About Parker
Little is known about the woman known only as Parker. Her early life in the foster system was wrought with abuse, neglect, and several early traumas that have left Parker emotionally scarred to the point where her emotional responses are skewed.
Before she was 12 she was a getaway driver. Some time after that she met a boy called Kelly in foster care, and he taught her how to boost cars. They worked together as a team until they boosted a bait car. He escaped the police, leaving Parker to serve 6 months in juvie.
In the episode 'The Boost Job' she teaches a girl nicknamed Shorty how to steal a car. Following Parker's lead, Hardison teaches Shorty how to hack a car's system with a smart phone. Parker tries to warn Shorty that the car gang would leave her behind just as Kelly left her, but this jeopardises the team's plans.
She seems to be constantly testing her skills, as she can instinctively case any building she sees. She also seems to have the ability to appear and disappear from locked rooms at will. As a thief, Parker uses little equipment other than a self-modified harness. (This harness has resulted in excellent upper body strength.)
She has a soft spot for children and recognizes that her early life has changed her and doesn't want other children to be like her. If Parker has any weaknesses, it's her social skills. Socially inept to a point, she either under- or over-compensates her emotional responses. But she has been working on this with Sophie Devereaux.
Since trust doesn't come easily to her she has varied relationships with the team. While she trusts Eliot, Nate and Sophie, she is closest to Hardison, who has a crush on her. When the team rejoined in Boston, she alluded to Hardison (who told her he looked for her) her awareness of this, telling him not to force things and to give her time. Parker is the team's wild card, since no one knows what she'll do. Just don't cross her.
Parker's only motivation appears to be money. She steals, not for property, or assets, but for cash. She has a rather unconventional relationship with cash, and has the ability to tell the difference between counterfeit and legitimate money by scrutinizing, touching, and even smelling it.