Page 42 of Parker

A stretch of silence passed as they both became lost in their own thoughts. When Quinn spoke up again, her voice was flat, almost wooden.

“I think Justin sent that man to my house last night.”

Parker could tell she absolutely believed that. He didn’t patronize or mansplain how Justin couldn’t have possibly sent someone to attack her from prison. Shit like that happened every damn day.

He knew it, and apparently so did she.

“What makes you think it’s him?”

A flash of fear twitched behind her eyes, but it vanished. “Someone’s been leaving me notes.Miss me? I’m coming for you. You’re not as smart as you think you are.Oh, and my personal favorite…You’ll pay for what you did.” She frowned. “He knows it was me. That I was the reason the Feds made their case. Hell, they showed him the video footage from the camera I was wearing. And since he’s the only person I’ve ever helped send to prison, I’m pretty confident it’s him. It has to be.”

Every protective instinct Parker possessed flared to life. “Did you call the police?”

“No.” She shook her head.

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I knew they weren’t going to find anything.”

“How could you possibly—”

“I accessed the security footage from the places where I was when the notes were left.”

“Accessed.” He tilted his head. “You mean you hacked into those systems.”

“Wouldn’t you, if you were me?”

Parker grinned, not missing the fact that she’d used his own words from last night against him. “Damn straight, I would have.”

Relief softened her features. “Thanks for that.”

“You find anything in your search?”

“I recorded it, so when I get my tablet back, I’ll show you. But no.” She shook her head. “The guy’s there, but he’s always wearing all black, including gloves and a black hat pulled down low.” Quinn raked a frustrated hand through her hair. “He had to have been watching me for a while, too.”

Parker’s chest tightened. “What makes you say that?”

“He knew exactly where the cameras were. The grocery store…my gym…my front door… The guy always walks out of the frame and never returns. Not on foot, a car…nothing. And he never shows enough for facial rec when he is being recorded. Trust me, I tried.”

I just bet you did, sweetheart.

“You think the guy who left the notes is the same one who broke into your place?”

“Yes.” The answer was resolute. “The measurements I took from one of the recordings match up with the intruder’s frame and build.”

Damn, she was good. “Why now?” Parker thought to ask. “If Justin went to prison six years ago, why wait until now? And if you’ve been using an alias, how did he find you?”

“Those are the million-dollar questions.” She shrugged. “And I don’t have the answer to either one other than he’s scheduled to be released in six months. Maybe he thought he’d play with me a bit before making his final move once he’s freed.”

He refused to think about what the man’s end game might be.

“You said you work freelance tech support, right? Is there any way you could’ve been tracked through that somehow?”

“I don’t see how,” she answered honestly. “The freelance work I do is all under my alias, and it’s remote. I work out of my townhome, running security checks and tech support for several companies around the city.”

“Impressive.”

“Says the billionaire.” One corner of her kissable lips lifted. “I really am sorry I hit you, by the way. I don’t know what came over me. I swear, I’ve never hit anyone before.”

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