Parker Security Complete Series

by Camilla Blake

The thing was, I couldn’t lie.

  “Yeah,” I said slowly. I grabbed a pen from the holder on my desk and began to fiddle with it. Drew’s face remained impassive, but I knew he noticed this, knew that very little escaped him. “About that.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “She’s decided that she no longer needs my services.”

  “Oh,” he said, and I couldn’t read the tone of that oh.

  Was it surprise? Or not surprise at all? There was no denying that Teagan and I had chemistry, so much so that I couldn’t actually recall feeling this way toward someone else before, even Camille. Maybe especially Camille. Everything with Teagan was easy, smooth, effortless. In particular the sex.

  “Why do I have a feeling this didn’t come as a total surprise to you? You were probably right when you told me that maybe it wouldn’t be the best idea to work with Teagan in this capacity,” I said. “I don’t know if you remember that conversation or not.”

  “I do.”

  “Well, if you’d like the opportunity to say I told you so, I guess now would be the time.”

  “I’m not looking for that. And I’m not looking for any details, either, except to make sure that the termination of your agreement ended on mutual terms.”

  “It did.”

  “And I have the feeling that, though you and Teagan are no longer working together in a professional capacity anymore, it’s probably not the last that we’ve seen of her.”

  Now he had the tiniest of smiles on his face, almost as if he were happy for me.

  “Smart man,” I said.

  I felt a bit of relief after he left. That had gone well; it could’ve gone worse, because I had, technically, been in the wrong. Drew could’ve really come down on me, taken his moment of I told you so, and I was glad that he hadn’t. I was about to get my phone and send Teagan a quick text when there was a knock on the door and Cole stuck his head in.

  “Hey,” he said. “Someone’s here to see you. She said she didn’t have an appointment but was hoping that you might have a minute to talk?”

  “Who is it?”

  “Uh... I think she said her name was Meredith?” A look of recognition dawned on his face. “Oh, shit. Is that the same girl who was calling here, trying to get me to give her your phone number? Was that her name? Meredith?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “You want me to tell her you’re busy?”

  I considered this. But then she would probably request to make an appointment, and what excuse could I have then? I also didn’t want to give her any fodder for a negative online review; not that Parker Security wasn’t established enough to weather such a thing, but I knew Meredith was social-media-savvy and could likely generate a lot of publicity over it if she wanted to.

  “No,” I said. “You can send her in.”

  It would be better, actually, if I could talk to her in person, lay down the ground rules, and refer her to someone else who could provide her with the services she needed.

  She slipped through the doorway, wearing respectable, albeit very form-fitting clothes. Jeans and a low-cut black tank top, plenty of cleavage. I stood up and held my hand out, which she shook and then held on to for a moment longer than she should have.

  “Meredith,” I said. “How can I help you?”

  “You’re a hard guy to get in touch with,” she said, settling herself into the chair across from me.

  “Not trying to be. Just busy.”

  “A little less busy now, though, I hear.” She leaned back in the chair. She clearly was not wearing a bra. “I was out getting coffee yesterday and I happened to run into Teagan. Always nice when we have these spontaneous meet-ups. Anyway, I said I was surprised to see her out by herself, and she then proceeded to inform me that the two of you weren’t working together anymore.” She cocked her head to the side. “Which means you must have availability to take on another client in that capacity.”

  What was up with this girl? I couldn’t quite figure it out, other than something about her reminded me of Camille. Which probably meant that, despite the fact that Meredith had a boyfriend, she was still on the prowl. Why she had set her sights on me, I wasn’t quite sure, but then again, Camille had slept with all sorts of guys when we were still together, some of them being people I wouldn’t have thought she’d have looked twice at.

  “While it’s true that Teagan isn’t a client anymore, I’m afraid I’m not taking on any further work of that nature right now.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean? You’re quitting?”

  “No. But working as a private security guard isn’t really something that I do anymore.”

  “That’s exactly what you were just doing for Teagan, though.”

  “I know. That’s what I’m trying to tell you—it wasn’t the norm for me then, and it isn’t something that I’m going to continue to pursue now that she and I have decided not to work together anymore. It’s nothing personal, though.”

  “Of course it is.” She gave me a pouty look that I got the distinct feeling was exclusively employed whenever she was trying to get her way.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Of course it’s personal. Because I’m sure if it was Teagan sitting here, instead of me, then you’d be more than happy to be back in that line of work. But because it’s me, you’re sitting there claiming that you’re just done with it.”

  “I think you’re misunderstanding me a little bit,” I said, with far more patience than I actually felt. Was I really having this conversation right now?

  “Teagan was not very forthcoming with the reason why you two stopped working together, though I could take a few guesses.” A tiny smile curved the corners of her mouth, and she leaned toward me a little. “I know she can be a little bit of a diva.”

  I tried to hold the laugh in but I couldn’t. Holy shit—did this person have any idea what she was talking about? Clearly not. She seemed to exist in a bubble that in no way, shape or form included reality. But she laughed too, thinking that we were giggling about the fact that Teagan was so high-maintenance and we were the unfortunate souls who had to deal with her.

