Black Dawn

by Cristin Harber

The angry pulse of his blood thumped in his ears. “I could explain that you lost her, that you should rot for ever having touched her like you did.” Parker shook his head, molars gnashing. “But I’m going to do you one worse.”

  Matt cackled, wiping his bloody mouth with the back of his hand. “Yeah, try me.”

  “You’ve never had her. She’s been mine for years, and you didn’t know. Might not be in a way you’ll ever get, but I do. And that”—he pushed Matt—“is why she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. So thank you, you motherfucking asshole, for screwing up the way you did. Because she loves me.” Parker pushed him again.

  Matt made a feeble attempt to push back, and Parker nailed him with his free hand, landing a solid left hook, and dropped the bastard.

  “Summerland County police, stand down.”

  About damn time. Two uniformed officers were in Parker’s peripheral vision.

  “Sir, put the weapon down,” an officer said.

  Matt staggered up, fortified by the presence of cops.

  “No problem.” Parker laid the gun by his foot and kicked it back. “But real quick. One more thing.” His fist flew, knocking Matt back onto his ass. Parker put his hands in the air. “Alright, now I’m done.”

  “Back up.”

  Parker did as he was told.

  Matt moved, and both cops clamored, “Stay down. Sir, stay down.”

  But the uniforms’ attention was on Parker’s Glock. Parker turned to leave and saw Meredith peeking into the bedroom as he came out of the closet.

  “Thank you,” she said as her sister rushed by.

  “Sure thing.” He grabbed Lexi as she jumped into his arms. “Sweetheart, you okay?”

  “Yes.” Her lips planted on his.

  “Ladies, sir, living room,” the older officer said. “We’ll need to talk.”

  The other officer had Matt in handcuffs and on his feet, pushing him past them.

  “Fuck you, stupid bitches.”

  The cop shook him. “Shut up, man.”

  With Lexi still in his arms, Parker growled at Matt, “Never come near them again.”

  “Sir!” the older cop snapped at him.

  “Right, right.” He nodded. “Living room, let’s go.” Parker set Lexi down, and they followed Meredith.

  There was a brief struggle at the apartment door as Matt decided to resist, but the younger cop yanked his arms back and left with Matt cussing.

  The older uniform watched until the door shut then shook his head. “Alright, whose apartment is this?”

  The next few minutes were a recounting of everything from Matt using the key under the mat to Parker knocking in the closet door. The ladies bounced back and forth as they told their opinions and explained how the events had unfolded.

  With his lips pressed into a firm line, the officer stared at his small notebook then flipped it closed. “You’d like to press charges?”

  Both women answered in unison, “Yes.”

  “And…” Lexi pushed her shoulders back and raised her chin as though she were readying for a fight. “I kept a diary of things I want him in trouble for as well. I have pictures too.”

  Parker cringed inwardly that she’d ever had to do that, but it didn’t surprise him that she’d kept details. He put his arms around Lexi and dropped his chin on the top of her head. “Whatever you want to do, we’ll get it done.”

  The officer nodded. “A lot goes unprosecuted because of a lack of documentation. That will help.”

  Relief spread on Lexi’s face.

  As Meredith fell into conversation with the officer, Parker gathered Lexi in his arms, pressed his mouth to her ear, and promised her the world, ending simply with, “I love you.”

  “Oh, hey,” Meredith said. “Since you’re here, you should grab what’s left of Lex’s things to take home.”

  Lexi’s face turned bright pink. “His home isn’t my home, Mere!”

  He laughed. That again. Except she was kind of right. He looked around at Meredith’s place, full of not-overly-girly touches that made the place look as though a woman was invested in everything within the walls. Lex deserved that—they deserved that and more.

  “Yeah, we’ll grab the box, and whatever you have over at your old place while Matt’s otherwise detained, then we’ll figure it out.” He dropped a kiss on the top of Lexi’s head. “Lex thinks she’s going to scare me away with a box of clothes and digging her roots into my house.”

  Meredith’s protective, sisterly gaze narrowed. “Is she?”

