Shadows Redeemed (Garrison Security Innovations #4)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

SAGE SAT ACROSS FROM Parker in the hotel lobby, her eyes narrowed as she studied him intently. There was no denying the physical resemblance between him and his brother Jacob—the dark brooding looks, the intense eyes, the chiseled jawline. But as she listened to Parker recount his recent interactions with Luc Broussard and Jacob’s friend, Dominick, it became increasingly clear the similarities ended there.

Where Jacob had been reckless, unpredictable, a true wild card, Parker exuded a quiet, steady sense of purpose. He measured his words, his gaze unwavering. Even in the face of his brother’s mounting troubles, he remained grounded, almost stoic, and Sage couldn’t help but wonder how the two could be so different, despite sharing the same DNA.

The rest of her team had gone up to their rooms, giving her space to talk to Parker first and get the lay of the land, which she appreciated. But sitting there, across from him, she suddenly wished she had asked one of them to stay with her, if only for emotional support.

As Parker finished relaying the details of his conversation with Dominick and his run-in with the young Broussard, Sage leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. “So, once again, your brother is in deep shit, huh? Why am I not surprised?”

Parker nodded, his brow furrowed with concern. “Yeah, he got himself into a real mess from what I know. Between the cops thinking he killed one of theirs, which I just found out about, and the Broussards believing he lost or even stole their drugs, the whole town’s after him.” He paused, his gaze meeting hers. “I’ve got to find a way to prove his innocence, but I’m running out of options. That’s why I called you.”

She gave a slow bob of her head, her mind racing as she considered their next move. She was sure Dane would have some ideas, but he didn’t know New Orleans like she did, especially the underbelly. Or Jacob. Parker was just a simple teacher, after all. He did normal, mundane things. Still, she couldn’t just turn her back on Parker, not when he needed her most, even though every instinct inside of her screamed at her to do just that.

“All right. My team’s here to help, but you need to know I’m not covering for your brother.” She gripped the arms of her chair as she stared over at him. “If he did what they claim he did, I’m handing him over. I’m only here to make sure he doesn’t get killed before he gets a fair shake.”

“Sage, he didn’t do it.” Parker slid forward in his seat, rubbing his palms along his thighs as he stared at her, his face a mask of insistence. ”My brother wouldn’t get involved in drugs, and he definitely wouldn’t kill another cop.”

She shrugged. “Then he shouldn’t have anything to worry about. My team has connections. We can make sure he gets protection.” She then leaned forward, clasping her hands together, resting her elbows on her knees. “I’ll help, but Parker, this is a onetime deal. I’ll help get your brother in safely, but that’s it. No more favors, no more involvement in Jacob’s bullshit. This is the last time you use my number.”

He stared at her for a moment, and she knew he wanted to argue with her, but instead, he simply gave a curt nod.

“Good. Now, do you know where he is?”

He squirmed in his seat, rubbing his palms on his thighs once more, and she could tell he didn’t want to answer her question. Of course, that told her exactly where Jacob was hiding.

She sighed as she fell back in her seat. “He’s out at that stupid cabin, isn’t he?”

“It was the only safe place we could think of.” He leaned forward, intertwining his fingers as he rested his elbows on his knees.

“Why didn’t you just take him to the FBI?”

Parker shrugged, his lips twisted in a grimace, which made the dimple on his left cheek stand out. She had to admit, if only to herself, that he was the hotter of the two brothers, even though it was his brother who had captured her heart a few years ago. He was also the bad boy of the two, and at the time, she needed that.

She took a quick glance around the lobby, noticing the plainclothes cop in the corner doing his best not to be noticed, which of course, only drew attention to him. At least hers.

Turning back to Parker, she let a soft smile toy at her lips. “You’re being followed.”

She had to give him credit for not looking around. “Yeah, he’s been on me since I left the Bayou Bar. I assume it’s some flunky Sullivan sicced on me.”

“Good to know you haven’t lost your edge.”

His grin grew as he settled back in his seat. “I learned a few things between you and my brother. I even visited that old investigator friend of yours. The one who trained you.”

“Bryce? He’s still around?” She shook her head as a soft laugh bubbled out of her as she thought about the man who had taken her in and trained her to be a private investigator. “I thought for sure he’d retire by now.”

Parker chuckled. “Not with his spending habits. The man needs to work just to keep eating. And drinking.”

She sighed. “Still on the bottle?”

“Even more so, it seems. Still, he trained me in what I needed to fill in the gaps of what I learned from watching Jacob and you.”

“Sorry to hear that. Maybe I’ll look him up while I’m here.”

He cocked his head as he studied her. “And what about your family? You saw them yet?”

She gave a slow shake of her head. “No. I went straight to you. But I will. If I don’t, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

He laughed, bobbing his head. “True. True. Give them my best when you see them.”

She felt the smile toying at the corners of her mouth. “I will. Now, let’s go up so you can meet the team and get them caught up.”

As she stood, she let her gaze drift once more over the hotel lobby, watching the ebb and flow of activity. As she stared once more at the man tailing Parker, she wondered if she was making the right decision by getting involved with Jacob again. However, for better or worse, she was in it now, and she knew there was no turning back. She just hoped Parker could play by her rules. Otherwise, she was gone.