  “I knew you would know what I was talking about,” Meredith said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Teagan’s a great girl, but she’s definitely used to things being a certain way; she’s definitely controlling. I can totally understand why you would have to stop working with someone like that. But I can assure you that I am nothing like she is at all. I swear. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

  I disliked this person so strongly, I realized right then, that it was bordering on hatred, which was strange because I barely knew her, and aside from the fact that she wouldn’t get out of my office right now, she had never really done anything to me. But it’s like I could see through the façade; I understood who she really was. She needed to believe the story that she was the best, the hottest, that other people looked up to her, wanted to be her. What she was actually having a hard time with was the fact that Teagan had done something that she, Meredith, now wanted to do but could not, or at least not in the way she wanted.

  Chapter18

  Teagan

  There was a part of me that couldn’t quite believe things were this good. That I was waking up every morning, excited to start the day with an enthusiasm I hadn’t felt in a long time. Which wasn’t to say that before all of this I had been depressed or anything—life had been fine before, but now everything seemed brighter, more beautiful, better.

  I wanted to do something for Ben, something special, but something more than just a nice dinner out. I knew that he loved his cabin up in Guerneville, and I also knew that he didn’t want to own it with Camille. The last time that Ben was over, I had snuck onto his phone and written down Camille’s number, which I now had stored in my phone. I picked it up now and called her, offering her my proposal.

  “You want to buy me out?” she said. “And then what? You and Ben will own the place?”

  “No,” I sai
d, even though it wasn’t really any of her business what happened to it once it wasn’t in her name anymore. “It’ll just be for him. His name will be on it, not mine. I’m really not that much of an outdoor girl, to be honest.”

  “Is that so?” she said. “I wouldn’t have expected him to end up with someone like that.”

  “I’d like to do this for him,” I said. “It seems like the easiest way to go about it. I know he doesn’t want to sell it.”

  “What if I don’t, either?”

  “Well... then things will get more complicated, I guess. So I’m hoping that we can just work something out. But I don’t expect you to come to any decisions right now or anything; I just wanted to put this out there. You can think about it and then get back to us.”

  “Yeah, okay,” she said. “I’ll think about it.”

  It was hard to tell from her tone if she was going to go for it, but I felt good about the conversation anyway, because there wasn’t a single thing that could put a damper on my mood. Of course, I hoped she’d agree to it, because I loved imagining the look on Ben’s face when I told him that the cabin was his, and his alone.

  ***

  That afternoon, the sunlight was coming through my apartment just right, throwing a perfect rectangular beam of light across the vintage lime-green divan. There was no staging here; I just picked up my phone and took a picture, wrote a quick caption about how it really was the simple things in life that could give you the most joy. I posted it and then quickly checked my DMs. I wasn’t planning on answering any at the moment, but then I saw one name that stood out: David Barrett. I opened the message.

  Dear Teagan,

  I hope this message finds you well, and that you don’t mind that I’ve written to you again, albeit in a different format. I did want to let you know that after receiving your first letter, I wrote several others. I’m writing to you now to let you know that the kids and I will be coming up to San Francisco next month. Cecily’s family has long been planning a family reunion, and despite everything that has happened, they are still going to hold it. I was wondering if you might like to meet in person. I completely understand if you don’t want to, but I wanted to extend the invitation, since I will be in the area. Again, no pressure, but just wanted to let you know.

  All the best,

  David

  I felt bad that I hadn’t gotten back in touch with him after receiving his letter, so I typed out a quick response.

  David,

  Thanks so much for letting me know. Of course I would be more than happy to get together with you. Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there. My number’s 415-555-3315. Text or call anytime.

  Teagan

  That evening, I went to Sweetleaf Café to get a hot chocolate, thinking I would have that and then head home, have an early night. Ben had to go down to the South Bay with his boss to talk about some event they were going to be working next month, and I’d had a lazy afternoon, puttering around my apartment, rearranging things, doing a little cleaning. I’d eaten a light dinner but wanted to get out for a little bit, and I knew a hot chocolate from Sweetleaf would hit the spot.

  I was sort of lost in thought, thinking about Ben, wondering what he was doing. I could text him, of course, or call, but I didn’t want to come across as needy, or like one of those people who needed to know what you were doing every second of the day. So I let my thoughts flow from what I thought he might be doing at that moment to what we would do tomorrow when I saw him. And just thinking of seeing him made the butterflies start thrumming in my stomach again, and a smile stretch across my face, which did make me feel a little foolish, standing there in line, smiling to myself.

  The person in front of me turned, and it took me a second to realize who it was: Meredith.

  “Oh, hey,” she said. “I was just thinking about you.” She looked at me. “You look happy.”

  “Hi Meredith,” I said. “I didn’t realize that was you.” She had been thinking about me? Was that true or was she just saying it?

