Episode 6: A Kiss And A Lie

Episode 6: A Kiss and a Lie
by Toni Walker

Zan O'Neill grabbed Dakota's hand and ran. Avery would have a severe hissy fit that would rock Infrared on its hinges if she knew her daughter was here not only after bedtime, but... it was a bar with alcohol and not one other kid in sight.


She gulped masses of oxygen trying to make herself not pass out. Her heart hammered in her chest. The fight or flight response was working perfectly well in her nervous system.


"Are we going to wait for Hannah?" Dakota asked as Zan drew her farther into the darkness of the back hallways of Infrared.


"Right now, kiddo, she's the least of our worries, believe me. If you want to worry about someone, worry about your little blond self. Your mother will blow her blond dye job if she sees you here. And then, I'm sure she'll come after me and Hannah." Zan dodged a box of paper towels as she searched for the exit. "I could have sworn the back door was around here.
"How come you know Parker?" Dakota asked innocently.


Zan stopped short. "Well, I ran into him on the subway in California when I was on vacation last summer."


"He likes you." Dakota smiled. "I can tell."


"If you say that out loud when you're mother is around, she's going to ... well, I don't know what she'd do, but I know it wouldn't be good."


"And you like him."


"Okay, missy, that's quite enough of that. Where is that door?"


"But you remembered him after a really long time. You wouldn't have remembered him if you didn't like him."


When had this little girl become Dr. Joyce Brothers?


"You don't understand, Dakota. We didn't say a word to each other. Every time we saw each other, all we did was look... and... well, I lost the ability to speak but that's beside the point."
Dakota giggled. "You have it bad." As she peeked around the next darkened corner, the little girl's smile turned to a frown. "Are you sure this is the right way?"


Zan sighed. "Not really."


Ahead the doorway was dark. The sounds of the club faded into the distance maing every radiator hum and light flicker sound amplified.


A figure jumped out from behind them and Zan nearly screamed.


"Gotcha!"

***

Tucker placed his call and then took up his position nearby where Avery was standing. She truly was the Queen Mother, as the bartender said when she arrived. He hovered around her far enough away to give her room to talk and close enough to be able to tackle any sicko who wanted to hurt her.


His attention was solely on Avery when he noticed another blond lady at the bar. It was Rena. What in the hell was she doing here?


He motioned for one of the other guys to take his spot and walked over to where Rena St. Clair was sipping her cocktail.


"I thought you said you were quitting?" Tucker asked her.


Rena spun around, and shrugged. "Everyone needs a little light refreshment once in awhile." She sauntered up to him and threw an arm around his shoulder. "I thought you wanted some time alone with the mega bitch? What's the matter? Did you change your mind?"


Tucker was confused. "What are you talking about, Rena?"


"Don't tell me you're drunk too?" Rena laughed. "When I left you in the car, you said you needed to talk to Avery Ashton. Did you forget already?"


"Rena," Tucker said with a completely sober expression. "This is the first time I've seen you in over a year. So, I couldn't have been the one in the car."


She waved off his concern. "You're the only twin left who looks like you. Trey's dead. So it couldn't have been him."


He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the front door. "Take me out there, Rena. Take me to where you last saw ... me."


Rena groaned. "God, when did you become so pushy?" She stumbled forward and Tucker kept her upright. "I can walk on my own, thank you."


She stumbled through the front door and tripped over the threshold, but caught her self before she fell.


"That's a matter of opinion," Tucker mumbled, following her outside.


Rena pointed to the darkened car parked in the tow-away zone.


"Where is he, Rena? Where is Trey?"


"You see, you're very confused. Trey is dead. You're the only one alive who looks like you now, so it had to have been you who brought me here and saved me from falling off the cliff earlier."


She was beginning to babble. He was going to have to find a way to get her back home safely. And right now it would be hard to do that considering he was supposed to be protecting Avery Ashton from a killer... a killer who fairly well might be his own brother!

***

Dakota screamed and Zan positioned herself between the little girl and the person standing in the shadows. Lucky for them it was Hannah Kincaide.


"You just scared the living crap out of me," Zan muttered.


"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, you guys. I was just trying to make a funny. Guess it bombed, huh?"
Zan nodded.


"Where are you going anyway? The way out is on the other side of the building."


"We were looking for the door, but we got lost," Dakota said.