  “Not a chance. Where’s the box?” The girls chatted away as he formed his plan about housing. Lexi would either freak out or love it. And even if she freaked, she’d love it five minutes later, so all would be good.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  Boss Man grumbled from across the table as Cash and Roman tossed the football back and forth. Nicola, Sugar, and Beth sprinted, field stripping and reassembling AR-15s, timing themselves to see who was better. It was very, very competitive, and pretty damn entertaining to see their pregnant bellies pushed against the table as they raced. Winters was asleep on the floor with Thelma the bulldog lying across his legs and Bacon snoring on his chest. But Lexi’s eyes were locked on the main flat screen, almost unmoving for the last thirty minutes.

  Their group was chained to the war room, waiting to see if the malware Lexi had activated worked. They’d had a ping from the DIA that it was moving through the ARO system but then nothing. So they were waiting and watching.

  Parker’s chest felt tight. A lot was riding on whether it worked or not. Even if it didn’t, they had broken up a terrorist cell hiding in plain sight in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch country. Which, obviously, was a great thing. But if the malware did work, they’d gain access to worldwide information on the ARO. That was a big deal. It could save a hundred times the number of lives, civilian and soldier alike.

  “Think fast!” Roman snapped the ball at the girls.

  Nicola jumped up and snagged it, having a sense that the football was incoming. Call it a brotherly-sisterly vibe. Whatever it was, she moved fast. “Like you’d catch me off guard.” She tossed it back.

  Roman threw to Cash, who tossed it back to Nic. She snagged it, spun her pregnant belly around, and lofted it back at her husband.

  “Easy there, princess.” Jared paced. “You’re liable to pull something with moves like that.”

  “Oh.” She doubled over. “Damn.”

  “Haha, very funny.”

  “No—ow, damn it.” Nicola’s eyes latched onto Cash, who jumped over a chair before Parker could wonder if she wasn’t faking it.

  “Nic?” Concern painted her husband’s voice.

  “No, God.” She shook her head, waving him off. “I moved too fast. Baby must’ve—shit.” She doubled over. “I need to sit.”

  “Nothing’s wrong. You’re okay.” Cash held her shoulders, easing his not-quite-at-her-due-date wife into a chair. He nodded at Roman, who sprung wheels and sped out the door, no doubt to get a vehicle ready. The room was oddly quiet as worry hung heavy between them.

  Beth pressed her phone to her ear, likely calling their shared doctor. Those two shared everything. She whispered into the cell, eyeballing her best friend. After a minute, she hung up. “Cash?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

  “Doc says head in.”

  Without a word, he swept Nicola into his arms and headed across the room. Beth ran in front, getting the door as they went. It all happened so fast, Parker couldn’t register the magnitude of something going wrong.

  Winters was up and leaning against the wall. Sugar had her hand over her swollen stomach. Parker’s eyes landed on Lexi. There was something innate about knowing she was his family. They might not be at that place in life—maybe their future would never be about babies and things like that. He didn’t know, hadn’t talked to her about it. But what he did know was he wanted to have that conversation. Wanted to figure out what they wanted, more than play
ing house, and he’d thrown together ideas that constituted one hell of a plan. Tonight, assuming they weren’t visiting a happy newborn in the arms of its parents, Parker would show Lex what he’d spent the recent days planning.

  “We’ve got something,” Jared said, turning back from the door and focusing on the main screen.

  It had lit up. The green outline of Middle Eastern nations was suddenly aglow with yellow flicks of light. Lexi’s malware streamed data to the DIA before their eyes. Parker took a deep breath for her, so proud, so relieved that this was something she’d gone after, risking her life, and it had worked in a huge way.

  “Holy crap, hacker girl.” Sugar dropped into a chair, watching the screen as if it were fireworks.

  Jared clapped Lexi on the back. “Nice job, Lex.”

  With Boss Man moving around the room, Thelma rolled over and groaned. Bacon did the same, copying what could only be called her canine best friend. Sugar and Lexi took those two dogs everywhere together, and both were losing a little bit of weight.

