Guarding the Truth

by Becca Jameson

  First stop, clothing. Madeline stood in awe while Parker loaded up the cart. He seemed to launch anything he could get his hands on into the cart. He started with the men’s department. Underwear, T-shirts, jeans, socks, tennis shoes…

  Without another thought, he moved into the women’s department. Madeline was silently following him around providing no help, her hands hanging consciously by her sides. She couldn’t move them. Couldn’t lift them. The effort seemed too great. Her senses were overloaded. She felt like she weighed a ton.

  Parker peeked over at Madeline from the side. Since she gave no indication she cared, he began reaching for items for her. “What size jeans do you wear?” he asked as he held up a pair. He seemed satisfied with his selection, launched them into the cart with the growing pile of bargain clothing, and moved on.

  She did as he told her. She stayed by his side, but other than that, she didn’t care about anything. She was exhausted. Mentally drained beyond what the several hours of napping in the car could possibly extinguish. And she was pissed on top of everything.

  “Madeline? Why do I get the feeling you’ve never been in a superstore?”

  Shit. Was it that obvious?

  “Of course I have… No. Sorry.” Why lie? Who the hell cared?

  Parker smiled at her and reached to pull her into his embrace. He held her and she let him, but made no move to return the favor, arms locked anyway to her sides by his bear hug.

  “Baby, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh. I just haven’t ever met anyone quite like you.”

  Why was he being so nice? Didn’t he know how hard it was to stay furious with someone when they were nice?

  “Look, I know you’re exhausted and overwhelmed. I’m trying to hurry. I’m just going to throw everything in this cart here, and we’ll get going.” He slowly released his grip enough to hold her out from him and peer into her eyes. His gaze spoke volumes about how he felt about her—protective, worried, scared even, and passionate. He…cared. Why hadn’t she noticed before?

  It didn’t matter though. Not with their relationship based completely on lies, his…and hers. She couldn’t deal with his feelings. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

  Parker continued, picking up the pace. He grabbed everything she could possibly need without saying another word. He seemed to know a lot about bras and panties, for a guy.

  They moved on to toiletries, where Parker overloaded the cart with deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, and shaving cream. This endearing man even stopped to pick up tampons and hair bands, making Madeline have to stifle a groan.

  Next came food. There was a full grocery store inside this mega store. Without any preamble, Parker flew through the aisles picking up snacks. How long was he planning on hiding out somewhere? Aren’t the police going to come and get me? Take me somewhere safe? And where would that be? No place seemed safe anymore. Well, except right here, with Parker.

  The checkout lady stared at them like they had two heads. “Did y’all just arrive on this planet from outer space or somethin’?” she joked in a Midwestern drawl while continuously blowing bubbles and popping a huge wad of pink bubblegum. She was most likely older looking than her age, with bleach-blond hair pulled back to reveal dark roots in desperate need of a touch up.

  “Something like that.” Parker left her to make her own conclusions, adding the bare minimum of politeness required.

  It took an eternity and two carts for the woman to finish scanning all their items, her long, fake, hot pink nails hampering the process. Other than her initial comment, she acted like this was nothing out of the ordinary. People did it every day. “Your total is four-hundred-fifty-three dollars and twenty-four cents. Will that be credit?”

  How else could someone pay for all this stuff? It’s not like there are dishes we could start washing.

  “No, I have cash,” Parker responded, surprising Madeline. He did say he had a stash of money, but she hadn’t thought he meant hundreds of dollars.

  “The woman behind the counter stopped smacking her gum for the first time probably all day. She stared at Parker in surprise and then recuperated enough to say, “Okay then.”

  She didn’t seem to believe him, but held out her hand anyway as he counted the money into it.

  Madeline almost forgot herself and her intentional bad mood to laugh out loud. Surely this thirty-something-year-old lady with a haircut straight out of the eighties and enough blue eye shadow for everyone who ever lived in that decade thought that Parker and Madeline had just robbed a bank and were on the run. It didn’t seem too far from the truth when Madeline thought about it.

