514 Saving a Life 1

The image of Parker from the time that she was still in Shadow flashed in Katherine's mind, making her extra anxious that she shifted in her seat and shook her head. Her hand flew to Damien's—the one that's holding the smartphone—and she warned Felix in a clear voice, "Do not engage."

"Am I just supposed to leave this be? What if he's here to finish the job?" Felix asked, sounding restrained as he tried to reason while keeping his voice down.

"He won't do that," said Chris. "Parker would never use his own hands to do something dirty—no matter how easy it would be for him. He doesn't want to risk getting himself caught doing that. He's probably there to taunt her or something…"

Letting out a heavy breath, Felix responded, "You guys said it yourself, he could be desperate. There's no telling what he'll actually do at the moment. Do you want to risk having an innocent person killed?"

The four people in the safe house looked at each other. Felix had a point, but all of them believed how dangerous it would be for him to be there with minimal backup. Seeing Parker in the flesh visiting the senator in the hospital when he had ordered for her to be killed just yesterday was something they had not expected at all.

Gus began to get anxious too, his knees bounced up and down as he imagined Felix being in the same building with Parker. Taking a deep breath, he started, "Actually, we don't know if the senator is innocent. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known who Parker is and Parker wouldn't have wanted her to get killed."

"Gus is right," Chris agreed. "As of now, we have a reason to believe that she could be part of the group behind Shadow. Isn't that all the more reason to keep her alive? We need to get her out of there," he said as he turned to look at Damien as if he was asking him to give Felix the green light.

"Not at the expense of my men." Damien furrowed his brows, returning Chris's stare with his cold one. "I'm all for helping Katherine bring down Shadow, but I wouldn't put my people in danger if I can help it. This is too risky at the moment."

"Damien is right," Katherine agreed. She stared at the phone on Damien's hand, a crease formed between her brows as she got nervous by the second. If she was there and without anyone's help, she would have also probably stormed inside the senator's room without regard for her own life—however, being away and seeing things differently, she couldn't help but be the voice of reason. "Felix, you'll be putting your life at risk if you go in there while Parker is around. You need to stand down."

…

Meanwhile, at Senator Jones's Private Room 

"Uncle," the senator's daughter greeted Parker when he entered the room. He wore a classic black suit and a white shirt underneath. The two conversed for a bit before she left, leaving him alone with her mother who was lying in the bed with an oxygen mask while sleeping. 

There was no response from Senator Jones—she remained immobile. He stared at her, tilting his head to the side as he observed the small movements in her closed eyes. Then, he scoffed, a hint of a wicked smile forming on his face.

"I didn't know you were such a coward. How could you take your own life like that?" Parker clicked his tongue and shook his head, sounding as though he was disappointed in her. "I was actually staying true to my words when I said that I'm going to spare you. Was I too harsh? I was sure that you had learned a lesson. How disappointing… I guess I would never understand women like you, Jennifer."

Senator Jones remained unresponsive but Parker was convinced that she could hear him, so he got up from the chair and towered over her, his hands hidden in his pockets as he stared down at her. She looked pale and slightly bloated due to the IV fluid that had been administered through her arm. Feeling unsatisfied, he sat on the bed by her hip and let out a long sigh as he kept his gaze at the armchair in front of him.

"Ah, have I told you? The shipment will arrive very soon. Now that I think about it, I didn't need your help this time. Looks like I won't be needing it anytime soon too… So you don't have to worry. I can manage for now. You can take your time to rest and get back in shape. After all, you still have a role to fill in for the future project." Shifting his stare to her face, he asked, "Are you listening, Jennifer?"

Still, no reaction.

Parker chuckled. "Oh, well… I guess you're still upset about last night. I understand… Okay then, I'll get out of your hair now so you can continue pretending to be asleep. I still have a few hours till my next appointment. Do you think Anna can accompany me for some tea? She won't mind, right?"

He got to his feet and buttoned his suit jacket, but just before he could move away, a cold hand reached to grab his wrist, causing him to stop in his tracks. Turning his head towards the bed, he met Senator Jones's red-rimmed eyes that looked as cold as ice. "Don't touch my daughter," she said in a breathy tone under the oxygen mask.

"Ah… Always so protective…" Parker retracted his hand from her grasp and sat back down on the armchair. "Now, let's talk."