I’m running so fast down the hall from the elevator that I don’t even notice my doorway is clear, vacant of agents, until I reach for the handle and find it locked. This might be the first time I’ve used the key myself since the Spring.

And this might be the first time I’ve entered the space and heard crying.

I hurry to her room, reaching for the knob. It doesn’t turn. The door doesn’t budge.

“Parker?”

Nothing.

I bang on the door with the side of my closed fist. “Parker! Open up, it’s me.”

But she doesn’t, no matter how loudly I call her name. The crying never stops.

I stand back, eyeing the door, deciding to break it. And just when I take a step back, there’s the sound of a click, the clanging of metal.

And there Parker is—puffy and red faced but there.

“I’m sorry, I was about to get in the shower.” She tugs at the collar of her robe—of my robe. “I didn’t hear you over the water.”

“What happened?” I say, trying to catch my breath. “I called you and⁠—”

“My phone might be on silent.”

That still isn’t an answer to my question. “What happened?” I force out through a tight jaw, and all Parker does is shake her head. “No, no, don’t do that again.”

She focuses on me. “Don’t do what?”

“Lock me out.” I look at her hand on the knob, but the last thing I’m talking about is the door. “You were crying.”

Parker nods. “I was, but…”

I can see her spinning the wheel of excuses in her mind. But we’re past that. “Don’t shut me out,” I beg. “Talk to me.”

Parker retreats into the room and I follow. “I just want to take a shower and go to bed, and we can talk in the morning,” she tells me.

I come to a complete stop when I see the duffle bag at the foot of the bed.

“You could still run. You did before.”

“It’s different this time.”

“How?”

“This time, you’re driving the getaway car.”

I swear my heart can’t handle how fast it races when I realize this time, the only difference is that Parker is leaving by choice.

“Don’t shut me out,” I say again. I’m trying to be soft and easy, but I’m a second away from losing it. “Not anymore. I’ve had enough.”

Surprise swallows Parker’s face. “You’ve had enough?” she asks, shocked, ripping her hand from my grasp. Her ring scratches the skin of my palm. “What about me? When is it enough for me?” She shoves against my chest.

“Stop,” I say, intercepting her hands when they come at me again. “Stop it, Parker. I’m not the bad guy here. I’m with you! I’m on your side!”