Parker Security Complete Series

by Camilla Blake

  “I get it,” she said. We looked at each other, neither of us saying anything for several seconds. Part of me was waiting for her to say she’d changed her mind, or that she had been joking all along; she wasn’t really going to come with me.

  But that didn’t happen. The silence between us stretched, and I was the one to break it. “All right, then,” I said. “My plan is to take off on Saturday. The exact time can be flexible.”

  “Great,” she said. “I’ll get in touch with Grace and see if she’s available. And then I guess we’ll just have to see where that takes us.”

  Chapter 14

  Gwen

  “Wait, you’re doing what?”

  Austin stood there in the doorway of my bedroom, eating from a bag of pretzel sticks. But when I told him why I was packing, he stopped eating and just stared.

  “I’m going with him,” I said, stuffing some socks into the bottom of the duffel.

  “But... where is he going?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Whoa.” Austin went over and placed the bag of pretzels on my dresser before sitting down on the edge of my bed. “Hold on. This is a huge development, and I am not going to let you get away with being vague right now. You’re not sure? So you’re just going off with this guy and you have no clue where you’re going?”

  “This isn’t like some predetermined-destination vacation,” I said. “This is serious. We’re trying to find answers.”

  “Answers to what?”

  “About what happened to his sister. To my cousin. You might not understand it if it’s never happened to you before, but to have these unanswered questions just floating around, your whole life... it can be a big fucking challenge.”

  “Well, you’re right that no one in my life has ever gone missing... So why do I feel like that’s about to happen now?”

  “Drew is not abducting me. It’s not an abduction if you’re going willingly.”

  “Yeah, I know, but... something just doesn’t feel right about this. I mean, put yourself in my shoes. What if it was me who just came home one day and announced that I was going off with some guy I just met to find answers. I mean, what the hell does that even mean?”

  “I don’t know exactly what it means!” I exclaimed. “I just know that it’s something I need to do. Meeting Drew... it’s brought up a lot of things from my past that I thought I had gotten over. But apparently not. I was really close with Brandon before he just upped and left. I never even got to say goodbye to him. He never, as far as I know, tried to reach out to me. I’d like to see him again.”

  “To tear him a new asshole?”

  “No.”

  “Because it sounds like you’re mad at him. Resentful.”

  “I’m not mad at him. Way too much time has passed for me to be mad at him. Really, I want to know that he’s okay. And if he’s not, I want to find out what happened to him.”

  “Sure thing, Nancy Drew—ha ha, Nancy Drew!”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re so clever.”

  “Really, though. This seems a little irrational. As your friend, I feel like it’s my duty to tell you that I don’t think you should do that.”

  “You’re allowed to share your thoughts with me, and I’m also allowed to tell you that I don’t agree.”

  “What about your job? What about here? As much as I’d like to claim I could afford to pay your rent while you’re gone, I’m actually not sure how feasible that would be.”

  “I’m not expecting you to pay my rent,” I said. “I’m going to pay the next two months. And if I’m gone longer than that, well... I’ll figure something out. Maybe a sublet.”

  Austin made a face. “We’re never going to find someone as cool as you.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Months—really? You think you could be gone for that long?”

  “I really don’t know. I could be back next week.”

  “Or next year, from the way you’re making this sound.”

  “I doubt I’ll be gone a year.”

  “Gwen. Come on. This is really getting a little crazy. Please. Can you just stop and think about what you’re doing?”

  I knew that it probably seemed a little crazy, and I knew that if it had been Austin who was packing a bag to hit the road with some guy he’d just met, I would probably have my reservations too.

  “I understand why you think we need to talk about this,” I said. “I get it, I do. And I don’t expect for you to totally understand why I’m doing this, other than I just feel like this is what I have to do. I don’t have a choice.”

  “But you do. This just seems a little risky, considering you just met this person.”

  “Says the guy who used to randomly hook up with people he met on Craigslist.”

  “Oh, my God—don’t bring that up,” Austin said. “And that has nothing to do with this. I never got in a car with anyone I met off of Craigslist.”

  “No, you just slept with them.”

  “Right—wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. Not trapped in a car for who knows how long, going who knows where. There’s just too many variables with this whole thing! You know how I am; you know that I need things all planned out. An itinerary of sorts.”

  “Well, I guess it’s good that I’m going on this trip and you’re not.”

  I stopped packing and went over to him. “Listen. I really do appreciate that you’re looking out for me. You and Jill really are like my family, and I know you’re just saying this now because you don’t want me to do something stupid and get hurt.”

  He gave me a hopeful look. “So you’re going to reconsider?”

  “No. I’m still going. What I’m going to do is ask that you try to understand, and if you can’t understand it, at least just let me continue on. I have thought about this—it’s really been the only thing I’ve been able to think of ever since I went over to help Grace out and found that journal. I don’t know what the outcome of all of this is going to be, and that’s okay. All I know is that I’m going to go do this. And nothing you say is going to change my mind.”

