"Emily, you received five million from the sale. I don't want you giving it back."
"Well I kind of ripped it up..."
"It's fine, I can easily replace it. We can deposit the money into your account while we pick up the paperwork."
"If you're giving me the property back, then that money isn't mine."
"Consider it some compensation for all the problems my brother caused. I won't be happy unless you take the money. I'd be even more happy if you'd let me add to that amount and pay for all your bills and expenses."
Emily looked deep into his eyes. They looked kind, gentle, and sincere. This is exactly how they manipulate people. "Thank you for everything you've done. But I'm not willing to trust you farther than I can throw you."
Chapter 8
Parker was quickly unpacking the boxes. He had to be done with this woman and get the hell away from her.
"Easy with those, Russell." Emily was proud of herself for calling a spade a spade. She knew she pissed him off. Good!
"Go in the house, Emily."
"Don't tell me what to do..."
"We're done talking. I can't even tolerate your voice anymore. Do you bitch at everyone you meet?" Parker watched her stomp off. When he finished unpacking, not even caring if anything was in the right place, he hollered for her from the front door.
"Let's go!"
Emily slowly walked downstairs, taking her sweet time. As Parker held the door open for her, he was tempted to hit her with it. "Could you move any slower?"
Emily ignored the comment and then sauntered over to the passenger door of the SUV. Parker opened the door and sighed while he helped her inside. He wasn't looking forward to being trapped in a vehicle with her.
He got the papers from the front office and brought them over to Emily.
"Here, sign on the highlighted areas."
Emily began to read each page, word for word. Parker stood there tapping his foot.
"It's all legal, Emily. Just sign the lines so we can give you back your property. Parker wrote out a company check for twenty million and signed his name. See? It's all legal." The only legible part of his signature was his last name.
"I'm not taking twenty million. I don't want a dime from you."
Parker clenched his jaw, and she tore up the check. "I'll be right back." He went inside his motel room and called information. When he was through with a couple of phone calls, he went back outside.
"We're going to an appointment."
"What kind of appointment, Russell? I have my own doctors."
Parker ignored the question and went over the speed limit until he reached the parking lot of Tender Care. He got out, walked around the truck, and opened the passenger door.
"Why are we here? I can find my own help."
Parker ignored her again, walked to the entrance, and held the door open. Once again, Emily took her time.
"Hello, I'm Russell Davis, and this is Emily Carson. I wanted to set up twenty-four hour assistance for her. I'll pay the bill."
After a long interview process to identify what Emily would need, Parker began to feel some relief.
"She'll need someone for this evening. I'll be leaving town as soon as possible."
"Good!" Emily said loudly.
Parker glared at her. "The earlier, the better." He looked at Emily and smiled.
"I can have someone out there at seven this evening. That's the earliest."
Parker arranged for the bill to be sent to Davis Enterprises, then held the door open again.
"So you're just going to leave me at that house?"
"No, but I'll find a way to stay far away from you. If you want to go get a bite to eat on the way we can. I'm sure there's a restaurant that can give you a good rawhide to help sharpen your fangs."
"You're such a smug asshole, you know that?"
Their meal was quiet. Neither trusted themselves to speak to the other in public. When they were settled back inside the SUV, Parker got out his phone.
"Rhonda, I need a flight out of here."
"Russell has the jet, my dear. He should be back tomorrow."
"I'm not staying here another day. Book me a flight out of Springfield. Call me back with the info."
"Pissy?" Rhonda laughed.
"Rhonda..."
"Okay! I'll call you in a bit."
Parker heard her laughing when she hung up. Why are women crazy? "Hopefully I'll be out of your hair in a few hours, Emily."
"Just get me back to the house. It's getting ready to really storm."
"A little bit of rain isn't going to make you melt. You are void of anything sweet, so I wouldn't worry about that if I were you."
"This isn't funny. I hate storms." Emily didn't even come back with something flip, which shocked Parker.
