by Mike Ryan
Cole laughed at the preposterousness of the claim. “Yeah right,” he said.
Parker wasn’t as quick to laugh it off though. She knew it was serious and that Turner was having doubts about them. She grabbed Turner’s hand and led him over to the couch, sitting down next to him.
“Ryan, the director is the one who sent us after Heath. And besides, it doesn’t work like that. Even if you’re deep undercover you still have a handler and support team who can get you out of trouble,” she patiently told him.
“I guess, I mean, how do I know I can trust you?” Turner said, throwing his hands up. “Any of you. He says things that sound good. You guys say things that sound good. I just don’t know what to believe.”
“You can believe I’m gonna put my foot up your ass in a minute,” Cole threatened.
“That is not helping,” Parker admonished. She then sat there for a minute, silently, with her elbows on her knees and her hands folded between them as she thought of how to convince him they were on his side.
“I dunno,” Turner stated. “He told me I shouldn’t trust you because you’re a trained killer and a master at deception and you’ll tell anyone anything in order to get your mission accomplished. That you’d tell me anything and not to believe anything you’ve said to me.”
“He told you that?”
“Yeah, he did. I guess it’s just hard to believe someone with the name Night Terror is actually on your side.”
“What?” she asked, not believing what she just heard.
“Heath gave me your file.”
“You read top secret information?” Cole asked. “Not a smart move, game boy.”
“What else?” Parker asked.
“Huh?” Turner said.
“What else did you read?”
“All your aliases and missions and stuff. It was all there.”
“And?” she asked, knowing there was more to come.
“He said to ask you about France,” he softly told her.
Parker angrily looked at him, giving him an icy stare. “And what did he tell you about it.”
“Nothing. Nothing. He said it wasn’t in your file cause it’d been taken out for some reason and to just ask you what happened.”
Parker’s face went from concern about convincing Turner that they were really there to help him to anger about him now knowing certain facts about her. As much as she wasn’t ashamed of the things she’d done, she didn’t want Turner knowing all the intimate details about the things she’s had to do.
“So what happened in France?” Turner asked.
Parker looked down for a minute before looking at him. “I’m not gonna talk about what happened in France,” she told him.
“Why? What was so bad?” he asked again.
“Listen, I am not gonna sit here and tell you what happened, OK? I’m an agent, you’re a civilian, and you do not need to know everything that I’ve been through, OK?”
“OK. I was just asking.”
“Well don’t ask again. What happened there is none of your business,” she angrily said. “If you wanna believe everything that Heath’s told you, then fine, believe it. If you think that he’s actually the good guy here, then I don’t know what else to tell you, or how to make you believe otherwise, and I’m not even gonna try anymore. So if that’s the way you wanna play it, then go find him and I’ll leave you alone permanently.”
“Alex…,” Turner started.
Parker had gotten so angry that she didn’t even want to hear anything else he had to say. She got up and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. Turner felt bad that he got her upset. Deep down, he knew most of what Davis was telling him was a bunch of junk. But he did read Parker’s file, it was all there, there wasn’t anything that Davis needed to lie about in it. While Turner felt badly, Cole was actually impressed with Parker’s fire. It was the most pissed off he’d seen her be yet. He actually kind of liked it.
“Good job, dope,” Cole said. “Looks like you just pissed off the girl that’s kept you alive so far. Great work. By the way, she’s probably the only one in all of this, me and Davis included, who actually cares what happens to you. Don’t ever forget that.”
While Turner sat there contemplating everything, Cole left the apartment and saw Parker standing on the porch, leaning against a railing just looking into the distance. He could see that she was crying and wiping at her eyes. He wasn’t very good at being a person to lean on with his gruff persona, and didn’t always give the impression that he cared, but he very much cared about his job and the people he worked with. He took a step toward his apartment but stopped and thought about what he’d say if he walked over to her. Even though he knew he probably wasn’t the best person to be around for that sort of thing, he decided to lend her his support.
“I’d offer you some tissues but I’m uhh…I’m fresh out,” he opened.
Parker looked away and wiped her off the tears on her face, not wanting him to see her crying. “It’s OK. I’ll be fine.”
Cole hesitated, not knowing how else to comfort her. He pulled out his weapon and offered it to her. “Wanna shoot him?” he asked.
Parker laughed. “No. No, I don’t want to shoot him.”
“If it makes you feel better, you don’t have to kill him. Just give him two in the knee caps. Make you feel brand new.”
Parker shook her head and laughed. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Mind if I shoot him?” he joked.
“No you can’t shoot him.”
“Always taking away my fun,” Cole said, putting his gun away. He then sighed and asked some questions that he usually wouldn’t ask someone, but considering they were now partners, felt more of a connection. “So what got to you in there?”
“I don’t know,” Parker sighed.
“Was it France? Or something else?”
