by A. C. Arthur
“Oh no. Was your mother at home?” Adriana asked from where she stood beside him.
Parker frowned, remembering in that moment that his father was still in Houston. Looking up to the house where just about all the lights in the front facing rooms were on, up and downstairs he asked, “Where’s mom?”
“Inside talking to more cops. She’s pretty shaken up. Regan’s in there with her,” Savian continued.
“I’ll go in and help,” Adriana told him, touching a hand to Parker’s arm.
“Thanks,” he said watching her walk away.
“So somebody did this on purpose,” he said the moment Adriana was out of earshot. “Who the hell would want to break the windows of this house? And what did they get out of it?”
He looked at Gavin whose face was tight with consternation. That meant he was thinking about something, running scenarios through his mind. For all the years that Parker had known the guy he’d always wondered how it came to be that he was a chef and not a detective as his father had been.
“I think it’s some kind of message. You guys ticked anybody off lately?” he asked with only a tiny bit of humor as they all remembered what had happened in Sansonique.
Parker and Gavin both paused.
“He quit,” Savian said. “When we talked last night you said that Giovanni had quit. You didn’t fire him, right?”
“No, I didn’t fire the idiot director and I didn’t kick his ass the way I wanted to,” Parker spat. “And this isn’t my place. If he were pissed at me, he’d come after me!” He looked up to the house where he’d grown up, saw all the glass, the flashing lights and Parker felt like breaking something himself. He felt like finding whoever had the balls to do this and kicking them, right there, dead center until he coughed up his reason why.
Gavin shook his head. “He’s right. If it were someone going after him, why not reach out to him? Why not go straight to Parker’s place or the office, or to someone he’s close to?”
“He’s close to our parents, that’s a given. Everybody who knows a Donovan knows how family comes first with us. Always,” Savian added.
“He means why wouldn’t he come for me personally, or for Adriana?” Parker asked. He looked to the front door where she’d disappeared through just moments before. Every woman he loved was in that house right now, each of them with questions, concern and most probably fear.
“We should call dad,” Savian said.
“His flight’s due back in a couple hours,” Parker said looking down at his watch. “I think the email said ten in the morning.”
Savian nodded. “But he’d want to know now.”
“Then he should be here now!” Parker yelled.
Savian and Gavin stared at him.
“I’m going in to check on mom and Regan. You can find out what the police are thinking, if they’ve got any prints or any…message,” he said to Gavin through gritted teeth before turning his attention to his brother. “And you, if you get through to dad tell him to get his ass back here!”
#
Savian watched Parker walk into the house. He rubbed a hand down the back of his head and then looked at Gavin.
“He’s right you know, if they wanted him they’d go for him,” Gavin told him.
“But my parents are all the way out here on the water. There’s over forty-five acres of land here, Gavin. The perfect place for a robbery because it’s going to take some time before help could arrive.”
“I don’t think this was an intention to harm. I’m still thinking it’s an attempt to tell your parents, or possibly all of you something,” Gavin continued. “It’s a personal message though because they threw rocks into every window. They didn’t shoot them out and they didn’t throw something bigger like bricks.”
Savian sighed, looking up at the house.
“Who didn’t he fire yesterday?” Gavin asked him after a few seconds of silence.
He’d been staring at the upstairs windows, remembering his nights in that corner room on the west side of the house. From that window he could see out over the bay. On nights like this the water was dark and ominous. It would hold secrets, he used to think. All of his secrets.
“What did you say?” he asked when Gavin nudged him.
“I asked who Parker had words with yesterday. Who did he convince to quit instead of having to fire him?”
Savian shook his head. “Nobody. I mean, the director of the show has been giving Adriana a hard time. Parker said he tried to give the guy one last warning and he just went off, talking about the gig being up and then he just quit.”
“Parker’s serious about Adriana, huh?” Gavin asked. “I told Regan he’d meet his match one day.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Savian was saying, still not sure how he felt about Parker hooking up with Adriana.
It was definitely creating a buzz around the show, especially after the pictures they’d taken tonight. Savian knew the power of social media and thus had been watching the internet all night for any word on the show and the upcoming season. The majority of what he’d seen had centered on Parker and Adriana, the newest and hottest couple in entertainment in just the span of about seven hours. That could end up being a really good thing or a horrendously bad one. For his brother and for their business.
“We should get back inside, check with the cops,” he told Gavin.
“You going to call your dad?”
“Oh yeah,” he remembered and began pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. Just as he was about to press the button to start the call, his phone rang.
“Savian Donovan,” he answered as he always did.
“Security company just called me, somebody tried to break into my parents’ house. Dion’s already on his way. I’m getting in my car now,” Sean told him, his voice as urgent and upset as Savian had been just about an hour ago when he’d called Parker.
