Prologue

Miss Parker's House
Blue Cove, Delaware
10:38 p.m.

Miss Parker stood in front of a full-length mirror in her bedroom. She
looked at her fully clothed reflection. Nothing appeared flawed. She
looked like her normal self: cold, fashionable, untouchable. Frowning,
she exhaled slowly.
She then began to undress. Her movements were slow and careful. She
then stood in her bra and panties. This time, her appearance was painful
and shocking. She drew in a shuddering breath as she looked at her half
dress body. Tears stung her eyes and she bit her bottom lip.
Bruises and cuts covered her arms, chest, abdomen, legs, and back. If
she had removed her bra, there would be more marks. She didn't want to
think of the pain that was between her legs. Her body was sore and ached
horribly. Thank god for pain pills. She thought, a single tear running
down her cheek.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded a slurred voice from the
bedroom doorway.

"Nothing." Parker answered quickly, going for her black silk robe that
was at the end of her bed.

"Don't look like nothing." Stated her new boyfriend, Brian Stanton,
swallowing the last remains of beer from the can he held in his hand.

"It is." She assured him, slowly putting on the robe.

Brian put his empty beer can down and walked up behind her, wrapping
his arms tightly around her waist. Parker tried her hardest not to flinch
at the pressure against her beaten body. The man murmured something
indistinct against her neck as he laid sloppy kisses against her skin. She
pulled away from his advances.

"Not tonight, Brian." She said softly, "I'm not in the mood."

Suddenly, Brian lashed out and smacked her -hard- across the face. Her
head whipped back from the strength of the blow. She tasted the
metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Before she had time to counter his
attack, he lashed out again, this time punching her hard in the abdomen.
Pain radiated through her body.
Doubling over, Parker groaned in pain, hot tears streamed down her
cheeks. Brian shoved her down. As Parker lay defenceless on the floor,
Brian kicked her repeatedly in the ribs. She cried out in pain, unable to
hold it in. The man smiled at the sound.

"You deserve all that you get." He hissed with one last kick, "You
stupid bitch."

Parker, her body racked with pain, closed her eyes. She heard his
retreating footsteps and made a silent prayer to God to make him leave the
house. A minute later, she heard the front door open and slam shut. She
began coughing, painful and uncontrollable. Her body felt heavy and the
blackness consumed her quickly.

Chapter 1

11:15 p.m

Parker awoke to the sounds of someone calling her name. She slowly
opened her eyes to find Jarod's dark eyes watching her.

"Can you talk?" he asked.

She swallowed hard and managed to get out a hoarse, "Yes."

"Good."

He helped her into a sitting position. She couldn't help but wince
sharply in pain. Sighing, the Pretender gave her a look.

"What happened to you?"

She looked away, not meeting his concerned gaze. "Nothing."

"Tell me."

"It's nothing."

Jarod's hand caught her chin. He moved her head so she was looking at
him. She winced again. Her neck was still hurting from when her head
whipped back. Jarod's hand cupped her cheek.

"Tell me." He repeated softly.

His voice was so filled with concern that it made her heart ache. She
gave a defeated sigh and briefly closed her eyes. Opening them, she
answered.

"My…boyfriend. He gets drunk sometimes…and he hits me. It's no big
deal."

Anger flashed in Jarod's dark eyes. That startled Parker, she had never
seen him so angry. She swallowed.

"No big deal?!" he cried his voice harsh, "He hits you! He abuses you!
And it's obvious that you don't do anything to stop it."

She sighed and got to her feet, wincing with every move. Jarod still
stayed in his kneeling position, wondering what she was trying to prove.
He watched as Parker removed her robe, exposing her half-dressed,
beaten body. Jarod's expert eyes and gentle hand explored her marked flesh.
When he gently squeezed her ribcage, she cried out in pain.

"Your rib is broken." He said, "Do you have any binding tape?"

"In the bathroom."

The Pretender got up and went into the bathroom. He then returned a
minute later, the binding tape in hand. He knelt down in front of her
again, then carefully, he began to wrap her ribs.

"I'll be okay." She told him quietly.

When he finished, Jarod sighed and rested his forehead against her
stomach. Parker entangled her hands in his hair.

