Since Roz had cooked, Andromeda washed the dishes and Parker dried and put them away, with her direction. They worked quietly together, not needing to say anything to be connected.

Occasionally Parker's hand would brush against her own as she handed him dishes and it was comforting. She'd never lived with a man before, but she could see doing it with Parker.

After all of the breakfast things were cleaned up, Roz sat him down at the table with her medical supplies. Parker shrugged out of his t-shirt, and Andromeda had to stare. Now that she knew how he had gotten all of the scars scattered across his body, she wanted to scream at the world that it wasn't right.

"Did they get the fucker?" Andromeda asked, unable to help herself.

Parker grinned at her. "My buddy Cicero did. Then he gave me the knife he’d made all these cuts with."

"Ew. That's kind of macabre."

"It was satisfaction for me," he said softly.

She rested her hand on his shoulder as Roz peeled the bandage away.

"This is looking good, Parker. I'll cover it with a waterproof bandage, then a heavier bandage. Both entrance and exit wounds look good, but you need to keep them clean, and dry preferably. If it had been any deeper it would have hit something vital, but you lucked out."

He nodded, sitting straight as she reapplied the bandages.

Andromeda's phone rang as they were finishing up. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Eleven a.m. Her heart raced when she saw who was calling.

"You'd better have good news for me, Mike."

"The ink is still wet on the paper, this sucker is so fresh."

"He signed it?" She asked incredulously. "I can't believe it."

"The jail is getting me a transcript of the conversation Mozi had with his father early this morning. I hear there was a lot of yelling. When can you be here?"

Andromeda blinked. "It will take me a few hours to get there. I'll leave within the next half hour."

"Not as quick as I would like, but I won't take this from you. I think you need to be the one to take his statement."

Damn, he was an awesome boss. "Thank you, Mike. I'll be there as soon as I possibly can."

"You better be."

They hung up and she looked at Parker, standing in the kitchen doorway. His black t-shirt was back on and he stood ready. "I'll pack my bag."

Andromeda looked at Roz. "I know we've crashed your life this week, but I need another favor."

"Name it. This is the most excitement I've had for months."

"Just in case this deal falls through somehow, could you possibly drive Mac up to Columbus for me?"

She nodded without even a hesitation. "Of course. The truck is gassed up and I'll pack a small bag now.”

Andromeda crossed the room to wrap her friend in a hug. "You are an incredibly great friend. I love you to pieces."

Roz smiled and kissed her cheek. "I love you too, dear. Now get your butt moving. Can’t keep the criminals waiting.”

Andromeda didn't wait any longer. She went into her bedroom and packed the few things she'd accumulated. She wore a pair of jeans and sneakers right now, and it would have to do until she got to her office. She had a spare outfit there.

"Mind if I drive?"

She looked at Parker in surprise. "Sure, you feel up to it?"

He nodded firmly and she handed him the keyring. He'd changed back into a black t-shirt and BDUs. Roz must have been able to get all the blood out of them. There was a weapon strapped to his hip, and he moved more confidently than she'd seen him move in days.

Andromeda gave Parker a few directions then they were cruising north on Interstate 77. While he drove, she planned; typing out a document full of questions on her laptop. Every variation, every contingency she could think of, she made note of. She wanted these cases to be air tight.

After an hour and a half of driving, they merged onto the ramp for 70 Westbound.

"I'm going to stop and get gas."

Andromeda blinked as she put her computer away. "Yeah, I can stand to use the bathroom. Maybe we can grab some lunch too. I have a feeling that once I get in there I won't take a break for several hours."

They refueled and refreshed, then were back on the road within just a few minutes. Parker ate several sandwiches and seemed to be almost fully recovered from his gunshot wound. He was amazing. She had offered to drive but he'd waved her off. "You have work to do. I'm fine to drive. We're only about an hour and a half from Columbus, so you'd better maximize the time I'm giving you."

"Yes, sir," she laughed, pulling her computer out again.

The next time she looked up they were getting off on the Fourth Street exit and heading toward the prosecuting attorney's office. It was a Monday afternoon and things were still hopping, but no one had parked in her parking spot. She glanced at him as they got out of the car. "Um."

Parker seemed to anticipate what she was going to say. "I'm sticking with you. It's that easy. You've had two attempts on your life. You might want me to stay here but it's not going to happen that way, so get used to it."

Andromeda grinned slightly, loving this flash of ego. "I didn't think you would listen, but I had to try. Come on."

