Page 31 of Protected
Her voice was muffled against his back, and he couldn’t help but smile a little at her words. Her saying he could give her the short version now meant she’d be asking more questions later or in the very near future.
She had a right to, though. If they were going to be a couple, it was only fair she knew everything about him. Even the parts he wanted to forget. He just didn’t realize how much remembering would bother him.
Before he continued with the story of his almost-death, he decided to tell her about Elena. He shared how guilty he felt pulling her into the plans, even though it should’ve benefited them both. But not knowing if she made it out of San Diego would forever haunt him. Especially when he tried to find her years later with no luck.
“Getting back to the warehouse situation…” he said, “Luis, one of the guys in the crew I was closest to, was a few years older than me. We clicked and often hung out. I didn’t tell him my plan about the ambush, because I didn’t want any blowback to touch him if Wolf ever found out. Anyway, Luis happened to be one of the guys in the warehouse watching me get my ass kicked. He was also one of the cleaners Wolf often used to make dead bodies disappear.
“I don’t remember much after Wolf beat me, but years after everything took place, I reached out to Luis, who filled me in. He was shocked I was alive.”
“What do you mean?” Chelsey interrupted. “If he was there, wouldn’t he know you were still alive?”
“When Wolf and the others left my body with Luis, they all thought I was dead, including Luis. But after Wolf walked out, Luis said he saw my fingers move.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Chelsey breathed, and her arms tightened around his waist. “Oh, Parker.”
“He said I was in and out of consciousness and my pulse was thready. He didn’t think I’d last long, but he said he couldn’t toss me in the incinerator like Wolf had instructed since I was still alive. Instead, he wrapped me in a tarp and drove me tothe beach.” Parker shook his head at the memory, still finding it hard to believe that he had lived.
Needing to hold Chelsey, he turned in her embrace, and then gathered her in his arms. When he glanced down, he was surprised to see tears running down her cheeks.
“Ahh, baby, don’t cry,” he said, wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb.
“I can’t help it. You almost died,” she said, her voice trembling as she swiped frantically at a few more tears. “If that would’ve happened, I never would’ve met you, and that’s something I can’t…I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
The anguish in her voice was like a knife twisting in his gut, but Parker didn’t want her sympathy. He’d done so much shit over the years, he probably had that beating coming.
The only reason he was telling her about any of this was because he wanted her back, and he needed her prepared for what was coming soon.
Parker placed a lingering kiss on the side of her head as he cradled her against him. She was everything to him, and he almost blew it when he broke up with her.
What an idiot.
Never again.
He was never letting her go again.
Chelsey lifted her head from his chest and exhaled. “I’m sorry. You can continue.”
Parker smiled down at her and kissed her sweet lips. His woman was tough. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have shared as much as he had so far. She might not have much experience with gang life, but as a former cop, she understood their ways more than most.
Gangs operated through a different moral compass than the average person. Their beliefs, thought processes, and ways of life weren’t necessarily in line with society’s values.
“Long story short, Wolf’s warehouse is not too far from Oceanside, California. Luis and I used to hang out near a beach in that area. Usually in the middle of the night doing stupid shit. Anyway, a few times we’d see military guys jogging before daybreak along that stretch of beach. Probably because it wasn’t too far from Camp Pendleton,” he said, referring to a military base in that area. “Counting on someone finding me sooner rather than later, Luis left me at a spot where a jogger would see me.
“It was a major risk and a gamble on so many levels, but he felt that was my only chance for survival. According to him, he stayed nearby until he saw a guy stop. Then he took off before the man spotted him.”
Chelsey jerked out of Parker’s hold and backed away from him. Her eyes were wild and furious as she glared at him.
“Are you kidding me?” she spat, her beautiful face a mask of fury. “How could you call that guy a friend? A friend wouldn’t do shit like that and just leave you, Parker! That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard! I understand your crew stayed away from hospitals or any place else that would alert cops, but… Dammit. There had to be something else that guy could’ve done for you. I can’t believe he just left you!”
Parker rubbed his forehead as a yawn slipped through. A person would have to have grown up in gang life to understand what Luis had done for him. Yes, there was a chance Parker would’ve died before anyone found him, or someone would’ve saw him and called 911.
But Luis had ultimately saved his life while risking his own. If Wolf had ever found out that Luis disobeyed an order, he would’ve put a bullet in his head, no questions asked. Taking Parker to a hospital had been out of the question. There was nothing else his friend could’ve done to help.
Parker tried explaining that to Chelsey, but she wasn’t hearing it. She put even more distance between them. She now stood on the edge of the living room facing him with her arms crossed in defiance.
“So, what happened?” she finally asked.
“Mason was the one who found me.” Chelsey’s eyes grew wide, and she started to say something, but Parker lifted his hands to stop her. “I don’t remember much, Chels, but he told me that before I passed out, I said—no cops, no hospital, gang war.”