Parker: A Reed Security Romance

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “So? Did we get what you needed?” I asked, eager to get this shit done.

  “Well,” Hunter grinned. “We saw some very interesting things on the video feed.” He glanced behind me and waved Blake into the room. “You guys have to see this.”

  I watched as he pulled up video that was jerky at first. A camera seemed to fall and then land on the ground, and then moans filled the air as the video showed me taking Blake up against the stall of the bathroom. I didn’t give a shit. If anything, this proved that Blake was just as into what we were doing as I was. She couldn’t accuse me of anything if she got pissy with me.

  “Turn it off,” Blake snapped, her face bright red.

  “I almost called in Gabe,” Hunter smirked. “He’s into this kind of film.”

  “It’s not a film. It wasn’t meant to be seen,” Blake snapped.

  “Well, maybe don’t fuck around cameras next time then,” Cap suggested.

  “Did you find anything relevant or were you just planning on showing us videos of us fucking?”

  “Well, I’m just getting started going through all this, but I don’t have enough time to sort through all the data,” Knight said. “Any chance either of you are computer experts?”

  “I know how to turn mine on,” Blake said with a grin, “but I don’t think I’m who you’re looking for.”

  Knight looked at me hopefully, but I shook my head. Computers were not my area of expertise.

  “I need someone that can use algorithms to sort all of this for me.” Knight glanced at Cap, quirking an eyebrow at him. “Do you think she’d do it?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure she’s ready.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “She has to get back in here at some point. She can’t just sit in Coop’s room for the rest of her life.”

  “You can’t push her either,” Cap said testily.

  “She needs a push. I did the same thing with Lola. Look how that turned out.”

  “Becky’s not Lola.”

  “No, but she’s dealing with the same shit. She needs to move past that.”

  “What shit?” I asked, wondering why they were talking around us instead of filling us in on what was happening.

  “If you push her too fast and she freaks out, Coop’s gonna hand you your ass.”

  Knight snorted. “Yeah, I’d like to see him try. Look, I’m not asking her to stare down a knife or anything. I need her to come sort all this data. And this is interesting. It could draw her out. This is just the sort of shit that gets her excited.”

  “I still think you’re asking for trouble.”

  “Are they ignoring me?” I asked Blake.

  “I think so.”

  “Just call her and tell her you’re gonna toss her laptop if she doesn’t come pick it up.”

  “I don’t think she’d care,” Cap snapped. “You’re not getting it. She doesn’t want anything to do with this shit.”

  “Again,” I said, raising my hand. “What are we talking about here?”

  “You’re babying her just like Coop does. You have to knock that off or she’s never going to get back on the horse.”

  “Now there are horses involved?” Blake asked.

  “Why won’t they tell us what the fuck is going on?”

  “Must be a Reed Security thing.”

  “Fuck this,” Knight said, pulling out his phone. “I’m calling her.”

  “Don’t do it.”

  “Try and stop me,” Knight snarled.

  It occurred to me in that moment that Hunter was sitting there, but not participating in any way.

  “Aren’t you going to intervene?” I asked him.

  “And do what?”

  “I don’t know. They look like they’re about to come to blows over whatever the hell they’re talking about.”

  “Nah. It’ll be fine. I mean, I guess you could say that there’s a fifty-fifty chance that this could go south, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  “And if it isn’t?”

  “Well, then we watch the show,” he said casually, watching as Cap slapped the phone out of Knight’s hand and Knight growled at him.

  “I’m thinking this is going south.”

  “Shh,” Hunter said, watching intently as Cap and Knight continued to argue.

  “Is this normal for you guys?” I whispered. I couldn’t pull my gaze from the argument in front of me. It was oddly entertaining, seeing someone else about to get into a fight, but not having to intervene in any way.

  “Eh. We’ve had our disputes. You should have seen the one we had about six months ago. Now that was entertaining.”

  “Yeah? Who was the fight between?”

  “All of us.”

  I pulled my gaze from the argument and stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. You couldn’t just throw out something like that and not expect the other person to need more information. “So, what happened? How did all of you get into a fight? Are we talking a full on war or like a bar fight?”

  He snorted. “Oh, no. It was like a war zone. Guns were pulled, punches were thrown…it was fucking beautiful.”

  “Beautiful,” I said slowly, sure that I had misunderstood.

  “Yeah, well, you know, not at the time, but looking back on it, it was awesome. There were guys on the same team that we’re pulling guns on each other. You know you’re fighting over something really good when you can turn an entire company inside out like that.”

  “So, what was the war over?”

  “Huh? Oh, that’s company business. Sorry, you’d have to sign on before you get the inside scoop.”

  He stood and walked over to Knight and Cap, leaving me with my fucking mouth hanging open. Now that I knew something big had gone down, I really wanted more information. After another five minutes of arguing, they finally came to the decision that they were going to call this person that they were arguing over. Ten minutes later, a woman with dark hair with purple streaks walked into the room.