Parker looked at him, Cole putting his hand up to calm her down before she said anything. “I don’t need to know any details,” he told her. “Whatever happened in France or anywhere else can stay there. I know sometimes we do things that maybe we don’t look back fondly on. We make decisions on a daily basis that most people never have to make in their lifetime. Decisions that are life and death, decisions that get people killed, and sometimes we’re the ones that pull the trigger. And we have to live with that.”
“I dunno. I guess it was just everything. Not just France. That was just the iceberg I guess,” she said.
“The fact that he now knows everything about you and your past?”
“Yeah. I guess I uhh…well, you don’t wanna hear what I’m thinking,” she said, waving her hand at him.
“I’m here.”
Parker looked at him and hesitated, not sure if she really wanted to divulge everything that was on her mind. But after thinking about it for a minute she thought, why not? She didn’t really care at that point.
“I guess it’s cause when I’m around him I feel…like a normal person. Like I’m just a regular girl talking to a regular guy. No aliases, no missions, no guns, none of that. I’ve never had that before and it’s kind of nice.”
“And now he knows all your dark and dirty secrets. Maybe he’ll think of you differently?”
“I guess. I’m just torn between my job and…,” she stopped.
“And pursuing someone you clearly have feelings for?”
“Look, I have no family. Don’t really have any friends either. I was recruited when I was seventeen and this is all I’ve ever known. And for a long time it was great. I never really thought of anything but the mission I was on or wanted to do anything else. But now,” she said.
“But now you’ve finally met someone who makes your heart go pitter patter and you’re wondering if maybe it’s time to walk away,” he stated.
“Yeah. Just before we came here I started having doubts. But meeting him…now I don’t know. I’ve been on my own since I was ten. I never had the normal life or was able to do the things most gi
rls did. Now I guess I’m starting to want all those things that I’ve been missing. I guess part of me just really wants that without all the spy stuff.”
“Understandable.”
“I mean, blowing things up and killing people, and having aliases, that can’t be all that life is, can it?”
Cole made a face, “well it’s worked for me so far.”
“I’m just tired of seducing drug lords, and arms dealers, and crooks, and…”
“You know what you need?” Cole asked.
“What?”
“You need a day off.”
“We have too much to do here. I can’t take a day off,” she resisted.
“Take tomorrow off. Go to the beach. Soak in the sun. Relax. Come back refreshed, you’ll feel better, and the day after, we get Nazarov. There’s nothing going on tomorrow anyway. I’ll keep working and plugging away on Davis,” Cole told her.
“You really think so?”
“Look, you’ve obviously got a lot on your mind. You need to just relax for a day. It’ll do you good. And when you get back you’ll feel better and work better. If anything important comes up, I’ll call you.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I just need a day off. Thank you,” Parker said, giving Cole a hug.
Cole froze, surprised and not sure how to respond. He wasn’t used to affection.
“Thank you. I really needed to get all this off my chest,” she told him.
“Uhh, sure. That’s what a partner’s for.”
Cole bid her goodnight and went back to his apartment. A few minutes later Turner looked out his window and saw Parker still standing there. He figured it was his chance to go apologize to her and hope that she still wanted to talk to him and not take him out with a knife or something. He walked over to her and just stood next to her for a few seconds, not saying anything. He figured if she didn’t want anything to do with him then she’d just leave. But she still stayed, which he took as a good sign.
“It’s a nice night,” Turner stated.
“Yeah.”
“I just wanted to apologize for everything in there.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” she told him.
“I do. I know what you’ve done for me and I shouldn’t have questioned you and I’m sorry for that. It’s just…never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be in the middle of a CIA plot, with rogue agents, doing drops in theatres, apartment bugging,” he shrugged.
“It’s a lot to process. And I don’t blame you for being confused at times or not quite knowing who you can trust.”
“I guess when Heath told me that you bugged my apartment, and you would tell me anything, and not to trust you…I guess I just thought the worst.”
Parker looked at him, staring right into his eyes. “I didn’t lie about what I told you, about me. Everything I told you about me, about my past, was the truth.”
“I believe you. I do.”
“I guess part of what made me so angry was you knowing all my secrets. I mean, it’s one thing to know what I do and what I’ve done. It’s another to know all the details. I like you. And I suppose I got mad because I thought if you knew all that stuff it’d change your opinion of me. And I want you to like me too,” Parker said.
“Of course I like you. What’s not to like?” he asked. “I mean, other than the killings, shootings, stabbings, and blowing things up,” he joked. “That part is a little scary, I admit.”
Parker laughed. “I guess that can be a little intimidating, huh?”
“Just a smidge,” Turner gestured with his fingers. “I’m actually a little surprised though.”
“Why?”
“I’m surprised a CIA agent would actually care about being liked. Didn’t think that was part of your DNA protocol,” he said.
“Well, even CIA agents have feelings.”
“Apparently so.”
