Waiting Read online

  I spent two hours getting ready and still felt like a mess compared to him. My strapless light blue dress hung below my knees, silver heels made me come just shy of his shoulders and my hair was wavy and parted on the side. Of course my pearls were the finishing touch. When I came out of the shower I found all my perfume missing, assumed Parker had gotten rid of them because the scents were too strong, and was only wearing deodorant tonight. It wasn't quite fair, since he emitted a scent that drew me in. And others, I noticed.

  "It seems you've been living quite the life, Parker." Julie took a sip of her water before placing it back down. "You're probably done with that though, and ready to settle down?"

  My eyes widened and stared at her. What was she doing?

  "Absolutely." Parker didn't hesitate. His answer came immediately and sounded so sure, like there's nothing else in the world that he wanted more than that.

  "I have to go to the bathroom." Julie stood, then waited for me.

  She was going to hound me and I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but I did have to use the restroom.

  Parker stood and pulled out my chair, then helped me stand while holding onto one of my hands, which he kissed before watching me walk away. Gentleman seemed too tame of a word, what with all that sexual energy rolling off him.

  Julie took my hand and led me across the well-manicured restaurant. Red and white tablecloths adorned each table, with black candlesticks to make the setting romantic. We usually ate in bars or chain restaurants when we went out, but tonight, Julie picked this place instead. It seems she was on a mission to land me a keeper, and though she had nothing to do with it, he might just be.

  She didn't bring anything up until we were washing our hands and checking our faces.

  "He is the perfect combination of man. Sweet, charming, sexy, knows how to tell a good story and how to listen. When did he pop back into your life? Wait, don't tell me, I'll ask him when we get back. I love how he tells stories."

  I do too.

  "He is amazing. I actually want to keep this one." I smiled at her when she lit up. "Don't scare him away tonight and maybe we can go out to dinner next week, when he's back in town." I'd almost said, once he finds his friend, but stopped myself just in time.

  "I am so happy for you!" She couldn't contain her glee and it was pretty obvious. "I'll be on my best behavior, promise."

  We came back out to our table and our meals quickly followed suit. Parker ordered a rare steak and I found myself waiting for him to take a bite. I'd never seen him eat anything before and found watching his jaw work mesmerizing while he chewed. He winked at me and took another bite while I turned to focus on my own meal.

  "So how and when did you two run into each other again? I doubt you've been in contact since high school."

  I rolled my eyes and stuffed some mashed potatoes in my mouth to keep busy, and not staring at the beautiful being next to me. It worked, until he started talking.

  "Happy coincidence actually. It was last Friday and I was on my way home when out of the Hilton walks the beautiful Piper." He paused here to kiss my cheek. I closed my eyes and my lashes brushed against his skin. "I reintroduced myself and we ended up sharing a cab together. We talked until after midnight, then I walked her to her door and said good night after giving her my number." Well some of that was true. "She didn't call me, but we ran into each other again on Wednesday night where I tried again to woo her enough to give me a chance." Julie giggled. "Then I showed up at her doorstep this morning, she called in sick and now we're enjoying a very lovely dinner with her closest friends."

  "Amazing." Bruce smiled at me. "All you needed was a guy that took initiative."

  I smiled back but didn't respond. This was borderline embarrassing, what with the man I'd dreamt about for years hearing about my non-existent dating life from my friends. I know he already knew how much of a loser I was, but it was embarrassing all the same. Not as embarrassing as this afternoon, but still.

  "Wait. Francis showed up last night and said he needed to talk to you." She turned to face her husband and explain. "Francis is Parker's brother." He nodded in understanding and she turned back to face us. "Did you tell him to go get her or what happened there? How did Francis even meet her?"

  Uh, oh.

  "Francis was with me last Friday when we ran into each other. I introduced them then sent him on his way so I could be alone with her. Last night he saw her in the bar and was on his way to meet me, and since I've been talking about her non-stop, he decided to surprise me, bringing her to dinner with us."

  Few, close one. He's a fast thinker.

  "It's like a fairy tale love story. You just keep running into each other." Julie accepted his story with ease, not questioning him anymore. "That also explains his clear dislike of Brian." She pursed her lips together as soon as the words escaped her.

  "Brian?" Parker asked, though I knew he already knew.

  "Brian Collins, from high school. You went to his senior keg party. Remember?" Now I was in on the acting and felt a zing of emotion roll through me when his lips twitched.

  "Oh, yes. Now I remember." He looked back at Julie. "Sorry if Francis was rude to anybody. He seems to live by the motto, act first, think later."

  The table laughed again.

  "The senior keg party. That brings back memories, huh? Why didn't you come to the reunion last Friday?"

  "I didn't really have all that many friends back then, and didn't think anybody I cared to see would be there." He looked at me and we smiled at each other.

  "You weren't real popular with the football team since they begged and begged you to play for them, but you continued to say no and ended up just working on play sets instead of putting that muscular body to work." Parker just shrugged. "But you were really popular among the girls, especially Ashley Goodwin." My heart started to pound too loudly. "You guys made out or something and she talked about you for years, but she said you practically fell off the face of the Earth and was impossible to contact." Julie looked amused and curios.

