Waiting Read online

  The soft voice used to threaten me was crystal clear, effectively shutting me up and I sat back down before my shaky legs gave out. The lump in my throat hard to swallow.

  "Parker," he all but growled under his breath. "You have sixty seconds. I'm growing tired of your procrastination." In the next moment he had a hold of my shoulders, shoved my head down to the side and licked the base of my neck. I tried to cower away but he held me firmly in place. "Thirty seconds Parker, before I make a tasty meal out of her."

  Oh, God!

  Thirty, twenty nine... I tried not to do the counting in my head but it was incredibly hard not to what with crazy Francis tasting my neck as if he were about to sink his teeth into it.

  Twenty, nineteen... no, no, please let Parker show up, or me pass out, have a heart attack, anything before he starts to eat me alive.

  Nine, Eight...

  "Parker!" I hysterically called out, hoping Francis wasn't as delusional as he seemed and that Parker would really come to my rescue. "Anybody! Please! Please don't let him hurt me!" I begged, closing my eyes tightly, hoping I'd wake up from this nightmare at any time now.

  Two, One....

  My eyes squeezed tighter on a wince when I felt a brush of air across the back of my neck. I'd never been the praying type but I found myself reciting some of the prayers I'd known as a child. My whole body clenched, awaiting the attack the psycho promised to deliver. When seconds ticked by and nothing happened, I peeked open my left eye while keeping my fists clenched down at my sides. That's when I noticed there was another noise other than the frantic thumping of my heart.

  Off to the other side of the roof was a blur of motion too quick for me to follow. Every once in a while I caught a glimpse of a hand or a face for a second, but it didn't look real. It looked like a cartoon where they'd draw crazy circles while the characters were in a fight until one of them gave up. Then the characters would both come out with black eyes and bruises all over their bodies.

  I blinked. It still looked the same and the grunting noise was coming from that vicinity, but it was just too confusing. Giving up at trying to analyze what I was seeing I focused more on the fact that Francis was no longer breathing down my neck and quickly ran over to Brian to see if he was ok. He was laying unconscious when I bent down to check his pulse. Yep, still breathing.

  "Damnit, stop this so we can talk like civilized men!"

  My head flew up in search of where Francis' voice came from. It had to have been coming from the blurred air.

  "Brian...Brian can you hear me?" I gave him a few light taps while whispering frantically in his ear. Nothing. He didn't even twitch.

  My next thought was to run as fast as I could to where more people were before coming back with help, but I'd barely taken a few steps before being thrust backwards and an arm wrapped around my mouth again.

  "Brother... listen to me!"

  His grip tightened as if making sure his insurance policy wasn't going anywhere.

  Why me?

  There was no use in fighting him. I already knew he had some sort of phenomenal strength. So unless he started unzipping his pants I was planning on standing still.

  "We need to end this feud. It's been too long and I want no part in this any longer!" He spoke gruffly while rotating me, as if sensing where his brother was before switching tactics and leaned back up against the wall, Brian on one side and the corner of the wall on our other. "I don't want to harm her but I will if you won't stop this and show yourself. I'll even leave here now if you agree to meet me on the tower in an hour."

  Francis lessened his grip inch by inch before I no longer felt him at all, though I knew he was right at my back. Daring to be bold I took small, measured steps forward while holding my breath, grunting in frustration when he pulled me back.

  "Not so fast, lovely. After he comes out and agrees to meet with me, then you can go. He took me by surprise earlier but now I can feel his every movement."

  I didn't turn around but instead kept searching the darkness for any sign of his brother.

  Why hadn't I ran when he disappeared before?

  Stupid, stupid, stupid!

  Just after blinking more tears away I saw something slowly form to my right in the darkness. I instantly moved my body to face the approaching figure that was getting taller as my eyes focused more and more. My vision started to clear, revealing a massive form emerging from the shadows. Thicker than Francis but almost as tall.

