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Page 53 of Parker

Chapter forty-three

Govan Shipyards, Glasgow

Nicky

I berate myself as I watch my husband being beaten by the giant on top of him. How could I have been so stupid to think my plan would work? It wasn’t even a plan; it was a notion.

There was no way I was ever going to be able to sort this mess out on my own. When I received Drayton’s message, my protective instincts went into overdrive. I wanted to keep my family as far from that madman as possible.

Upon our arrival at the warehouse, we were immediately grabbed by four of Drayton’s men. They had wrestled us to the ground and then stripped us of our weapons.

In my mind, I thought I could pull a knife and stab the bastards as they approached, but we didn’t even see them coming. Both of us were dragged like dolls in front of their boss and thrown at his feet.

Drayton laughed hard at us as we knelt before him, then Ebony appeared at his side. She walked over to me and crouched down to look me in the eye.

“I always win, Nicky,” she purred, a nasty smile on her lips. “Always.”

Now, Sophie and I hide in the dark corner of the warehouse behind the cars. I go to move, and she stops me, grabbing my arm.

“Think of Evan,” she whispers, sounding frantic.

Joel lies motionless on the ground. Drayton stands above him, aiming the weapon directly between his eyes.

An evil smile crosses his face. He’s speaking to the unconscious man below him like he’s giving an acceptance speech at an awards dinner or something.

His face is animated. He's enjoying having power over his nemesis.

I scan the warehouse, looking for something, anything I can protect Joel with. There’s nothing. It feels hopeless.

Ebony appears from a small office in the opposite corner of the building and runs to Drayton’s side.

“Stop,” she screeches, grabbing his arm. “I wanted her dead, not him. Don’t kill him.”

Drayton shrugs her off, and she falls to the floor. High heeled shoes kick at his ankle, and he turns the gun on her. She cowers away, throwing her hands across her head to protect herself. He fires a shot. No scream comes; he must have missed. “Know your place, bitch,” he growls.

There have been no gunshots in the past few minutes, and the shouting outside has stopped. We can hear Drayton and Ebony speaking as their voices float across the empty hall.

“I decide who lives and who dies.” Her eyes pop wide. “Now sit there like a good girl while I finish the job.”

He turns the weapon back on Joel.

“No,” I scream as a single shot rings through the air.

Drayton crumples to the floor. Ebony wails in fear, crawling into the night on her hands and knees.

Boyd steps into the dim light from the darkness outside, his gun trained on the fallen man. I watch on as Drayton’s life seeps away, blood oozing over the concrete. He’s dead. My breath catches. He’s finally fucking dead.

***

Joel was rushed straight to the operating room. The bullet nicked a blood vessel, and he needed emergency surgery.

I sit with my head in my hands, my elbows resting on my knees. Imelda’s hand strokes up and down my back as we wait. Boyd paces the room.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Nicky?” he mutters for the thousandth time. “You’re not damn invincible.”

“Leave her alone, Boyd,” Imelda scolds. She’s trying to keep the panic from her voice, but it’s there. She’s worried for her son. Terrified by the idea that she may lose him.

“You could have gotten yourself killed,” he says, focusing on me. “There is a reason you have security. There is a reason we tell you to keep us informed of any threats.” He glares at me.

I see now that Boyd loves Joel like the son he never had. Tonight has shaken him badly.

“Ignore him,” my mother-in-law mutters under her breath. Her silent support is essential tonight, my unexpected ally in the dark.

“I’m so sorry,” I say. Tears have been running down my cheeks for hours. “I thought they were going to kill Evan.”

I look to my son sleeping soundly at my feet in his car seat, completely unaware of the hell we’ve all been through. My heart lifts and falls. If he loses his father tonight, it will be my fault.

I’ll never forgive myself.

After five hours, the doctor enters the room. “Mrs. Parker,” he asks, and Imelda and I nod in unison.

“He’s stable. You can see him now.”

***

Joel

White light penetrates my eyelids. There’s an annoying constant beep playing in my head.

“He should wake soon,” a male voice says. “We’ve reduced the sedative. He’ll be drowsy but should be coherent within a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” my mother replies.

Doctor? Where am I?

High heels click off the floor as someone who I assume is my mother paces the room.

“Sit down, Mum,” Nicky’s voice says. I love this recent change in how she addresses my mother. It shows how close they’ve become. “The doctor said he’ll come ‘round. We must be patient.” The clicking continues. No one else speaks.

I try to open my eyes, but they feel heavy. The small task requires a huge effort. Squeezing them tightly shut, I push down and then try to open them wide until I’m staring up at a blank ceiling.

“Nicky,” I whisper, hoping a sound of some sort will come out.

“Doctor! He’s awake,” she calls, her voice rising.

Within moments, her dark eyes and brown curls come into view. Slowly, I turn my head toward her―she has my son cradled in her arms.

“Hey, darling,” she whispers. “How are you feeling?”

“What happened? Where am I?” I ask while moving my head tentatively from side to side. Encouraged, I try to move each body part, working down my body to ensure I’m not missing any. A tall man with olive skin and blue eyes arrives, wearing a long white coat.

“Good morning, Mr. Parker,” he says with a smile. “It’s good to have you with us. Let’s check you over, then your family can fill you in on the details.”

***

After a thorough inspection, I’m sitting up in bed, supported by pillows and high on pain medication. Nicky sits on a chair beside me, my hand clasped in hers.

Evan is in the arms of his grandmother, who is walking around the room, telling him stories. Boyd sits to my other side with a face-splitting grin and a huge gash across his forehead.