"I'll be okay." She repeated, not sure if she was trying to convince
him or herself.

He sighed heavily, his warm breath tickling her skin. He got to his
feet and looked around. Parker bit her lip in worry. She didn't know when
Brian was going to come home and he wouldn't be happy to see her with
another man. She shivered slightly.

"You have to get out of here." She told the Pretender.

"If I go, you're coming with me."

"No!" she cried, "I can't…"

"Why?" Jarod demanded, "Give me a few good reasons."

Parker only sighed, refusing to answer. He gave her a hard look. He
wasn't happy with her; she knew this. But she couldn't bring herself to
tell him the real reason why. He would probably laugh at her or worse,
think she was crazy.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked.

"A month…"

"What?!" Jarod was outraged, "Are you stupid?! He's been abusing you
for a month and you haven't done anything to stop him or get help?!"

She shrank away from him, not liking to hear him yell. It reminded her
of Brian. She never wanted Jarod in the same category as Brian. Jarod
notice her movements and immediately calmed his voice but he couldn't
calm his desire for justice.

"Why?" he asked softly.

Parker refused to answer him. She averted her gaze to the floor.

This is going to be a long night. Jarod thought.

He sighed. "Get some loose, comfortable clothes on and come with me."

This time, it was Parker's turn to sigh. "I don't have a choice do I?"

"Nope."

She went to her dresser and opened the middle drawer. Pulling out a
pair of blue pajama pants and a large black T-shirt, she shut the drawer.
She put on the clothes, then moved to her end table. She picked up her
cell phone and put it in her pocket. Jarod gave her a look.

"It's just in case Sydney or Broots calls. I'm not in the mood to take
you back to the Centre. Plus, I'm in no shape to hurt you."

Jarod was relieved. He grabbed her hand and they went downstairs, then
quickly left the house. They got into his black car and were on their
way. The pair sat in silence. It was a tense, awkward silence.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"My house."

"Your house? An actual house. Not a hotel room or anything."

"Yes."

"How does the Centre not know of this?"

"I bought it under an alias."

"What name?"

"Aaron Phillips."

"Nice name."

Jarod gave her a look, then returned his eyes to the road.

"Is the physical abuse all he does?" he asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"Has he ever abused you any other way?"

"Like?"

"Sexually."

Parker chewed nervously at her bottom lip. "Define it…"

Again, Jarod gave her a look. "Has he ever done anything to you in a
sexual way to cause you pain?"

She looked down at her hands that were clasped tightly in her lap.

"Yes."

"Have you gone to a doctor?"

"No. He's never hurt me that bad before."

Jarod snorted softly in disgust.

"How much longer?" she asked desperately wanting to change the subject.

"Not much longer." Answered the Pretender.

Chapter Two

About twenty-five minutes later, Jarod and Miss Parker stood in the
bedroom of Jarod's beautiful two-story house. As Parker gazed around the
room, she got the feeling that this was his domain. There was a door
leading to the master bathroom to the left of the bed. The Pretender
looked at her.

"Do you need anything?" he asked.

*A drink and a reality check* she thought.

"Do you have any pain pills?" the woman asked.

Jarod nodded and went into the bathroom. She could hear him rustling
about in search of the pills. He reappeared a minute later with a pill.
After handing her the pill, he left the room and went downstairs. He
returned with a glass filled with water.

"Thank you." murmured Parker, swallowing the pill and drinking the
water.

She handed him the glass and he put it on the end table beside the bed.

"Lay down." Jarod instructed her.

Parker did as she was told and got into the king-size bed. The bed had
a goose-down mattress and she blissfully sunk down into the bed. She
then watched as Jarod took off his jacket, shirt, socks, shoes, and
pants. He crossed the room and shut the door and turned off the light. He
got into the bed.
An awkward tension filled the air between them. *Why is he doing all of
this for me?* she wondered, *Then again, he's always been good to me,
despite the fact I nearly shot him a couple of times.*

"Jarod?" she said her voice small.

"Yes, Miss Parker?"

"Will you hold me?"

"Did the pain pills kick in already?"

"No, but I don't care."

Jarod moved closer to her and, as gently as he could slid his arm
around her waist, embracing her in a spooning cuddle. Parker instantly felt
the safety of his arms and the comfort of his touch.

