Edge (Parker Reed #2) (22 page)

He frowned, pulling off Vader’s helmet and let out a sigh when he realized what it was. “You want me to send you all the files on both of you.”

“No. We want you to place every single piece of information that you have on both of us
and
Devin Tate onto that stick,” Parker instructed.

“What?” Cross’ eyes widened. “I can’t do that. You know I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can,” Parker said, his voice firm. “Devin is ours to destroy. If there is even a hint that the cops find out about our whereabouts unless instructed by one of us…” Parker grinned. “Let’s just say you don’t want to test that theory.”

“Are you threatening me?” Cross asked, the muscle in his jaw ticking.

Parker feigned a yawn, looking bored and cleared his throat. “You know who I am. If I was threatening you, you would never know it. Besides, I would take it as less of a threat and more of a promise.”

“Smug asshole,” Cross mumbled.

“How’s your family, Steven? They happy with the life they live, knowing that their father and husband could just one day not come home? Does your wife know that you pay extra close attention to those female informants? She not putting out enough for you?” We would never hurt him or his family but he didn’t need to know that yet. We had to keep him on his toes if we wanted him to do what we requested. I tried not to think about the repercussions of all of this. Or how it would affect the outcome.

“You fucking leave my family alone, you little—”

“Finish that sentence, agent,” Parker said, his voice rising. “I fucking dare you.”

“Get out of the car,” I demanded Cross. “We’ll be in touch.”

“I—”

“You heard her. Out!” Parker growled.

Cross quickly left the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind him.

I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. “Think we convinced him?” I asked a moment later, needing to break the heavy silence between the four of us.

“I’m sure you did.” Parker pinched my chin and tilted my head to meet the impact of his soft mouth. “You were fucking amazing.”

“I didn’t do anything really,” I said, my cheeks heating.

“Please, girl, you owned that shit.”

I laughed at Jones’ remark. It was the only thing he had said the whole time but I took it to heart.

“Well, I think we owned that shit together,” I pointed out and snuggled into Parker’s side.

“
You
owned it, angel,” he whispered in my ear. “Like I knew you would.”

“Kissing the boss’s ass isn’t going to get you very far,” Colin teased, winking at me.

“Let’s go home,” I said, smiling.

“Roger that, Miss Price.” Jones tipped his hat.

A knowing glance passed between Parker and Colin before the window separating the front from the back closed.

“Parker,” I said a moment later, playing with a loose string on the hem of my sweater.

“Everything will be fine.” Parker pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Will it? Even once everything with Devin is done, will it be fine? Will
we
be fine?”

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“I just…I don’t know how long it will take for me to get over this. What we plan on doing.” I was human. I wasn’t a sick and twisted monster like Devin. I actually had feelings even though he tried to break through them and make them his own.

“Look at me, Keely.”

I met Parker’s gaze, chewing my bottom lip.

“Do you honestly think that it will be easy for any of us to get through this? After we decided that you would go see Devin alone, it kills me. I have to fight this…thing inside of me to keep from strapping you to my table, forcing you to stay home. With me. But I know that your dad’s life is on the line. So I would never do that.” He ran his hands up and down my arms. “I won’t.”

“I know. But this isn’t just about my dad. This has grown into something far bigger than all of us.” I cupped his cheek, the scruff of his jaw tickling my palm. I just hoped that I could deal with Devin when the time came for me to visit him. I wasn’t a good actor. I wore my feelings on my sleeve and Devin would see right through me.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, angel.”

I sighed. “Devin knows me. I know it’s been awhile and I know that he doesn’t know me like you do but…I was with him for a long time, Parker.”

“As much as it bothers me that you were with
him
of all people, the only thing that I can do from now on is be the light that I know you need. To be that Dominant that I know the submissive inside of you craves.” He cupped my shoulders, squeezing with reassurance.

Tears welled in my eyes and I swallowed past the hard lump in my throat. “I love you. With every waking breath. If something bad—”

“No. Please don’t say it.”

“Parker.”

“He won’t hurt you,” he said, his voice rising.

“He won’t kill me, you mean.” My heart raced, knowing what Devin was capable of. “I just…I need to know that Troy will be safe. If I’m not—”

“Keely.”

“I know you don’t want to hear it, Parker. Trust me, I don’t want to say it or even think it but if I don’t get out of this safely, I need you to promise me that you will take care of him. Please,” I begged, cupping his cheeks.

He nodded. “Of course. What’s yours is mine, angel.”

I inhaled a shaky breath and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him. Pouring everything that I felt for him into my touch, I told him over and over how much I loved him. How I couldn’t live without him. “Troy saved me from Devin but you saved me from myself.”

“If something happens to you, I will burn through every building that he owns. I will fucking destroy everything he has so worked hard to get. I will
kill
him.”