“We got the bastard,” he says merrily. “Drayton’s in the river.”

The door to my room bursts open, and Sophie comes running in.

“Oh, thank fuck you’re not dead,” she yells, hurtling toward the bed. She stops and stares down at me, a huge smile spreading across her face. “Thank you for saving us. I’ll never say a bad word about you again.”

I raise my eyebrow. “You say bad things about me?”

“Well, you are a bad man,” she says with a shrug, and I laugh.

“Careful, Soph,” Nicky hisses. “He only woke up an hour ago.”

Sophie sticks out her tongue, and Nicky swipes at her shoulder. They both giggle, then Sophie retreats to Imelda and joins in with Evan’s storytelling.

“You’re going to have to tell me what happened,” I say, my attention returning to Boyd and Nicky.

“After the shit show with the car,” Boyd says.

“Oh, that was bloody awful,” Sophie chimes in. Nicky glowers at her for interrupting.

“As I was saying,” Boyd says. “After the car, Nicky managed to get loose and sound the alarm that it was a setup. Drayton’s men were hiding in the surrounding buildings, lying in wait.

The idea was that when our eyes were all trained on the car, they would attack from behind.

” He runs his hand over his head. “Our men turned in time to shoot. Someone got you in the neck as Nicky shouted.”

“How many men did we lose?” I ask him.

“Four. But we got Drayton and another ten. They are all languishing at the bottom of the Clyde. The rest scattered and have gone into hiding, but from what I can tell, we got the ringleaders.”

“And Ebony?” The reality that my oldest friend double-crossed me cuts deep. After years of working together and supporting her, it hurts to the bone that she would be part of a plot against our family.

“She’s at Parker Fashion,” he says. “Until you decide what to do with her. I have a psychiatrist visiting tomorrow to assess the damage. My suggestion would be to submit her to a secure private unit for the time being. She’ll have information. With Drayton dead, she has nowhere to run to.”

“Do we know why?” He shrugs. “After everything…” My voice trails off.

“My best guess is good old-fashioned jealousy. We went to her apartment, and the place is a shrine to you and all things Parker Fashion. Pictures, newspaper cuttings, and unsent love letters. Her diary is full of crazy ideas.” He hands me a small pink notebook. “Read it when you feel up to it.”

Changing the subject, I prompt, “Did we lose any family men? Is there anyone needing to be looked after?”

“It’s all taken care of.” He reaches forward and squeezes my hand. “You focus on getting better, getting home. Leave the business to me. And next time, Joel, don’t step in front of a bullet.” He winks, then rises from his chair.

“Imelda, Sophie, let’s leave these two to catch up.” He walks over to my mother and slides an arm around her waist. “My treat―a coffee and a muffin. The cafeteria doesn’t look so bad.”

The three of them leave with my son, closing the door quietly behind them. My eyes return to the woman beside me. Trails of tears mark her skin.

“You look like shit,” I say, and she giggles.

“You don’t look so hot yourself,” she retorts with a smirk.

I pat the bed for her to sit beside me. For once, she does as she’s told, and I shuffle over to give her some room. We stare at each other for an eternity.

“I thought I’d lost you,” she murmurs, then places a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m so sorry.”

I shake my head.

It doesn’t matter now.

We’re both here.

“Have you read this?” I ask, holding up the little pink book. She nods. “Do I want to read it? Or can you just give me the short version?”

“She was in love with you,” she says, her voice soft. “And between her failed marriage, our relationship, my success at work, then your rejection of her, she snapped.” She twists her fingers together. “I know what that feels like, Joel. I’ve been there. My father died because of it.”

My eyes search her face for guidance.

“There was never anything between Ebony and me,” I tell her.

“I know,” she whispers. “But I know what it feels like to be in love with you. And not being able to have you would turn me insane too. When you talk to her, try not to be too harsh. She’s broken.”

My eyebrows furrow. My sympathy isn’t so easily available, but the last thing I want is to argue with the woman in front of me. I’ll deal with Ebony when I see her, perhaps after she’s had a stay in a mental health ward.

“I’ll think about it.”

She whimpers, and I focus on her. She takes a deep breath to control her emotions.

“It was touch and go. You almost didn’t make it.”

“But I did,” I reassure her. “I’m here.”

She kisses me as if to make sure.

“I love you, Joel Parker.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I whisper. “Because you’re stuck with me. Especially now I’m going to milk being an invalid for a while. Think of all the chicken soup and get-well sex I’ll be due in my recovery.”

She chuckles.

“Nicky,” I say, sincerely. “After all of this. All the shit and horror you’ve experienced because of me. I can’t believe you’re still here. How did I ever deserve a woman like you?”

“An ex-convict?” she says, and punches my arm playfully. “Yeah, you aimed high with me.”

“I reached for the stars and got the universe.”

She goes quiet, and we just look at each other. Really look.

“Whether we were together or apart, baby. It’s always been you. You have my heart, always.” Our hands are entwined, neither of us wanting to let the other go.

“I just want to get you home,” she says. “Safe in our bed with me.”

“Soon, baby. The doctor said in a few days.”

“It’s not soon enough. How can I look after you here? I want to be at your beck and call.”

I raise an eyebrow and smirk.

“There is one thing you could do for me to make me feel better.”

She gives me a sexy smile. “And what’s that, Mr. Parker?”

“Marry me. Again.”

She laughs through a tear. “I’d marry you every day if I could."