Page 58 of No Broken Promises

“Only where Nox is concerned,” I answer Dom. “It’s completely understandable, so I wouldn’t call her on it.”

“I can hear you,” Parker points out sardonically. “Don’t you have a job to do?”

“I’m doing it,” Dom counters. “Should I remind you that you called me in the middle of the night for this? Technically, I’m off duty.”

Parker immediately deflates, and she slumps over on the edge of the couch. “I’m sorry. I just… I feel helpless and there’s nothing I can do. I just…”

“I get it,” Dom says quietly. “If something threatened my family, I’d go crazy and burn down every single thing in this town until I was able to fix it.”

Parker nods, and so do I, because Dom really does understand. It is one of the reasons I haven’t fought him getting Parker’s case. That, and I really don’t want to have to confront my father.

“I called the chief.” Dom apparently reads my mind. “Before I left my house. You know it's protocol, Remy.” He holds up his palms defensively when I tense up. “I know you and your dad sometimes argue, but if any of his officers are put in danger, we have to notify him. Someone is watching you and taking pictures. There's plenty here that don't have Parker or Nox in them at all. That tells me that whatever’s happening, the person responsible feels that you and Nox are a threat to their plans.”

“It’s a stalker, isn’t it?” Parker chews on her fingernail. “That’s what’s going on. After Boo died, I started to talk to Remy again, and bad things started to happen.”

I move so that I can wrap my arm around Parker’s shoulders, and she curls into my side instinctively.

“Yeah.” I don’t pull any punches. “It looks like you’ve got a stalker. I didn’t want to think that was the case, but it clearly is.”

What I don’t tell Parker is that stalkers don’t just appear out of nowhere. There is most likely a chance that her stalker has something to do with Boo being hit by a car. The idea that it is a coincidence, with everything else going on, just doesn’t sit right with me. And the way Dom is eyeing her speculatively broadcasts his thoughts just as clearly.

“I’ve sent the camera feed directly to you,” I tell Dom. “But it doesn’t look like I got a clear shot of them. Dressed in all black, with black gloves and a face covering, the envelope was slipped onto the chair without the person ever coming onto the porch.”

“The video feed from the neighbor,” Dom says while checking his notes. “Artie Sims. His cameras didn’t pick up anything from the night of the fire, either.”

He leaves a few minutes later with a promise to call in the morning with an update, and Parker sits on one side of the couch while I move to the other.

“He’s a good cop,” I say quietly when she doesn’t say a word. “He knows you’re safe here, but if you’re worried or afraid, you can always call him, Parker.”

“I’m not worried.” Apparently, I’ve completely mistaken her silence for fear. One day, I’ll figure her out.

“I want you and Nox to move in here,” I tell her. “I can keep you safer than if you’re back at your house, on your own.”

“Clearly not,” she snaps. There is something more there, under the anger. She is afraid, and I can’t blame her. “If they can get to the porch, that means they can get inside.”

“Not likely, as long as you lock the door and engage the alarm, Parker.” I know that she’ll catch on to the logic in a minute. It is late, after all, and we are both exhausted. “Think about it. You can move your shit over here, take over my closet and everything. Plus,” I add mischievously. “We can sneak around after Nox goes to sleep.”

She eyes me suspiciously. “I want the closet.”

My closet, the one that can house a small family, is not up for grabs. At least, not entirely. “You can have half.” Negotiating isn’t one of her strong suits because Parker immediately brightens up.

“Deal,” she says with a smile. “I didn’t even want it; I just wanted to see how much you wanted us to move in.”

“Minx,” I growl. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

“Get the coffee ready for tomorrow.” She gets up with a flounce. “I’m going to go start clearing out your closet.”

I pull a laughing Parker into my arms, and despite the fear we both have about what might be lurking outside in the dark, I kiss her with every bit of my heart.

“I love you, Parker Jane.”

“I know.”

She squeals as I playfully pinch her ass and then runs up the stairs. I don’t even care that she will trash the closet or that she’ll most likely destroy the system I keep to make finding my work uniforms easy.

Instead, I get up and get the coffee maker ready like she has asked. I even get the coffee grinder out and turn that noisy bitch on so that Parker doesn’t have to do it in the morning.

While I wait for it to finish, I think about my life and what having Parker does to it. There is no doubt in my mind that we’ll find whoever is tormenting her. There are too many good cops who have her back not to. And we’ll do everything we can to make sure she isn’t ever put in harm’s way while we search.

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