  Parker stiffened beside me, though his face remained relaxed. He’d told me that he’d removed the kissing memory from her mind, but I guess it didn’t work.

  "We kissed one time and it was nothing memorable."

  To keep from looking into his emotional eyes, I picked up my drink and took a big gulp of wine before smiling at Bruce who seemed to be enjoying himself as much as Julie.

  "It's too bad about her dad though."

  "Her dad?" Now I was completely interested in hearing what happened.

  "Yeah, didn't you hear?" Julie leaned forward, excited to be spreading the gossip. "Rumor has it he had some pretty big gambling debts and right before the bank foreclosed on their house, he disappeared."

  It took all my strength to keep it together. Parker had to have had something to do with the disappearance. No doubt about it.

  "Some people think he committed suicide, others say he ran with what little money he had left and never looked back."

  I didn't want to think of Parker as a killer, a murderer, but he'd told me before that he was forced to deal with him in order to keep his brother alive, or so he thought. He'd changed the subject before I found out what happened in the end.

  "Strange. I never heard anything about it until now. When did he disappear?"

  "Pretty much right after graduation," Julie helpfully answered. "It's been so long, I wonder if they ever found anything." The waiter came and removed our plates while we finished our drinks and the conversation. "Ashley seems to be doing fine though. She makes good money and every time I talk to her she never brings him up, like he never existed. I can only imagine the pain it put her mom and sisters through."

  Parker quickly changed the subject to sports with Bruce while I finished off my drink and continued to stew over this new bit of information. There was going to be a good excuse, the real one, as soon as we were alone for Parker to explain.

  We made our way out onto the busy nigh
t street and waited for them to hail a cab before we took a stroll to meet his brother, or so that's what Parker told them. Since Julie didn't have to work tomorrow and I could go in at any time to sign off on things, she insisted they walk with us to continue the night since she wasn't tired. Bruce agreed, only wanting to make his wife happy since he did have to work tomorrow.

  I guess I could wait a little while longer before I exploded while thinking of what Parker's answers were going to be from my questions.

  "Where are we meeting Francis?" Did we need to call him and have him meet us, since I didn't think that was the original plan at all?

  “A few blocks up." He squeezed my hand in reassurance before pulling his phone out of his pocket with his other.

  He sent a quick text then re-pocketed it while smiling at me. He knew I'd corner him the second we were alone, so was probably enjoying having the distraction with us for now.

  No matter. I wouldn't forget. For now I'd enjoy just being out with friends.

  We'd gotten about three blocks before Parker's mood swiftly changed. He tossed his phone at me while protectively standing in front of all of us. I clutched the phone and put myself on the other side of Julie to ensure she didn't get hurt. She was pregnant and I'd rather get myself hurt, than her.

  "Call Francis," he ordered before his eyes seemed to zero in on the darkness down an alley.

  My fingers fumbled with the keys but I eventually found the correct number then pressed send. Parker's hand came back to grab my wrist when he whirled in the other direction as if danger was coming at us from all sides.

  "It hasn’t been five minutes yet," Francis answered lightly, without a care in the world.

  "We need you."

  That's all I had to say for him to become alert.

  "Where are you?"

  Parker moved again, facing back into the alley while slowly pulling us along, past the darkness toward more lights.

  "Third and Birch Street."

  The line went dead.

  "Bruce, I'm going to need you to stay with the women." His tone was not one to question, but Bruce was confused and had every right to be.

  "What's going on? I don't see anything." He kept swiveling his gaze to try and find the unknown threat that Parker obviously saw.

  Instead of responding to him, he seemed to be talking out loud to himself, or possibly to me.

  "There's four of them. Pulpas. And they aren't in a chatty mood."

  As if summoned, one of them stepped from the shadows a few feet from us with an evil grin. He was shorter than Parker, but wider. The distinction between Fangs and Pulpas were completely obvious. The blood red eyes made them all look like Satan, while Parker's and his brothers changed from black to a non-threatening color.

  Parker took a stance, readying himself for the attack.

  "Parker. It's been too long."

  Parker growled at the greeting. Obviously they weren't friends.

  He continued to usher us backwards, Julie crying hysterically and Bruce trying to act tough and protective, though he would be as useless as me against these enemies.

  "Leave. Find your meal somewhere else." His fangs shot out in a warning, but the other vampires did the same as a threat.

  I turned my head to the side and found another emerging from the opposite wall, fangs extended and approaching us with a lethal, hungry stare.

  "Give them our purses, Parker!" Julie cried, oblivious to what they really wanted.

  "Leave now and I'll let you live." Parker's voice was deadly and promising, though the first vampire merely laughed.

  We couldn't follow the movement but the next time I blinked the vampire was lying on the hard cement floor, his head separated from his body, rolling around with the rest of the trash until it lost momentum. Parker was back standing in front of us as if he hadn't moved and Julie screamed. I covered her mouth with my hand to keep other humans from coming to help us, knowing they would probably just add to the body count.

  "It's alright. Parker will protect us."

