A Beautiful Lie (16 page)

“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.

“That dress screams, 'I’m going to a funeral,' not 'Give me all your secrets and maybe I’ll blow you.'  Plus, Garrett doesn’t like black.”

Parker put her hands on her hips and turned to face Austin.

“What the hell do I care if Garrett likes the dress?  It’s a black-tie dinner.  I need to look polished and elegant, like I work for a distinguished newspaper, not like a two-dollar hooker.”

Austin shook his head and tsk’ed her.

“Shame on you, ninja.  You’d be at
least
a fifty-dollar hooker,” he said with a laugh as she stuck her tongue out at him.  “Seriously, though, you can look hot without looking slutty. And Garrett’s favorite color is blue.”

Parker threw her arms up in exasperation.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what Garrett’s favorite color is.  And for the record, I have a vagina, so I’m well aware of the fact I can look hot without looking slutty.” Parker turned back to the mirror and cocked her head at her reflection. “And his favorite color isn’t blue.  It’s red,” she muttered, refusing to make eye contact with Austin.

“Uh-huh, that’s what I thought,” Austin said with a grin.  “I see the way you two look at each other when you think no one is watching.”

Parker reached her arms behind her and tried to unzip the dress she now hated.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Conrad.”

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Austin got up from his chair and walked over to her, helping her with her zipper.

“You can deny it if you want, but I know Garrett.  There is no hiding the look on his face when you walk into the room.  He watches your every move when you aren’t paying attention.  And
for the record
,” he said as he stood behind her, staring at her reflection.  “He’s done that for as long as I’ve known him.”

Parker pushed down the nerves she felt at hearing his words. 

“We’re just friends, Conrad,” she whispered, turning away from the mirror to face him.

“And it’s a good place to start.  But he doesn’t look at you like he just wants to be friends, little ninja.  He looks at you like you’re the key to his soul and like he wants to devour you.”

Taken back by Austin’s observation, Parker was surprised she thought the same exact thing that morning.
 

If an outsider like Austin saw something, maybe she wasn’t imagining things.  Maybe the feelings she had weren’t just one-sided.  The thought scared the hell out of her and made her want to run back to the room, find Garrett, and confess everything.  Tell him how some days she wished more than anything that it had always been him, how she shut everyone out of her life for fear of being hurt, and that he was the only one she wanted to let it all go for.  She wanted to tell him the guilt she felt over not being able to give that to Milo should eat her up inside but all she could think about was loving Garrett and having him give her everything in return.

Parker glanced up and noticed Austin smirking at her as he watched her contemplate the things he had said.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she huffed in irritation as she turned to make her way back to the dressing room.  “And bring me every red dress you can find,” she yelled, slamming the door closed behind her.

<> ~ <>

Garrett looked at his watch for the third time as he paced the floor of the lobby in his black, five-button Hugo Boss suit, white dress shirt, red tie, and matching red pocket handkerchief.  He’d given Austin his dimensions and was pleased with what he’d picked out for him.

The limo would be there in five minutes, and the only confirmation he had that Parker was even coming was a pat on the back from Austin with the cryptic words, “I picked out the dress.”

Brady, Austin, and Cole were going to spend the evening scouting all of the buildings on the “Front Company List” Parker had found so they could double check they were all legit.  So far Brady hadn’t been able to find an address for The Target Agency.

The click of heels across the marble floor stopped Garrett’s pacing, and his head turned in the direction of the sound.

“Fuck me,” Garrett muttered to himself as he stood there watching his friend saunter across the room towards him.

Parker was dressed in a red, Carolina Herrera floor-length, satin evening gown.  The material clung to her body and the slit up the front, ending almost at the top of her thigh, showed off one leg between the split in the fabric with each step she took.  The dress was cut low in the front, and her cleavage was highlighted by the silver crystals that lined the edge of the bodice.

Garrett scanned her body, starting at the top of her head where her thick, chestnut hair was loosely pinned up in soft curls that cascaded down to frame her face. Her long bangs were swept off to the side seductively shading one eye.

He moved his eyes slowly over the swell of her breasts covered by the rich, red fabric and sparkling jewels, then they followed the curves of her hips draped in the sleek satin, and then lingered on her long, toned legs that shined with smoothness under the lights of the lobby as she walked.  Her small feet were encased in four-inch crystal-covered peep toe Louboutin heels that showed off her amazing legs.

Garrett tugged at his collar as he watched her stalk towards him exuding confidence and sex.  It felt like his throat was closing up and his heart was going to burst out of his chest.  He felt himself harden as he thought about running his palms up the silky skin of her thighs and sliding her dress up to her hips to see if her underwear matched.  Garrett had a weakness for red underwear. Frankly, Garrett had a weakness for anything involving Parker.

Parker summoned all of the courage and confidence she had ever possessed as she walked across the floor towards Garrett.  She’d been there when Conrad picked out the suit and had loved it then, but nothing compared to seeing it on him now.  Parker would rather see him out of it, but she figured this would have to do for the time being.

Parker stopped when she was toe to toe with Garrett and looked up into his face while she breathed in the smell of his cologne that always made her want to press her body up against his so she could keep the smell on her skin long after he was gone.

“Hi,” Garrett said softly.

Parker smiled at him, trying to convey with her eyes everything she was feeling.  She spun slowly in front of him so Garrett could get the full affect.

The one inch satin straps that held up the dress crisscrossed in the back, right between her shoulder blades, and was held together with a crystal jeweled clip.  The straps continued down off to the sides, leaving most of her back bare with a diamond-shaped cutout.  The bottom of the diamond outline ended right where her butt began and the v-shaped crystals attached there held a satin train in place.

Parker completed the turn, facing Garrett again.

It took all of his self-control not to reach out and run his fingertips along the smooth skin of her back while she turned.  He couldn’t help but notice that there was no way she could be wearing any underwear with that dress.  The sleek fabric clung to the curves of her, showing everything.  The satin texture of the dress made him want to run his hands all the way down the sides of her body to feel the cool silky material and her warm skin underneath.

“You look stunning A…uh, Park.”

Garrett needed to put his feelings in check, and instead of letting her first name slip out, he resorted to using Milo’s nickname for her to keep the wall in place.  He only spoke her name when he was alone dreaming about her and wishing it was her hand sliding up and down his length, bringing him to climax.  Last night he was caught up in the moment, and he hadn’t even realized he’d said it.  If he did so now, out in the open, with her body mere inches from him, he’d lose every last thread of control he had, and he'd take her back to their room and show her once and for all what she did to him.

Parker took the compliment for what it was, watching Garrett’s face as it morphed back into that of a man in complete control of the situation.  She had a moment of regret before she closed her mind off from the fantasy and got ready to face reality.

“The limo just pulled up,” Parker stated, looking beyond Garrett’s shoulder to the turn-around drive in front of the lobby.  “We better get moving.”

Parker was all business on the ride over to the palace.  She asked Garrett to fill her in on the teleconference he had with Risner and inquired about Brady’s luck at finding an address to The Target Agency.  She told him she ran into a few dead ends trying to locate it herself after she got home from shopping and hoped Brady had better luck.  Garrett and Parker both knew the scouting of the buildings the guys were doing that night would pull up nothing of interest, but it was still necessary.  The key was finding out about this temp agency.  The coinciding dates of when this business started and when Parker was recruited to the CIA set off a lot of red flags.  In this line of work, nothing was a coincidence.  Things happened for a reason.