Page 23 of Protected
A man and woman strolled over to them.
“Jeff, I was wondering if you’d be here tonight,” the guy said, greeting Hawkins with a handshake.
“Of course I’m here.” Hawkins greeted the man’s companion, then kissed her cheek. “You two know I couldn’t miss this fundraiser. The organization was a godsend to my family when I was growing up, and I don’t know what my parents would’ve done without their financial assistance. Thanks to them, my brother got the treatment he needed.
“Oh, forgive my manners. Let me introduce you to my date,” he said, wrapping his arm around Chelsey’s waist as if he had every right to do so.
Parker kept his cool.This was a job.He’d just keep telling himself that.
As for what Hawkins had said about his brother, that information hadn’t been in the client’s dossier. Parker onlyknew the basics about his extended family; Hawkins was single, his parents were retired, he had an older sister and a younger brother, who all lived in town. There hadn’t been any information about his brother being special-needs.
“Excuse me,” Parker heard Chelsey say, “I’ll let you all catch up. Jeff, I’ll be right over here.” She pointed a few feet away to a table that held desserts.
“Okay, baby,” Jeff said and pulled her close, placing a kiss on her cheek.
Parker growled before he could stop himself. “You should’ve decked him for putting his hands and mouth on you,” he mumbled, and Chelsey smirked while shaking her head.
“Parker, your guy is heading your way,” Laz said quietly through the earpiece. “I’ll keep eyes on our client.”
“Me too,” Chelsey said, but glanced Parker’s way.
He turned to see the man from earlier walking toward him with purpose, and Parker dropped his hands to his sides prepared to reach for his gun if necessary.
As if reading his mind or recognizing his stance, the man slowed and lifted his hands out in front of him as if to say,relax.
“Hey, man. I’m not looking for trouble,” he said when he got closer.
His voice carried over the live music that sifted through the speakers, but not loud enough to catch anyone else’s attention. Parker still had to strain to hear him.
“It’s just that you look so familiar. Have we met?”
Unease coursed through Parker, aware that the man had moved even closer. Now he was in striking distance. Parker rarely forgot a face, and he was sure he didn’t know the guy.
“My name is Sean. And you are?”
“Lance,” Parker said, using an old alias from back in the day.
“Did you ever live in San Francisco?” Sean asked.
“No,” Parker said simply, planning to make that his answer no matter what question was thrown at him.
“What about LA or Champagne, Illinois?”
“No.”
“Are you in law enforcement?”
“No,” Parker said again, that unease from earlier returning. The last two questions hit a little too close to home.
“Oh, well.” The man shrugged. “Sorry to bother you. Have a good evening.”
“I took a photo of him,” Laz said, and Parker’s lips quirked, trying to keep from grinning. His friend was thorough if nothing else, and he knew Parker would want to gather some information on the man even if it didn’t lead anywhere. They could get Wiz, Supreme’s computer guru who lived in Chicago, to plug the photo into his facial recognition system.
“I saw you come in with Jeff. Apparently, you don’t know the type of man you’re dating.” The low, menacing voice sounded through Parker’s earpiece, and his gaze shot to Chelsey.
A stocky, fair-complexioned man, maybe in his late forties with reddish-blond hair, was standing a little too close to Chelsey. “He’s a homewrecker,” the guy continued, his words slurring a bit. “He thinks he’s going to get away with it. He won’t. Not when I’m done with him.”
“Who are you?” Chelsey asked, slowly setting down the plate in her hand.