When they entered the adjoining suites, the living section was already full of her team bustling around, setting up laptops and monitors, making phone calls, and, of course, Elvis sitting in the corner, listening to Presley songs on his phone. Sage entered, Parker right on her heel, and headed over to where Dane and Gage sat at the table, hands wrapped around coffee mugs. A quick glance of the room revealed Marissa and Melinda must have been getting their own rooms situated.

“Everyone, meet Parker Franklin. Again.” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “It’s his brother’s ass we’re trying to pull out of the frying pan.”

They all greeted the newcomer, Dane turning in his seat as he raked Parker with an appraising gaze. “So, what do we know so far?”

She walked over to the cabinet, pulling out two coffee mugs and filling them. “You’re up, Parker. Tell them everything you know, and maybe we’ll figure out how we’re going to save your brother.” She turned, cocking a brow as she held a mug out to him. “Again.”

He took the cup from her as he took a deep breath and moved to a chair around the small kitchen table.

For the next hour, he shared with her team everything he knew about his brother’s predicament, always stressing the fact that someone had to be setting Jacob up. Dane and the others asked questions, each taking their own notes as the story unfolded. Sage listened intently, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to determine if any of the details changed in the retelling. They didn’t. Parker’s tenacity and unwavering loyalty to his brother, even in the face of such daunting odds, impressed her.

As the conversation wore on, she found herself drawn to Parker in a way she hadn’t expected. There was a steadiness about him, a quiet strength she found both admirable and, if she were being honest with herself, rather attractive. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if Jacob had been more like his brother, less reckless, more… thoughtful. Perhaps their relationship might have flourished instead of crashing and burning as it had.

But as quickly as the thought crossed her mind, she pushed it aside. Her relationship with Jacob was destined to fail because of who he was. He never would have committed to her long- term, his job always coming before everything else. No, only Parker was the one who would put his girl first. Jacob was married to the job. Parker wanted to experience life.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Focus, Sage, she chided herself. This is about helping Parker, not indulging in what-ifs. She had to keep her head in the game, no matter how tempting it might be to get sidetracked. And with how Parker looked sitting there, sipping coffee as he shared his story, it was extremely tempting.

As the conversation wound down, Parker leaned back in his seat, running his gaze over the others. “I really appreciate all of you coming out to help me with this.” He then turned to Sage. “I don’t know why you did it, but I’m glad you changed your mind.”

She glanced around at the others, smiling at each of them. “I had some friends convince me that turning my back on a friend wasn’t exactly my nature.” Shrugging, she turned back to Parker, still smiling. “Then they all said they were coming with me. It’s a team thing.”

Parker gave a slow bob of his head. “Well, I’m glad they did. I don’t think I could have done this on my own. I know the complicated history here, but I’m grateful you put that aside so you could help me.”

Sage felt a familiar flutter in her chest, a reminder of the feelings she had once harbored for Jacob. However, as she met his brother’s gaze, she couldn’t help but feel that somehow things weren’t as settled as she had thought they were. He was so different from Jacob, yet there was a certain playfulness mixed in with his steadiness that drew her in. Sucking in a breath, she sat up straighter in her chair. If she allowed it to, that is.

She quickly turned to Dane. “Parker has a tail. I spotted him in the lobby. I think I know where to find Jacob, but I don’t need this man tagging along.”

Dane nodded and then looked over at Elvis. “Think you can run a block?”

A wide grin spread across the dark-haired man’s face. “I’ll be more than happy to put the Do Not Disturb sign on him.”

She looked over at Dane. “And what will the rest of you do?”

Her boss pointed over to Blaze. “We’ll get the scuttlebutt from a few sources and weed through it. I want to get a background on the Broussards just to see how aggressive we need to be. I’ll also reach out to Nicolas back in Biloxi, see if he has any contacts here. Someone we can trust.”

She gave a slight dip of her head. “All right. I’ll stay in touch. You do the same.” She then turned to Parker. “You’re with me.”

“Give me five minutes,” Elvis said as he pushed himself off the couch. “Then make good your escape.”

Sage gave him a description of the guy, and then they all left the room, Elvis taking the first elevator, while they waited for the second. On the ride down, she couldn’t help but steal one last glance at Parker. There was something about him that drew her in, a quiet strength and integrity she found both intriguing and sexy as hell. And as much as she tried to push the thought aside, she couldn’t help but wonder if, under different circumstances, she might have been drawn to him in a way she had never been with Jacob. Something lasting.

Giving herself a mental shake, she pushed the thought aside, reminding herself he was Jacob’s brother and off-limits. Still, her body didn’t seem to care.

She once again clamped down on her wayward thoughts. Her focus had to remain on the task at hand. They had a mystery to solve, a brother to clear, and she knew she couldn’t afford to get distracted, not when so much was at stake. With a deep breath, she stepped out of the elevator, Parker right behind her. A quick glance to the front doors showed Elvis blocking the few to the elevators as he held a map up, asking Parker’s tail all kinds of useless questions. She ushered Parker out the back, her mind already racing with the possibilities of what waited for them at the cabin.