“You’ll want this.” Melody reached into her pocket and handed Beckett a card. She turned toward Parker and pointed him toward her car. “And you need to come with me.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Not right now, Parker.” She grabbed his arm, dragging the grown man away from us. “Get in the fucking car.”
She shoved him into the back seat and closed the door.
We stood there watching as they drove away, leaving us alone, finally. But it still felt like Parker was here. He had something over us all now.
Beckett turned to look at us. I expected him to be angry that Parker knew, but he didn’t look worried. He pocketed the card that Melody had given him and came over to Jemma and me, making sure we were okay.
“We’ve got this; don’t worry, it’s not the first time something like this has happened.” He tried to reassure me.
Not the first time.
Probably not the first time someone went hunting and found out, and they could take care of it.
“This is different,” I whispered the words and pulled out of Jemma’s hold. I backed up from them, hands in the air, trying to hold them back as Jemma took a step toward me.
“Odette,” Jemma said my name in caution as I took a deep breath, tears starting to well in my eyes. My knees folded, and I stood there hunched over, trying not to fall to the ground.
This wasn’t some random person on the internet interested in who Ryker was. This was Parker looking for any way to weasel back into my life, to ruin it, to make himself the center of attention. No one had confirmed his accusation, but with Beckett speaking up and me showing interest, I knew he wouldn’t let it go, no matter the threat of being sued.
“What if he tells someone?” The first question came out of my mouth, and I tried to suck in air, but nothing came.
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t.” Jemma stepped toward me, and my knees were on the ground. Tears streaking out of my eyes.
“What if he already has?” I looked up at her, and she was on me in a second, her hands on my shoulders. I tried to breathe, but nothing came in, and my chest moved up and down. My body was trying to gain air as quickly as possible.
“Odette,” Beckett said my name, his face falling in concern. He was following Jemma’s lead and, on the ground, next to us in a flash.
I pushed them away, but Jemma’s hold on me tightened.
“No.” Jemma’s word was firm as she closed her arms around me, not letting me move. I felt Beckett’s arms gather around us both, casing us in his own hold. “I won’t let you go.”
“But what if I ruined it all?” I pulled away enough to get my keys out of my pocket. I looked down at the little bright blue key that signaled the entrance to my home. I could push away and get inside, hide from the world, and lock myself away from Jemma’s worried eyes, Beckett’s regret as he told Ryker later how this was a horrible idea, letting me into his life.
I had ruined everything.
“You didn’t, honey.” Jemma tried to reassure me.
“You didn’t ruin anything, Odette.” Beckett tried to join in.
“But what if?” I pleaded, finally looking at Jemma through tear-soaked eyes. She was blurry, and I had no idea what look she was giving me, but her voice broke as she tried to speak.
“Honey—” Jemma reached for the keys in my hand and handed them to Beckett.
“But what if Parker does?” I grabbed the front of her shirt, trying to push her away and pull her closer to me at the same time. Beckett released his hold on us, and it was just me and her. My best friend, whom, even in this moment, I couldn’t protectfrom my past. “What if he hurts him? Us. Everything we’ve built, alone. Together.”
I was shaking as tears poured out. The sobs racked my body. Jemma brought me into her arms again, and I broke, all semblance of strength gone from my body as I collapsed. I vaguely registered Beckett on the phone as Jemma rocked me, and I continued to ask the same questions over and over again until the tears and mental exhaustion had me passing out in her arms.
Until all was gone from the world, and there was finally silence.
Peace.
Ipressed my foot down harder on the gas pedal. The engine revved as I passed the car in front of me down the back road I was on.
Odette. I needed to get to her.
