A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire, #1)

by Tara Sivec

Parker refused to look at him or ask his absurd question. She wouldn’t play his game anymore. She suddenly realized just how alike Milo and Fernandez were. They were both sick, sadistic bastards.

  “Fine. You always were a stubborn bitch. I guess I’ll just tell you,” Milo said as he walked back across the room to her. The guard tightened his grip on her when Milo got to her and pressed his body up against hers. She craned her neck as far away from him as she could and cringed in revulsion when he wrapped one of his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter against him. She could feel his breath against her neck as he took the gun that was still in his hand and trailed the barrel down the side of her face until it was under her chin. Milo roughly pressed the gun upward and forced her face to turn toward his.

  He looked back and forth between her eyes as Parker gritted her teeth.

  “The one thing I’ll have that he won’t,” Milo said softly, leaning forward to press his lips against one of her cheeks and then pulling back to look at her again, “the one thing I’ll take from him,” he said, pressing his lips to her other cheek before sliding them across her skin until they were brushing her ear, “is his poor, sad, beating heart.”

  <> ~ <>

  “Son of a bitch!” Garrett yelled as he tried for the fifth time to get a hold of someone from his team. Marshall, Vargas, Conrad – none of them were answering his calls. He’d left Margarita-Michelle-whoever she was in his room with strict orders not to leave. If what she’d told him was true, and he was betting his life it was, then she was in just as much danger, if not more, than any of them. Fernandez wouldn’t take too kindly to having his wife betray him.

  His calls to Parker had gone straight to voicemail, and even though he knew Parker could take care of herself, the fact that she wasn’t answering and he had searched the entire resort and hadn’t found her made his blood run cold. As he knocked on doors and asked if anyone had seen Parker or Milo, his anger grew in leaps and bounds. He knew just because Milo was Fernandez’s son didn’t necessarily mean what he’d told them earlier was a lie, but something in his gut told him Milo wasn’t at all what he seemed. He never would have just trusted Milo blindly like Parker had. She should have known better. And now she’d gone off with him to God knew where and wasn’t answering her phone, and he had no way to tell her what he’d learned. Maybe if she knew Fernandez was Milo’s father, she’d realize just how stupid it was to trust anything he said.

  As Garrett headed towards the lobby to question people there, his phone rang. He glanced at caller ID and saw it was his boss.

  “Tell me you’ve heard from someone on my team within the last hour,” Garrett answered, skipping over a greeting and getting right to the point.

  “Actually, that’s why I was calling you,” Captain Risner replied. “I’ve tried calling everyone and no one has answered. What the fuck is going on there? Did SEAL team four arrive?”

  Garrett got to the lobby and stalked across the floor to the front desk, glancing around to make sure one of the guys wasn't there.

  “According to Brady, they landed fine a few hours ago; he briefed them on the situation and put them in place surrounding the perimeter of the resort,” Garrett told him.

  He spent the next few minutes explaining as quickly as he could about Milo showing up and feeding them some bullshit story about being a double agent.

  “Parker decided to believe every fucking word that came out of Milo’s mouth and is probably at the moment, letting him fuck everything up,” Garrett said with a growl as he got to the front desk and rang the bell for assistance.

  “Whoa, hold on a minute. What do you mean Agent Parker believed what he said? She sent me a text asking me to find out as much as I could about the possibility that Milo was a double agent. Her message said, and I quote, 'I don’t believe a word that comes out of this asshole’s mouth. I need proof.' She said she would go along with him just to keep him occupied while I looked into it. I’ve been trying to call her and let her know I couldn’t find anything to support what Milo told her, but she’s not answering her phone either.” Risner explained.

  Garrett shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts.

  “Wait, Parker sent you a text? When, just now?”

  Garrett wondered if Parker had finally come to her senses after an hour with Milo. It pissed him off again to think that it had taken her so long.