“I’m on my way,” he said disconnecting the call and looking to Gavin with a frown.
“You might have been right about that sending a message theory. Somebody just tried to break into my Uncle Bruce’s house, too.”
Gavin swore, then nodded. “I’ll go tell the others.”
#
Parker was having a hell of a time digesting all of this.
“Two break-ins. Or attempted break-ins,” he said while fixing his mother a cup of chamomile tea. Carolyn swore by this as the most soothing drink around, but Parker thought a vodka straight might be better right about now.
“But they never really tried to get into the house,” Regan added.
They’d moved from the living room where one entire wall of windows left them exposed to the night air. Parker had immediately called for a window replacement crew to come out and board up all the windows. It was costing them triple times the regular amount since he’d awakened the owner of the shop and all but commanded that he get here in the next ten minutes. A little more talking, his name thrown into the mix and an agreement that twenty minutes was a better time frame, and he could now hear the men with hammer and nails covering all the open windows in the house. They would be back in the morning—the daylight morning—to take measurements and then to order the glass for the replacements.
“That is so strange,” Adriana said from the long country shite table just a few feet away from the island in the large kitchen.
Regan sat across from her with Carolyn at the head of the table and Gavin sitting beside Regan.
“That’s an understatement,” Gavin said with a shake of his head. “But I’m sure the police will sort it out.”
Parker didn’t miss the look Gavin had given him. The one that said maybe they shouldn’t talk about this in detail in front of his mother. Carolyn’s hands had been shaking when Parker had come into the house. With Regan and Adriana flanked on either side of her, he swore he’d never seen his mother this upset before. Now, she’d calmed down a bit, after talking to Aunt Janean on the phone for a few moments and commiserating with her.
“Yes, I’m sure they will,” Regan added. “I hope daddy can get an earlier flight home.”
“He said he was going to try,” Carolyn spoke up finally. Her head was wrapped in a pastel colored floral scarf which Parker knew she always wore at night when she slept.
The cream colored robe was belted tightly around her waist, the large diamond wedding band and engagement ring that he’d seen and admired for many years still sparkling on her left ring finger. Of course she would want her husband home with her. And Reginald Donovan should have been here. Parker clenched his teeth to keep remarks regarding that particular situation from being blurted out.
“Here you go, mom,” he said instead, once he’d crossed back to where the table was.
Setting the cup down in front of her he touched her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want you staying here alone. You should come home with me until dad returns.”
“Oh no,” Carolyn said immediately. “I wouldn’t think of imposing on you…and Adriana.”
“It’s no imposition,” Adriana replied. “I can go back to my apartment. That’s not a problem.”
“Nonsense,” Carolyn continued patting Adriana’s hand. “You and Parker will go back to his place and finish sleeping off that fantastic meal I heard from a little birdie that you had. And you two, before you even think of offering, can just go back to your place too. I’ll be just fine going up to my room.”
“You will not. And this is not up for discussion. Daddy would kill us if he knew we’d left you here alone,” Regan said.
Carolyn nodded her head. “Yes, he would have some words to that effect. Well, what if I go and stay with Janean? She shouldn’t be alone either.”
“She’s probably not being as stubborn as you are and is happy to stay with either Sean or Dion tonight,” Parker added, his hand still on his mother’s shoulder.
That was why it was so easy for her to reach up and slap said hand. “I’m being sensible,” she told him. “Doesn’t make sense for any of us to intrude. Janean and I can stay together at her place. One of you can take me over there. And before either of you say another word, one of you can just pick up your little cell phone and call Savian since he went over there and tell Janean I’m on my way.”
Parker wanted to argue more, but Adriana looked up at him, shaking her head slightly. Regan, which surprised the hell out of him, also gave him that ‘don’t say another word’ look, before touching Carolyn’s hand. “Alright, mom, that’s what we’ll do. Parker will call Savian and I’ll go up with you to pack a bag.”
Fifteen minutes later the bag was packed and Regan and Gavin were taking his mother to stay the night with Aunt Janean. Savian, the only single one which made him it by default, would be staying at Uncle Bruce’s house with the mothers. As a special request from Gavin, two police cars would stay outside of the house until the Donovans had a chance to hire private security, which Parker was determined to take care of the moment normal businesses opened on tomorrow morning.
It was nearly six a.m. when he and Adriana finally walked back into his place. She’d gone straight to the kitchen mumbling something about putting on a pot of coffee. Parker’s head was throbbing, his phone vibrating every few minutes with text messages flying between him, his siblings and his cousins. All of them expressing their concern over what had just happened and why the hell their fathers weren’t here to deal with the situation. Actually, that had been the secondary concern for all of them. Dion had talked to Uncle Bruce and he’d joined in with Reginald’s decree of looking to get an earlier flight out in the morning. The family owned a private jet but at the moment it was somewhere in Europe with Trent and his wife Tia, Adam and Camille as they were traveling together to all the Fashion Week events.
