Another month had come and gone, the bodies were piling up and the manhunt for the man in the mask was becoming more frantic. Parker and Eden spent the better half of each week together training endlessly, and on the nights they weren't practicing they were picking their next victim. Forty-six predators had had Parker's machete pierced through their chests. Eden had helped with twelve, and though she wasn't counting the first three, Parker was.
The faces and names haunted Eden's nights. She dreamed Parker never came to save her, that the worst happened. That she was raped, then left to die in an alley. She dreamt of killing these men—these monsters. She dreamed of Parker's blade piercing through her own chest. That was what every one of their conversations now felt like, she felt as though he was slowly ripping her apart. She wanted him, she did. Each training session made her long to touch him in a physical way, but not the physical way they were used to. Not training. No blood noses and no dark bruises. She wanted gentle touches and kisses, she wanted his skin on hers. She dreamt of those the most. But life leaned more towards nightmares than dreams.
He was grinning down at her as she panted for breath. He held out his large, rough hand for her to take. She gripped it tightly and he pulled her to her feet. "I'm impressed."
"Why? Because you've never gotten a girl on her back this many times in a row?" Hair that had fallen out of her ponytail during her workout now clung to her sweaty face. And despite the exhaustion that plagued her body, Parker was starting to witness a lightness in her features that he hadn't noticed four months prior. He liked it.
He fought his mind from going to an erotic place where he could vividly see Eden under him, moaning. "No. I'm impressed that you know what attack I'm going to do before I do it."
"Lot of good that does, I still end up on my back."
"Yeah, well, I have that effect on woman." The second he said it he regretted it.
Anger and jealously gnawed at her insides. She ducked her head and stalked over to her water bottle, opening it rougher than necessary. She took a long drink then turned back to Parker, eyes cold.
"I was joking, Eden," Parker said softly.
She stared at him for a long moment. Of course he was joking. Because he felt comfortable joking about sex. Because sex wasn't a big deal to him, he was a man. Not many people could easily rape an adult male. No one slut-shammed a man for having sex. But what really made her mad was the fact that he even brought up other women. Eden liked him a lot, she didn't want to hear about his sexual escapades. Even if she kept turning down his dinner invitation, she didn't want to think about him with other women.
"Eden... that was a stupid thing to say. I know that and I'm sorry."
She ignored him and motioned for the mat. "Again?"
Parker's jaw clenched and he checked his watch, then shook his head. They still needed to go over tomorrow's plan of action to take down Date Rape Danny. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be? I need the training."
He stared at her for a moment, frowning. "No. Just... you should be focusing on school. I'm already keeping you later than I should."
She folded her arms over her chest. He sounded like a concerned parent, not a mass murderer. She only had a month of school left, anyways and although her grades were slowly becoming less than substantial, her P.E. grade had gone up and so had her social statues after the incident in the hallway with Mike and his friend. School wasn't her top priority, there were worse things in life than getting a D on her history exam. "I don't care about school, or a higher education. I care about being able to protect Lily."
His stare continued.
"What?" she bit out.
His head shook fractionally. "Just... don't you care about protecting yourself?"
"I can protect myself," she said defensively.
His lips pulled at the corners reluctantly. "Oh really?" he challenged.
Eden's eyes narrowed, stepping right in front of him. "Yeah, Parker. I can."
His eyes dropped noticeably to her lips. "Then prove it."
She smiled as she placed her hands against his firm pecks and ran them gently down his abdomen. His whole body stiffened in anticipation, his breathing shallow. Her eyes flickered to his as her hands ran back up his chest slowly. He had to suppress a groan. She smiled, and God did he want to kiss those damn lips of hers. "Want to know a secret?" she whispered.
"Yes," he replied without hesitation, his voice rough and low.
Her hands stilled on his chest and she brought her mouth to his ear. Eden brushed her lips against the shell of her ear but no words followed. She hooked her foot around his ankle while simultaneously pushing his shoulders back. He grabbed her waist as he staggered backwards to the floor, pulling her on top of him. Eden was nuzzled between either of his legs. There was no possible way she couldn't feel his erection pressing against her, but still, she smiled triumphantly down at him. Parker wasn't sure there would ever be a sight in the world as intoxicating as this, and if there was it would undoubtedly be her in this same position while naked and in his bed. Only one thing was missing from his fantasy. His hand went behind her head, toying with the elastic that kept her hair from spilling around them.
Her breath hitched as he pulled her hair loose form the ponytail. Her hair cascaded around them.
