Parker: A Reed Security Romance

someone getting the drop on you.”
“Well, you get unlucky from time to time,” he shrugged.
“Maybe others do. I’d like to know one time that you got unlucky.”
“Well, I was stabbed in the chest once. That felt pretty fucking unlucky.”
“And yet you’re still alive,” I said, walking over to the chair opposite and sitting down. “So, what is it you were going to tell me?”
“You’re the one with the questions. So fucking ask.”
I watched him for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly this guy was hiding and what he would tell me. “What did you mean that you were once like me? Who were you running from?”
“Everyone.”
“Why?”
“Because I did bad things.”
“Wow. You know, you’re a real fountain of information.”
“I had to do a lot to hide certain things about who I was. I’m not about to spill all that shit to you, not when I have no fucking idea if I can trust you.”
“If you can’t trust me, then why would you ask me to go do this job for you?” I asked, holding up the file he gave me.
“There’s a difference between asking someone to gather information and trusting someone with your secrets. It’s not just my life that would be affected if anyone found out my true identity.”
I nodded in understanding. That answer was good enough for me. I couldn’t really blame him. If I were in his position, I would keep that shit to myself also. “So, why me?”
“I read your file. You were a good soldier, and you got fucked over. You didn’t stand a chance against the fuckers that set you up. Let’s say that this is your chance for revenge.”
“By digging into some senator? I hardly see how that’ll get me revenge.”
He ran his finger over his top lip as he considered me. I knew there was more to the story. The question was, how much would he really tell me?
“I’ve dealt with a lot of dirty politicians in my life, and I can smell one here. But this isn’t just about taking bribes or pathetic shit like that. This is something bigger. There was a senator that I ran into a while back. He was as dirty as they come. Only he didn’t actually do any of the dirty work. He left that up to others, but he always collected evidence on those he was using.” He nodded to my hand. “That was some of the evidence he had collected. It references a job that was put into place last year. It says that the job will be in full swing by this spring.”
“Then it’s already in motion. What are you hoping to find out or stop for that matter?”
“I want to know what the job is. Senator Cortez is mentioned in one of the documents. If he’s involved, I want to know whatever he knows.”
“And what makes you think that he just has that information laying around?”
He smirked at me. “There are three types of politicians in this world. The first is naive and thinks the world is a good place that can be saved. He’s the crusader that would do anything for his constituents, but eventually ends up on the wrong side of the law, hoping to make a difference. The second is cocky. He thinks he’s untouchable because of the power he’s amassed. You can see it in his demeanor, the way he walks and talks. And because he thinks he’s untouchable, he doesn’t take the necessary precautions to ensure that no one will ever find out about all his illegal activities. The third, he’s slick. He puts on the right face for his constituents and his colleagues. He appears to be a good man, all the while pulling the strings that control everyone else. And he’s truly untouchable because he knows how to cover his tracks. He never lets anything lead back to him, so he can never be prosecuted for his crimes.”
“Okay, so you’re saying that Cortez is the second.”
“Exactly.”
“But he’s not the one pulling the strings. So, even if you get what you need on him, how does that help you take down whoever’s in charge?”
“It doesn’t.” He stood and headed for the door.
“Wait! What are you going to do when you find out whoever is behind…whatever this shit is?”
“I’m going to kill him.”
He turned for the door again.
“You didn’t tell me why me.”
He turned around again with a sigh. “The senator lives in Fox Chapel, just northeast of Pittsburgh, and I promised my wife that I wouldn’t leave her again. I need someone that can do the investigating for me.”
“So, you’re not willing to go back on your word to your wife about leaving to go do some investigating, but you’re willing to kill the guy behind whatever this is.”
“I never said I was perfect.”

Chapter Five


Blake
From my position in the back yard, I could see the senator moving around his office, shuffling paperwork and stuffing some in his wall safe. The man was way too cocky. He didn’t have any high tech security yet, probably because he thought as a junior senator that no one would be interested in him. Plus, the wall safe he was using was ancient. It probably came with the house that was at least fifty years old. He had done updates, but that was one thing that hadn’t been updated. Not only that, but it was the typical safe that was hidden behind a large picture on the wall. It was like he watched every bad spy movie and decided to make all the same mistakes he saw in the movie.
I watched through my binoculars as he moved to the front of the house. From my position, I couldn’t make out what he was doing anymore, so I moved around to a better position. I watched as he snatched his car keys and headed out the front door. Looking back at the wall by the front door, I grinned when I saw that he hadn’t engaged his