  Parker. It was him! His furious face, eyes black as night, strutting forward with a deadly glare just behind me. His hair was still black but longer and looked to be sporting a little pony tail tied against his neck. His navy button up shirt was torn with dirt smudges and slightly shoved to his left.

  I tried to remember how to breathe.

  His gaze was on me for a fraction of a second, making me gasp at the emotion filling his eyes before his deadly gaze returned to Francis. Wow. Francis wasn't as crazy as I'd thought but I still didn't get why I was even a part of what could only be described as a sibling rivalry.

  "That's better now." Francis casually strode forward wrapping his arm around my shoulder as if we were old buddies, winking at me when I looked up at him questioningly. "Aren't you going to say hello to Piper here? She hasn't seen you in ages. Either have I but we already said our hello's, haven’t we?" He gestured to his own torn clothing and I noticed his hair was now tousled. Neither of them had any bruises though.

  "Piper." Parker said my name in acknowledgment with a swift nod of his head. "Francis, leave here now and I'll consider meeting you in an hour on the tower. If you ever threaten an innocent again I'll kill you myself. Understood?" He stood a few feet from us but I could feel his body heat almost wrapping around me, making me feel safer than if I was tucked comfortably in my bed.

  Maybe I was the crazy one.

  "See what I have to deal with?" Francis asked after releasing me and scoffing at Parker. "I haven't seen you in fifty years, I saved Piper from an unsightly end the other night when she was carelessly walking down an alley, then I takeout the man who actually had the balls to kiss her in front of you when she hadn't even asked him to I might add."

  His voice grew incredulous as if I had the nerve not to be thankful for him knocking Brian unconscious.

  "What alley?" I asked, then pressed my lips together when I remembered I wanted to be invisible and just leave this rooftop once and for all.

  "The other night when you went out to dinner with Jules and Bruce a few blocks from your building." He'd obviously been spying on me for a while. The smile on his face was beautiful but I found myself still tensed even though I somehow felt the danger was gone. "You took a shortcut instead of walking around the building. I, thankfully, was able to take out your wana-be attacker before he had a chance to do what he was planning to do. He'd seen you before you see, he told me, and was just waiting for the opportunity to drag you into an alley with him." He turned to face Parker. "Still have the bloke chained up. Figured you'd want to have a...word with him."

  The growl torn from Parker's throat startled me, making me take a step back from him, eyeing them both warily again. He caught my movement and seemed to sense my fear, giving me a look of pure sorrow. The intensity of his gaze brought a whimper to my lips before throwing my hand over my mouth to cut it off.

  "Thank you for saving her." He spoke to Francis, but kept his gaze on me. "I'll meet you in one hour. Don't do anything stupid while you wait. See if you can handle that and I'll contemplate actually hearing you out."

  "Finally! Some sense!" Francis threw his hands up in the air as if gesturing to the heavens before extending his hand out to me. "Again, it was lovely to meet you." I stared at his hand but didn't dare extend mine. "Ah then, no hard feelings. I understand you're a wee bit scared. I hope to see you again soon." He glanced to Parker. "It's time we settled this. One hour."

  Within the time it took for me to blink, he was gone. Startled, I glanced around the rooftop but nothing had m
oved. The door remained shut and Parker stood in the same exact spot, watching me, Brian still in a crumpled heap on the cement a few feet to my right. I stood perfectly still waiting for him to say something, move, anything to prove he wasn't in my imagination.

  After a few long moments I clenched both fists at my sides and took a deep, determined breath before taking slow, determined steps until I was within arm’s length, reaching my hand out then just my finger until it made contact with his bicep. I gasped and took a step back. His lips twitched the tiniest bit before regaining a straight face.

  "OhmyGod!" I whispered, taking another step back.

  "Are you alright?"

  His voice was strained, as if not completely under control.

  "Yes."

  We continued to stare at each other for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything until the sound of clothes rustling brought me back to our surroundings.