  “No, the first text I got from her was at twenty-two-forty-five,” Risner replied.

  Garrett glanced at his watch. That would have been at ten-forty-five. He would have still been standing there with Parker and Milo when she sent that text. She hadn’t trusted Milo. Not one bit. And he’d overreacted and acted like a complete jealous ass and walked away from her.

  “Shit! Mother fuck!” Garrett cursed into the phone as he ran his hand down his face.

  “Tell me what you need,” Risner told him.

  “I don’t know. I don’t fucking know!” Garrett muttered angrily. “Get somebody over to Hospiten Santo Domingo ASAP. I want Joe Parker under twenty-four-hour surveillance. No one gets into his room without my approval. I think he came here to warn us about Milo and someone knew it. They aren’t going to stop until he’s dead.”

  “Done. What else?” Risner asked.

  “I need to find Brady. He’ll be able to put a trace on Parker’s phone. In the meantime, try to get a hold of Parker’s boss, Agent Richmond. She’s been trying to reach him all day and he hasn’t been returning her calls.”

  There was too much silence on the other end of the line for Garrett’s liking.

  “What’s going on? Do you know something about Richmond?” Garrett asked.

  Captain Risner cleared his throat before answering.

  “Agent Brad Richmond was found this morning by a friend in his apartment. His throat was slashed.”

  Garrett sagged against the counter.

  “Jesus Christ. Parker told him everything. He knew all about the things we’d uncovered and what we’d learned. Her dad knew everything too. He must have and that’s why they took a shot at him. Fuck! They’re going to take out everyone who knows about them,” Garrett surmised.

  “I already have someone en route to the hospital and they’ve made contact with security there. Mr. Parker is already being heavily guarded by the CIA, so that’s one less person to worry about,” Risner told him. Garrett could hear the rapid clacking of his fingers on the computer through the phone. He tried to block out the guilt he felt knowing he had let Parker down. She’d trusted him, loved him, given everything to him, and he’d turned right around and threw it back in her face. For one moment, he actually believed she would go back to Milo. He’d forgotten everything between them and let his mistrust of Milo trickle over onto her. Just like everyone else in her life, he’d let her down. She’d never forgive him for this. And he didn’t blame her one bit.

  “McCarthy!”

  He turned in the direction of his name being shouted and some of the worry seeped out of him.

  Garrett ended the call with his captain, making him promise he’d stay in his office on base where he was surrounded by guard towers and electric wire fences.

  “Brady, Jesus fucking Christ! Where the hell is everyone?” Garrett asked as he moved across the lobby and met Brady in the middle.

  “I was keeping an eye on Parker and Milo like you asked. I got a call from Austin saying there was a breach in security and he couldn’t get a hold of anyone else. He needed my help subduing someone behind one of the villas. When I got to him, he was unconscious. Gunshot wound to the right shoulder,” Brady explained quickly.

  “Fuck,” Garrett muttered, looking at the front of Brady’s shirt for the first time and noticing the splatters of blood.

  “He’ll be okay,” Brady told him. “The bullet went through and through and didn’t hit anything major. When he finally came to he was cursing a blue streak and wanted to put a Band-Aid on it and go find the fuckers responsible. Cole found me a few minutes later when I w
as calling for an ambulance. Actually, he stumbled to me. He had a nasty gash on his head and a knife wound to his torso,” Brady explained.

  “What the fuck is happening?” Garrett asked, his eyes widening in horror.

  “There’s more,” Brady told him softly. “SEAL team four…”

  Brady trailed off, unable to voice the words that tightened his throat and made him clench his teeth. Garrett closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky. He breathed deeply a few times before looking back at Brady.

  “How many?” Garrett asked with trepidation in his voice.

  “All of them. Dragon, King, and Maxwell. I went on a few training ops with them over the years. They were good men. Strong men. The best of the best,” Brady told him sadly, shoving his hands in his pockets and bowing his head.