"Thank you, Jarod." she whispered, "For everything."

He placed a feather soft kiss on the side of her neck. "You're welcome,
Michealina."

Then, the pain pills kicked in and Parker drifted off into an
unconscious-like sleep. Jarod breathed out heavily, knowing that this was the
only chance he had to be this close to her. Reveling in that fact, he
fell into a, surprisingly, peaceful sleep.

The Next Morning
10:35 a.m.

Jarod was awoke by the sounds of a phone ringing, but it wasn't one of
his phones. He groggily remembered Parker had taken her cell phone with
her. He moved his hand and reached into her pocket and removed the
phone. All the while, the woman in his arms slept peacefully. After reading
the caller id, he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jarod?!" Sydney's voice was completely shocked, "Why are you answering
Parker's cell phone?"

"It's a long story. And it's not mine to tell." answered Jarod, "All
you need to know is that Parker is taking a few days off. My orders."

Sydney sighed. "All right, Jarod."

"Bye, Syd."

"Good-bye, Jarod."

The Pretender hung up and yawned quietly. He placed the cell phone on
the end table and got out of bed. Walking into the bathroom and shutting
the door behind him, he removed his boxer and started the shower.
Getting in, he let the warm water run down his body. Yawning once more, he
quickly washed and rinsed his hair and body.
Getting out of the shower, he got a towel out of a cabinet beside the
sink, and wrapped it around his body. Opening the door, he walked into
his bedroom. He smiled as his gaze fell upon Parker's sleeping form.
Going to the closet, he got out a pair of faded blue jeans and a white
tank top. He re-entered the bathroom and dressed quickly.
This time when he exited the bathroom, he found that she had awakened.

"Morning." he said.

Parker yawned in response.

"How do you feel?"

She looked about, almost dazed. "Like hell."

"That's to be expected." Jarod answered, "That man you refer to as a
boyfriend, must be a hell of a fighter."

Parker winced as she tried to sit up.

"Lay back down." Ordered the Pretender, "You're in my care now."

A smile touched her lips. "At least I know that you care."

"I always will." He assured her, sitting down next to her.

"What's your plan for today?" Parker asked through a yawn.

"For you to rest and for me to dig up information on your 'boyfriend'."

"But I don't want to rest." Complained Parker.

"You're going to, doctor's orders."

"So now you're my doctor?"

"Damn straight."

She laughed slightly and collapsed back down.

"Why do you care about me so much?" she asked.

"Because." Jarod's head swooped close to hers; "You still are the only
person I can call my best friend. And remember the promise we made?"

"Which one?"

"The one where we promised that we would always care about each other,
no matter what."

Parker briefly searched through her tangled mess of memories. "Oh,
yeah." She smiled.

"Are you hungry?" asked Jarod, standing.

She shrugged.

"Yes or No."

"…Yes…"

"What do you want? I can make anything."

A smile. "Coffee. And maybe a piece of toast."

"Do you ever eat in the morning?"

"Depends on how I feel in the morning."

Chuckling softly, Jarod left the room, leaving Parker to deal with her
thoughts. **How will I be able to go home?** She wondered sadly,
**Brian will hurt me even worse…what the hell am I thinking? I'll tell him I
was called into work…yeah, that should do it…hopefully.** She sighed as
she feared more abuse. The Pretender entered the room, carrying a tray
with a cup of coffee and some toast. He set the tray on her lap.

"Eat." He said.

With a little bit of reluctance, Parker ate the food. When she was
finished, Jarod took the tray from her lap and set it on the floor.

"Now what?" asked Parker.

"What do you want to do?"

"A shower would be nice…"

"A bath would be better." He informed her, "It would relax your body
more."

She sighed. "You're the doctor…"

"For today." He smiled.

Parker got out of the bed, wincing with every move. Jarod sighed deeply
and scooped her up into his arms.

"Hey!" she said, "I was doing fine by myself."

"My ass." Stated the man as he carried her into the bathroom.

