Called Upon by Bethany Lee

Author:Bethany Lee [Bethany Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Published: 2021-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

PARKER

Parker no longer wanted to make his father proud.

Parker sat on his bed with his laptop perched on his knees. He read the blood tests, the CAT scans, and all of his father’s notes, not just for Jason Leavitt, but for everyone who’d ever been called upon. No wonder his father wanted to keep these records out of the digital cloud and completely locked away. If anyone knew that being called upon was little more than a death sentence, they’d go running the other way. No one would enter his father’s twisted world—no matter how many bows and ribbons were attached.

Poor Jason. Parker felt guilty for all of the energy he’d wasted hating him, envying him. It all made sense now; Jason’s colorless eyes and dehydrated personality. Jason was turning into a human vegetable and didn’t even know it.

Parker jumped half out of his skin as his father charged into the room without warning. “Parker, now would be the time to tell the truth.”

Parker slowly closed his laptop.

His father continued without pausing for air. “The station was broken into last night. The surveillance system was hacked under Anjalie’s name, but Anjalie had been sedated the whole night. One of Overlook’s campers, Claire, was caught sneaking around the cabins, but she could not have accessed the system by herself.”

Parker’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Claire. She’d been caught and was probably here, under the same roof as him, at this very moment. This abrasive, lonely, complicated, beautiful girl was at the Leavitt Center. This thought filled Parker with pleasure and panic. He was so close to her, this girl he’d watched with keen interest all summer, but she was also now in terrible danger.

Parker’s father continued. “You, son, are one of the few who know about the station’s existence. I’m only going to ask you once. Did you visit the station last night?”

Now that Parker knew that Claire’s life was on the line, there was no question as to how he must answer. “Yes, Father, I did.”

“And it was you who erased Overlook’s surveillance?”

“It was me.”

“Why the devil would you do that?”

Parker quickly decided where to lie and where to tell the truth. “I was logged on to the surveillance site and noticed Claire sneaking out. I didn’t want her to get kicked out of camp.”

“That’s preposterous. Why would you break protocol for someone you’ve never met?”

“I knew her sister. She was a cool girl.” Parker and Patricia used to study together. Until recently, he’d thought she was attending college. Thanks to the photographs in the manila folder, he now knew that she, along with three others, were weighted down at the bottom of Lake Arrowhead. Parker had no doubt that, unless he intervened, Claire would be joining them soon.

“You caused a tremendous amount of trouble, son. We’ve all been working around the clock to get the system back in working order. Why did you go to the station in the first place?”

“Because I found the key.” Parker reached into his front pocket and pulled out the key to the filing cabinet.

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