  Finally, but not without staring at the two freaky cash-only customers, Ms. Bubblicious handed Parker a receipt and proclaimed, “Have a nice day.”

  She did not say, “Come again.” And she probably called the police before Madeline and Parker could load the monstrous amount of goods into the trunk of their car.

  When they were once again seated inside and returning to the highway, Madeline finally spoke. “I don’t get it?”

  “Get what?” He didn’t seem startled by her newfound voice, but then again, not much shocked this mystery man she’d spent the night having wild passionate sex with.

  “Why didn’t you use a credit card? I mean what difference does it make? Bubble Lady undoubtedly hit some hidden red button under her counter to contact the police as soon as we stepped away, as strange as we were.”

  “Yes, but Bubble Lady,” he chuckled, glancing her way, “didn’t have any way to trace us.” Oh. “I don’t really care what the local authorities do with her information, as long as no hardened criminals or their accomplices can follow us around the country by tracing our credit card. That’s way too easy to do these days. Trust me, no one will ever know we were here.”

  Hmm. Perhaps he was smarter than she’d given him credit for. “You sound as though you know this from experience. Who are you anyway?”

  “Madeline… I’ll explain everything. Let me get us a safe distance away from here, and then I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Promise.” He glanced at her again for confirmation.

  She nodded.

  Several more hours passed in silent consternation. The only interruption was a phone call with the same distinctive ring Madeline remembered hearing the first day she’d met Parker.

  Parker lifted his hip to dislodge his cell from his pocket as quickly as possible.

  “Reynolds, what’ve you got for me? And it had better be good. I haven’t been shot at since oh five.”

  What? What is he talking about? And how does he know Detective Reynolds? The plot spinning around in Madeline’s mind kept thickening. She glared at him, feeling uneasy and a bit apprehensive.

  “Uh, huh. Okay. Are you sure? No, she’s fine.” Parker glanced apologetically at Madeline and mouthed “sorry.” Because she couldn’t hear both sides of the conversation or because he realized he shouldn’t actually know Mark from her point of view?

  He held up a finger as if to indicate he would tell her everything when he hung up, the sliver of a cell phone balanced between his chin and shoulder threatening to fall at any minute. He re-grabbed it in time.

  “No, we’re safe. I’m certain we weren’t followed. We’ll ditch this car soon and get another somewhere.” A pause ensued once again while Reynolds spoke.

  “Look, buddy, you’re one of my oldest, dearest friends, and I would gladly risk my life for yours, but there’s no fucking way I’m going to tell you, or anyone else for the matter, even so much as the direction we’re heading right now. I can’t risk it or her… You understand.”

  Wow. This just keeps getting better. These two were friends? How many Goddamn people were in on this plot to protect her without anyone telling her? Flames of anger spread across her cheeks once again.

  “Okay. And by the way, I’m throwing this compromised phone out the window the minute we hang up, you know… Just so we’re clear. I’ll contact you private
ly whenever I can. And buddy…you better have good news for me, or the shit is going to hit the fan.”

  Another pause, this one not so long. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you tell her father. Do whatever makes you sleep better at night, but rest assured she’s safe. Absolutely nothing will happen to her as long as I’m alive… Yeah, you’re hilarious. You know what I meant.”

  Madeline gasped. She could hear Reynolds laughing. How could they joke about this? Men. Were their minds ever on anything other than sex?

  Parker hung up and, true to his word, pressed the automatic button to open the window, reached his arm out and gave the phone a hard toss toward the shoulder. It couldn’t have survived the fall. Madeline stared at him with her mouth hanging open, her lips growing dry.

  “You’re going to catch a bug.”

  Forget the phone. “You know Detective Reynolds? I thought my father hired you. I thought you were a college student or something.” She was yelling. She didn’t care.