  I said this last part firmly, but also as kindly as I could. I liked knowing that my friends were looking out for me, I really did. But at the same time, they needed to let me go do this, because if there was any possibility of finding out some answers, I needed to pursue it, no matter where it took me.

  Chapter 15

  Drew

  It was tempting to just hit the road. Take off with no notice to anyone else, other than those who absolutely had to know: in my case, Jason. Let him deal with informing everyone else, fielding their questions. In a way, that’d be the easiest route, because he didn’t have that many answers. He could play ignorant, and people would leave him alone. If I was the one to break the news, everyone would be all up my ass wanting to know every last detail.

  But Jason was already perplexed enough as it was about the whole situation, and I didn’t want to add to his already full plate—any more than I already was, that is. So, on what would be my last day of work for the foreseeable future, I called the crew into the conference room and laid out the news.

  They all sat there, varying degrees of confusion on their faces—even Jason, who knew what I was going to say.

  “You’re leaving?” Cole finally said. “But you don’t know for how long?”

  “Just think of it as an extended leave of absence. A sabbatical. This will not affect your job security at all, though. In fact, I need you guys here, because you’ve got to keep things going until I get back.”

  “But you don’t know when that will be.”

  “There’s no definite timeline.”

  “So, what you’re really doing is going on some wild goose chase because this girl gave you a journal that belonged to your sister?” Lena, who usually had no qualms in letting people know exactly how she felt, was not giving me much to work with here. She sounded both incredulous and dismissive, and that slight raise of her eyebrow suggested that maybe sh
e thought I was also a huge fucking idiot.

  “Something like that,” I said.

  “I get it.” Ben nodded. “I get that you feel like this is what you have to do, in light of this possible new evidence. But... don’t you think that maybe you should give it some more thought? This all seems so sudden.”

  “It’s almost two decades in the making,” I said. “And what is sitting around thinking about it going to do? It’s not going to get me any answers. If that was how it worked, I’d already know what happened to Ashleigh.”

  “But you do realize that the chances of you finding anything new are pretty slim, right?” Lena asked. “I mean, it’s been so long. I know the memories are probably fresh and vivid in your mind still, but most other people are going to have forgotten a lot.”

  “Listen, guys,” I said. “I know that this probably sounds completely ridiculous. And the thing is, if I didn’t feel like the business was in good hands, I don’t know if I’d be able to just take off like this. But I trust you guys with my life, and because of that, I feel comfortable pursuing this. And it’s not like I’m going to drop off the face of the earth, either. I’ll keep in regular contact. I’ll let you guys know how it’s going.”

  “Send us postcards?” Cole said, brightening a little.

  I smiled. “Yeah, of course.”

  The three of them—Ben, Lena, and Cole—slowly began to look a little more accepting of the idea. Only Jason, who hadn’t said a single word, still looked skeptical. And when our little impromptu meeting adjourned and the others went back to their offices, Jason stayed behind.

  “I have a feeling there’s something you want to tell me,” I said.

  “I just don’t have a good feeling about it. And I think that you going alone is not a smart idea. I know you’re more than capable of protecting yourself, but you don’t know what sort of people you’re going to meet out there. Where this is going to take you. The whole thing’s been giving me sleepless nights. If I didn’t have a family, you know that I’d be there with you in a heartbeat. But I can’t just—”

  “Jason.” I held up a hand. “I hear you, man. And I truly appreciate your concern. But I’m not actually going to be going alone.”

  “You aren’t? Who’s going with you?”

  “Gwen.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Gwen?”

  “It’s something of a new development. But it makes sense—this is about her cousin, too.”

  “You don’t know that for sure.”

  “It seems likely. And anyway, she was the one who found the journal.”

  He sighed. “That makes me feel a little better, I guess.”

  “It seems that you’re just thinking worst-case scenario. Which is understandable, but probably not helpful. I could be back next week. All this stress for nothing.”

  “It’s just brought back a lot of painful memories. I mentioned some of this to my father and he thinks you’re crazy.”

  “Of course he does.”

  But that was the thing—I didn’t really care what anyone else thought of this. I wasn’t doing it for them—I was doing it for me, for Ashleigh, for the fact that knowing the truth was always better than not knowing, even if the truth was going to be painful, or not in the least what you expected. There was nothing worse than a big question mark. The not knowing could drive you crazy.

  “So, you’re leaving tomorrow, then?”

  “Yeah. That’s the plan.”

  “I’d say good luck, but I’m not really sure that’s appropriate.”

  “Sure, it is. I’ll take anything at this point—luck, best wishes, whatever you want to offer.”

  “All of that stuff, then,” Jason said. “I hope it works out. Whatever that ends up looking like.”

  ***

  The last people I had to inform of my impending departure were the band. We had a few gigs planned, so I knew they wouldn’t take too kindly to the news, but I didn’t anticipate it being too difficult for them to find someone to fill in, or maybe even take over permanently. As much as I liked playing with them, the idea of never doing another show with FoV again wasn’t that upsetting.

  “You’re bailing just like that?” Hugh asked. “But... we’re playing Speed Garage this weekend. We’re not going to be able to find a replacement by then. Not someone who will be able to learn the songs in time.”