Cupping Parker’s nape, I kissed him hard on the mouth. “I know, my love. I know. We will make it out of this.” I had to believe that we would come out stronger in the end. But a part of me wasn’t even sure of that anymore. I hadn’t seen Devin in months and the last time didn’t go so well. He had attempted to leave his mark on my body but was unsuccessful. Emotionally, the scars would always be there. He had ruined the young girl that I was and turned me into this strong and powerful woman that I finally realized was because of him. As I watched him beg for my forgiveness, I would make sure to thank him.

Parker ran his hands under my sweater, brushing them up and down my back. “When all of this is done, I need…we need time. Alone. And a very long vacation.”

My skin tingled, knowing exactly what he had meant. In the beginning, he had introduced me to a lifestyle I now found myself needing but after everything, we hadn’t been able to explore it fully. “Of course. I’m yours.” I kissed his cheek before leaning down to his ear. “
Master
.”

SEVERAL HOURS later when we finally got back to Jones’ and Colin’s cottage, a sense of dread came over me. My stomach twisted.

“Keely?”

“Something…” I shook my head. “I don’t know. Something’s wrong.”

Parker frowned. “Colin.”

“On it.” Colin left the vehicle when suddenly, Troy came running out of the house.

My heart sunk to my feet as he fell to his knees. “Troy!” I left the car as fast as I could, running to him.

His gaze met mine, stopping me in my tracks. His normally blue eyes were bloodshot and filled with so much pain it took my breath away. My heart constricted, tightening in my chest to the point it felt like a hand had a firm grip on the beating muscle.

I was vaguely aware of Parker calling my name but all I could focus on was my best friend staring at me. And that was when I saw it. Hate. So much hate. And it was directed at me.

“Patrick,” was all he said as his shoulders wracked with sobs.

My feet moved of their own accord, leading me to him. I knelt in front of him and cupped his cheeks. “Tell me. Please. Troy. What’s going on?”

His eyes hardened, glaring at me with pure cold rage. “It’s all your fault.”

“Me? What are you talking about?” I had a feeling, an unnerving thought that poked its way into my mind.

“Patrick!” he shouted. “He’s dead. Because of you.”

E TOLD me that it was my fault and I believed him. If I had left Devin right away, none of this would have happened. Devin Tate had a firm grasp on my life. Holding shit over my head that I had done because of him. It wasn’t my fault that I had fallen into the clutches of his wrath but it was my fault that I never listened to Troy in the first place.

“You!” Troy shoved out of my grip, interrupting my thoughts and rose to his feet. “It’s your fault. Your fault that you ended up with Devin. Your fault that Patrick is dead! He’s dead!” Troy screamed. He gripped his chest, pulling at his shirt and shook his head repeatedly. “He didn’t do anything. He was innocent in all of this. He was!”

Tears streamed down my face and all I could do was listen to Troy yell at me. Blame me for the death of his boyfriend. His love.

“Stop. This is not her fault. You know that. You’re just upset,” I heard Parker say.

“No! I’m not just upset. I’m fucking furious. And you,” Troy shouted. “Maybe if you would never have left, Patrick would still be alive. Or maybe you should have died for real.”

I gasped. “Troy.”

“It’s fine, Keely.” Parker glared at him. “Blame me. Hit me. Do whatever you want to me but don’t you fucking dare blame her. She’s your best friend. Your family.”

“She’s not my fucking family.” Troy lifted his chin. “She’s dead to me.”

“Please. You don’t mean that.” I rose to my feet and tentatively took a step towards him. “I didn’t know that this would happen. I didn’t want this.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t always get what you want, can you, Keely? Or in your case, maybe you can. You seem to want your cake and eat it too. I bet you still love Devin, don’t you? You want him and Parker both. Maybe even together.” He shoved a hand through his hair.

He wasn’t making sense. None at all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Parker is mine. That’s it. I don’t want Devin. You know that. You saved me from him. How could you even suggest such a thing?”

Colin and Jones came up beside Parker, circling us when a loud rumble of deep engines sounded up the long driveway.

Troy roughly wiped the tears from under his eyes. “Excuse me while I go inside to get my boyfriend’s body.” And with that, he left us alone.

A breath left me, the wave of his fury knocking me in the chest. “Parker.”

He caught me as I fell, holding me tight against his hard body. “Shhh…he’ll get over this. He loves you.”

I cried against him, wishing that I could change everything. That I could fix this mess and bring Patrick back for Troy. “He hates me.” And if the roles were reversed, I would probably feel the same.

“What the hell is going on?” I heard Greyson ask as the bike engines were silenced.

“Patrick is dead,” Jones explained.

“Shit. How?”

“We can only assume that it was at the hands of Devin.”

“Fuck.”

I pushed out of Parker’s grip. “I need to see him.” I ran up the steps and into the house, stopping only when I saw Troy holding Patrick’s body against him.

He rocked back and forth, silently crying to himself. “Oh Patrick. I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”