Chapter 38.

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Saturday brought a sense of peace to the house. There was no morning bustle of getting to school, no rush to get out the door. There was just tranquility in the form of lazily rolling over in bed with the glorious realization that I needed to be nowhere.

When I finally managed to convince myself to open my eyes, I realized that the world had been awake for quite some time and my bedside clock told me that it was just past ten in the morning. I had just ambled out of my bathroom, still in my pajamas, when Parker climbed in through the window – the concept of a door to get to me being completely foreign to him now – clad in track pants and school branded tank top with gym bag slung over his shoulder.

"Up and at 'em, my girl," be said to me, "Breakfast time."

I followed him into my kitchen, which he had pretty much made his own at this point; his own kitchen was immaculate from disuse.

He opened cupboards and seemed to be concocting some sort of protein shake for himself. He looked up at me watching him throw various greens and powders into the blender and gave me the toothiest grin I had ever seen.

"Want some?" he asked, switching on the blender.

I walked over to him and waited for him to finish. When he was done, he opened the lid and let me smell it.

I made a disgusted face because of the terrible smell and shook my head.

He shrugged, "More for me."

He pulled me close and planted a kiss on my temple before drinking his shake straight out of the blender. When he was done, he put the blender jug down and shuddered.

"I don't know why you do that to yourself," I told him.

"To build all this muscle to protect my girlfriend," he said, playfully, waggling his eyebrows and flexing his arms.

I shoved him with a smile and he laughed musically.

We stood there, in close proximity for a few moments and I let my eyes roam from his hair to his face to his broad shoulders. They stopped on the gauze I had put over the wound on his shoulder. Gently, I ran my fingers over it. Slowly, I opened my mouth ask about it, as I lifted my eyes to meet his. The look on his face told me that he didn't want to hear it, so I relented. Instead of questioning him, I moved my fingers up his shoulder, up his neck, on to his cheek and kissed him on the cheek softly. He let out a breath and smiled at me.

"I have to leave soon for practice," he said, looking at the clock.

I nodded. "I'll just be here working and lounging."

"Have an ice pack ready for me when I get back."

"I will," I promised.

"Can I make you some breakfast?" he asked.

"It's a cereal kind of day," I told him and he smiled at me.

Then he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "What do we do for your birthday?" he questioned.

I shrugged, getting myself a bowl and a spoon. "Nothing fancy."

"How about a nice dinner, just you and me?" he asked, taking a step towards me and putting an arm around my waist.

"Sounds perfect," I turned to him with a placid smile and I could see his shoulders relax as he inhaled deeply.

"Perfect," he breathed, before kissing me.

We lingered there for a moment, our eyes closed, the ease of everything setting in. There was something peaceful about this morning in particular that made me want to tell Parker to stay; not to go for practice so that we could have this moment for the whole day, but I knew that he had to go. So, when he finally opened his eyes to look into mine and smiled, I smiled back, knowing he'd be back by the end of the day, and we could have our moment then.

"I hate to leave you, Alex," he said to me, softly, voicing my thoughts the way he did so often.

"I know," I replied, "But I know you'll be back."

"You've got that right. I'll be back before sun down, okay?" he promised, "And we can watch the sunset together."

"Deal," I agreed, smiling at him.

"I'll see you soon," he said, walking towards the door.

I trailed after him, watching his purposeful stride. He got to the door and opened it. The sunlight streamed in through the trees, giving the ends of his dark hair a soft light. The glanced over his shoulder to look at me one last time, with a smile, and he was gone.

*

I pushed myself to finish as much of my schoolwork as possible to be able to help Parker with his and relax when he got back. I even ordered myself a pizza instead of cooking lunch to be able to finish it all sooner.

I took a bath to drag out the time and my ears perked up when I heard the sound of a motorcycle engine. That had to be Parker. As soon as I was finished bathing, I ran to my window to see any signs of him, but the driveway was empty and his house was quiet. I frowned, slightly disappointed, so, I sent him a text message asking him when he'd be back. I stared at the screen for a few minutes to see if I'd get a response, but when there was none, I went back to my work.

By the time three o'clock rolled around, I was absolutely fed up of work and I was getting a pain in my neck from constantly looking up at the clock to wonder why Parker still wasn't back. He hadn't mentioned a time, but it did seem high time that he got back.

I sighed heavily and convinced myself to finish this last page and then that I would stop for the day and hopefully by then Parker would have returned. I took my time, making sure my handwriting was immaculate, just to make myself spend longer on the job than I needed to out of sheer boredom. When the final full stop was in place, I looked up at the clock again. It was almost four. It was at this point that I looked at my phone. My text message to Parker from over an hour earlier had gone unanswered.

Anxious, I dialed Jackson's number.

"Hey, Alex," Jackson said, chirpily, after the call went through.

"Jackson. Hey," I responded, "Are you at practice?"

"I was," he told me, "But I left early cause we're going for a family event. Why?"

"No, nothing. It's just that Parker isn't home yet."