  “Tell me how in the fuck they are taking out trained Navy SEALS?” Garrett pleaded.

  “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. They fight dirty. And they have a very big secret that needs to be kept. They know Fernandez will make their lives a living hell if they fail to do what he orders,” Brady said. “They know that everyone in their lives will be dead if they don’t keep his secrets. That’s a lot of motivation.”

  “We need to find Parker before Milo gets her anywhere near Fernandez,” Garrett said.

  “Agreed. I’ll access the locator chip on her phone. Assuming that she still has it on her, I should be able to find where she is in a matter of minutes.”

  Brady pulled out his cell phone and opened up the application linked him to Parker’s phone.

  A resort employee walked up to the desk, finally responding to the bell Garrett had rung minutes ago.

  Garrett prayed Milo still had a little bit of good left in him, and he wasn’t following in his father’s footsteps. If he’d turned into the same type of monster whose blood ran through his veins, Garrett didn’t even want to think about what that would mean for Parker’s safety.

  He showed the employee a picture of Parker and asked if he’d seen her within the last hour. The man smiled as he recalled how her “husband” had carried her out front to a waiting car because she’d had too much to drink. He never noticed what direction the vehicle went. He’d seen plenty of unconscious people needing to be carried out by a loved one over the years. He never paid much attention to where they were going or what they were doing.

  What little hope Garrett may have had about there being any good left in Milo vanished in the blink of an eye. He’d taken Parker out of the resort, unconscious.

  All pretenses and fake background stories were finished. At this point, there was no need to keep up with the lies; Fernandez and his people knew everything about them. Garrett whipped out his military ID and told the resort employee to take him to the security office where the surveillance tapes were stored. They pulled up the video from the past hour and Garrett searched frame by frame until he found what he needed.

  The camera angle was from across the courtyard of his and Parker’s villa, and it looked to be shot from high up in a palm tree, but he could tell immediately that he’d found what he was looking for.

  Garrett watched in silent, black and white clarity as he walked away from Parker an hour ago. He watched her stare after him with a look of complete devastation on her face. He watched as Milo came up behind her and made to put his arms around her. He saw Parker move away from him and begin talking. Garrett had no idea what Parker was saying, but he could tell that whatever it was agitated Milo. He watched Milo get in her face and could tell he was yelling at her. Parker’s back was to the camera. Garrett would give anything for her to turn around. He needed to see her face. He watched as Milo spoke to her, stalking towards her as she walked backwards, until her back was up against a tree. The top halves of both of their bodies were now partially behind the palm leaves.

  Garrett’s hands clenched into fists and his heart rate accelerated.

  Through the leaves, he saw Milo’s arm swing up and hold something against Parker’s neck until her knees give out.

  Garrett’s fist connected with the wall next to him, his hand easily breaking through the drywall. Brady ran into the office just as Garrett swept everything within reach off of the table, sending it crashing to the floor.

  “McCarthy! Calm down man,” Brady shouted as he ran into the office after hearing the commotion. His words were ignored as Garrett lashed out at the wall on the other side of the table, leaving another fist-sized hole in that one as well.

  Brady hurried up behind him and wrapped his arms around Garrett, holding his back against his chest until Garrett stopped fighting him.

  “It’s okay, I found her. I found Parker,” Brady told him.

  Brady felt the anger drain from Garrett as he unclenched his fists and his shoulders relaxed, and he finally felt confident that he could let him go. As soon as he let him go, Garrett turned to face him.

  “What the hell are we waiting for then? Let’s go get her,” Garrett said as he started backing towards the door.

  “It’s not that simple,” Brady told him.

  “What the fuck do you mean it’s not that simple? You found her. We’re going to get her. Right now.”

  Brady ran after Garrett as he stalked out of the destroyed office and past the handful of resort employees who stood just outside with their jaws dropped.

  “Garrett, we have no team left. No back-up. We’d be going into this alone. You need to stop and think about this.”