  “Well, yes. I mean, your father did hire me…on Mark’s recommendation. We’ve been friends for twenty years, ever since grade school. When we both realized we wanted to go into law enforcement, we went to the same college for undergrad. I didn’t lie about my degree,” he added, shooting a quick look in her direction. “Do I get any points for that?”

  Was he kidding?

  Parker laughed, a low rumble. “Honey, like I told you, I’ll explain everything. Just rest. I’m going to drive as far as I can and find us an out-of-the-way hotel for the night. Okay?”

  With questions swimming all through her humming head, Madeline leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. A little more sleep might make everything at least seem better.

  * * *

  Parker drove on, five hundred more miles west, before he got too tired to think anymore.

  He looked down at Madeline who lay peacefully sleeping, thank God, with her head on his lap. She would surely have a coronary if she were aware of her proximity to his rock-hard dick, but thankfully she’d fallen into a deep slumber and had gradually leaned over until he’d eased her head onto him, for her comfort, of course.

  They were in the middle of nowhere, on the western edge of Colorado, exactly where Parker wanted to be, when he spotted a sign for a small-town motel coming up on his side of the highway.

  He carefully pulled off the road and into a parking spot in front of a flashing neon light that had seen better days and reminded Parker of a scene from Psycho. It kept blinking “vacancy” over and over. He shivered and tried to shake the image.

  “Honey.” Parker gently roused Madeline. “We’re here. Let’s get inside and order some pizza or something. I’m starving.”

  Madeline slowly sat up and then jumped a bit out of his lap, glaring at him. He wasn’t about to apologize.

  He reached to smooth her tussled hair. “Come on.”

  Luckily, Madeline complied and followed him out of the car, because he didn’t relish the thought of leaving her alone in the parking lot. Besides the risk, the place was kind of spooky. And, he didn’t feel like arguing with her. He was as tired as he could ever remember being in recent years.

  When they opened the front door, it made a jingling noise from a string of bells tied up near the top, announcing their arrival. How quaint.

  “Can I help you?” A tall slender man in his seventies emerged from a door behind the front desk. Parker could hear the sounds of Jeopardy playing behind the thin wall and knew he was interrupting the old man’s evening game show.

  “We need a room, please.” Parker wondered how long this process would take, considering the speed with which this older version of Norman Bates was moving. The man had absolutely no worries in the world, and for a second Parker wished he could be so lucky. Even if it meant living in a dump in the boonies.

  Parker shuddered, wondering if they were going to survive this night. It seemed rather eerie.

  However, all images of a creepy killer went flying out the window as soon as the country bumpkin spoke. “You folks are in luck,” the old guy proudly stated, “if you’d been through these parts last week, you wouldn’a been able to find a room in the entire area. They was havin’ a fair over in Grand Junction and people come from all o’er to see the rodeo.” He looked up and smiled, several teeth missing from the front, pleased as punch he could assist them.

  “Aren’t we lucky,” Parker flatly stated, trying not to sound too interested in the hopes the process might be accelerated.

  “Would you folks be needin’ two beds or a king-sized bed?”

  “Two,” Madeline was quick to reply at the same time Parker muttered, “One, is fine.” He wanted to keep her as close as possible.

  “Whatever you have available,” Parker amended reluctantly.

  The gentleman seemed amused by this lack of agreement. He chuckled as he turned to get something behind him.

  “How much is that? We’ll be paying in cash, in advance, so we can get back on the road early tomorrow…without bothering you kind folks.” Hopefully that would put an end to the situation and get them into a room as quickly as possible.

  “Okay…you’re all set. I have you in one of our nicest rooms, right around the corner here.” Here came out sounding like it had several syllables, and as he spoke, he pointed to the left of the office. “So, if you need anything, just holler. The total is fifty-seven-fifty, and that includes cable TV and even a remote.” He grinned and handed them the keys.

  Wow. Hot dog. A remote. Who would’ve thunk it? Parker tried not to laugh, he was far too tired anyway. He handed the man the exact change and led Madeline out of the office.