  “I told you that I’m not touching the computer,” she snapped.

  “Even if I could tempt you with a case of government corruption, a bioengineering company, and dirty senators?” Knight asked.

  I saw the woman’s fingers twitch as she shoved her glasses back on up her nose. I could tell her interest was piqued, but she hadn’t said anything yet. Knight sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

  “I’m disappointed, Becky.”

  “I don’t really care if you’re disappointed. I can’t do it.”

  “It’s not that you can’t do it, you’re just too chicken shit.”

  “Knock it off, Knight,” Cap growled.

  The woman, Becky, took a step back, shaking her head slightly. “I just can’t…”

  Another man stormed into the room, obviously pissed off. This new revelation had me sitting up higher in my seat, eager to find out who the new player was.

  “Coop,” Cap said, trying to deflate the situation, stepping in front of him, but the guy, Coop, stormed right past him.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

  “I need help and your woman is being a pussy,” Knight sneered.

  My eyebrows shot up as I glanced over at Blake to catch her reaction. She looked just as surprised. In a flash, Coop had his hands fisted in Knight’s shirt and was tossing him up against the wall. Knight did some crazy move and next thing I knew, Coop was shoved up against the wall. Knight had him locked down, unable to move without breaking his arm. I was kind of having a man-crush at this very moment.

  “You can end this, Becky. Just say you’ll do the fucking job and I’ll let your boyfriend go.”

  Coop gritted his teeth, trying to break the hold. “You don’t have to do anything, Becky. He’s just being an asshole.”

  Becky moved forward and quirked her lips to the side as she considered her options. Cap was shaking his head in exasperation and Hunter was grinning. What the hell was with these guys? Wasn’t anyone con
cerned about what was happening? Or was this just another day at the office?

  “Fine, I’ll do it,” Becky finally said. Knight grinned at her and released Coop, slapping him on the shoulder of the arm that he had just torqued behind the man’s back.

  “See? Wasn’t that easy?” Knight asked.

  “You’re an asshole,” Coop bit out.

  “Glad I still live up to my reputation.”

  “Are we done here?” Cap asked.

  Coop shook his head and walked over to Becky, having a quiet argument with her before storming out of the room. I was dying to know what that was all about, but like Hunter said, I wouldn’t be told until I was part of Reed Security. If I ever became part of Reed Security.

  “Well, I’m here,” Becky said, crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you want from me?”

  “I need you to start searching through files at a bioengineering firm.”

  “What am I looking for?”

  Knight smirked at her. “Well, I don’t want to hold you back. Let’s just say, anything that looks suspicious.”

  She looked at him deadpan and headed out of the room, shouting over her shoulder, “Thanks for narrowing it down for me.”

  “So, where do we go from here?” Blake asked.

  “I have training to get started. If you want, you can join in. Otherwise, just hang out until I have more intel.”

  Blake mumbled something about needing a release and walked out of the room, followed by Cap. I wasn’t really sure what to do now, but I could use a good workout. However, I wasn’t sure I wanted to train with Blake. She would most definitely try to kick my ass in front of everyone, and while I knew that she was very skilled, that didn’t mean I wanted to get shown up in front of everyone.

  “She’s a pistol,” Knight said as he walked over to me.

  “No, she’s the bullet.”

  Knight smirked at me, shaking his head. “I can see why you like her.”

  “I never said I did.”

  “Right. You’re just screwing her for the sake of screwing her.”

  “You got a problem with that?”

  “Not at all,” he said, shaking his head slightly, but I didn’t buy it.

  “She’s psychotic. She threw me through a window.”

  “She’s a woman that likes a challenge,” he countered.

  “She’s a woman that likes to kick my ass. I’m not really into that shit.”

  He walked away, almost like he was disappointed in me. I didn’t get it. Why would Knight give a shit about whether or not I was interested in Blake? He pulled a file out from under a stack of other files and tossed it across the table to me. I caught it before it slid off the table, but I didn’t open it.

  “What’s this?”

  “Your woman is as clean as they come,” he said, nodding to the file. “I went through every file she ever touched. There’s not a single time that she’s ever bent the law or didn’t follow through. She doesn’t play the bullshit games that her colleagues play and she doesn’t care to belong to the boys’ club.”

  “And what does any of this have to do with me?”

  “You can trust her.”

  “And why would I do that? I don’t trust anyone.”

  “But you especially don’t trust women. She’s not gonna fuck you over.”

  I gritted my teeth in anger. I didn’t like that he knew where my thoughts were headed and I didn’t want someone interfering in my life to play matchmaker.

  “Whatever you think I need or want, just forget about it. I didn’t ask for your advice and I don’t need you throwing your opinion around.”

  I stood, but he moved quick, blocking my exit and gripping my shoulder tightly. He pressed the file folder against my chest. “You can’t go through life without a single person you can trust. Believe me, I’ve been there. Now, I’m definitely not one to play matchmaker. I really don’t give a fuck what you decide to do, but right now, you need people on your side so you can fight what’s coming. She’s someone that would be good to have in your corner.”

