat.

  Adrian didn’t stop, though she wished like hell he would. “She got close enough to shock me, the same way Blair did Drew. It didn’t knock me out, but I collapsed on the floor seconds before you showed up. If you hadn’t done what you did, I’d be dead.”

  “I didn’t kill her.”

  “You tried not to. She was out of control… You were never supposed to know, Rae. You and Parker have been through so much…”

  She didn’t hear anything after that, couldn’t even hear her own thoughts over the blood rushing through her ears.

  Parker couldn’t decide whether to panic or play it cool when he found Rae on the roof, sitting in exactly the same spot as last time.

  “I just talked to Braxton. So you decided to send Darcy after all?”

  Rae didn’t so much as glance in his direction, let alone acknowledge that she’d heard a word.

  Grateful it wasn’t so breezy this time, he managed to keep his heart from banging against his ribs as he joined her at the ledge. “You okay?” As far as stupid questions went, it ranked high on the list, because Rae was most certainly not okay.

  “No.”

  Undecided if he should be relieved or worried by her honesty, he nodded to the door. “Do you think you might consider coming inside and talking about it?”

  “The way we talked about it the last time you tracked me down up here?”

  Okay, she couldn’t seriously be annoyed he’d come looking for her? “I wasn’t talking about sex, but I’ve learned it never hurts to keep an open mind.” His attempt to keep the mood light hit a brick wall when all she did was stare straight ahead.

  “Is this about what happened at your place?” Even when the fever had been at its worst, and she’d been determined not to leave him alone, he’d been afraid it would be too much for her.

  The whole thing, right down to the stuff about his mom, had been like ripping a page out of the past. He’d tried to warn her, to keep his distance, but she’d refused to back down.

  “I can’t be with you.”

  He wasn’t sure how he didn’t double over when it felt like he’d been nailed in the gut with a two-by-four. “Look, I know this stuff with us is a lot to deal with on top of everything with your father, and after this afternoon I can’t blame you if you’re a little freaked out.”

  She laughed, the bitter sound dragging at what was left of his
splintered insides.

  “Let’s just take a time-out for a second. I thought you and I were okay?” Better than okay, all things considered. Although it seemed like forever ago that they’d been in her bed, he thought they were at least on the same page.

  “We are most definitely not okay.”

  He shook his head, ignoring the pressure that started to hammer between his temples. “What changed?”

  “We don’t have time for this.” She swung her legs around and stood. She didn’t make it three steps before he was right there with her, grabbing her arm.

  “Time for what?”

  She refused to meet his gaze.

  “If I don’t know what the problem is, I can’t fix it.”

  “Some things can’t be fixed. You know that more than anyone.”

  He flinched but didn’t release her. She stopped with her back to him, and just when he thought she was going to say something, she changed her mind.

  The same helpless feeling that had hit him when he’d realized she wasn’t coming back six years ago, tried to shove its way to the surface. “What happened between then and now, damn it?”

  “I never should have—” She shook her head and dead weight settled right over his chest.

  “Rae, you’re not making any sense.”

  She shrugged him off and pulled open the door, stepping inside. They were halfway down before he succeeded in making her stop.

  “Don’t shut me out. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered brokenly.

  He tipped her chin up and the sight of tears in her eyes ripped him up inside. She hadn’t cried before she left him years ago. Had packed and told him she was leaving. He’d been so lost in his own world, he hadn’t really registered that it was permanent. But she hadn’t cried.

  Shit, this was bad.

  A tear hit his thumb and he brushed it away. “Just talk to me, please.” He rubbed his cheek against hers, sliding down to catch her mouth with his.

  She didn’t return the kiss right away, making a small sound of distress so unlike her, he felt the first streak of genuine panic slash through him.

  And then she parted her lips and he swept inside with brutal intensity. He wanted to be soft and patient, but she was killing him here, and more than anything, he needed to make her understand what they meant to each other, that despite all the shit they’d been through, that he would fight for her, for them.

  So he cupped her nape and angled her head back, sinking into her mouth and trying not to groan in satisfaction when she gripped his shirt and pulled him tighter. He wasn’t sure who started slowing things down, their tongues caressing instead of warring, their mouths sliding instead of colliding.

  Sensing she was about to draw back, he opened his mouth over hers and just held on, both of them breathing hard and clinging to each other.

  She drew back, kissing him before murmuring, “I’m sorry.”

  Hope flared in his chest before he registered the regret in her voice. It took another minute to realize she wasn’t talking about pulling away from him. “Don’t,” he pleaded.

  Her palm cradled his jaw. “I’m sorry.”

  “Rae? Parker?”

  Footsteps pounded up the stairs, and Braxton came to a stop when he spotted them. “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve got a new lead on Vanessa and I thought you’d want to know.”

  “It’s fine.” Rae pulled away from him. “We’re done here.”

  The hell they were, but he knew he couldn’t do a damn thing about it at the moment. Stepping back, he was forced to follow her and Brax downstairs. By the time they reached the bottom, he wasn’t much closer to curbing the urge to drag her aside. Only the sight of the others waiting for them in the briefing room—which Darcy must have straightened up before she left—managed to force him to focus on the break in the search for the kids.