He set her on her feet, then moved to the bathtub and turned on the
water. As the water filled the tub, he opened the cabinet door that was
underneath the sink, and rummaged through it. Parker gazed around the
bathroom. He had both a shower stall and a huge garden tub. A second
later, he shut the door and walked to the tub, carrying two vials in his
hands.
Jarod stood beside the tub, opened the vials and poured the contents
into the water.

"What are those?" Asked a curious Parker.

"Bubbles and oil."

"What kind of oil?"

"The kind that helps with relaxation. Anymore questions?"

"Yeah…"

He looked at her, awaiting her question.

"Um…will you help me get undressed?"

Jarod deadpanned. "You sure?"

She nodded and he moved in front of her. As he removed her clothes, he
did it carefully so he wouldn't cause her anymore pain. Once she was
completely undressed, he picked her up, set her in the tub, and shut off
the water. He then moved to the door.

"Thank you, Jarod." She called after him.

"You're welcome."

He left the bathroom. **I can't believe I just did that.** He thought
as he made his way downstairs to the den. Once inside he sat at his desk
and opened his Halliburton laptop. He turned it on and logged on-line.
As he waited for the connection, he turned in his chair and turned on
the stereo that sat on a self behind him.
Almost instantly, loud rock music filled the room.

Sit back, bare you cross to me
Oh won't I listen
Goddamn, have I burned my hands?
On what's been missing
I feel…unreal
Everytime I try to stop and feel
Pick me up my friend
Let me start again

You f***** with me
Behind the garden
Don't F*** with me

Long before I could even see
You're what was missing
Twisting deep inside of me
Forever missing the glistening
I feel…unreal


The Internet was finally up and Jarod logged onto the FBI's home site.
He put Brian Stanton into the search. No matches were found. On a
hunch, he went into the L.A. Police department home sites and put in
Brian's name again. This time, his name popped up. Jarod clicked on the
profile and began reading.
Brian had been arrested in L.A. for abuse, assault with a weapon, and
drunken driving. **How in the hell did Parker find this guy?** he
wondered, his eyes skimming the rest of the profile. His eyes caught
something at the end of the profile. Note: Suspect in murder (charges all
dropped due to lack of evidence.)

Chapter Three

Miss Parker was half way asleep in the bathtub when she saw Jarod
moving pacing around outside the door. *What's his problem?* She wondered.

"Jarod? What's wrong?" she called.

He stopped pacing. "Can I come in?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Why do you ask? You were the one that
undressed me and put me in here."

Shaking his head slightly in amusement, Jarod entered the bathroom. He
sat on the side of the tub. As Parker looked up at him, she saw his
expression grow serious. *Uh-oh* she thought.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Where did you meet Brian?"

"Um...at a party that my father had thrown...why?"

"How much do know about him?"

Parker's stomach knotted with dread. "Why? What did you find out?"

"He has a record with the LAPD for abuse, drunk driving, and
assault..." Jarod paused, not sure if he should go on.

Swallowing hard, she looked at him, "And?"

"He was accused of murder but the charges were dropped due to lack of
evidence."

Parker closed her eyes. *Oh god.* "I'm dating a killer?"

"Possibly. I have more work to due now." He stood and walked towards
the door.

Without looking back, Jarod went back downstairs to the den. Parker
felt numb inside. She had known deep down that Brian had been hiding
something but she had no idea that it could be murder. *What did I do to
deserve this?* she wondered as she stood and got out of the tub. She
grabbed a towel from the counter and quickly dried off. On the back of the
door, on a hook, was Jarod's bathrobe.
Taking it off the hook, she put it on and went downstairs in search of
Jarod. She heard loud rock music coming from the den. As she made her
way to the door the music got louder.

When I look into your eyes
I see a lot of hate
Pushing me away
You're haunted by a past
A past that brings you down
So you throw it all away
Again

Just try to find a place deep within your soul
And don't deny the child living deep inside
Open your eyes and find
This life's better than you know
It's in your hands now
Just open up your eyes

Deep inside of your mind
You're forced to believe
That nothing's gonna change
So I take you by the hand
And I lead you to a place
A place of happiness
Like this

Parker entered the room, finding Jarod deeply engrossed in his work at
the computer. She gladly took the opportunity to turn down the music.
It was only then that the Pretender noticed she was in the room. He
smiled when he noticed she was wearing his robe. She looked over his
shoulder at the computer screen, briefly scanning the article that was on the
page.