“Especially with my upbringing. Like I told you, I don’t really have any close friends or anything. And I’ve been on constant missions in foreign countries for the last six years. I guess being back here makes me wanna be a little more normal,” she told him. “Maybe actually have a friend or two.”
“Well you can count on me as one of those,” he said, offering his hand to her.
Parker shook his hand and they stared into each other’s eyes. Parker thought about leaning in closer to him to kiss him. Just as she started to move, his phone went off, breaking up the moment. Turner started smiling as he was reading the text message along with the response he sent back.
“What is it?” Parker asked.
“Oh, nothing. Just my buddy, Mark. Haven’t seen him in a couple weeks so he just asked if he could come over tonight to hang out.”
“Oh. Kind of like a boys night.”
“Yeah. I guess so. We’ve been best friends since high school,” he told her.
“Well that sounds like fun.”
Turner’s phone went off again, this time from Vicki. She was asking about another double date with Marissa.
“You seem popular tonight,” Parker stated.
“Seems that way.”
“Mark again?”
“No. My sister,” he said.
“She coming over too?”
“No, she was just wondering if I wanted to go out with her and her boyfriend again tomorrow night.”
“Oh. Just the three of you? Seems kind of weird.”
Turner hesitated before telling her about Marissa. “Well, it wouldn’t be just us three. She wanted to include Marissa again.”
“Oh. Oh, how nice. She must really like you,” Parker said, stumbling through it.
“I guess so.”
“You should go. She seemed nice. Pretty.”
“Yeah. I suppose so.”
“You don’t seem so eager,” she noted.
“I dunno. I thought maybe you and I could do something tomorrow and keep getting to know each other better…as friends.”
“Well, I was planning on going to the beach tomorrow. Cole told me to take the day off and unwind and relax. Maybe you could call in sick and join me?” she offered.
Turner thought for a moment about whether he could actually take the day off. He had time available so he quickly decided he could. “That sounds fantastic.”
“Great,” Parker smiled. “Leave around noonish?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Good. Gives me time to go shopping first.”
“Shopping?”
“You may find this hard to believe, but with all the missions I’ve been on, I don’t own a bathing suit,” she told him.
“Hmm.”
“Then we should be back in time for you to go on your date,” Parker said. She didn’t want to tell him not to go and make it sound like she was coming on too strong for him.
Turner text his sister back and told her he’d go on the date with them, even if he still wasn’t completely sold on the idea. Turner and Parker kept talking for a little while until his friend Mark showed up. Turner introduced the two of them and Parker could see why they were close friends since they had similar personalities.
“Well I’ll let you boys go so you can do whatever it is that guys do,” she said, letting out a slight laugh.
“It was really nice to meet you,” Mark told her.
“Same here.”
Ryan and Mark went inside his apartment and got a couple beers before sitting down.
“Wow. She might be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” Mark stated.
“That she is.”
“And she seems so down to earth and friendly.”
“Yep,” Turner agreed.
“So have you tried to make a move yet?”
“Well right now I think she just wants to be friends so…”
“Oh, no. That’s awful. Tell me you’re laying the groundwork though for a future possible crazy encounter of some kind.”
“Well, you know, I’m uhh, yeah, yeah.”
“So you’ve
got nothing, basically,” Mark noted.
“Yeah, yeah. Pretty much,” Turner nodded.
“You poor sap. Living next to her. That’s gotta be torture. Yet heavenly at the same time.”
“You have no idea.”
Chapter 8
Parker returned from shopping around ten o’clock and immediately went to Turner’s apartment to see if he was ready. He opened the door and was surprised to still see her in regular shorts and a t-shirt.
“Thought you were out getting a bathing suit?” he asked.
“I did,” she replied, holding up a bag. “I figured I could change in here before we go if you don’t mind.”
“Mind? Of course not.”
“OK. So I got two because I couldn’t decide what was better. So maybe you can tell me which one you prefer.”
“If there’s one thing I’m an expert at, it’s female bathing suits,” he joked.
“OK. Be out in a minute,” Parker said, going to the bathroom to change.
While Parker was changing into her bathing suit, she was hoping that he’d really like what he saw. She wanted him to fall for her and hoped that this would drive him wild. She came out a minute later in a white bikini, while also holding a tiger print bikini in her left hand. Parker put her hands out on each side to give him a better view of everything. Turner stood there with his mouth open, not moving a muscle, not quite believing what he was witnessing. He couldn’t believe a woman this beautiful was standing in front of him, and with so little clothing to boot.
“So what do you think?” Parker wondered.
Turner was so focused on looking at her body that he completely blocked out everything else and didn’t hear a word she said.
“Ryan?”
“Huh?” he said, still not taking his eyes off her body.
Parker smiled, confident that her plan seemed to have worked, and not minding for a second that he was mesmerized. “What do you think?”
“Uhh, looks…great. Yeah, really, really good,” he replied.
“So you think I should stick with the white one?” she asked. “Or the tiger print?” holding it up for him.