  Madeline must have had a boost to her spirits as a result of her nice long nap, nearly all day, because she burst into laughter the moment they left the building.

  “Where the heck are we, anyway?” she asked when they were out of earshot.

  “Loma, Colorado, my dear lady,” Parker replied with an exaggerated bow. “Let’s get some stuff out of the car and head into this spiffy room of ours, the one with a TV.”

  After grabbing several bags containing probably all the wrong things, they headed for their room. Parker could barely muster the energy to care what was in the plastic bags they hauled into the room. What did it matter?

  Apparently the good old fellow had a sense of humor, because the room had one bed. He must have been in the back room rolling in laughter with his wife by now, thinking of Parker sleeping undoubtedly on the floor. It was a big bed, king-sized he’d said, but Parker seriously doubted Madeline had simmered her mood enough to share it with him.

  He was mistaken. After a brief sigh, Madeline dragged herself over to the far side of the room and stated, “I’ll take this side. You must be tired. Want me to order some take out?”

  “That would be great.” He was tremendously relieved that she appeared resigned enough to his presence in her life, at least for the time being, to stop yelling at him. “I’m going to take a shower and wash some of the stress out of my system. And, Madeline?” He waited for her to look up at him. “Don’t open the door for any reason.” She nodded. They were making progress.

  * * *

  The water ran so long in the shower, Madeline thought he surely had drowned. What was he doing in there so long? The local pizzeria had said forty-five minutes, and that time had almost passed.

  In the meantime, she’d gone through the bags of random items they’d carried into the room and determined what was missing that would be of dire necessity. Toothpaste, for one. And underwear. And damn, they hadn’t thought to buy any night clothes. Great.

  Parker emerged from the tiny bathroom finally, steam escaping into the room. He was wearing nothing but the small hotel towel that barely covered him from the waist to below the fine male appendage she fondly remembered handling the previous evening. And that wasn’t the best part. The towel didn’t reach all the way around, so his muscular butt was sticking out for her to ogle when he turned aroun
d. She jerked her gaze to the wall. Rumblings of arousal rose in the pit of her stomach.

  “I’d hand you something to wear, but we seem to have all the wrong things in duplicate and nothing particularly useful in the bags we carried in from the car.” She stifled a laugh. She didn’t want to feel like laughing, but the situation was beyond humorous.

  How are you going to get out of this one, oh high and mighty savior of damsels in distress? She knew he would never send her to the car alone, and he couldn’t very well go out there in his current state of undress.

  Madeline resumed her perusal as Parker rummaged through the piles of clothing now stacked neatly on a small wooden desk that had seen better days, fifty years ago. He pulled out a pair of jeans, turned to stare straight at Madeline, who was caught red-handed admiring his fine ass, and then made a great production of dropping his towel and pulling the jeans right over his stiffening penis, commando.

  Well then, I guess I was wrong. He could go out to the car.

  Parker pointedly opened the door and then turned to Madeline. “What exactly are you missing from the trunk?”

  “Um, toothpaste? And if you don’t mind, underwear.”

  He nodded before he walked out into the night.

  He was back in moments. Quicker than Madeline had thought possible and carrying several more bags of clothing and a hodgepodge of random items. The door slammed behind Parker as he tossed everything on the bed.

  “Thanks.” The least she could do was sound gracious.

  A quick knock made Madeline jerk in response. Of course, it would be the delivery guy. When was her fear of every little noise going to ease?

  Parker made quick work of paying for the pizza and almost shut the door in the driver’s face in his haste.

  “Dinner,” he announced. “It isn’t quite what you’re used to, your highness, but it will have to do until better accommodations can be acquired.”

  “You’re an ass.” Why did he suddenly have to treat her like she was a snob when he’d known her for a month now and never once seemed bothered by her sophisticated mannerisms or lack of knowledge of, well, most things normal?