“I didn’t want to do anything to hurt you,” she murmured.
Christ, Phil was going to be eating soft foods for the rest of his life for everything he’d put her through. “I’ll take care of him once we get home.”
“You can do it now,” Jack offered. “He’s sitting in his van, right over there, cowering.”
Jeez. Parker expected the ass would have run for the hills the first opportunity he got. They moved in slowly on the minivan, in case Phil decided to get really stupid and pull out a weapon. “Why is he still here?”
Jack held up a handful of spark plugs, his lips twitching. “It seemed appropriate.”
According to his most recent actions, Phil should have locked his doors and stayed hidden, but instead, he stood waiting for them by the door. The cocky, arrogant bastard who’d entered the DreamMakers office so many weeks ago was back, staring down his nose and swollen lips as they approached.
“That’s close enough right there,” he ordered. “I take it, Lynn, you’ve already informed your friends you agreed to join me for the weekend?”
“Coercion doesn’t get you off the hook,” Jack drawled.
Phil snorted, which turned into a moan of pain before he jerked upright. “Hardly coercion. She’s here of her own free will and—”
Parker hadn’t anticipated Lynn’s next move. He was focused on restraint instead of diving at the asshole and getting rid of his built-up frustrations and fears. Attempting to remain a rational human being in spite of the fact that this asshole had taken the woman he loved and placed her in a life-threatening situation.
But it was Lynn who darted forward to stop inches away from Phil, boldly glaring into his face. She was damn near quivering with anger.
“You do any of what you threatened about going to the news, and I’ll not only press charges for kidnapping, I’ll go all the way to Mr. Bigelow with the rest of the story. You understand?”
Phil hesitated, then nodded.
Lynn backed away half a pace, then paused. “Oh, and if you want to talk about doing things of my own free will?”
She brought up her knee between Phil’s legs, hard enough both Jack and Parker offered involuntary moans that ended up as backup harmony for the sudden sharp gasp of pain from Phil’s lips. He curled into himself, hands clutching his balls, when she followed through, snapping up her joint hands and connecting with his nose.
One final spin, and she slammed her elbow down on his back, smack dab between the man’s shoulders, hard enough to drive him to the ground.
It was beautiful, amazing, and if Parker hadn’t already been in love, that would have sealed the deal.
Jack whistled softly. “Nicely done. You want a part-time job, I could hire you out as a bodyguard.”
Lynn brushed her hands together as if rubbing Phil from her skin. “Leave him his spark plugs, Jack,” she ordered. Then she turned her blue eyes to Parker’s, stepping to his side. Voice soft, and tired. “Take me home?”
He nodded. They’d talk over the rest when they got home. He checked over his shoulder, catching Suz and Dean descending the stairs. “Everybody in the truck. Let’s get the hell outta here.”
Chapter Eighteen
Lynn stumbled into her apartment three hours later, exhausted beyond belief and still reeling over everything that had happened that night. Behind her, Parker flicked a switch, and light flooded the room, highlighting the creases of worry on his handsome face.
“You sure you’re okay?” He reached for her hand, his touch warm and reassuring.
“You don’t have to keep asking me. I really am fine. Just tired. And still shocked.” She glanced at him with wide eyes. “I can’t believe Phil snapped. I honestly didn’t expect it.”
“Desperate men do desperate things, sweetheart.” He stroked the inside of her palm, eyes serious as they searched her face. “You can still press charges.”
She shook her head. “I honestly don’t want to bother. I don’t want him in my life, and pressing charges means dragging everything out, testifying if it goes to court…and I know you said you don’t care about negative press, but right now I’m in a position of power.”
“He keeps his mouth shut, you don’t press charges?”
The thought didn’t make her as happy as it should have. “I’m done with the man. And he’ll never try anything like this again.” An unexpected pang of pity tugged her. “You saw his face when we left him there. He was…broken.”
“Not as broken as he deserved to be.” Parker’s tone went razor sharp, his anger still palpable. “He took you there against your will, Lynn.”
She lifted her arms and twined them around his neck. “And you rescued me.”