Parker: A Reed Security Romance

job for you.”
“So you’ve said.”
“I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
“If you were thinking that I was going to run to you for the job, you’re mistaken.”
He leaned back in his seat, his face a mask of indifference. “I need you to dig into a senator.”
I snorted, pulling my shirt over my head and tugging it down. “I’m not in the research business.”
“You’ll have to break into his house. He has a safe that you’ll need to crack. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Security isn’t tight. You should be able to get in and out in under fifteen minutes.”
“I said I’m not doing it.”
“You’ll also need to grab his planner, take as many photos as you can. You shouldn’t have any problems that I can see.”
“Are you deaf or are you just intentionally ignoring me?”
“The job pays five grand. If you do everything I need, there’s another job waiting for you.”
I sighed and grabbed my bag off the ground, pulling out a sweatshirt. “Look, for whatever reason, you seem to think that I’m in desperate need of a job, one that only you can provide. Did I look like I needed a job when I was fighting in the ring? I made twenty-five grand tonight.”
“Minus the ring fees and association fees. That leaves you with just under fifteen grand. And you can’t fight for another month while you let your body rest. It’s not a bad living. I could triple that.”
“Yeah? Doing a job that will make me five grand? No thanks.”
“I can give you your life back,” he said as I turned for the door.
I paused. It was a tempting offer, but you didn’t just get your life back after a court martial. I knew the way the rest of my life was going, the same way a convict knew what he was facing when he was released from prison. There was only one way that I could ever hope to get my life back, and there was no way that I had the kind of pull to make that happen.
“Nice try. I appreciate the effort you’re putting into this little speech, but we both know that there’s no way I’m getting my life back.”
He stood and walked toward me slowly, his movements slick and practiced. “I know exactly where you’ve been. I was out on my own, and I had no one to rely on but myself. If I was ever caught, I would have been in Leavenworth for the rest of my life. But I met Cap and he turned shit around for me. I have a wife and kids now. I have a new identity. I have friends that have put it all on the line for me. Can you say that you’ll ever have that again?”
“Well, I’m not getting a new identity. I’m not ashamed of the man I am.”
“Neither was I, but it was the only way to keep my wife and the life I was building with her. What I’m offering you isn’t anything like the deal I got. There’s no going back for me. I’m not redeemable in any way. But you? I’ve read your files. You got screwed. You need an order that comes from the top.”
“Yeah, and I have a lot of contacts with the President,” I chuckled.
“Not you, no, but what if I told you that if you pull off this job, and we figure out what the fuck is really going on, I could get you what you need?”
“I’d say you’re full of shit.”
He walked toward me, pressing a file against my chest. “Think about it. That’s a little teaser for you.” He glanced around the room and then back at me. “You could have your entire life back. Let me know what you decide.”
I stared at the file in my hand as he headed for the door. I had to admit, I was a little curious as to why he wanted my help. He worked for a company that I knew had the resources to find out anything they wanted.
“Wait,” I shouted, catching his attention. “Why me?”
He smirked, “Meet me back at your apartment and I’ll tell you why.”
He was gone before I could say anything else. I stared down at the file again, and then it hit me, he knew where I lived. Shit. I snatched my bag and hurried for the door. I hated anyone knowing where I lived. I liked my privacy and the last thing I wanted was someone spying on me.
I ran out to my truck and headed back to my apartment, pulling into the dark parking lot. It wasn’t much. In fact, it was about the shittiest place I had ever lived, but I was saving money for the day that I could buy a piece of land to call my own. I hopped out of the truck and looked around the lot. I didn’t see any unfamiliar vehicles and thought about waiting for Knight down here, but ultimately decided against it. I wasn’t even sure I wanted the fucking job, let alone to hear him out.
I climbed the stairs to my apartment and slid the key in the lock, then shoved the door open and immediately dropped my bag when I felt someone in the room. I didn’t have a gun on me. It was too dangerous for me to carry. If I got caught with an illegal weapon, I was headed to jail. Still, I was trained, I knew how to fight, as I had proven multiple times over the last six months. Not that it would matter if I encountered a gun.
“Sit down. I’m not gonna fucking shoot you.”
The tension leeched some from my body when I recognized Knight’s voice, not that it being him made me feel any better. I flicked on the light and glared at him.
“Do you often break into other people’s houses?”
He shrugged slightly. “When it’s necessary.”
“And why was it necessary now?”
“I wasn’t about to wait outside and get shivved.”
“Right, because I could see