  And you won't remember a thing when this is over. That thought helped me keep calm while he faced off with the other vampire now infuriated at the loss of his friend.

  "Fangs? Are those fangs?" Bruce's voice level rose.

  "Don't be silly." That's the only thing I could think of as a reply at the moment.

  "He was only fifty. I'm much older than him and you. Still want to take us on? You could just leave so we can enjoy our meal in peace."

  "They're mine." Possessive. Though right now I didn't mind at all.

  The next thing I knew Julie was taken from beneath me, her scream filling my ears when I saw her in front of Parker being held by her neck, the vampire’s eyes fixated on her throat.

  Bruce yelled out and tried to push past Parker, but he held him still.

  "Wait! I'll handle this," he warned Bruce, but he didn't want to listen so Parker ended up having to hold him in place next to me. "I've got first rights. You take one drink, one sip, one tiny little nip and I'll be able to kill you where you stand without consequences."

  The vampire gulped, knowing he'd be helpless if the circumstances were true. That much I'd learned. If Parker told him to stay, his body would have to do as commanded, leaving him a sitting duck to be killed. But I was pretty sure Parker was bluffing since he'd told me before he didn't drink from anybody I knew.

  The vampire sniffed her neck then looked up at Parker with a sneer.

  "You've got no rights with her, or anybody with you. My senses wouldn't lie, but you did." He lifted his mouth in a striking position. Bruce yelled out and tried to get to his wife.

  "No! No, please! Take me. Don't hurt her."

  "No need." Francis came walking out of the shadows, throwing a head to the ground as if a candy wrapper then stopped at our sides. "I've got first rights on everybody here, so go ahead, take a nip. You'll get to taste her sweet nectar for a second before my brother and I play hopscotch with your heads."

  The two vampires looked at each other then sniffed her neck again. Parker was holding Julie's gaze, entrancing her, hopefully to keep her calm and the baby safe.

  "You've got ten seconds to back away from my people, and another ten minutes to leave the city completely. If we ever see you again, or you try anything like this again in my presence, I'll kill you without the polite warning. Understood?"

  They were gone before he finished talking, two dead vampires laying in the alley and Bruce was let free to go to his wife. He ran to her and hugged her close, kissing frantically while continuing to rub her belly, telling her how much he loved her. It was beautiful.

  I stood in silence, letting them get everything out while we waited. Parker silently watched me, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb before pressing a kiss to my forehead.

  Francis walked past my friends into the alley, grabbed both of the bodies and heads, and threw them into the dumpster. He withdrew a lighter and tossed it in with them, effectively igniting them, going up in flames instantly.

  "Thank you." Bruce's words drew my attention back to them. "Thank you so much for saving her." He let go of his wife for a second to wrap Parker in a hug, then did the same to Francis when he rejoined us. "I don't care what you are, I am so thankful you were with us."

  Julie kept looking at me, most likely wondering why I wasn't freaking out as much as they were.

  "No problem." Parker’s eyes began to swirl and I could tell he was entrancing both of them at the same time. "We were all going to go get some drinks but Julie got very tired and you need to head home. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. You will stay away from danger and dark alleys from now on, but if ever threatened with your life again you will remember these words and these words only. ‘Francis has first rights’."

  "Francis has first rights." They both repeated the words then got into the cab Francis hailed for them.

  When they were safely tucked in the cab and driving away, Parker and I whirled on Francis, though it was me who s
poke first.

  "Thank you so much. I probably shouldn't be thankful that you've drank my friends’ blood, and apparently mine too, but I am. Thank you." I wrapped my arms around him, effectively startling the both of them before I turned to Parker. "Thank you, too. For everything." I wrapped my arms around him then kissed his lips.

  "Oh sure, he gets a kiss? Not fair if you ask me." Francis winked and I smiled when Parker rolled his eyes. "Before you start on me, you know that I nicked her skin last week before you threw me across the roof. Never before have I drank from her. And as for her family and friends, I knew you wouldn't do it so I made them safe in my own way. No one can harm them now without consequences."

  Parker seemed torn from wanting to scold him, threaten him, something to that effect, or to thank him. He settled for nodding in acceptance.

  "There were six of them but the rest took off, uninterested in being killed over a meal. Some of them are getting braver, a public place like this, drawing attention. The Council probably knows, but what can they do about it? Nothing, unless caught in the act."

  How had I, or anyone else, gone most of their lives without knowing about super natural beings? Wiping their minds. That had to be the only way.

  I wrapped my arms around Parker's waist. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gently kissed my scalp, making me lean into his touch.

  My hand felt sticky. I withdrew it and looked to find Parker's side was bleeding. I gasped and moved his jacket out of the way to find his white shirt blood soaked on his side.

  "Just a little stab wound. It's healed already," he assured me, but I was still concerned. I un-tucked his shirt and roamed my eyes and then my hands over his bare skin but felt nothing. It was for sure healed. Wow. "I need to feed though, I'm getting weaker."

  "I can scrounge up something for you." Francis was gone before he could reply.

  I helped him sit on a couple of crates then happily sat on his lap when he pulled me into it. He stared into my eyes, purple starting to form before he bent to kiss me.