  Titan had seen what they’d all come to see, and the show was over, even though Lexi still stared at the screen between smiles and saying thanks to the congratulations.

  Winters, perched on the side of the table, slapped Parker’s back. “Lex, don’t hog this guy too much this week. He’s withering away. Needs to work out.”

  Parker wrapped his arms around his girl as Winters walked out backward, waving and grabbing his phone, likely to call Mia and update her on Nicola. Jared and Sugar followed, leaving Parker and Lexi to stare at the screen, now completely lit up in hostile zones.

  “I’m really proud of you, sweetheart.”

  She spun in the chair. “It’s unreal. Though I feel kinda bad being this excited when Nic and Cash just took off—”

  “They’ll be fine.” Right? Because they had to be. Statistically speaking, she was far enough along and healthy enough that everything would be fine. Except he didn’t know what was actually causing her pain. Was that labor? If not, what was it? Didn’t matter. They would be fine.

  “You’re worried too.”

  He bunched up his shoulders. “Weird seeing Nic in pain. That girl can take a beating.” Parker pressed his chin to the top of her head. “It’s really gorgeous.”

  She sighed and looked up. “But it’s over. Time to go home.”

  “About that.” Screw waiting to share what he’d been planning. He spun her in the rolling chair. “Give me a few minutes. Okay?”

  Tilting her head, she gave him an inquisitive look. “Alright. I’ll sit and watch.”

  “Good.” He kissed her forehead and hustled to his office. He pulled out all the papers he wanted and lit up all the screens he needed. All in all, not a hugely impressive display. Certainly not a damn light show covering terrorist hot zones in the Middle East, but he was still totally stoked.

  ***

  Parker looked like a kid on Christmas morning when he bounded into the war room, snagged her hand, and almost carried her back to his office.

  “What’s going on?” She laughed and squirmed as his lips stayed on the back of her neck.

  “This is my idea.” His arm swept wide over his office. “We need a house. One that you won’t call just mine. You want a place for our worlds to collide. So… here.”

  She blinked, and her mind stumbled to make sense of the empty green spaces labeled by number, plus the drawings and designs for what looked like architectural plans. She numbly moved forward, jaw hanging open, in complete shock at the display he had assembled for her.

  “You want something that’s just us, Lex. Here are some options, but there are a million more. You point and choose, and I’ll make it happen.”

  “You’re going to build me a house?” Holy crap, she couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t just the enormity of the gesture; it was the thought behind him building her a home. He was offering her the world just by offering her the very thing she needed in so many ways. A foundation. Literally. Figuratively. Lexi launched herself into his arms. “Oh, my God! I love you more than I can think.”

  Which made him laugh, she guessed because he had a good idea of how much her mind could process. “Good idea?”

  “The best.” She smothered him in kisses, letting his thoughtfulness reach down into her soul.

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Lex. Figure we need a good home to start that journey.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  The club beat filled the tightly packed area. Bouncing green-and-blue strobe lights spun in the abandoned-for-the-night airplane hangar, and the outpouring of grief—in only a way this community would—floated away as people danced into the night. The tribute to Shadow was legendary, and the acknowledgment of SilverChaos as Lexi made Parker’s heart squeeze. Everyone seemed to know her face already, and now that they connected the girl in the corners of these parties to the genius behind SilverChaos, it made tonight all the more special.

  With every turn, someone said, “Hey, Silver… nice job, Silver…”

  He couldn’t see a blush on her cheeks but knew the color was there. She wasn’t after the attention, but she was also done hiding who she was. Anonymity hadn’t protected her, so she embraced the more public role of being Silver—though she had turned down every reporter’s interview and every opportunity for publicity. Seemed the news bureaus couldn’t get enough of a leather-clad rock star lookalike who rode a GSX-R and risked her life to save the families of soldiers. He didn’t blame reporters for trying. She was, without question, the most interesting, complex, intelligent, beautiful woman walking the planet.

