A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(35)

Parker had met Lacie Butler the summer before her senior year of college. Lacie was another lost soul that had nowhere to go after class let out at the end of the semester. Her parents had left her to be raised by nannies for most of her life, and they traveled so much she saw them maybe once a year. That summer, they had been in San Tropez while Lacie was in the library on a Saturday evening.

When Parker walked into the library after dinner, she had her usual feelings of excitement knowing she’d have the entire place all to herself. Her happiness was short lived, however, when she spotted another girl sitting at Parker’s usual table. She sighed in frustration and made her way to a different table a few rows down.

The two girls spent several hours reading and taking notes without ever looking at one another. They were perfectly content to keep to themselves and get their work done. At ten o’clock, the librarian wandered over to tell them it was closing time, and then she lightly admonished them for not going out and doing something fun on a Saturday night.

That was when Parker turned to look at the girl and found her looking right back. They shared a laugh, stood up, gathered their things, and walked out of the library together.

Parker and Lacie were friends for two months, three weeks, and twenty-two days. They talked, went to the library, went out for drinks, and just spent time together. It had been a while since Parker let herself get comfortable with someone else, and she forgot how nice it was. Lacie was sweet and shy and never questioned Parker’s reluctance to open up about her past. She never pressured Parker to give more than she was willing to. Lacie was just content to have some company, and so was Parker.

After her dinner with Agent Richmond, and her agreement to begin training as a CIA agent, Parker went back to her dorm and paced back and forth like a caged animal. For the first time in years, Parker needed someone to talk to. She wanted someone to convince her that she’d made the right decision and tell her everything would be okay. Parker called the only person in her life that she felt comfortable enough with.

Parker went to Lacie’s dorm room upon her insistence, and after years of keeping things bottled up, she confided in someone and asked for advice. Parker didn’t give her all of the details; she skimmed over a lot of her family situation and glossed over her father’s problems, but she came clean about her job offer. Parker wouldn’t be given any information until she started training in a few months, so there really wasn’t much to tell aside from the fact that the CIA had offered her a job.

Lacie gave Parker exactly what she needed, encouragement, hope, and the confidence she need to know she had made the right decision. It also didn’t hurt that Lacie’s favorite TV show of all time was “Alias”, and she squealed and jumped up and down stating that she couldn’t believe she was friends with a real life Sydney Bristow. Parker had left Lacie’s dorm room that night feeling a sense of calm and happiness that she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.



“We had a standing library date every afternoon after our last classes were finished. She didn’t show up the next day or the day after that. When I tried her cell, she didn’t pick up.”

Garrett reached over for Parker’s hand, entwining his fingers in hers and holding on tight. He sensed what was coming before she even finished the story.

“I pounded on her door and called her name, but she never answered. The RA heard me and came over to see what was going on. After I explained to him that I hadn’t heard from her in two days, he got the master key and opened her room.”

Parker closed her eyes and focused on the feel of Garrett’s hand holding hers, on how soft and warm his skin felt against her own small, cold hand. Parker hadn’t thought about Lacie in years. She wouldn’t let herself remember the girl with the short blonde hair, glasses, and sweet smile. The memory of that day had been locked in the recesses of her mind, never to be thought of or spoken about, ever.

Yet here she was, letting the words float past her lips, remembering the sweet friend that touched her life for just a moment.

“I was the first to enter the room. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me or that Lacie had decided to play some kind of prank. She was lying on her bed, like she was asleep, but there was a slice across her throat and her pillows were soaked with blood. Later that night when I got back to my room, there was a note in the middle of my bed that said, 'That was your one and only warning.' I signed a non-disclosure agreement with the CIA. I knew I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but I also knew I could trust Lacie. She would have never told anyone. And this was the God damned United States Government. The most I thought they’d do was fire me and take back their offer. But it didn’t matter if Lacie could keep my secrets. It didn’t matter at all,” Parker said softly as she stared straight ahead at a spot on the wall.

Garrett wanted to tell her to stop. The entire time she told the story in a monotone voice with no emotion, he wanted to pull her towards him and shake the life back into her. He’d never seen her so void of everything that made her his Parker as she told the story. The spark was gone. The smile was gone and he couldn’t stand it. It killed Garrett to know that he’d been right, that they had taken something from her. He knew about her father and the abuse she took from him, but he had no idea there was more. More pain, more regret, and more guilt that she kept buried inside. But it just didn’t make sense. The CIA didn’t go around killing people if you told them who you worked for. The non-disclosure agreement should have just been in regards to the assignments she did for them. Someone wanted to make sure she kept quiet about what she did for a living. He’d bet his life it wasn’t the CIA.