  He walked out of the room, leaving me holding the file against my chest. I looked down at it, trying to decide what to do. I didn’t want to think that I needed anyone, and I definitely didn’t need a woman in my business right now. Besides, if she was this good person that always followed the book, what would she think when she found out about my DD or why it happened? I thought I had the military on my side when I was court-martialed. I thought it was all going to turn out okay. And then my sentence was handed down and I knew I was alone. It didn’t matter what people thought of me. When the facts came out, she would look at me the same way that everyone else did. As of right now, Cap and Knight were the only ones that knew the facts of my DD, but that wouldn’t last forever, and when the storm hit, I knew my time here would be over.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Blake

  “So, what’s your deal?” Florrie asked as I headed for the locker room. I had just gotten in a good workout and I was looking forward to relaxing tonight. After being on the run for the last week, I needed a night where I didn’t have to watch my back. Even last night, I had been wary about being here, but after training with these people and seeing how they interacted with each other, I wasn’t nervous about staying in the creepy bunker. There were really awesome beds and pillows.

  “I don’t have a deal,” I responded.

  “You’re a fed and you just popped out of nowhere,” she accused.

  Alec, her man friend, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, resting his hand on her stomach. “What she means is, welcome to Reed Security.”

  “That’s not at all what I meant.”

  “Yes, she did,” Alec grinned. “You’ll have to excuse Florrie. She’s a little paranoid of newcomers.”

  “Aren’t you all?” I asked.

  “Can you blame us?”

  “I guess I would be curious if a fed showed up on my doorstep, but I’m no longer part of the FBI.”

  “So you say,” Florrie snapped.

  “Wow, you really don’t like me, do you?”

  “I don’t like anyone that comes into our facility. Don’t worry, it’s not just you.”

  “Gee, I’m so glad to hear that. You know, I was really worried about what you thought of me.”

  Alec looked between the two of us, probably judging if he had to step in. I wasn’t sure who he was worried about. I knew Florrie could take care of herself, but she was pregnant, so maybe that’s what all the overprotective stuff was about.

  “Is it true? Did you steal evidence from the FBI?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her accusing tone and stiffened my spine. If she wanted a fight, I would give her one, pregnant or not. “I only took evidence that my boss was trying to cover up. I joined the FBI to make a difference, not to line my pockets so people could get away with shit because they have power or money.”

  She nodded slightly. “I’m assuming since you’re on the run that they came after you.”

  “Well, yeah, they’re not stupid.”

  “How’d you manage to walk out of the building with evidence?”

  I smirked and held up my necklace. “It doubles as a flash drive. I had made copies of the files right before I went to my boss’s office, so when they fired me, I went back to the printer and copied it all to the flash drive. They never suspected me. Well, until someone went into my office. They would have seen that a file transfer was made.”

  “That’s pretty ballsy. I have to say though, I’m surprised you made it so far away from them.”

  “Well, I’m not completely stupid either.”

  “I can see that.”

  Alec loosened his grip on Florrie and took a slight step back. “So, we’re good here?”

  “Yeah, we’re good,” Florrie grinned.

  “Sure.”

  “So, you and Parker.”

  “Uh…no. There’s no me and Parker.”

  “Really?” she smirked.
“Because I saw the video, and Alec and I are no strangers to workplace fucking.”

  “Workplace romance,” Alec corrected.

  Florrie rolled her eyes. “It was fucking. The romance was few and far between.”

  “That’s only because you’re adverse to affection of any kind.”

  “Hey, I’ve gotten better,” Florrie snapped.

  Alec turned to me with a devilish grin and then pulled Florrie against him, kissing her so indecently that I felt like I was watching a porno. Florrie started slapping at his chest and pushing him away from her. When she finally got free, she took a good two steps away from him, holding her hands up.

  “That wasn’t romance. That was flat out mauling. See what I have to put up with?” she asked, turning to me. “Be happy that you and Parker aren’t officially Reed Security members yet. You still have time to figure stuff out before your relationship screws everything up.”

  “We’re not in a relationship,” I reemphasized. “We had some fun and that was it.”

  “Yeah, well, if he’s anything like him,” she said, jerking her thumb to Alec, “there’s very little chance that you’ll escape.”

  “So,” I chuckled slightly, a little embarrassed that I was having to ask. “What’s Parker like?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I haven’t really had a chance to talk to him, so…”

  Alec glanced at Florrie and then scratched his neck uncomfortably. “Uh, we don’t really know him any better than you do. I mean, obviously we’ve never slept with him, so you have us there.”

  “Well, how did you meet him?”

  Alec cleared his throat. “Uh, on a job.”

  “Wait, how does that work? Was he freelancing or something?”

  “He was on the other side,” Florrie filled in.

  Wow, now I was really confused. He was on the other side of a job, and somehow was now working with Reed Security? How did something like that happen?