"Why are you afraid of a storm? You have a roof over your head and someone to stay here with you. Hopefully when I get to New York, it'll be nice."
"Russell, look at the clouds. This isn't good."
"Emily, it's a storm. Get over it."
"No, Russell, look at the clouds, I'm being serious." Emily's eyes were like saucers.
Parker saw the fear on her face. "I'll get you in the house, fix you something warm to drink, and turn on the television. Just ignore the thunder and lightning."
"Try to drive faster, Russell. I really mean it. We need to take cover."
"You're really scared, aren't you?" Parker would have rather she be mean and not tug at his heart strings. He hated to see a woman in distress.
"I was in a tornado and had to hide in a drainage ditch. What I saw...I thought I was going to die. The storms out here can be horrid."
"Okay, I'll hurry and get you settled in the house." Parker definitely noticed the black clouds and their movement. He accelerated, trying to get ahead of the storm. He wasn't very successful. The wind was strong; the rain was falling like a river. He pulled in the driveway and then ran around to open the door for Emily.
"Run, Russell!" Parker wrapped an arm around her to help her move against the strong wind. Once inside, they realized they'd lost power.
"Emily, where's the flashlight?"
She ran to a drawer and pulled one out. "Grab food, water, and blankets, Russell, hurry!"
Parker did as he was told, moving as fast as he could. Emily grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the back door. With as much strength as he could, he held the door open against the wind while Emily ran around back to the cellar.
"I haven't been in here in years! Use the light to see the steps!"
"I have to go back inside and grab water! I couldn't carry it all!" Their voices were barely heard in the storm. "Get inside, your cast is soaked!" Emily nodded, then went down the steps. Suddenly, the rain stopped. The familiar sound of a freight train made her scream.
Parker saw the tornado in the field as soon as he rounded the corner of the house. He ran back to the cellar as fast as he could. With great effort, he closed the cellar doors, grabbed Emily's hand, and hurried her to the farthest corner. She was crying hysterically.
"Emily! It's going to be okay," said Parker, even though he didn't believe one word of it. He wrapped the blanket around them both, then pulled her to the ground with him. As they lay face down, Parker tried to shield her with his own body the best he could without crushing her. The sounds of the house getting torn to shreds seemed like they lasted for hours instead of a minute.
When he was sure the tornado was gone, he got up and headed back up the steps to the cellar door. He couldn't budge it. Parker knew they were buried. He got out his phone, only to see he had no signal.
"We're trapped in here, aren't we?" Emily was still crying.
"Yeah, I can't get the door open. My phone isn't working."
"Russell, no one will find us!"
"Emily, listen to me," began Parker as he pulled her into his arms. "They'll know we're down here. My secretary will find out there's a problem when she tries to book my flight. She won't be able to contact me and she'll send someone. We once owned this land, she knows where it is." Emily nodded but continued to sob. Parker pulled her into his chest.
"Do you have a radio down here?" Parker was hoping to check on the weather.
"Yeah, but I doubt you'll find good batteries. My grandfather kept up on everything. I'm sure that stopped once he knew he was sick."
Parker found the radio and she was right; it was dead. They sat in the dark, conserving the flashlight batteries. When Emily would start to cry, Parker would make small talk.
"Where did you grow up?" Parker still had his arms around her.
"Here, in Springfield...on this land as a matter of fact."
"I didn't notice another house. Do you see your parents often?" Parker knew there had to be a problem or certainly her parents would be helping her.
"Our house caught on fire. I was here spending the night with my grandfather when it happened, or I'd be dead too. I miss them both."
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Emily."
"It was a long time ago. I was just a kid, but I remember seeing our house in flames and the sounds of my grandfather screaming their names just like it was yesterday. There were crowds of people, and I thought my parents were mixed in with them."
They sat in silence for a while. Parker hoped that she'd fall asleep, but she didn't. In the quiet, dark cellar, they both heard the sound of debris being moved, and footsteps.