I heard Jackson say something to someone in the background. "Oh," he said to me, after a moment, "Don't worry, Alex, he must be wrapping up soon. Coach can be a slave driver sometimes."

"Yeah," I nodded, not entirely convinced, "Sure."

"I gotta go, Alex. I'm sure he'll be home soon, okay?"

"Yeah, Jackson. Thanks. Bye."

"Later," he hung up.

I paced up and down my living room, dialing Parker's number. There was no answer.

For the next half an hour, I tried calling him several times, and finally on the last call, the voice told me that they couldn't reach the number I dialed.

Frustrated, I tossed my phone on to the couch and wondered what to do. I decided to go over to his place to see if there were any clues as to where he would be. I locked the doors and shimmied across the ladder and tumbled into his room.

It was slightly dark and had the undeniable aroma of Parker. It made me smile just a little as I walked out on to the landing and made my way downstairs. There wasn't a sound in the house, save for the grandfather's clock that ticked loudly in the living room.

I walked around a little, fruitlessly because there was absolutely no indication in the entire spotless house of where Parker may be. I leaned against the doorway to the kitchen wondering what to do, getting more worried by the second.

I had turned around and taken one step out of the kitchen when I stopped. Something on the kitchen counter caught my eye and I turned to face it slowly. My breath hitched and my brow furrowed as I realized what it was: Parker's gym bag.

I didn't know whether to be enraged or even more worried. I walked to the bag and opened it. It had the clothes he had worn in the morning, damp with sweat. It had the pair of socks he had worn for practice and it had his phone, battery dead.

At this point, I closed my eyes and slumped into a barstool, unable to think of what I could do. I buried my head in my hands and thought. The images of a scared Parker, strange men in his front yard, a strange man in my house, the healing gash on Parker's shoulder, the files, Parker's mother, stories of the Lake Town and the late-night rides of Parker's filled my mind. I kept sighing, anxiously, trying to decipher everything in my head. I pulled the bag off the counter to stuff all of Parker's belongings back in when something that was under the bag fluttered to the ground.

I set the bag back on the counter and bent to pick it up. It was a file, creased with age and use. I opened it, but it was empty. The cover didn't have any writing on it. All it had was a logo with the word "Crown" underneath it in bold, block letters. I thought for a moment. This logo was extremely familiar, but not only because I had seen it when I saw a file in Parker's sock drawer. If the documents from the file were gone and Parker was nowhere to be found, that could only mean one thing: Parker had gone to the Lake Town.

The dread crept up on me slowly. I lifted my head and watched as the dim light of early evening set in around me, and I shivered, not from the cold, but from the eerie feeling that took me as I stood there alone, in Parker's kitchen, realization dawning that Parker, wherever he was, was definitely not safe.

I put the file down and thought for a moment, and in that moment, I decided that no matter what, I would get to the bottom of all of this today. I called my Dad and it went straight to voicemail, so I left him a message saying I would be out with Hanna tonight and that I couldn't make our video call. Then, after making sure that Parker's doors were locked, I grabbed his phone, walked into his room and found his jeep keys from his drawer and climbed back out the window and into my own room.

I stuffed some supplies into a backpack; Parker's phone and mine, charger, keys, snacks, first aid and anything else I thought that I would need.

This ends today, I told myself.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out of my house, pulling my coat closer and I felt the wind chill. I locked the door and trekked over to Parker's front yard, got in the jeep, threw it in reverse and backed on to the empty street and started in the direction of the Lake Town.

*

By the time I reached the welcome sign into the Lake Town, dusk had set in completely and streetlights had come on. I looked over at the GPS on my phone. There was ten more minutes of drive left before I reached the Crown premises. Throughout the drive, I had been steeling myself for what may come. I hadn't exactly thought the whole interaction through and I didn't know what to do if I was faced with the kind of armed people that showed up on Parker's doorstep once, but I came anyway, because I knew Parker was in some kind of danger.

The Crown premises loomed over all the other buildings in the Lake Town. It had a sprawling parking space and what looked like a 24-hour security desk inside. I knew I would never get past that, so instead, I parked Parker's jeep the furthest spot away from the building and watched. There didn't seem to be many cars in the parking lot other than mine, and Parker's motorcycle definitely wasn't there. I checked my phone. My Dad had sent me a cheery reply and hoped I had a goodnight. I switched my phone on to silent mode and got out of the vehicle. I tied my coat tightly and walked the perimeter of the premises to find my way to the back.

Behind the building was a small courtyard, thrown into a dim light thanks to the ground level lights that lit the path and it was completely deserted.

Dejectedly, I walked back to Parker's jeep. I got behind the wheel and thought. The Lake Town wasn't a big city, but there was no way I could go everywhere looking for Parker. I searched for more places with the Crown name around the Lake Town, but it only showed me the exact place where I was. I started brainstorming any other place where Parker could be; I even kept an ear out for the familiar sound of his motorcycle engine.