"What's this?" she asked.

"This is the newspaper article on the murder that Brian was accused
of." answered Jarod.

"Oh."

"Don't you want to know about it?"

"Not really. But you're gonna tell me anyway, right?"

"Right." he smiled briefly, then became serious, "The victim was his
girlfriend, she was found: beaten, strangled, and shot. According to the
autopsy, there was even evidence of a sexual assault."

Parker cringed. Jarod gave her a look.

"I don't want you going back home." he told her.

"I can take care of myself." she said confidently.

"I would've never guessed." muttered Jarod.

She hit him in the head; "I need to go back anyway."

The Pretender rubbed the spot where she hit him and sighed. "You don't
have to."

"Yes, I do. Don't argue with me."

"When should I take you back?"

"In a few minutes."

He gave her a look, clearly stating his unhappiness with her decision.
Parker sighed and went up stairs. Her body still ached by it was only a
faint throb. *Jarod'll have to get me some more of that stuff.* she
thought as she entered his bedroom. She took her time getting dressed.
Jarod was waiting at the foot of the stairs for her. She smiled weakly
at him, trying to get the look of unhappiness off his face. It didn't
work. They left the house and got into his car. The ride to her house
was silent. Neither bothered to talk.
As he pulled into her driveway, Parker felt a pang of uneasiness. Jarod
stopped the car and sighed.

"I'll be okay, Jarod." she told him.

"What are your plans for the rest of today?" he asked.

"Make a brief appearance at the Centre, then go home, and break up with
Brian."

The last part made Jarod happy; he wasn't to keen on the first two.

"Be careful when you do break up with him." he told her.

Parker could help but smile. He was always worried. She chuckled and
kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll have my gun. I'm a good shot, remember?"

Jarod smiled. "Call me if you need anything."

It was her turn to smile. "You usually pick up on my moods pretty well
on your own." She opened the car door, but didn't get out. "Thank you
again, Jarod. I don't deserve a friend like you."

Before Jarod could comment, Parker had gotten out of the car and shut
the door. He waited until she got into the house to pull out of the
driveway.

**Later on that Day**

The Centre
5:30 p.m.

Sydney sat in his office, attempting to read a book. He found it hard
to focus on it. He was about to go see what Broots was up to when his
phone rang. He quickly picked it up and answered it.

"This is Sydney."

"Hello, Sydney. Is Parker there?" It was Jarod.

"No. I thought she was with you."

"She was, but I dropped her at her house earlier and she said she was
going to come into work."

"I don't think she came in, but I'll have to check with Broots. Why?
What's going on Jarod?"

"I have a bad feeling." answered his Pretender, "Get Broots and meet me
at Parker's. If I'm not there, stay outside, do not go in."

Before Sydney could say anything more, Jarod hung up.

"Damn it." he muttered, putting down the phone and leaving his office.

**30 minutes later**

Jarod sat in his car outside Parker's house. His stomach twisted in
knots as he waited. A second later, Sydney's car pulled up into the
driveway. He and Broots got out of the car, as did Jarod.

"What's going on, Jarod?" Sydney demanded.

"I'll tell you later. We need to get inside now."

The three men entered the house to find it quiet, seemingly empty.
Immediately, Jarod went upstairs, followed closely by Sydney and Broots. As
they entered Parker's bedroom, they all stopped dead in the tracks in
shock. Parker lay on the floor at the foot of her bed, naked and
unconscious. Blood flowed from a deep cut on her forehead. Her breaths were
slow and getting even slower.

"Damn it!" Jarod cursed, rushing towards Parker's still form.

Chapter Four

Jarod knelt down beside Parker's still form. He took off his duster and
placed it over her body.

"Parker." He whispered, shaking her gently.

He got no response.

"Damn it." He muttered, picking Parker's limp body off the floor and
placing her on the bed.

"Jarod, what the hell is going on here?" Sydney demanded, going to the
bedside.

"The guy she was dating has been abusing her." Stated the Pretender
with a sigh.

"How long has this been going on?" asked Broots, concern in his voice.

"A month."

"How did we not know about this?" Syd asked.