  Garrett whirled around to face him, the anger back and flashing in his eyes.

  “There is nothing to think about. The woman I love needs my help. I’ve already failed her too many times to count. I’m going, with or without you,” Garrett threatened. “Now, where is she?”

  Brady sighed, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head in frustration. He knew Garrett didn’t make idle threats. He really would do this alone if he had no other option. Knowing he couldn’t keep it from him forever, and that he’d follow Garrett anywhere and help him with anything, Brady shared the news he’d uncovered moments ago.

  “She’s in the palace, Garrett.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “The one thing I’ll take from him is his poor, sad, beating heart.”

  The words Milo had spoken close to Parker’s ear echoed over and over in her head long after he had left the room and made one of the guards stay behind to keep an eye on her. They were smarter this time. She was cuffed with her arms behind the wooden support beam, and her legs were tied together at the knees.

  She had no doubt that what he said was true. If Garrett got anywhere near this place, Milo would kill him. For the first time since he walked away from her earlier, Parker hoped Garrett was still angry. She hoped he still doubted her and had given up on her. As much as it would kill everything inside of her, at least she knew it would keep him away from there and keep him safe. She knew her chances of getting out of the room alive were down to nothing at this point. Parker knew she could handle dying as long as Garrett would be okay. A world without Garrett in it should never exist.

  She had no idea what time it was since there were no windows in the room. She wondered if Garrett realized she was gone by now. She wondered if he had assumed she left with Milo essentially chose him instead of Garrett. Her heart physically ached at the thought even though she knew it would be for the best if it was true.

  The shuffling of feet off to her left reminded her that she wasn’t alone. She turned her head to see the guard Milo left behind leering at her. Parker quickly looked away, not wanting to give him any ideas, and shifted her shoulders in an effort to ease the ache from her arms. Even though it hurt less now that she didn’t have her arms suspended above her, it still wasn’t any picnic being tied up the way she was. The rough edges of the wood cut into her arms every time she moved, and painful cramps started to vibrate through her shoulders and biceps from being stuck in the same awkward position. Parker winced in pain as she wiggled and flexed her fingers behind h
er in an effort to get some circulation into them.

  “If you knew your place, quierda, you wouldn’t be in this position right now.”

  Parker snorted in amusement and cast an annoyed glance at the guard.

  “And where would my place be, exactly? In one of the whore houses your piece of shit boss sends little girls to be sold as slaves? Or maybe it’s right here, being a brainless lapdog like you, bending over so Fernandez can fuck me in the ass.”

  The man’s hand flew out and smacked her across the mouth, reopening the split lip from Milo.

  “You don’t speak of El Presidente that way!” the guard yelled. “He is a man to be honored and respected.”

  Parker laughed out loud, right in his face this time. She knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn’t help herself. All of these people who thought Fernandez was a God disgusted her.

  In true thug fashion, the guard tucked his gun into the waistband of his pants and then brought both of his hands to Parker’s breasts, palming them roughly.

  “You need to be taught a lesson. One that will make you think twice about disrespecting the man who has brought money and power to this small country,” he said quietly, his hot breath hitting Parker square in the face and making her stomach roll with the smell of stale cigarettes and rotting teeth. Her hands clenched into fists behind the pole and she bit her lip, reminding herself to be patient. Contrary to what the man might think, she wasn’t some helpless female.

  His dirty hands slid up to the neck of her t-shirt and with the material clutched in his fists, he ripped the cotton right down the middle. His eyes swept down the front of her, paying extra attention to her white, lace covered breasts that were now on full display.

  “El hijo pródigo is a lucky man to have tasted your flesh. I think I will enjoy the sounds of your screams.”

  Parker closed her eyes and counted to ten while the guard unzipped his pants with one hand and unbuttoned her jeans with the other. When she felt sweaty fingers sliding into the waistband of her underwear, she mumbled something under her breath.