Terminated by Simon Wood

“Nothing” was her answer. She owed Parker nothing, and he was getting exactly that, though she was expecting to leave with something. The officer handed her a visitor pass and she walked through an airport-style security checkpoint.
    Another corrections officer introduced himself and escorted her to the visitor’s area.
    “Do you know Desmond Parker?” Gwen asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Do you think he deserves parole?”
    “I’ve been here all through his stay and he’s kept his nose clean.”
    “Has he changed?”
    “More than most.”
    The officer showed her into an empty, communalroom filled with tables and chairs. It reminded Gwen of a drab, deserted cafeteria. There’d be no barrier between her and Parker. She picked out a table toward the middle of the room and sat down.
    She was alone except for the guard. She sat waiting for Parker like he’d summoned her and not the other way around. The guard kept her pinned under his gaze. She fought the urge to strike up a conversation. She needed to focus.
    A door opened and Parker entered, dressed in prison denim. Gwen’s heart rate jumped into high gear, but she did her best to keep her fears internalized.
    Parker smiled at her, but she didn’t return the pleasantry.
    Fifteen years of prison had changed him. The man who’d abducted her and stabbed her had been heavyset but strong. At first glance, she thought prison had eroded the latter quality, but then she noticed that even though he’d developed a paunch and lost some of his muscle, he still possessed the inherent strength that he’d used to overpower her all those years ago. Silver overran his chestnut-brown hair. He’d let it grow long, and it looked ratty. He’d entered prison a youthful thirty-nine years old, but time had etched deep lines into his face. He looked his age and then some. Gwen liked to think that prison had ravaged him.
    He took the seat opposite her, and his smile broadened into a grin. Prison might have taken its toll on his body, but she doubted it had altered his soul. He was still the man he’d been all those years ago when he’d cursed her name and rammed the knife in her stomach.
    “Gwen, you look great.”
    She felt the heat of his gaze appraising her before he’d sat down. She didn’t reply to his comment.
    “I have to admit that I’m a little surprised by you wanting to see me, but I guess it’s about my upcoming parole hearing.”
    “They informed me about it.”
    “Do you still sing?”
    Gwen kept a tight rein on hertemper. “No. Too many bad memories.”
    “I hear you’re married with a kid. Tell me about your family.”
    “They’re none of your business.”
    Parker smirked. “Brr. A nasty windchill moves in from the east.” His smirk dissolved into his lined face. “Keep it civil, Gwen. Just remember who requested this visit. I’m doing you a favor.”
    “There are some things you aren’t entitled to know.”
    Parker snorted. “My lawyer advised against this meeting. He thinks this is some ploy to fuck up my parole hearing, but I told him you weren’t like that. I told him you’re one of the good ones, a Girl Scout. Tell me he’s wrong.”
    “He’s wrong.”
    He smiled, getting far too much pleasure from her reply. “So what do you want, Gwen? Don’t tell me what your therapist thinks you want. Tell me what you really want.”
    “I don’t have a therapist.”
    Parker grinned and leaned back in his seat. “Good. You’re a strong one, Gwen. It was what drew me to you.”
    The man sounded like an ex-boyfriend instead of an attacker. They had shared a relationship. It wasn’t a loving one, but it was one filled with strong emotions.
    “Why have you come?”
    “They tell me you’ve changed. I came to see if that’s true.”
    Parker flung his arms out wide. “And have I?”
    “You’ve gotten older and you’ve put on a few pounds, but that doesn’t come close to answering my question.”
    She’d struck Parker’s vanity, and he put away the