  Adrian stood at the front of the room, his expression more grim than usual. Quinn and Jordan stood next to him looking antsy.

  “What about Drew?” Parker asked.

  “Drew was on stakeout duty at Vanessa Pembrook’s hotel.”

  “Was?” Rae asked.

  Braxton slid into the chair closest to the open laptop. “He’s on his way to a car rental place a couple miles away at the moment.” His fingers slid over the keys. “I got a hit on Burke’s credit card a while ago.”

  “The car rental place,” Parker guessed.

  “Yeah, so I checked to see if there were any live security cameras that I might be able to tap into and I got this.”

  An image popped up on the screen in front of them. Burke stood next to a navy mid-size car, a backpack slung over one shoulder. On the opposite side of the car, getting into the passenger side, was Vanessa Pembrook.

  “So Burke has been involved from the start.” This from Quinn.

  If he was, that meant someone was lying. Rae’s father or Burke, and if it was the latter, then who was Burke reporting to? The guy wasn’t the natural-born leader type. He didn’t have the drive or the focus to orchestrate and pull off multiple abductions, let alone head up the experimentation process and still make it seem like he was holding down another job.

  Pembrook was another story. From her file, she’d worked closely with Hurst, keeping all his ducks in a row, making it possible she’d picked up where Rae’s father had left off.

  The financing was another matter altogether, because nothing Parker had come across on either of them indicated they had the means to bankroll something like this. Hurst might, though.

  “So Drew is on his way over there to see if either Burke or Vanessa may have mentioned where they were going.”

  Adrian nodded. “That’s what we’re hoping.” His attention moved to Rae and something akin to concern settled over his face.

  Parker followed the other man’s gaze, and though he knew Rae felt him watching her, she gave no indication she noticed or cared.

  Rae glanced at Braxton. “You need to get over there with Drew in case one of the employees knows something but won’t say anything. The rest of us need to be ready to move on this the second we hear from either of you.” She turned to Adrian. “You’ll coordinate things from this end?”

  “If that’s what you need me to do.” He frowned, scanning the room. “What happened to Darcy?”

  “I’ve got her working on something else at the moment.”

  Quinn, Jordan and Braxton filed out of the room, Rae on their heels. Parker started after her, only to be brought up short by Adrian.

  “She’s been through a lot, you know.”

  Trying to keep his annoyance at being held back under wraps, Parker nodded.

  “And now there is this mess with Lawrence.” Adrian sighed. “She needs space right now, Parker, and you probably have enough on your own mind.”

  Parker pulled his attention from the door.

  “She told me about the calls from the Scion.”

  “I’m fine, Adrian.”

  “That’s reassuring to hear. But I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that it brings up a lot of pain for Rae.”

  Parker clenched his jaw. “Go on.”

  “She might seem like nothing can hurt her, but we both know that’s not the case.”

  “Are you telling me to stay away from her?”

  “I’m asking you to put what Rae wants above your own needs.”

  “And you know what Rae wants?” Adrian deserved an award if he knew that much.

  “I don’t think even Rae knows what she wants, but until she does…”

  “Give her space,” Parker finished. He let out a breath, clueless as to how he could do that at this point.

  Adrian patted his shoulder, heading down the hall to their communication room, Parker assumed.

  Trying to keep Adrian’s suggestion in mind, he walked into the locker room. The moment Rae spotted him, she glanced away, her spine straight and her face blank.

  Sensing the tension in the room, Quinn and Jordan were
quick to finish arming themselves and sliding their coats on to hide their weapons. When Rae finished a few seconds later, slipping in the earpiece that would keep the lines of communication open between the team and Adrian, she finally faced him.

  Interpreting the look on her face wasn’t difficult, and he shook his head before she said a word. “I’m not staying here, so don’t even suggest it.”

  “Fine, I want you to stick with Jordan.”

  “Not a chance. No offence,” he said to Jordan who stood by the door with Quinn.

  “Uh, none taken?” She gestured over her shoulder. “We’ll just hang by the elevator.”

  He waited until they were alone before crossing his arms and leaning against the wall next to the door.

  “You don’t want to tell me what scared you off, fine. I can be patient if I have to be.” Though it might kill him, and he wasn’t fond of a slow death.

  Without saying a word to that, she passed him. His hand shot out to block her path.

  “But don’t for a moment think I’m letting you go a second time.”

  Parker’s words continued to play through her head even after Drew called to tell them that an employee at the car rental place saw Burke and Vanessa leave. Apparently the pair, who, according to the employee didn’t seem to like each other very much, talked about the old train station.

  The team had taken up position around the fenced-off property that the city was in the process of deciding what to do with.

  Graffiti covered the walls and the roof looked ready to collapse at one end. The rental car sat empty in the gravel parking lot adjacent to the building.

  Despite that this was the break they’d been waiting for, Rae struggled to stay focused. It wasn’t helping that Parker had refused to pair up with Jordan. Every time he glanced in her direction, looking equal parts hurt, confused and determined, the fist squeezing her heart clenched viciously.

  For the hundredth time since leaving her office after talking to Adrian, she tried to shove it all to the back of her mind, only to fail every fucking time. How was she supposed to stay focused on tracking Burke and Vanessa when all she could think about was killing Parker’s mother?