The guards at the security checkpoint gave her a funny look as she walked in, and she realized they'd never seen her in anything but a business suit. She pulled her ID tag from her messenger bag. "You can see who I am. And he's with me. Give him a visitor tag."

They did as they were told and didn't even blink as his weapon set off the metal detector. Parker held his arms up obligingly for the scanner, then moved on when they waved him through. Andromeda was impressed with the extra steps the security people were taking right now. All of the recent deaths had to be setting people on edge.

She received more second glances, then third glances as they turned to look at her shadow in black. Leading him down a hallway, she unlocked her office and stepped inside, then relocked the door. Parker looked at her curiously.

"I have a change of clothes here."

Crossing to the coat rack in the corner she grabbed a plastic wrapped hanger. "I'm sorry. Can you turn around?"

Parker lifted his brows in surprise. "Really? It's not like I haven't seen your delectable body before."

Andromeda laughed lightly, then shrugged. "Okay."

Shrugging off her shirt, she tossed it across a chair in the corner. She wore a nice pink lace bra. It cupped her breasts like it was supposed to, but still gave her room to move. Parker huffed out a breath and she had to hide a smile. This was what he'd wanted.

Andromeda removed the blouse from the hanger and slipped it on. The bra was too dark for the cream-colored blouse, but it would have to do. She would keep her jacket on over top of it.

Turning, she pushed her jeans over her hips and tossed them in the direction of the discarded t-shirt. Then she pulled the black pants from the hangar and slipped them on. Yeah, so maybe she took her time… a little. A few extra seconds teasing Parker wasn't going to make a difference in the day.

Within just a couple of minutes she had her armor on and was ready to walk into war. Grabbing up her computer bag, she stopped in front of Parker. Without a word she went up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips, then let herself out of her office.

Mike was in his own office. She knocked on the doorjamb but the man behind the desk was a little busy. He waved her in and to a chair in front of his desk. Even as he continued to talk to the person on the other end of the line, his gaze tracked Parker as he entered the room behind her. Then he looked back at Andromeda.

"I don't think that's going to work, but I'll let you know."

He hung up the phone, then pulled a sheaf of papers from a stack at his right. He handed them to her.

Andromeda looked at the two-page transcript from the phone conversation. Surely they knew they were monitored while they were in jail? Even when they spoke Farsi, there was an interpreter on duty. When things had started heating up around their city, the county government considered it a necessary expense to hire an interpreter for things exactly like this.

"Oh. Parker Quinn, this is my boss, Mike Maddox."

Neither of the men moved to shake hands, which she thought was a little curious, but she didn't push it. Her eyes continued to scan the words.

'Did you read the paper this morning?'

'No.'

'Seems like there is more evidence that the police have. If you had completed your task like you were supposed to, they never would have seen your face and we could have disavowed your actions. Dalir lived up to his name. He was brave and completed the task given him. He honored our family name. You are threatening that.'

'My apologies, Father. I only wanted...'

'I don't care what you wanted. It only matters that we honor the State. You acted rashly and without family support. Now you will deal with the consequences. Whatever happens to you happens. I disavow you.'

'No, Father. Wait!'

'No, Mozi. You have had many chances to honor the family like your brothers have, but instead you persist in behaving like a lazy asshole, looking for the easy way to do things. You have shamed us too many times. If you have any respect for us at all, you will take yourself from this earth.'

'Father!'

'I am not your father any longer, you cursed child. We will continue our campaign against the infidels without you.'

'Father! No!'

END OF CALL

Andromeda looked up at Mike, excitement vibrating through her as she handed the sheaf of papers to Parker to read. "This is perfect! Where is he? I want to talk to him. He waived his right to further counsel, correct?"

Mike nodded. "He did. After Mozi signed the plea agreement, he told his counsel to leave, and he's been in the interview room cooling his heels since then, waiting for you."

Andromeda stood up. Parker handed her the transcript back and she arranged it into her messenger bag next to her computer. "Did you run Dalir al Fareq?"

Mike handed her another set of papers. "Supposedly as clean as his brother. But it sounds like he may have been the one driving at the Christmas parade."

"Yes, that makes sense."

She looked up at Parker, and he gave her a grin and a nod. As the three of them walked down the hallway to the interview room, she tried to order her thoughts. Even though his family had disavowed him, he might still try to protect them, unless she could make him so angry that he chose the opposite path.