Parker lifted his head tentatively off the ground, her mouth was only centimeters away, yet still too far. His hand balled in her hair, easing her closer. A tiny whimper left her parted mouth. A whimper he wanted to hear over and over again. She brought her lips to his, an urgency taking them both over. A desire so strong it took her breath away. His hand slipped under the back over her shirt and skimmed up her spin. Her hips lurched into his body, a quite moan falling from her lips. He laughed and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, hugging her to him. He moved his mouth to her jaw, then her throat, all the while his other hand continuing along her back. There was an ache deep inside her, an ache that was only satisfied when she felt the slightest jerk of his hips against hers. Ironically, she wished he had her on her back. Wished he were the once controlling the situation.
She didn't know what she wanted; her body was fiery bliss. She wanted more of his torturous kisses; she wanted to be consumed in their fire. But yet she wanted only their warmth, not the scorching. It felt too fast. Too intimate. Her breath caught somewhere between her chest and throat as his hand cupped her ass. She froze.
His lips stopped. He pulled back, his head resting once more on the floor to which she pinned him. He looked appalled; his carved features now held a faint blush, his brows in a crease, his lips, though swollen, were drawn into a frown. Parker detangled his hand from her hair, his other dropping from her ass. "I'm sorry." He couldn't say the words he wanted, because they sounded like something his victims would say, I just got carried away. He wasn't any better than them, he wasn't any less eager to get into her pants as those other men. He was a hypocrite. "Eden, I'm so sorry."
"What—no. It's fine."
"It's not. I shouldn't..."
She bent her head and placed a soft kiss against his lips, then rolled off him and into a sitting position. He sat up, his face twisted in a scowl. "I liked it," she said quietly. "It was really nice... just too fast. I... I haven't had much experience with this. Any of this." That statement only made him feel worse, he knew her past and he should have been cautious of her boundaries instead of bulldozing them. "It was overwhelming in the best possible way."
He shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face, letting out a deep sigh.
It was the worst silence they'd endured so far. They were so close, their knees were touching but they weren't speaking. Eden's massive green eyes stared at him, she was waiting for his brooding to subside, waiting for him to see that she wasn't crying, that she wasn't sickened with his touches. That she was simply confused. She had no idea what she wanted from him. She didn't think she wanted sex, she told herself she wasn't ever going to be ready to do it, but her body told her something else. The way he could make her feel was unexpected and she had no idea how to react to it.
"I bought you something for tomorrow night," Parker said finally. He stood, his hand automatically extended to help her to her feet. She took it gratefully.
She followed him out of the basement and into the house, Bear bombarded them, barking happily at their knees. Eden petted the fluffy beast as it trotted beside them. Parker took a cardboard box from the kitchen island and opened it, two black leather cases were removed. He placed one on the counter and one in her hand. She unbuttoned the case and delicately extracted the large knife.
"You did better with the small knives than the machete in training, and since you gave Lily the pocket knife I though you could... yeah. They can attach to belts and... other things."
She smiled and examined the knife. "You're trying to get me in a suit, aren't you?"
His grin was feeble. "Yeah, I am."
She held it loosely. "I like the weight." She placed it back in the case then handed it to Parker.
He shook his head, shoving the case back at her. "No. They're yours."
"Oh. Thank you. Could you clip them on for me?" She turned around and his eyes widened.
"Are you sure you want them behind you, the hip would work too." She glanced over her shoulder, an eyebrow inclined. "Yeah, okay. Jeans or leather would be better than yoga pants, for future reference... Bring your hand behind your back so I know where to place the first one, yeah good." He clipped the first one, unbuttoned the restraint, and had her grab it. "Good spot?" She nodded, and he moved to the next case. "Is this one good?" She gripped the knife and yanked it free. She turned to him, her smile engulfing her whole face. He could have pulled her to him and kissed her until she was lightheaded, but he didn't. He appreciated her beauty, rather than disturb it.
She didn't know why this made her happy, why feeling the cold metal against her hand was so empowering, but it was. She felt safe and in control. "So who're we going to take down tomorrow night? The date rape guy?"
Parker nodded and showed her a picture of their next target. Eden grimaced at the man on the screen, he was handsome. He looked like the type of guy who could get a girl to go home with a simple show of a smile. He looked like he could be a decent human being. But decent human beings didn't put roofies in women's drinks and then rape them.
Parker's phone buzzed in her hand and he snatched it back with a scowl before she could catch a glimpse of the message. "Change of plans," he said darkly.
"What?"
He showed her the screen. It was an Amber Alert for a fourteen year old girl. Eden's mind immediately went to Lily.
"We got to go." He pushed past her and headed back down to the basement.
She turned, eyebrows raised. "What? Now?"
"Yes now."
