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Parker slapped Jason on the back. “Excellent work as usual.”
“Happy to help out,” Jason said with a grin. “It brings us one step closer to finding Logan.”
“I found some information, as well.” Parker grimaced. “Price has a history of disturbing behavior. He’s been married twice before and neither marriage ended well. His first wife died under mysterious circumstances and the other one obtained a restraining order against him. She accused him of domestic violence and terroristic threats. Their divorce records ended up being sealed due to some fancy footwork by his attorney.”
Jason let out a whistle. “Sounds like a head case.”
“He’s a few sandwiches short of a picnic, that’s for sure. This information proves he’s dangerous.”
Jason frowned. “So Cadence was right about him being a threat?”
“Seems like it,” Parker said in a grudging tone. He still wasn’t sure what to make about all of the decisions Cadence had made in the past, but he could acknowledge she’d had reasons to be afraid of Mason Price. Parker would hazard a guess that his mental state was questionable. It made his pulse race like crazy to know his son was in the company of a lunatic like Price.
Parker glanced at his watch. It was three in the morning. “Why don’t we crash for a bit? We’re going to need all of our energy tomorrow. I’ll buy the tickets for the three of us now.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “Three tickets?”
“Cadence is coming with us. Is that a problem?” Parker asked gruffly.
Jason raised his hands up in the air. “I didn’t say a word. I was only asking a question. Just be careful,” he said in a warning tone.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Parker asked gruffly.
“It means that Cadence is your soft spot. Being in her presence might stir up old feelings.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Parker said. “Those feelings are dead and buried.”
Jason simply stared at Parker without saying a word. The concern he felt over the situation radiated from his caramel-colored eyes.
“What?” Parker asked, feeling annoyed at Jason. He was poking him with a big stick, trying to get him to reveal his feelings. Jason had been doing it ever since they were kids. Parker wasn’t in the mood to get all warm and fuzzy about his feelings.
“You keep telling yourself that and you’re bound to fall right back in love with her.”
Parker gritted his teeth. He knew Jason meant well, but he wasn’t some love struck teenager dealing with his first crush. Cadence had broken his heart and betrayed his trust at a point in his life when he’d been prepared to settle down and make her his forever. A person didn’t just get over something like that. It had been a crushing experience.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said, wishing his voice sounded more confident.
“I’m going to change the subject because I don’t want to beat a horse to death. What do you plan to tell the family?”
“Nothing yet. How can I tell them anything when this could all end badly? I don’t want Mom and Dad to get all excited over having a grandson, only to be left heartbroken.”
“Think positive,” Jason urged him. “Imagine how great it will be when that moment happens.”
“I’m trying to, but I have to consider the worst,” Parker said, hating that he even had to ponder the unthinkable. In his line of work, it was only practical.
A sudden noise had him turning around. Cadence was standing there with wide, red-rimmed eyes. She was wearing his over-sized T-shirt and her leggings. She was staring at Parker with anger radiating from her ice-blue eyes. The intensity of it surprised him.
She took a step closer to him, her eyes glittering with emotion. “I didn’t come all this way only to have you give up on Logan. That little boy is my entire world. I’d give up my own life for him. And if you’re not willing to go the distance for him, I’ll find someone who is,” she said in a raised voice. Before Parker could even respond, she was gone from the doorway. Her footsteps echoed on the staircase.
Parker looked at Jason, whose jaw was practically on the floor. Neither one of them had ever heard Cadence speak in such a fierce manner. Her personality had always been characterized by sweetness and light, with slight sass on occasion. Parker sensed her current attitude stemmed from the extreme stress of not knowing where Mason had taken Logan or how he was faring in the situation.
Parker let out a groan. “I don’t have time to deal with a Mama Grizzly trying to protect her cub.”
“You should go after her,” Jason said. “She’s under an incredible amount of stress.”
Jason was right. The look on Cadence’s face had been frantic and furious. She was under considerable strain. He needed to lead with compassion and understanding. Hadn’t his parents always taught him to do so?
“Wish me luck,” Parker said as he slowly walked down the hall and toward the staircase. He felt like a man walking toward the guillotine. It felt as if a huge divide stood between the two of them. Years ago he’d been really great at comforting her. Under the current circumstances, he wasn’t sure he still had the ability to provide comfort to Cadence.