  Parker and Lexi posted against a wall, each with a beer in hand, and he watched her survey the crowd. “You did a really good thing for Shadow, you know that, Lex?”

  Anyone who had ever used him as a broker was there, Parker was sure of it. The talent in the room was epic, and the whole event had been pulled together with just a few strokes of a keyboard.

  “I think he’d appreciate it.” She took his bottle and put both of theirs on the cement floor, then she wrapped her hands around his neck and swayed with the music. “Think he’d appreciate it even more that you’re here with me.”

  His mouth brushed against hers. “Maybe.”

  “And the money, he’d be stoked about that—though not in his name. He’d kill me for pulling that move.” She laughed and let her lips drift against him.

  Lexi had taken the proceeds from her last auction and established a fund that encouraged and gave resources to tech-sharp kids stuck in the foster system. She had also promised that a significant portion of her future earnings would be used to continue funding it, all in Shadow’s name.

  Smart. Sexy. And generous. Parker couldn’t ask for more. As they swayed to the music, he pushed them into the crowd, letting the sea of bodies swallow them. Lexi pressed hard against him as they lost themselves to the beat. Songs shifted, the beat changed, and they danced as time slipped by. But as much as he loved her on his arm, surrounded by people who nearly adored her for what she’d done for their community, Parker wanted her alone. Now.

  He cupped her ass, and his hands moved up her back. Her breasts pressed into him, and when she leaned against his chest, smoothing her hands between them, her fingernails scratching his stomach, he was done.

  “You’re begging for trouble, sweetheart.” He let his tongue touch the tip of her earlobe, and she jumped, hotter and harder than she’d been dancing a second ago.

  “A lot of talk for a guy who’s not doing anything about it.”

  He cursed under his breath and took her mouth hard, not caring that they were in a room of people. None paid any attention, or even if they did, Parker didn’t care. She was reckless, stroking down his stomach, rubbing herself against his hardening erection.

  He snagged her. “Come on.”

  She let him guide her from behind, his hands roaming on her waist, her back against his chest and nestling his now-throbbing erection. Soon as they broke through the cro
wd, Lexi turned around, locking her grip behind his neck, and let him lead her back, back, back in the dark until they hit a wall.

  “I just need you.” She gasped as he pushed up her tight shirt. “Tonight, I don’t need all this. The people. The hellos. I want you.”

  “You’ve got me.”

  “I want you.”

  “Sweetheart, I know exactly what you want.” He ducked his lips to her neck, and whatever she had to say morphed into a low growl, making her press forward. “I want to take you somewhere else.”

  “Parker, if you don’t take me now, I might kill you.”

  He squeezed her ass through the skirt and rubbed her body against his cock. “You can try, but I’ll probably enjoy it.” Pressing his lips to hers, he breathed her in. Even in the chaotic night, she smelled like citrus and tasted like sugar.

  “Not fair.”

  “Come on, let’s go.” He laughed, and she gave him a look that she might combust but willingly followed. They moved from the hot air in the hangar into the outside coolness. Walking under a sky marbling with the first light of day, he took the long way to the other airport hangar.

  “But before we get to where we’re going—” He pulled her in front of him. “I need you to tell me where we are. You and me.”

  She giggled. “An airport.”

  “No, Lex. You and me.”

  “We’re together, forever. That’s where.”

  His palms cupped her face, and he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Good.” He traced his hands down her neck, down her arms until their fingers intertwined. He took both of her hands in one of his, and with the other, he pulled a black-diamond ring from his pocket. “Because you’re my best friend, because we built a house that we turned into a home… God, because you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met. The most fun. The sweetest. The sexiest.” Parker dropped to one knee. “Because you’re my world, sweetheart, will you be my wife?”

  A slip of sunrise painted a halo behind Lexi as her lips parted. She sucked in a surprised breath. “Oh, God. Of course, yes.”

  He slipped the unconventional ring on her finger and stood to lift her in the air. She bent her head and kissed him, still murmuring her agreement. Parker’s cheeks hurt from smiling, and as he set her down, he thought about how to word what came next.