Parker explained over and over the many reasons why it was best for only him to meet with the investigator. And yes, maybe he was right, but it wasn't like that make me want to go with him any less.
Besides, if he got into trouble with the police for investigating my stepmother, I would go down with him. There was no way I would let him suffer problems that were mine in the first place. Had I had the right money, I would have hired and investigator myself without hesitation.
"Where the heck are we going?" I asked as Parker continued to turn down smaller and darker roads.
He hadn't wanted to wait before meeting the investigator, so we went out that evening. He said the quicker we have the information and the quicker we could move on, the safer we would be. Parker's breath was getting faster and he was looking more tense as he continued to drive.
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea. For you to come with me, I mean." He blurted out.
I could hear hints of panic in his voice. He was getting worried he was putting me in danger. Hiring an investigator wasn't exactly legal, after all and he didn't know what he was getting himself into.
"We already talked about this. If you didn't let me come with you, I probably would have crept onto the top of the car and come with your that way."
He chuckled and relaxed a little, but shortly snapped back into a dead seriousness.
"Hm. I know that's true only too well." I winked jokingly. "If anything happens just run and don't worry about me, alright." As if I would leave him in danger, surely, he knew I wouldn't do that.
"Parker, I'm the overthinker in this relationship, please stop trying to steal my thunder." He looked away from the road for a moment glancing back at me and smiled. At least I knew how to calm him down.
When Parker pulled over, even I became a little worried. The place we had come to didn't seem safe. It felt like a picture out of a horror movie, the kind of place someone is kidnapped or murdered.
A sickening sense of unease filled my stomach. As we walked through a huge, dark doorway, we looked around.
"Why does it feel like we are about to be murdered here?" I hissed and grabbed Parker's hand, squeezing it tight in my palm. That made me feel a slight bit better.
"I will fight off the zombies, don't worry." He teased. Even through the darkness, I could see his cocky grin. Maybe he would see me roll my eyes at him too.
The atmosphere had a musky and dirty smell. It felt as though the air hadn't moved in years, the smell piling up like a stagnant pool of filthy water. It was getting to the point where we couldn't see at all, so I flicked my phone torch on.
"So do we just wait here?" I whispered nervously hoping the answer would be no. Just then, booming voice came from the side of us and someone walked over.
"Alright, mate!?" I yelped and Parker laughed at me. I couldn't help it because it was so silent before. "How are you doing?" A pretty normal looking man, around the age of thirty grabbed the hand of Parker's which I wanted clinging on to and shook it firmly.
"Good, thanks, and you?" Parker casually replied. Why was he so casual and friendly all the time? I hit his arm moodily.
"Not too bad. Look, I don't have long, but first of all sorry about the situation, the stuff I found wasn't great." He looked down to me and gave me a sympathetic nod. He started speaking to me.
"For a girl so pretty and all, you don't deserve to be caught up in stuff like that. I'm sure that must be quite hard for someone like you, going through that." The man said. Parker instantly put himself in front of me.
"She can handle it absolutely fine, thank you very much." Parker's tone had instantly become cold and dull. I smiled subtly to myself.
"Worth a shot." The investigator muttered.
"A shot at what exactly." Parker said, sternly looking at the man in the eye. "Could you please just give me the information, and I will pay you." The man nodded and gave Parker an envelope. Parker gave him a stack of cash.
"Gosh, Parker, how much are you paying? You literally look like a dealer right now." I hissed in his ear, quiet enough that the man couldn't overhear us. Parker snorted with laughter, and as the man looked up at him strangely, Parker tried to compose himself.
We left as soon as we could after we had got everything that we needed. We kept the envelope and decided to open it at home to check over the information.
I hoped for something strong enough to put her behind bars... but at the same time I was scared.
I was scared to find anything scary because I had already been through so much, and even with Parker I was beginning to doubt how much more I could take.
When we got home, Parker instantly began opening the envelope. I put my hand on his shoulder quickly.
"Wait!" I said before thinking about it. I just didn't know what to expect. No matter what was in the envelope, it would be big.
Even if it were nothing and we had just been scammed, it would be a big deal because it would mean Parker wasted a load of money and we would have to wait longer to feel safe.
"What is it?" He asked softly. Even hearing his caring and understanding voice began to make me feel more comfortable.
"I'm scared of what is in the envelope." I explained awkwardly. He picked me up and began to walk through the hallway with me.
"PARKER!" I yelled. "I told you next time you lifted me up I would kick you, don't think I will hesitate!" He ignored my threats and just chuckled at me.
"If you kick me, I'll drop you." I groaned and relaxed. Unless I wanted to be dropped on the floor there was no getting out of this one. He took me all the way to the end of the hallway and outside, and then sat me down sitting opposite me.
"Why are me outside." I mumbled, still pretending to be annoyed at him for picking me up.
"Fresh air." I glared at him, and he paid no attention.
"Riley, I know you must be scared. If I were you, I would be scared too. But knowing what is in that envelope doesn't make it anymore more or less real. I can promise you we will get through this together, and me completely fine. I know you act strong, but believe me, I still notice that you are in a situation where pretty much any other person would be terrified. Just because you are brave, it doesn't mean I notice any less when things get tough, okay?"
I nodded cautiously.
"So we should open it?" I muttered quietly.
"We should. But we don't have to." He assured. "If you really don't want to know what it says get, I wont open it. But we have to at some point. No matter what it is, everything will be okay. I am always here for you." I flashed him a half smile.
"We can open it." I said. "I love you."
"I love you too, gorgeous."
Heyyy hope you enjoyed <3
Wonder what it's gonna be in the envelope *shrug emoji which I don't have :(*
Anywayssss thanks for reading!!!
- Rae <3
YOU ARE READING
UNCONDITIONALLY YOURS
Romance(COMPLETED) He's everything she hates. A rich, arrogant, cocky playboy. She should be repulsed by him, but from the first moment she met him face to face, her heart of ice ineluctably set on fire. He had one mission. Something he had struggled for h...