The squad car rolled up to the station in the dead of night, the faint hum of fluorescent lights casting a pale glow over the cracked asphalt. Parker sat in the back, cuffed but relaxed, his expression cool and unreadable. The officers hadn't manhandled him; there was no need. He didn't resist, didn't fight. Hell, he barely spoke. He moved with the kind of quiet confidence that made people second-guess themselves, like he was the one letting them escort him, not the other way around.
Inside, they ran the usual protocol. Prints. Photos. A quick database check. That's when things got sticky.
"Uh, you might wanna take a look at this," one of the officers muttered, pointing at the screen. Parker Black. Legal ward of the Blackwood family. Recently tied to a whirlwind of scandals. The air in the room shifted, a weird cocktail of tension and unease.
"Shit," soone whispered.
For a second, no one knew what to do. This wasn't just so random rich kid with an attitude problem. This was him—Soone related to Robert Blackwood. And if they screwed this up? Yeah, their jobs weren't worth that gamble.
They placed Parker in a stark room with a tal table and two cheap chairs, the kind of place ant to make you sweat. But he didn't look nervous. If anything, he looked bored, drumming his fingers lightly against the table.
"I'd like to contact my legal team," Parker said, his tone polite but sharp enough to cut.
The officer across from him nodded stiffly. "Of course."
****
The call was brief. Ava Klein, sharp as a razor, picked up imdiately despite the ti. "Parker," she said, her voice calm but firm. "I heard, that Tessa girl has called . Don't worry. Soone's already on their way to make sure you don't spend a single night there."
Parker raised an eyebrow, leaning back in the chair. "Efficient as always, Ava. But what about you?"
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"I'm in New York," she replied. "I'll be on the first flight out. Sit tight, don't say anything stupid, and let them handle it. By morning, this whole ss will be over."
****
Two hours later, Parker walked out of the interrogation room, his hands free, his face as calm as it had been when they cuffed him. He didn't know the details—didn't care, honestly—but whatever strings Ava's team had pulled, they'd worked like a charm.
The officers who had brought him in stood awkwardly to the side, their earlier confidence now replaced with sothing closer to unease. Parker paused just long enough to glance at the arresting officer, offering a polite but pointed nod. "I trust we won't have to do this again."
The officer cleared his throat, muttering sothing unintelligible, as Parker moved toward the lobby.
A slim woman in a tailored suit waited for him by the station doors. She exuded the kind of calm authority that said she wasn't here to waste ti. "Mr. Black," she said, inclining her head. "Everything's been handled. Ms. Klein will finalize the remaining details tomorrow, but for now, you're free to go."
Parker nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. "What about the guy?"
The lawyer's lips curved into a tight, professional smile. "He's… not a problem. Let's just say his record wasn't exactly clean. When we brought up certain allegations—"
"You an his habit of assaulting won."
Her smile didn't waver, but there was a flicker of sothing colder in her eyes. "Exactly. It wasn't hard to convince him to "cooperate.""
Parker's jaw tightened, but he didn't say anything. Whether the guy had a history or not didn't matter. The mont he touched Tessa, he was finished.
"And Ms. Klein followed your instructions regarding the girl," the lawyer added. "Ms. Tessa wasn't allowed anywhere near the station. She's waiting for you at ho."
"Let guess," Parker said, his voice dry. "Ava threatened to keep her in line or things will get more complicated?"
The lawyer inclined her head slightly. "She was… persuasive."
****
The car pulled up to the mansion gates, sleek and silent as it rolled through the empty streets. Parker stared ahead, his mind elsewhere, until the soft glow of the mansion lights snapped him back to reality.
The gates scanned his face, the chanical whir of the security system almost soothing in its familiarity. The car wasn't in the house's database, but it didn't matter. Parker's identity overruled everything. The gates swung open, and the car eased into the driveway.
Tessa was already outside, her thin cardigan doing nothing to shield her from the biting cold. As soon as the car slowed to a stop, she bolted toward it, wrenching the door open before it had fully parked.
"Parker!" she cried, her voice cracking as she threw herself into his arms.
He caught her, his hands steady against her trembling fra. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably, her words tumbling out in broken gasps. "I—I was so worried. I thought—I thought—"
"Shh," Parker murmured, one hand gently stroking her hair. "It's fine. I'm fine."
But she just kept crying, her tears soaking into his shirt. "It's my fault," she choked out. "I'm so stupid. If I wasn't so—"
"Enough," Parker cut her off, his tone soft but firm. "This wasn't your fault. Not even close."
Her body went slack against him, her energy completely spent. With a sigh, Parker bent down, hooking his arm under her legs and lifting her effortlessly.
The doors opened automatically as Parker stepped inside, Tessa cradled in his arms. Elena and Naomi were waiting in the foyer, their expressions a mix of concern and relief. Ere trailed behind them, her tail flicking lazily as she hopped onto the nearest couch.
{I did it, master. Whenever you're ready,} Ere's voice purred in his mind, her tone smug and satisfied.
Parker didn't respond, his focus entirely on Tessa as he carried her upstairs. Naomi moved to follow, but Parker shot her a look that stopped her in her tracks.
"She needs rest," he said simply, his voice leaving no room for argunt.
The lawyer lingered by the door, her phone already out as she wrapped up the remaining formalities. "Ms. Klein will be here first thing tomorrow," she said, her tone clipped and professional.
Parker didn't respond. As far as he was concerned, the night was over. For now, all that mattered was getting Tessa to bed.
"Stay!"
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