When he’d been checking the text messages as he’d walked back to join Adriana in the kitchen he noticed a missed call from Jaydon and a voice message. It was just about a half hour ago and he wondered why he hadn’t heard the phone ring, then decided it was for the best. He was still pissed off at Jaydon and was really contemplating whether or not she had a future working for the Donovans. He hadn’t liked her tone or the implications she’d made about his relationship with Adriana. That coupled with her claim of wanting them to get back together was pushing him more towards the ‘she has to go’ decision.
“Coffee will be ready in a few minutes. Do you want something to eat? I can fix you some scrambled eggs or toast or something,” Adriana said when he entered the kitchen.
He’d seen her in here before over the last couple of weeks. They’d taken turns spending nights at her place and at his, getting up and ready for work in the morning then driving in separate cars, which irritated him for reasons he still couldn’t quite understand. In truth, he thought as she looked in the refrigerator while talking to him, she looked as comfortable here as she had at her place. Of course, Parker was more comfortable here as he’d wanted her place to be more secure, more upgraded in its décor and possibly closer to his. Maybe, he just wanted her living with him.
Squeezing the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes and tried to let those thoughts wither away. There was definitely too much going on at this moment for him to try and figure out a way to ask her to move in with him, or a strategy to combat her undoubtedly ‘no’ first response.
“I’m not really in the mood for food,” he said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat at the island.
“Oh,” she said closing the refrigerator. “Okay. Well, do you want me to run you a bath after your coffee? Those lavender bubbles really did the trick relaxing me.” She’d walked over to where he sat, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as she talked.
“Yeah, I’m sure I don’t want to walk around for the rest of the day smelling like lavender.”
He chuckled then and she did too, kissing his cheek.
“I’m sorry this happened to your parents’ house. They’re such nice people and they don’t deserve this. Neither do your aunt and uncle,” she told him.
“No. They don’t,” Parker replied. “But you know what?”
He turned a bit in the chair, enough so that he could pull her between his legs and wrap his arms around her.
“What?” she asked snuggling up close to him.
“I’d really like to just hold you right now. Just for a few minutes I want to hold you and remember how soft you were in my arms as we slept, how right everything seemed in the world at that moment,” he said.
She kissed him on the lips and then hugged him close to her. “You can hold onto me, Parker. I’m right here for whatever support you need.”
“Thank you,” he sighed, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair and closing his eyes.
This really did feel perfect. Her in his kitchen, in his arms and in his life.
“Adriana,” he said riding this perfect wave for the moment. “What do you think about us moving in together?”
She pulled away from him so fast Parker almost fell off the chair. She’d backed away and he’d looked over to see her shaking her head from side to side, more than ready to say no and to give him every single reason she had to support that answer. He was just thinking that he should have waited, should have gotten his strategy together when not only did his cell phone ring, but Adriana’s did too.
They looked at each another second before she moved to the counter where she’d left her purse and he dug into his pocket pulling out his phone once again. They both answered and moments later they both froze. Parker immediately got up and grabbed the remote control to the forty-inch television that was mounted over the cabinets in his kitchen. Switching it on and punching in the entertainment news channel he frowned as he hit the volume button, already seeing what Savian had called to tell him.
A picture of Adriana, top bare—blurred out on television—in one screenshot and another picture of Adriana, her head back against a man’s chest, the man’s hands covering her bare breasts this time, and the man’s face…his.
Chapter 11
Adriana’s head was throbbing, her stomach clenched and she felt like she would simply collapse at any moment. Collapse or be sick, the jury was still out on which.
“I didn’t think I needed to clear my personal life through my agent,” she snapped at Jaydon. A part of her was sorry for the remark, the ‘be professional’ situation and all that. But another part, the one that had been dealing with the embarrassment of seeing her face attached to naked pictures and the insinuation that those pictures were of her and Parker, exchanged via sex messages on their cell phones, said ‘now is definitely not the time’.
“Well you should have since you’re sleeping with my ex!” Jaydon yelled into the phone.
Adriana shook her head. This was the side of Jaydon Donovan that she’d always known was there, the one where she could rip a person to shreds with her words. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, Adriana truly was not in the mood.
“The operative word there is ex, Jaydon. You and Parker have been divorced for years and besides that, if there was any responsibility owed to you, it would have been from him, not me.” Adriana sighed, holding her head down and shaking it slowly. “On the professional front, those pictures and everything about them are all lies. I don’t know how we’re going to prove it, but we will. I hope that Thad will wait for the truth to come out.”