  “What are you doing right now?” she asked. “You want to sit down with me?”

  “Yeah, sure. I was just going to get a hot chocolate and then head home, but I could hang out for a little bit.” I had never hung out with Meredith alone before and I thought that maybe it would be a good thing to do. It would be easier to talk with her one-on-one, as opposed to being in a big group like we usually were when I went over to her house.

  We ordered our drinks and then went and found a table. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, then tilted her head to one side, then the other, stretching her neck. “I’ve had such the week,” she said. I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.

  “Have you been really busy?”

  She shrugged. “Just general stress. I keep thinking about the fact that there’s a killer out there, someone who is targeting people like us. I know James doesn’t think that anything bad is going to happen, but I think that he’s being willfully ignorant. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s afraid. Or maybe he really isn’t.”

  “Are you afraid?”

  “I don’t know if afraid is the right word... Obviously I haven’t gone into hiding or anything. But... I’m not the same carefree person I used to be since all this started happening. It would certainly make me feel better if the police could try a little harder and come up with some leads that might actually pan out.”

  “I bet they’re trying to do everything they can.”

  Meredith looked at me as though she felt bad for me, or thought I was cutely stupid. Maybe both. “I just don’t feel like they’re trying hard enough. If they were, someone would’ve been arrested by now. I don’t like going out and having to look over my shoulder. I don’t like feeling paranoid that someone might be following me. Which is why I thought it was such a genius idea on your part to get a bodyguard.”

  “Maybe you should get one, then,” I said. “Especially if you think it’ll make you feel more secure.”

  “It’s not a matter of being secure,” Meredith said. “I’m probably the most secure person I know. Never had any issues with my self-esteem.”

  “I know,” I said. “I mean, you just seem like a very confident person. Which is a great thing. A lot of people aren’t like that. No, I just meant that if you had a bodyguard, you might not feel like you had to be paranoid every time you went out.”

  “Or, maybe I’d be more paranoid.” She laughed, and then I laughed a little, too, even though it wasn’t really that funny. Why the hell did I feel so nervous right now? It was almost like being on a first date or something, which was completely ridiculous because it wasn’t like I’d never hung out with Meredith before. But I suddenly felt overcome with the desire to have her like me. “You know, the fact that I’d even need to have a bodyguard in the first place. But I guess that’s just the life we chose to lead, isn’t it? It’s not for everyone.”

  “No, it’s not,” I agreed. “I’m not really the sort of person who ever thought that this would be how I made a living. It just sort of... happened.”

  She nodded like she was listening to me, but then asked, “Do you ever just feel like no one understands you?”

  Now it was my turn to nod, though it did surprise me that she would feel this way. She was so beautiful and confident—not just on her Instagram page, but in real life, too.

  “I feel like that a lot,” I said, and it felt strange to be candid with her like this, but also good, too, like we were connecting in a way that we hadn’t before. And since neither my mom nor Aoife could be bothered to get in touch with me right now, it was also nice to have another woman to talk to.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But you’ve got it so together, Teagan. You really do. You’re not just someone who posts things online that make people think she’s a certain way. You really are that way. I find it very refreshing, but I’m also a little bit envious, I must admit.”

  This floored me, because I
never in a million years would have thought that Meredith would be envious of me.

  “I don’t feel that way at all,” I said. “To be honest, I feel like I’m just one more person who’s presenting myself to be a certain way on social media, when the reality is really quite different. I really don’t... I don’t feel that confident at all in real life, but for some reason, that doesn’t come across on Instagram.”

  “No shit.” Meredith widened her eyes. “Do you really feel that way, or are you just saying that? Like, just trying to make me feel better?”

  “No! I’m not just saying it at all; I really mean it. I was thinking about writing a post about it, actually, but I haven’t yet. It’s not really the sort of thing that you want to admit. At least I don’t, anyway.”

  “I don’t understand at all what you might have to not be confident about.” She paused. “I want you to know that you can be honest with me. I know that we don’t hang out a lot or anything, but I’ve always considered you one of my closest friends. I just feel like we have this connection that I don’t have with any of the other girls in my life, and I think that it’s something really special.”

  She smiled and I smiled back. I felt guilty for previously thinking that Meredith was kind of like one of those clique-ish, popular girls at school, because obviously I had misjudged her. I had jumped to conclusions, and that hadn’t been fair of me at all.

  “That’s such a sweet thing of you to say,” I said. “It really means a lot.”

  “Good.” The smile widened as she nodded. “I want you to know that you can be open with me about anything. And I feel the same way toward you. So if there is something, some reason that you think you have as to why you can’t be completely confident with your amazing self, then you should tell me!” She leaned forward, her blue eyes searching mine. She had really thick lashes that curled up slightly at the tips. Everything about her seemed perfectly put together. “Did something happen with you and Ben? Because I know you said that the two of you weren’t working together, the last time that I saw you. I can totally understand why that might be a blow to your confidence, though it absolutely shouldn’t.”