"She hides her bruises very well. As well as her pain, but only because
of pain pills."

Jarod checked her pulse, finding it steady. He walked into her
bathroom, got a washcloth from underneath the sink and sat down on the bed
beside Parker's unconscious form. He placed the washcloth over the gash and
applied pressure. She would need stitches.

"How did you find out about this?" asked his mentor.

"I found her unconscious on the floor yesterday night. After she
regained consciousness, she told me what had been happening, which pissed me
off, so I took her to my house and took care of her."

"Why were you here to begin with?" Broots asked.

"I check in on her every once in a while."

"Why?"

"Because we're still friend, somewhat, although, she'd rather deny it.
Plus, we had a promise that we made as kids."

"And what promise was that?" asked Sydney smiling slightly.

"That'd we always care about each other no matter what."

"Does Parker still keep that promise?" inquired Broots.

"Yes, although she likes to deny that, too."

From the bed, Parker moaned softly as she came back into consciousness.

"Michealina?" Jarod said softly.

"Jarod?" she said hoarsely.

"Yeah. Along with Sydney and Broots."

She opened her eyes and groaned unhappily. "Oh god."

Her eyes traveled down to Jarod's duster, then slowly around the room.
Her head hurt like hell. She sighed deeply. **This isn't good.** she
thought.

"What happened to you this time?" the Pretender demanded.

She managed a weak smile. "I broke up with Brian." She then frowned,
"He wasn't too happy about it."

"Obviously. Do you know where he would've gone to?"

"No." Tears of pain stung her eyes, "My head hurts."

Jarod looked down at her. "You're going to need stitches."

"Can you get me any pain pills?"

"Do you have any?"

"In the medicine chest."

"Broots, can you get her the pain pills?" Jarod asked as he stood.

"Where are you going?" demanded Parker.

"To get my medical bag. It's in my car." He called over his shoulder
as he left the room.

Sydney looked down at Parker, sympathy in his eyes.

"How could you let this happen, Parker?" he asked.

Confusion filled the woman's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"How come you didn't stop him? Or get some help?"

"I don't know." She answered softly as Broots returned with the pain
pills.

He handed them to her, then felt badly as she winced in pain. She put
the pills in her mouth and swallowed hard, just as Jarod re-entered the
room, the bag in hand. Sitting back down, he opened the bag. He took
out a needle, thread, a pair of small scissors, and a small tube of emla
cream: to numb the area around the gash. The Pretender helped her into
a sitting position.
Parker held the duster to her chest, then exhaled deeply as she let
Jarod do his work. Within a fifteen minutes, he had finished with the
stitches, and Parker couldn't feel anything, which made her very happy. The
Pretender put away his supplies, then stood and stretched.

"Thank you, Jarod." She said.

It amazed her how much she had actually said that since yesterday
night.

He smiled and bent down, kissing her briefly on the cheek; which
surprised Sydney and Broots. "You're welcome."

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked.

"Anything."

She smiled. "Get me some clothes."

He went into her dresser and got out a pair of white pajama pants, a
white tank top, and a pair of panties. He put the clothes in the
bathroom, then picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. Jarod was about
ready to leave when Parker called him back.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

"Will you help me?"

He nodded and shut the door. Sydney and Broots exchanged a look. The
door to the bathroom re-opened a second later. The two men gave them a
look.

"What?" asked Jarod.

"That wasn't something we expected." Broots said.

"Well…I'm very comfortable with Jarod…he's helped me dress and undress
before." Answered Parker.

Sydney and Broots eyes grew wide.

"It's not a big deal." she said.

"Well, that's not something we hear everyday." Said Sydney.

"Especially since Miss Parker is always trying to kill you or bring you
back to the Centre." Broots said.

"Well, this doesn't involve the Centre or anything work related. This
is my life, and I make my own choices."

None of the group had noticed Jarod had gone into SIM mode until he had
finished.

"I know where Brian went." He said, heading towards the bedroom door.

"Jarod!" Parker said, stopping him in his tracks, "Don't do anything
stupid."

"I never do anything stupid…I always give them a taste of their own
medicine."
With that he left the room.

Chapter Five

The Midnight Blues Bar
11:20 p.m.