  "Brian!" I ran to him as he struggled to keep his head up. "Are you alright?" I bent down on my knees helping him sit up, then Parker was there, helping him stand completely while keeping one hand on my back.

  "What...I..."

  "Please, let me take care of this," Parker insisted, then muttered more under his breath, "Damn, brother."

  After having me take a few steps back he returned to Brian, pressed his finger in his mouth then placed it on the cut across the top of Brian’s head before seeming to hold Brian's gaze in a trance. I could hear him muttering and Brian stood motionless until Parker gave him a pat on the shoulder after wiping away any trace of blood on his forehead. The rest would blend in with his dark hair.

  Seemingly in a daze he started walking toward me, gently took the jacket off my shoulders then disappeared back through the door. The cut on his scalp was gone.

  My questioning, surprised gazed stayed on Parker’s calm face.

  I should've ran. I should've gone with Brian but I had so many questions and hoped to get them answered.

  Parker stood still, again not saying anything but watching me, as if waiting for me to freak out or maybe hoping I would. Too bad he missed the worst of it when his brother attacked Brian and I was crying uncontrollably. Being held against my will was scary. Him letting me take the time to gauge the situation was...not.

  "Parker?" I still couldn't believe it was him. "How... What just happened? Why are you here? And what the hell was Francis ranting about?"

  My voice found strength, hopefully hiding the nerves still zinging through my body.

  "I'm so sorry, Piper." The next thing I knew we were standing on the opposite side of the rooftop behind a giant air duct. Maybe I really am going crazy. "Your friend is looking for you. She wants to make sure you left like Brian told her." He spoke softly before I heard the click of the door once more. "Let me bring you home where you'll be safe."

  "No." I spoke firmly, seeming to confuse him. "Ten years ago I let you go without asking any questions then watched you make out with Ashley..." I couldn't stop myself from adding that fact. "Now your crazy brother shows up and flings Brian across the roof as if he were a blanket, then you two fight or something, after coming out of nowhere..." He knew the rest, I didn't need to repeat for him. "I'm not the same naive teenager as I was back then and I won't let you leave without..."

  He silenced me with a kiss. This kiss was pure magic and even better than I remembered our first to be. My body softened almost immediately, forming to the hard planes of his, my arms wrapping around his neck the same time his softly landed on my hips, pulling me closer against him. It was a slow seduction, his rock hard lips smoothly parting mine until our tongues teased each other’s before escaping back into our own mouths. He tasted like magic. Pure mint and man, as though he'd just brushed his teeth.

  What was I doing? He was just trying to get out of answering my questions and he’s not about to get away with it. Again. I broke off the kiss and removed my arms from his neck, taking a step back.

  "I've missed your taste." He shuddered. His voice was deeper and he held firm on my hips, not letting me get far. "I will answer your questions if you let me take you home now. It'll take two minutes tops, then you'll have thirty minutes to interrogate me before I have to meet my brother. If he hadn't saved your life then being late wouldn’t feel wrong. Or not showing up at all."

  Do they really know where I live? They’ve both let slip some pretty incriminating evidence that they’ve been spying on me. But why on Earth would they? Me. Piper. Plain Piper.

  It’s my new found mission to find out.

  "It'll take at least thirty minutes to get back to my apartment from here at this hour but if you'll ride with me in the cab then I'll agree."

  His lips twitched again and I couldn't help but soften even more toward his mysteriousness.

  "It'll take two minutes with me, and if I don't have to spend the next thirty calming you down or wiping your memory, then you can ask as many questions as you want."

  I eyed him warily, wondering what his game was before nodding in agreement, having no idea how he planned to get across town in two minutes in this traffic. Or wiping my memory.

  He stepped closer wrapping his arms tighter around me then leaned down and kissed me again. This time I had zero control and threw myself at him. The wind picked up, flapping our clothes, but I wasn't cold. I couldn't be. Not with him near me, though his skin was as cold as the night. I angled my head to the side and he picked me up, crushing me against his chest. It would've been embarrassing, the effect he had on me, if I had any strength to care about anything but the way his tongue stroked mine, his fingers digging into the small of my back and his thick erection poking me in the belly. Had anything ever felt this wonderful? Nope, not even close.

