A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(80)

Parker and Garrett took the rental car and immediately began the long drive to the marina. They didn’t speak much in the car. Garrett concentrated on driving and Parker typed away on the laptop resting on her legs. They were both nervous about what they might find once they got to the boat.

Before long, Garrett was pulling the car into the marina parking lot. With a description of the boat in hand, they decided to walk along the dock to see if they could find it before asking any questions.

They walked hand-in-hand, just another couple out for a stroll to look at boats. After several minutes, Parker stopped when she came to the third Bayliner. She didn’t need to make sure it was the same length or if the hull identification number matched. She knew all she needed to by the name of the boat painted in black elegant script.

“La Meta Anna Bello,” Garrett read aloud.

“Target Annabelle?” Parker murmured questioningly as she stared at the boat.

“Or Anna, Beautiful Target,” Garrett stated.

To see her own name on the back of a boat, regardless of the translation, left a cold feeling of dread in the pit of Parker’s stomach. This was Milo’s boat― a boat Parker knew nothing about that Milo had owned for years―and at some point in time he’d put her name on it whether it had anything to do with her literally or not. It could have something to do with The Target Agency, it could have something to do with Parker personally, or it could be a combination of both. The double meaning of the name he gave the boat left Parker feeling very uneasy. She glanced nervously around the boat dock, searching for eyes that she assumed were on them, watching their every move.

Either way they looked at it, neither Parker nor Garrett could deny all signs now pointed to the fact that Milo had been in the thick of everything in regards to this mess.

Garrett looked around to see if anyone was watching them. Confident that the other individuals in the marina were otherwise occupied, he started to take a step towards the wooden ramp allowing them to board the boat.

Before he could move, he felt Parker’s hand on his arm. He stopped and turned to look at her. She slid her hand up his arm and placed it on his cheek. Garrett reached up and placed his hand over hers and held it in place, wanting to feel her touch against his skin for as long as possible. Parker needed to touch Garrett to keep her grounded. Feeling his warm skin against her hand always soothed her, and right then it helped her process what was going on.

“He owned a boat,” Parker stated.

“He did,” Garrett answered softly.

“He probably put girls on that boat. Young girls who could have had bright futures if someone would have just believed in them,” Parker said sadly. “Put them on that boat and did God knows what to them.”

“Probably,” Garrett agreed with a frown as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the top of Parker’s hand.

“He did vile, illegal things on that boat and then came home to me and pretended he wanted to build a life together,” Parker said as she took a step closer to Garrett so she could feel his warmth.

“I’m sorry,” Garrett stated, reaching out to brush a piece of hair out of Parker’s eyes.

“Don’t,” Parker stopped him, placing her fingers to his lips. “It’s not your fault. I’m just angry. All that time I wasted feeling guilty, feeling like I was a bad person for wanting…”

Garrett held his breath, waiting for her to finish the sentence, hoping that she’d wanted him, wishing that everything he felt all those years wasn’t just one sided. He knew she cared about him. There was no mistaking that every single time they were alone at night. Every kiss, every touch, every moment they shared showed Garrett how much she cared. He just wanted to know it all didn't just happen because of their circumstances. He needed to believe that maybe this would have happened even if they hadn’t been on the mission together.

With a small shake of her head, Parker cleared the thought from her mind and removed her hand from his lips.

“Would it be okay if I go in there alone for a minute?” Parker asked as she nodded in the direction of the boat. “I just…I need a second to process this. And I kind of don’t want to freak you out when I start screaming profanities,” she said with a smile to ease the sting of her request.

Parker didn’t want Garrett to think she didn’t want or need him there with her. She just needed a few minutes alone to let everything sink in. She’d seen the proof on Brady’s computer; Milo owned a boat. But standing a few feet away from the actual evidence, and knowing that Milo had plastered her name all over it, was a tough pill to swallow.

Garrett leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to Parker’s forehead. He didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone to deal with her demons, but he would do whatever she asked.

Garrett’s lips lingered against Parker’s skin, and she closed her eyes for a moment and let his touch, his smell, and his warmth surround her like a cocoon. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

“You have your gun?” he asked quietly.

Parker nodded and smiled at his question. Garrett had toned down his constant fear for her safety and trusted she knew what she was doing but not before making sure she was protected.

“I’m going to head over to the office and ask a couple of questions. I’ll meet you back here at the boat in a few minutes,” Garrett said before they dropped their hands from his cheek and stepped in opposite directions.