Brian Stanton sat at the bar, drinking a glass of vodka. He put down
his drink and looked down at his watch. He groaned and polished off the
rest of the drink. He then paid the bartender and left the bar. The
night air was cool against his warm skin as he made his way to his car.
When he found his car, he took out his keys and fumbled to get it in
the door.

"Hey!" a voice to his left called out.

"Huh?" he groaned, turning to look at the person.

When he turned he was hit in the head with a baseball bat. Brian fell
to the ground unconscious.

"Don't drink and drive." Jarod muttered looking around to see if anyone
had saw him do that.

When he saw the coast was clear, he took the keys from Brian's hand,
unlocked the doors, and opened the backseat door. He then picked up the
man's body and after a moment of struggle, he put him in the backseat.
Shutting the door, Jarod looked around again, then got in the front
seat. After starting the car, he pulled out of the parking lot, and drove
away.

An Abandon Warehouse
11:45 p.m.

Brian awoke feeling like a truck had hit him. He looked around. He was
lying on the floor of an abandon warehouse and he was tied up. He was
beginning to feel afraid. **What am I doing here?** he wondered.

"Oh. You're up. Good." A voice said.

Brian recognized the voice. It was the same voice from the parking lot.
Looking up he saw a man with dark hair and eyes standing above him.

"What do you want?" Brian asked the man.

"Answers." Replied the man.

"What answers?" Brian was quickly confused.

"The answers to my questions."

"What questions?"

"Will you just shut the hell up?!"

Brian flinched at the loudness of the man's voice.

"Are you or are you not dating a woman name Michealina Parker?"

"I am."

"Good answer. Are you or are you not abusing her?"

"I'm not."

"Wrong answer!"

The man produced a baseball bat from behind his back and hit him with
it. Brian cried out in pain.

"Are you or are you not abusing her?" repeated the man.

"I-I am."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Bad answer." The man hit him again.

"Why?" the man said again.

"Because!"

"Because WHY?"

Out of the fear of being hit again, Brian practically screamed:
"Because she is a spoiled rotten bitch who deserves to be put in line."

"Bad answer!!" the man yelled hitting him again.

"OWWWWW!!!! Who are you and why the hell are you doing this to me?!"
demanded Brian.

"It doesn't matter." Replied the man, "One last question: Did you kill
that woman in LA?"

"What woman?" asked Brian.

The man hit him---harder than ever---"You know what I'm talking about."

"If I answer will you stop hitting me?"

"No."

"Then I won't answer."

The dark haired man hit him again. "You always give bad answers." He
stated.

"Okay! Okay!" Brian yelled, "I did it. I killed the woman."

"Why?"
"Because she was just like Parker. A spoiled rotten bitch that deserved
it!!!"

Brian flinched as he expected another blow, but was surprised when he
heard footsteps instead. There came another voice.

"Good job, Jarod." The other voice said.

Brian looked up to see a cop shaking hands with the dark haired man.

"Oh, shit." He said.

"Brian Stanton, you are under arrest for the murder of Samantha
Phillips and the assault of Michealina Parker." The cop said, picking up Brian
and leading him away, "What ever you say can and will be used against
you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney…"

Jarod smiled and left the warehouse. Justice was always a good thing.

Miss Parker's House
12:01 a.m.

When Jarod re-entered the house and walked into the living room, he
found Sydney and Broots sitting on the couch.

"Parker is asleep." Sydney told him.

"What happened?" asked Broots.

"I gave Brian a taste of his own medicine." Answered Jarod, sitting
down on the floor.

"Meaning?"

"I beat him with a baseball bat until he confessed to abusing her and
murdering a woman in LA. Then he was arrested by a Police Officer that I
had been working with."

"Did he really kill a woman in LA?" Broots asked.

"Yes." Jarod stood. "I'm gonna head out."

"Shouldn't you say good-bye to Parker?" asked Broots.

"Yeah." The Pretender headed upstairs.

Inside her bedroom, Jarod approached her bedside. He gazed down at her.
She looked like an angel. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, Michealina." He whispered.

Parker awoke as she heard Jarod's voice. When she opened her eyes, he
was gone. **I hate it when he does that.** she thought.

"I love you, too, Jarod." She whispered.

The End

 

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