  His chuckle stopped my mission of devouring him before he pulled back and looked deep into my eyes.

  "I didn't want you to miss this since I know how much you love views."

  Confusion swept over my features before I glanced around and realized we were no longer on the roof, but floating in midair at least a hundred feet above my tall apartment building. I screamed and gripped him tighter, then shut my eyes, knowing this was all a dream.

  "Wake up, wake up, wake up," I chanted.

  When I reopened them, we were still floating and he was grinning at me happily.

  "Let's just go to your apartment. Maybe another time you'd like to come up here where no one else is and look at the stars."

  He seemed to be enjoying himself while I clung to him for dear life. He had to be some sort of super hero or something. His strength, apparent ability to fly, and had he healed Brian's cut? It all sank in at the same time and my vision began to blur.

  The last thing I remember seeing was Parkers worried face before my world went blank.

  FOUR

  "...wasn’t going to just leave her there and I couldn't get into her apartment. I'm only here to tell you that I'll have to meet you later. I want her to wake up where she fainted so she's not as scared."

  Parker's voice was the first thing to register after coming to.

  "Too late, brother. But as long as you're here and she's awake..."

  "No! I will not have her listen to this." His tone was one you wouldn't question before he changed and spoke to me, my eyes fluttering open to see his face. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, we should've taken a cab. It was stupid of me to spring all this on you. Not my fault..." he glared at his brother. "But I'm still sorry."

  "I fainted."

  It was the only thing I could think of to say that wouldn't be incoherent rambling.

  "Yes."

  My body still hung loosely in Parker’s arms while I took in my surroundings. Cradled in his arms on top of a clock tower. More like inside of the tower where all the gadgets moved and looked too dangerous to be near. Francis stood a few feet from us, grinning when I glanced at him.

  My heart started to race when my mind began putting the pieces together of how we'd gotten here. To this moment.

  They had phenomenal
strength, nothing human. They could fly...but weren't birds. I couldn't see any wings. Maybe they were angels. And Parker had healed the cut on Brian's scalp but he also looked dazed, like he was under some sort of mind control when he left the roof.

  "Are you going to put me under a spell?" I asked, hoping that's not what they had in mind for me.

  Francis' bark of laughter rang out and echoed louder than a church bell in my ear.

  "A spell?" he laughed again while doubling over as if I'd intentionally made a funny. "Do you think we're witches? Dainty little women with wands?" He turned away at the look Parker must've been giving him.

  "No one's going to put you under a spell. I might have to alter your memory if you can't handle this. You will have no recollection of us at all, just you going to the reunion, having fun and going home."

  "No! Don't do that." I was on the verge of freaking out again. "Please." My eyes filled with tears before he calmed me back down.

  "I won't,” he promised. “But only if you don't freak out." His hand stroked my arm and he smiled faintly when we made eye contact. I gasped at the color of his eyes, more purple than I'd ever seen them.

  "Alright love birds, listen up. I'm off the bad guy side and back to your side, Parker." Their gazes locked, Parker looking irritated already. "I won't go into the details but I'm out. They might be looking for me for a bit but I was hoping you'd be able to help me out. I've got valuable information that I think you maybe do..." His gaze flicked to me then back to Parker. "...or don't want to hear." I could feel a growl working its way up Parker's throat. "Now I don't want to hold that over your head and I won't, if you help me this once. I'll swear it on the Bible, to God, our mother's grave, or the best way..." he withdrew a knife from behind his back and slashed it over his hand, making me yelp in surprise. "A blood oath. I swear to forever be on your side, to not blackmail you and to respect your privacy if you do me this solid."

  I watched, in horrific fascination, the blood run in a frantic stream to the ground before the drops got smaller and less frequent.