"Do you know who kidnapped her?" Eden asked as she raced down the stairs beside him.
"Jackson and Melissa Quine." Eden knew from the way he spit out their names that they were bad people. "I've been doing recon on them on my own while you're at school."
She looked crestfallen. They were teammates, they were supposed to be working together. "Why?"
"Because this is a fucked up case that's been going on for years. They're—"He rubbed his hand over his mouth and inhaled a shaky breath. "They're child molesters. They've gotten off on every charge because they keep the kids blindfolded while they..." His voice trailed off and he grabbed his leather suit tightly. He wasn't meeting her shocked eyes. "And the doctors can't do rape kits because they nearly drown the kids before taking them and dumping them off somewhere."
Eden was finding it hard to breathe.
"How exactly—how do you know it's them?"
"Multiple witnesses say they've seen Melissa's car near where kids have been abducted. It's fucked up, Eden, this whole case is fucked up... They keep getting off on technicalities."
Eden pinched her eyes closed, immediately wishing she hadn't because all she could see behind her closed lids were faceless people hurting her defenseless sister. "Why haven't you gotten rid of the problem already?" Her words sounded harsh to her own ears. "What do these sadistic bastards look like? How many kids have they—"
He rounded on her. "Eden, stop. Knowing the numbers won't help. Seeing their faces won't help."
"I don't care! I want to know."
Parker sighed pulled out his phone, typed in Quine Case 2013 and shoved his phone at Eden then went to change. Her eyes had landed on the picture of the blond haired man at once. He wasn't what she expected, but he was what she feared. There was not a time when this man didn't haunt her dreams. The air left her lungs and dread took its place. She dropped Parker's phone as she clamped a hand over her now pale face, it clattered on the floor. The sound rang in her ears. Her eyes stared unseeing at where Parker had just disappeared, an expression of horror on every feature of her face. She wasn't the only victim of that man's cruelty. There had been others. Children younger than her.
She couldn't breathe, yet breath was coming hard and fast. She was reliving it. Each memory was a stone pelting her in the chest. She was so naïve; she had flirted openly with him after he paid for his dance. She thought he was being nice in offering to walk her home. She didn't think he'd hurt her, he wasn't like the other men she had to strip for. He was younger, handsome. He couldn't be a bad person. But then he was unzipping his pants and bending her over a trashcan in a grimy alleyway. The noises leaving his mouth were disturbing and animalistic. She was sobbing, pleading for it to end. It wouldn't end. He was relentless. There was blood. More than she ever imagined she could have. He pulled up his pants once he had his fill and left her crumpled on the ground in her blood, whimpering.
Parker stood a foot away from her, confusion and worry etched onto his face. He pulled her tightly to his chest. She tried to hold back her sobs, but each was like an earthquake and Parker was there absorbing the aftershocks. He could feel the tears seep through his shirt, feel her breath becoming more and more ragged, feel her limp hands trembling. He held her tighter, his hand cradling the back of her head. He was shushing her, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down because the sounds she was making didn't seem human and they were cutting through him like a knife.
"Eden, hey, shh. It's okay. You're safe. You're safe with me," Parker whispered softly. "You're safe, Eden, you're safe."
She made a choking noise, followed by an inaudible stream of drown out words. Her shaking came faster, harder, and he didn't ask her to repeat it. He knew it was killing her, knew him asking again would do anything but help. He stayed quite, holding her firmly to his chest. He didn't know how long he stood and held her to him, but her sobs receded gradually, though her small body was still shaking against his and her breathing still came in strained, quick rasps. She detached herself then, physically and emotionally. She didn't meet his eyes, and instead stared at the wet spot on his shirt, angrily swiping at her puffy eyes.
"It's him isn't it," Parker asked quietly. "The man who...?"
He could see the rapid rise and fall of her heaving chest. She pressed her trembling lips together to keep another sob at bay. She nodded once. It looked like it took all her energy.
"Stay here." There was a deadly command in his gentle voice, one that told her Jackson Quine's death wasn't going to be pleasant one.
She wiped at another tear. "No. I'm going with you," she breathed. Her chest felt like it was caving in on her.
He cupped her face and looked her dead in the eye. "No. You're not. I can't promise I'll be humane, and I don't want you to see that part of me." He zipped up his leather jacket and held his mask loosely at his side. She could see the fire burning in his eyes.
"I need to be there, Parker," she whispered.
"You are not going."
"I want revenge." More tears leaked out of her eyes, her lungs quickly filling and deflating before she could keep the air inside her. "I want to hurt him."
"And I want you safe." His words held authority, yet compassion. He pressed his lips firmly to her forehead and left without another word.