I left the parking area and put on to the main road, heading for the cabin that my Dad and Parker's Dad had bought. I doubted Parker was there with whoever else he was dealing with, but it was worth a shot. I parked on the road and walked to the garage. Pulling out the keys I had, I undid the padlock and pulled the roller door up. The boat sat on the trailer, the way we had left it a few months ago. I walked around the boat to the back to see better and despite my denial, there, hidden behind the boat, stood gleaming, Parker's motorcycle.

My heartbeat sped up as I wondered whether Parker was in the house. I went out of the garage and locked it again, realizing with a pang that Parker had been there earlier today. I walked up the steps to the door and peered into the darkness. There was a cobweb that a busy spider had woven between the doorframe and the door that told me that Parker hadn't gone in to the house today, at least not through the front door.

There was just one more place that I could think of that Parker could be in the Lake Town, especially considering the dodgy company that he seemed to keep, so I got into the jeep once more, checked Parker's phone for any clue and then headed down the road until I saw the place.

The Cracked Mug had been the dodgiest pub for as long as I could remember and all the shady deals in the Lake Town went down there. If any respectable person in the town wanted a pint, they went into Greg's Pints, or more fondly known as Greg's, but The Cracked Mug was frequented by the sorts that weren't tolerated at Greg's. I hadn't been to either place, but I knew exactly where they were. The Cracked Mug seemed lively enough from the outside, motorcycles parked outside, where their owners stood, drinking straight out of bottles. The sign that was put up flickered from time to time.

I stopped the car, hidden behind some trees a little way away from the pub so that none of the patrons would see me. I could hear the tinkling of rowdy conversations emanating from within the building. I ducked across the road and slowly made my way to the area behind the pub. Everyone knew that the place you go to make all the shady deals you want, was the backroom of the pub. No one asked questions, no one bothered you and no one breathed a word about your presence there and you made damn sure that you extended the same courtesy to anyone else. I walked outside the building in the hopes of seeing anything through the windows or the doors with glass panes. Someone had pushed a chair against the window, but I could see in through the gaps.

There were four people in the room, one table and five chairs, including the one against the window. A man sat at the desk, his feet up on the table, as he relaxed in the chair, giving an aura of owning the place. He held a few papers in his hands. Two other men stood on either side of him. They were looking at the person in front of them, small, self-satisfied smiles on their faces.

Parker stood in front of them, fists clenched at his sides, wearing the change of clothes he had taken this morning. He was standing on guard. I couldn't see his whole face, but his jaw was set and he was definitely frowning.

The man at the desk said something to him lazily, but Parker didn't reply. Instead, from out of my view another person emerged from behind Parker, walked forward and sat at the edge of the table and folded their hands over their chest. Parker's defense heightened as he looked at the person: Parker's mother.

I stifled a gasp in the fear of them hearing me. Parker turned slightly to face his mother directly and I caught a glimpse of his shoulder. The shoulder that had just been healing underneath a bandage was completely exposed and freshly bleeding again. He had more bruises and scrapes along his arm, there was a dark patch on his cheek and a brute-like look plagued his handsome face.

My hand involuntarily raised to cover my mouth in shock. My wonderful Parker was hurt. At this point, I had no idea what to do. Parker's mother seemed to be trying to reason with him, but Parker wasn't having it. The man at the table stood up, slowly and walked around the desk to face Parker.

Parker was taller than him, but the man was menacing. He shook the papers in his hands at Parker and threw them at his feet. Parker raised his voice, which earned him an instantaneous slap across the cheek. I gasped, but Parker didn't seem to be backing down.

I glanced around wondering what to do. My eyes caught a payphone nestled under an awning. An idea faintly forming in my head, I walked towards the payphone, pulling some change out of my pocket.

Putting in a few coins, I dialed three digits.

"911, what's your emergency?" said the lady at the end of the line.

"Hi, I'm near The Cracked Mug in the Lake Town and I think there's a big brawl going down. I think you should send someone down there," I said hurriedly.

"Sure thing, ma'am. We'll send some officers down there. Please get yourself home," she told me.

"I will. Thank you," I said and hung up. I walked up the three steps to get to the door to see more of what was going on.

Parker's mother was still nestled at the end of the table, fingering the pearls around her neck, without the slightest inclination to help her son who was obviously in danger. The man, I now realized, had a gun in his hand.

I was about to freak out, when I heard the distant sirens of police cars. When I turned back to look inside, everyone inside the room was frozen as well. The sirens grew louder and clearer. At that moment, I saw Parker take action. He started backing out of the room, towards the door I was standing at. The men inside seemed inclined to get out as well.

Before I could move, Parker had come straight for the door and he swiftly swung it open.

He stopped the moment he saw me. "Alex?" he said in disbelief, looking confused.

I couldn't say anything. I just watched the confused look on his face, quickly turn into horror. His eyes widened with fear and he immediately looked over his shoulder.

I followed his gaze and realized only then that the man who held the gun, his henchmen and Parker's mother were all looking at me.

"Run," Parker hissed to me as he took my hand and raced down the steps and away from the pub.

The last thing I saw before the door swung closed was the man standing in the middle of the room, smirking.


*We're finally learning about Parker, you guys!

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