  I had stopped by Hugh’s apartment after texting him that I was going to drop by. It was getting close to lunchtime, and he had clearly just woken up.

  “Am I still dreaming?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. “Because if I am, this is actually a huge fucking nightmare. Drew, man—you can’t leave the band. You can’t do us like that. C’mon, bro. Don’t make me beg.”

  Hugh, of course, had no idea about anything regarding my past, and I intended to keep it that way. I also knew that it didn’t matter what my reason was—I could tell him that they’d just discovered I had stage-four pancreatic cancer and needed to go in for chemo and he’d still be upset over having to cancel the show. He was passionate, all right, which could be a curse, but it would also be his saving grace, because he’d continue on with the band, whether or not I was a part of it.

  “You don’t have to beg,” I said. “What about calling up that kid Wendell? Or Baxter. There’s a lot of people out there who would jump at the chance to play with you guys. Hell, whoever you pick could even wear a balaclava and pretend they’re me.” That actually might not be such a bad idea.

  Hugh did not look amused. “I really can’t believe you’re telling me this right now.” He went over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Corona. I glanced at the oven clock. Not even noon yet.

  “Look,” I said, “I’m not going to get into the details of it. Suffice to say, something very personal has come up and I have to do this. There’s no other option. I’m not exactly sure how long I’ll be away for, so if you want to find someone to play with you guys permanently, that’s fine. And I’m telling you like this because I’m not trying to screw you over. It’s not like I was sitting on this news for months and am now just getting around to telling you.”

  Hugh took a big chug of his beer. “All right,” he said, sounding resigned. “I guess I don’t have any other choice. Doesn’t really seem like anyone can talk you out of this, whatever the hell you’re about to go do.”

  And the thing was, he was exactly right.

  ***

  There were two people standing out front of Gwen’s building with her when I pulled up. I double-parked, turned on the hazard lights, and stepped out.

  “So, you’re Drew,” the guy said, arms folded across his chest. He didn’t extend a hand, but instead just raised an eyebrow as he appraised my outfit, my shoes, the state of my hair. “You’re the man who’s whisking our best friend off to... who the hell knows where.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “Drew, these are my roommates, Austin and Jill,” Gwen said. She gave me an apologetic smile. “They wanted to meet you.”

  “We just think it’s a little odd the way all of this is happening,” Austin said. “It just seems... rather strange, that all of a sudden Gwen is going on this road trip with you, except you guys don’t even seem to know where it is you’re going.”

  “I’ll take good care of her, I promise,” I said. “I’m not looking to go out and get either of us into any sort of trouble—I can promise you that.”

  “Yes, see, the problem with that is, we don’t know you. So you could be a pathological liar and just telling us what you think we want to hear.”

  “Austin,” the other roommate, Jill, said. She had a slightly more friendly look on her face. “You’ll have to excuse Austin,” she said to me. “He’s a little emotional, and when he gets like this, he can’t always control the things that come out of his mouth. All he’s really trying to say is that we just want to know that Gwen is going to be safe. And, seeing as you’re the head of a security company, I feel like you’re probably someone who pr
ioritizes safety, and therefore won’t let her get into any situations where something bad might happen.”

  “Okay, you guys,” Gwen said. “I love that you both have my back, but I think this is taking it a little too far. I’m an adult; it’s not like I’m a six-year-old going off with a stranger.”

  “No, you’re an adult woman going off with a stranger, which might even be worse,” Austin muttered.

  Were I a different type of man, I might’ve been bothered by whatever it was that he was insinuating, but I knew he was coming from a place of just wanting his friend to be safe. I tried to give him my most trustworthy smile.

  “We’ll stay in touch,” I said. “Gwen can call you every single day, FaceTime you, whatever. Whatever’s going to make you guys feel okay, and know that she’s safe.”

  “See?” Gwen said. “You guys are worrying for no reason. Now, give me hugs.” I watched as the three of them embraced, and Austin whispered something to Gwen and she nodded, then they embraced some more, and it was like they were all a part of this huddle that they didn’t want me to be a member of. Fair enough.

  Finally, they broke it off, and I took the duffel bag from Gwen and tossed it in the back of the truck.

  “Has this thing been serviced lately?” Austin asked, eyeing the 4Runner. “Brakes good, oil changed, wiper fluid refilled? All that stuff?”

  “I am meticulous about maintaining my cars,” I said. “And I can assure you that there won’t be any mechanical problems here.”

  It felt a bit like going to a girl’s house to pick her up for a first date and being grilled by her dad, except in this case, “Dad” was a gay man and a woman with curly hair.

  “I’ll be in touch soon, guys,” Gwen said as she climbed into the passenger seat. She gave them a wave. “I promise. Don’t look so worried.”

  “See ya,” I said, tipping my imaginary hat to them. Christ, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think that I was driving Gwen to the Golden Gate Bridge to fling her off—that’s what the expressions on their faces looked like. Jill forced a smile, and then Austin did too. They waved, and I got into the truck and shut the door.