Page 19 of Shadows Redeemed
She turned to Dane as she made her way to the coffee. “Jacob was in Parker’s room last night. A bullet in his shoulder.”
Dane cocked a brow, his coffee mug halfway to his lips. “And you didn’t call?”
“Same thing I asked Parker when I saw him bandaging up his brother.” She shrugged as she poured herself a cup of morning wake-me-up. “He would have been gone by the time you got there, anyway.” She finished pouring her cup and then turned and leaned back on the counter. “He says he didn’t kill the cop, nor did he steal the Broussards’ money. I think that’s what we need to focus on.”
Blaze turned back to his laptop. “I’ll tap into the hotel’s security cameras. See if I can pick up his trail.”
She merely nodded as she lifted her cup to her lips. Jacob wasn’t their next step. The Broussards were, and whoever they had on their payroll at NOPD. “I still have some contacts around here. I can reach out, see what I can find.”
The others started filing through the door, everyone wishing everyone else a good morning, most half-asleep. Marissa fixed everyone coffee and pointed at the bagels, for which Elvis seemed the most grateful.
Dane slid into a chair, his cup held up in front of him as he studied her. “Any ideas where he might go for help? Surely, he knows he can’t do this alone.”
She licked her lips as she lowered her cup. “I might have a couple of ideas, but the truth is, Jacob has always been a loner. He prefers it that way, probably because there’s no one looking over his shoulders when he goes off the rails.”
Dane scoffed. “Not good for his case right now. If he had someone he checked in with, they could alibi him out. Or at the least, stick up for him.”
The sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway caught their attention seconds before a frantic rap on the door jarred the frame. Gage opened it and in stumbled a disheveled and clearly agitated Parker. Sage almost smirked.
“You were right.” His voice was a mix of anger and disbelief. “He’s gone.”
She nodded as she lifted her mug once more. “I know. I went to your room this morning.”
Elvis looked at her, a smirk twisting his lips. She simply shrugged, knowing the man had quickly put two and two together and came up with a good time.
Parker’s eyes widened, desperation clouding his features. “But we have to find him. Someone’s already shot him once. I doubt they’ll miss a second time. Why are we just standing around?”
The accusation in his tone made her bristle, and she squared her shoulders, glaring at him. “Your brother more than made it clear he didn’t want our help. If he goes off and gets himself killed, then that’s on him. I’m here to find the mole in the police department and who wants your brother in an early grave. Now, you can either sit here with us and help us do that, or go running after your numskull brother. Up to you.”
She could feel the others’ eyes on her, acutely aware of their presence, knowing they focused on the scene in the room, but weren’t about to step in. She didn’t care. One night of passion wasn’t enough for her to bow down to Parker’s wants. She had her own way of doing things, and she wasn’t about to change now. For anyone.
“Regardless of what you or I believe or what your brother says, he’s still a suspect in a murder case. And that’s how we’re approaching it.”
She could feel the tension radiating off him, could practically hear the arguments forming in his mind. But before he could voice them, Dane cleared his throat.
“Let’s focus on the task at hand, shall we?” His tone reminded her that even though he was there to help her, he was still in charge. It was his team, after all. “We need to do both. Find Jacob and find the mole. Sage, you said you had some contacts, right? Go shake some trees and let’s see what falls out. Take Parker with you.” He then turned to Elvis and Gage. “You two find Jacob.”
Sage nodded, grateful for the interruption, even though she was less than pleased with who Dane teamed her up with. “We’re on it.”
As they left the room, the tension between her and Parker was palpable, and she knew it had nothing to do with the case. They walked in silence to the elevator, neither quite ready to address the elephant in the room.
It wasn’t until they reached the parking garage that Parker finally spoke. “Look, about last night, I just…” He let his words trail off as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
She felt a mix of emotions swirling inside her—guilt, uncertainty, and a longing she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge. “Parker…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Last night was… it was unexpected. And complicated.”
He turned to look at her, his eyes searching her face. “Is that all it was to you? Unexpected and complicated?”
The raw vulnerability in his voice made her heart clench. She wanted to reassure him, to tell him it meant more to her than that. But the truth was, she wasn’t sure what it meant. Not yet. And she really didn’t want to take the time to figure it all out.
She took a deep breath, one hand going to her hip. “Look, this is a mess in and of itself. The two of us… last night… it just makes it more so. However, we need to focus on getting Jacob cleared.”
“And once we do that?”
She sighed, giving a slow shake of her head. “And then we’ll talk.”
A soft grin drifted across his face, lighting up his eyes with almost boyish glee. “Then we should get going. We’ve got a job to do and a conversation to have.”
She nodded, following him to the car. As they pulled out of the parking garage, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a mistake. Not in helping Jacob clear his name, but in allowing herself to get involved with Parker in the first place. It blurred the lines between personal and professional in a way that could compromise everything. She preferred to keep her fun on the other side of her work. Most of the time, that is.
