It had been a really bad year.
Parker Wells smoothed the sleek black pants over her hips and put on some rosy-colored lipstick. Stepping back, she smiled. It had been a while since she’d gone out with friends for some fun.
Her smile faded. Six months in fact. Fun hadn’t seemed possible after the suspicious death of her parents. Before that, at their insistence, she’d complied with their wishes and told the man she couldn’t marry him, breaking her heart into pieces. That was the last time she’d seen or heard from Colt, although rumor had it he was working on a horse ranch in the northern part of the state.
A horn honked outside, spurring her to move faster. She grabbed her purse, locked the apartment, and dashed down the stairs and out the door. A man on the porch jumped out of her way, muttering something under his breath. “Sorry.” She kept moving, then slid into the front seat of Tanya’s car. Through the front windshield, she gave the man a pert smile and a wave. Take that, whoever you are.
“Ready to have some fun?” Tanya backed from the building.
“I’ll try. I’m not really into the whole nightclub, bar scene.”
“So, don’t drink. Order some sparkling water. Dance a little. You’ve done nothing but work and stay to yourself since your parents died.”
“They were killed.”
Tanya sighed. “The police found no evidence of that, Parker.”
“There is no way my father would’ve lost control on a road he’s driven a million times.” She refused to believe it. “He’d been very worried about something or someone. I heard him talking to my mother about…something. Although I couldn’t hear their words, I could tell from his tone.”
“Okay. Whatever you say.”
At the club, they flashed their IDs at the doorman. “He with you?” The doorman jerked his chin past them.
Parker glanced back, noticing the man she’d almost barreled into her on the porch. “No.” She gripped her friend’s arm and pulled her into the club that was already pulsating with music. “Let’s find a table.”
“No, let’s head to the bar. I want to be seen. I want to dance.” Tanya pulled free and scurried toward two empty bar stools. “You’d better dance, too. After all, you broke up with Colt months ago. It’s time to find someone new. With that inky hair and blue eyes, you’re hard to miss.”
What if she didn’t want anyone else? She perched on the stool and ordered sparkling water. Her parents hadn’t wanted her to marry a practically penniless cowboy, and she’d caved under the pressure. Now, they were dead, and Parker had no one.
“That man keeps staring at you.” Tanya elbowed her.
Parker cut a sideways glimpse at a table in a dark corner. “I saw that man outside my apartment. He was wearing a hat that covered his eyes and had his head turned, but that’s him.”
“So?” Her friend shrugged. “Maybe he lives there, or maybe you just think it’s the same guy.”
“I’ve never seen him before. Something about him gives me the creeps.”
“Go talk to him.”
“No.” She pulled her gaze away. A few minutes later, another side-eyed peek showed he still was staring in her direction. Why? There were plenty of other women in the club. Why keep his attention on someone who clearly wasn’t interested? She should’ve stayed home and watched TV or read a book. “Excuse me.”
Tanya nodded, then slid off her stool and asked a man to dance.
Parker pushed open the door to the women’s restroom, taking refuge in the semi-quiet. The noise of the music had diminished. Only one other woman occupied a stall, and she left before Parker entered the adjacent one.
Heavy footsteps sounded, then paused outside her stall. Dirty work boots, the kind with steel toes.
“This is the women’s restroom, sir.” Her heartbeat quickened.
For several long, tense seconds, the man stood there, before turning and leaving.
Parker’s breath escaped in a rush. Her hands shook. If he’d mistakenly entered the wrong room, he’d have apologized. The man hadn’t said anything—except for the sound of heavy breathing.
She inched open the stall door and peered out. Empty. She quickly washed her hands, then peeked through the door leading back to the club before opening it. No sight of the man with dirty boots. She hunted Tanya down on the dance floor. “I’m going to call for a ride.”
“What? Why?” Her friend sent her dance partner an apologetic smile.
“A man came into the women’s bathroom and stood outside the stall I was using. It freaked me out. I don’t want to stay here.”
Tanya studied her face for a minute, then nodded. “I’ll take you home.”
“No, you stay. Have fun. I’ll have the doorman call me a cab.” She gave her friend a quick hug. “I’m sorry. It’s just I’m not ready yet.”
“I understand, but are you sure?”
“Yes.” Parker flashed a grin, then rushed for the entrance.
Less than fifteen minutes later, she sat in the back of a sedan heading to her apartment. When they arrived, she quickly paid the driver, darted inside the apartment building and up the stairs, then slammed her door and leaned against it. Maybe she was being a party-pooping ninny, but the whole evening had left her nerves on edge.
She washed off her makeup, donned some baggy shorts and an oversized tee-shirt, then sat on the sofa and turned on the television. Nothing could hold her attention for long. Wow, the guy had spooked her.
Sighing, she stood and padded to the front window overlooking the parking lot. A man stood under a streetlight; his features shadowed. An eerily familiar man. The guy from the porch, who’d watched her at the club. She was sure of it.
Giving a salute in her direction, he strolled down the sidewalk and out of sight. Parker’s heartbeat sped up double time. As she stepped back from the window, she noticed Tanya’s car parked out front. What? Her breath came in gasps, and she wiped moist palms on her shorts. Why would her friend be sitting in her car outside her apartment?
Plucking her keys from the table near the front door, Parker put them between her fingers as a makeshift weapon and crept down the stairs a lot slower than she had before. She glanced out the door, making sure no one was around before opening it, then ran to the car.
“Tanya?” She knocked on the window. Her friend sat slumped over the steering wheel. Had she had too much to drink and come to Parker’s with the intention of staying the night? Parker did live closer to the club.
When her friend didn’t respond, she opened the driver side door and gave her a shake. Tanya’s head lolled back revealing a slit across her throat. Pinned to her blouse was a bloodstained sheet of paper. Through the blood, Parker read, “Your parents ruined me. They’ve paid for their sin. Now, it’s your turn.”
Parker stumbled backward, clapping a hand over her mouth. Her best friend was dead, and it was somehow her fault. Tanya was murdered. How could this happen? The note said he was coming after her. She couldn’t stay. But where could she go? She whipped around and clamored back upstairs to her apartment. She had to call the police, pack, get her hands on some money. Parker needed a plan. The note. She needed the note. It was the proof that her parents hadn’t just died in an accident.
Oh, Tanya. She sat on the bed and covered her face with her hands. Why her? She couldn’t have anything to do with whatever this man thought Parker’s parents had done. Was she simply a message?
With shaking hands, Parker picked up her cell phone and dialed 911. The operator told her to stay in her apartment and lock her door, not opening it for anyone but the police. Staying on the phone, she moved back to the front window to wait for their arrival.
Rain fell from the sky. Flashing blue and red lights broke through the rain as two squad cars pulled into the parking lot. Four officers, guns drawn, approached Tanya’s car. Since Parker had fled and left the driver’s door open, it didn’t take them long to assess the situation. In unison, all four officers turned and stared up at her apartment window. One peeled away and entered the building.
Parker hung up the phone and waited for his knock.
- Publisher : Winged Publications
- Publication date : January 31, 2024
- Language : English
- Print length : 227 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1962168549
- ISBN-13 : 978-1962168540