A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(38)

“Or they’re full of shit,” Garrett finished.

“What about payroll information or a list of businesses that hire them to find temps?” Parker asked.

Brady shook his head.

“Nothing.”

Garrett started pacing behind Parker.

“So a company that hires an obscenely high number of people each and every month has no record of paying these individuals or a list of companies that they provided services to?” Garrett asked.

Parker turned away from Garrett’s pacing to address Brady.

“See if you can get an address for this Target Company. Also, run the phone records and try to get a list of all incoming calls. Maybe we can track down some of the employees and find out how their new jobs are going,” Parker told him.

The three talked a little while longer, finally saying goodnight to Brady as he let himself out of the room. Parker and Garrett stood on opposite sides of the room staring at each other.

"You had no idea Milo was sent here for the same reason you were."

It was a statement, not a question, and it let Parker breathe a little easier knowing Garrett didn't suspect her of keeping something else from him.

"I had no idea until the night before we left and I talked to Risner. He didn't even know the full extent of why Milo was sent over here until a few weeks before that. My superiors had no idea either, which is why they were so on-board with sending me here. They wanted me to make sure nothing had been compromised."

Parker ran her hand through her hair.

"Do you think he found out something about Target and they killed him for it?" she asked.

Garrett crossed the room to Parker and placed his hands on her shoulders. He'd spent so many years comforting his friend, he didn't even think twice about what he was doing.

"It's a possibility," he told her honestly. "We'll get to the bottom of it, I promise."

Garrett ran his hands up and down Parker's arms like he always did. He wished he could tell her that he suspected she had been used as a pawn and was somehow connected to this whole thing, but he needed to be sure. He wouldn't unnecessarily worry her.

"I'm glad you're here," Parker told him.

Garrett felt a tightening in his chest that always warned him when he was getting too close to crossing the line.

Garrett dropped his hands from Parker's arms and took a step back.

Parker watched the wall fall back into place and took her own step away from him since Garrett seemed to suddenly need the distance.

“So, I’m going to just finish up some more research,” Parker said, pointing in the general vicinity of her laptop.

“Great. That’s good,” Garrett replied quickly. “I’m going to take one more pass by the palace and see about the night security situation.”

Garrett was out the door before Parker could respond.



<> ~ <>



Parker woke the next morning to an empty bed, no Garrett pressed up against her, warming her skin and touching her body like the previous morning.

She rolled over and found a note on his pillow that stated he left early to do a teleconference with Risner on the status of events so far. Parker sighed, wondering if he woke up before she did and bolted from the room, or if he even bothered getting into bed with her last night.

A knock on the door got Parker up and moving. She pulled the door open with a yawn.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” Austin said with a smile as he pushed past her into the room like he owned the place.

“Jesus, Conrad. It’s too early for you to be this chipper. And loud.”

Austin threw himself down on Garrett’s side of the bed and leaned back on his hands.

“Get yourself dressed, ninja. You and I are going shopping,” he informed her.

Austin had taken to calling Parker “ninja” since she let the guys in on her secret of working for the CIA over drinks the other day. Out of all of them, he was the least surprised, stating he could totally see her scaling walls and sneaking up on people when they least expected it.

Parker wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not, but she figured it was better than getting the silent treatment and being avoided like Garrett did and was still doing in a way.

“Shopping? What in the hell do we need to go shopping for?” Parker asked.

“You have a black tie affair to attend this evening with your husband. I was given instructions to pick up a suit for the old ball and chain and make sure you pick out something appropriate for the occasion,” Austin informed her.

With a groan and a few muttered curses about her husband, Parker stomped to the bathroom to get dressed while Austin made himself at home on the bed and turned on the television to wait.

<> ~ <>



“You know, it wouldn’t hurt for you to sex it up a bit, ninja,” Austin said as he sat in a chair by the dressing room and watched her walk out to the mirrors in a plain, black, Roberto Cavalli floor-length dress with capped sleeves.

Parker was in heaven at the boutique located right on the resort. They had more designers in that little store than in all of Nordstrom’s back home. She twisted and turned in the mirror, thinking the dress looked good on her.

She shot Austin a dirty look. “Sex it up? Really, Conrad?”

He gave the dress the once-over and shook his head in disgust.