"Obviously." Hannah gave Zan a smile. "I'm done for the night so I can take the peach pit here and get her on home before Avery knows she was even gone."


"You're a life saver. Thanks Hannah."


Hannah grabbed Dakota's hand and swirled her around in a circle. "No problem. "Okay, pretty, pretty princess, let's get out of here."


The two of them laughed and waved goodbye as they wove through the hallways toward the real exit.


"I'm such an idiot," Zan muttered to herself.


She didn't know that someone else stood in the shadows of the hallway. Someone else had been watching her ever since she walked away with Dakota.


Parker Barnett smiled to himself as he listened to her lambast herself for her bizarre sense of direction. He knew when he initially walked away from her at the bar that he wouldn't be able to think of anyone but her. Avery's neediness was usually all he could handle, but tonight, he couldn't keep his mind on his assignment to protect Avery Ashton. That was why he left her protection to Tucker MacLeod and the other agents assigned to watch over the witch in high heels.


Zan plopped down on a large box of club soda and laid her head in her hands. Parker couldn't help but approach.


"What's wrong?"


"What?" she said, surprised to see him. "Oh, nothing, just my normal perfect sense of direction. I tried to save the day and back tracked straight into a dead end."


Parker sat down beside her. His box creaked a bit when he put his weight on it, but he didn't notice. His eyes were on Zan. "Dakota made it home, didn't she?"


"Well, yeah. Hannah found us and saved the day. I did nothing."


He could tell Zan was seriously down on herself.


"I doubt that," Parker said. "The entire time we've been protecting Avery..." He realized his slip and Zan glanced up at him.


"Protecting Avery? I thought the FBI was doing that."


"That's right. I wasn't supposed to let anyone know, but I'm not really married to Avery. It's only a cover, a way to keep me inside her house."


Zan nodded, not showing emotion, but internally jumping for joy. He wasn't really married.


The box Parker was sitting on gave its last creaking creak and collapsed under his weight. As he tipped sideways, he grabbed Zan's arm for balance but ended up pulling her over with him. He ended up on his back with Zan conveniently plastered atop him. It was accidental, but he was liking it just the same. When both of them came to a complete stop their faces were inches apart.


As they looked deep into each other's eyes, the moment seemed to stretch. There were no words. There didn't need to be. Their eyes said it all. Suddenly, the box completely flattened thrusting Zan even closer to Parker. Only his fast thinking kept their heads from knocking together.


His hand cupped the side of her face, fingers threaded through her hair. Parker had no clue how the two of them had come to be in such an intimate position, but he wasn't going to question it.
Their breathing was heavy, yet when Zan tried to speak, nothing came out because Parker stopped her with a finger to her lips. "No talking." The words were barely spoken, barely a whisper. Then he leaned up and kissed her.


It wasn't happening exactly the way he imagined it would, but the feeling zinging through his brain and body was even more than he could have visualized in a dream. He had fantasized about kissing her nearly one hundred times since he walked into Infrared this evening. Now that fantasy was reality.


The kiss initially shocked Zan who pulled away. Surprise registered on her flushed face.
"Wow," she sighed. "If that's how you kiss, then..."


Parker didn't let her finish her sentence. He wanted to kiss her again. He captured her mouth with his own. Yet this kiss was different than the first. This time she was responding to him. She was kissing him back. That knowledge was doing strange things to his brain, making it was to shut off and just feel.


Her hand inched down his chest feeling the countours of his body making other places spring to attention. His own hands ran up and down her backside. Everything about her was so perfect. This was so perfect.


Then perfection came to a halt.


Neither heard the footsteps approaching, neither heard the gasp of discovery when Thom Masters found them on the floor of darkened hallway.


"Yowza!" Thom exclaimed, which startled both Parker and Zan pulling them apart like two kids caught making out. His words were like a bucket of cold water dashing their mood. 'Hey, I'm all for a little slap and tickle, but can I say... get a room?"


The expression on Zan's face was a combination of embarrassment and horror.


"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm so sorry." Then she stood up and raced down the hallway and out of the club.


Thom helped Parker to a standing position. "Well, what are you waiting for, Romeo? Go after her before she hides herself in a hole somewhere."


Parker thanked Thom and ran after Zan's retreating figure.


"Ah, young love," Thom said with a smile, and went back to the job of cleaning up after the party.