“I’m pretty sure we both just ripped our stitches in the process. That doc is gonna be pissed,” Austin said with a laugh.
Brady heard Austin breathing heavily and the muted sounds of him shuffling across the grounds of the palace. SEALS were trained to handle more pain than the normal human being in order to complete a mission, but that didn’t mean Brady wouldn’t worry about the two men who were like brothers to him and hope he hadn’t made the wrong decision by checking them out of the hospital against doctor’s orders.
“Okay, we’re by a window. I see a few of Fernandez’s people. They’re going about their fucking business like there aren’t hostages in there right under their noses,” Austin said angrily.
Brady unplugged one of the cords and then reattached it, typing in one more command while he held his breath. A new screen suddenly opened on his laptop with the words “Chamberlain Wireless Intercom” at the top.
“Well son of a bitch,” Brady mumbled in surprise.
“What’s going on?” Austin voice crackled over the radio.
“I’m pretty sure I just found out that Chamberlain uses a wide area network, and I linked my WLAN into their secure connection without using Ethernet and running on less than four gigahertz.”
“Uh, in English please,” Austin replied as Brady typed in a few more codes.
“Basically, my friend, I just connected the bug that Margarita is wearing to the palace’s intercom system.”
Within seconds the bug’s audio burst through Brady’s laptop speaker and every single intercom that was inside of the palace walls.
“Oh, Lieutenant McCarthy, you are so naive. Those young girls you speak of? They weren’t worthy of the pity you give them. They were whores who brought filth to the streets of this country. They asked for what they got and I was more than happy to give it to them…”
“Whoa! A bunch of people just converged into whatever room this is to listen. This must be the staff quarters by the looks of it. Every person we have visual on just stopped in their tracks,” Austin informed him.
Brady held down the ‘talk’ button on the walkie-talkie so Austin and Cole could hear what the workers inside the palace heard. It didn’t take long for Fernandez to hang himself with his own rope.
Austin and Cole watched through the window pane as several people glanced back and forth between two men in their midst. The warriors outside the palace watched the transformation that took place inside: shock, grief, hurt, anger, and finally revenge. The emotions gripped not only the two who were most affected as they listened to Fernandez’s words, but everyone who surrounded them. These people who worked together for the most powerful man in their country, they were like family. They spoke of their kin often, asked for advice, attended birthdays and weddings. They felt each other’s joy; they suffered each other’s sorrow. But most importantly, especially at this moment, they all sought retribution for the wrongs done to their comrades.
It only took a few moments of silent communication for the employees who had worked tirelessly for Fernandez over the years to take action and for Brady to send up a silent prayer of thanks that their luck was finally turning around.
Brady quickly got up, slid open the door to the van, and jumped out. He stood by the opening and checked the clip in his gun to make sure it was loaded and added as many extra rounds as he could fit into the pockets of his flak jacket. He fastened the walkie-talkie to his belt and attached the tactical headset with wireless earpiece and throat mic. He let Austin know they were switching to wireless to enter the palace since it was the only way they’d be able to continue listening to what was going on inside.
Brady slammed the door to the van closed and crouch ran along the perimeter of the fence until he got to the north corner of the property where Austin and Cole were able to get over the fence undetected.
During his sprint the wireless ear bud crackled and filled with static off and on, and he could barely make out the conversation happening where Parker and Garrett were. He pressed the throat mic and spoke to Austin and Cole.
“The feed is spotty. What’s going on inside?”
Brady slid his gun into the holster of his jacket and easily climbed up and over the fence.
“It’s total chaos,” Cole replied. “People are running in and out of the room and it looks like a few are shouting orders. We need to get our asses in there. What’s your ETA?”
Brady jumped down to the palace grounds and raced across the lawn.
“Thirty seconds. I have visual on you.”
In the seconds it took for Brady to make it to Cole and Austin’s location up against one of the palace walls, all hell broke loose somewhere inside. The wireless mic roared to life with the sounds of gunfire and screams.
Chapter Twenty-Five
With eyes squeezed tightly closed and shoulders hunched to prepare for the bullets that were certain to tear through her flesh, Parker wondered momentarily if she’d been hit and died so quickly she hadn't felt any pain. She heard the firing of a gun and knew there was one pointed at her head just moments before it went off. She reasoned that all of the reports about death being painless were true. She felt nothing.
Parker slowly blinked her eyes into focus and wondered where the screams were coming from. If this was heaven, no one should be screaming. The room came into focus with the startling clarity of a flashlight being shined into the eyes of someone sleeping. One moment she was wondering if she was dead, and in the next she realized that she was very much alive.
And screaming very loudly.
In the stark reality of the quietness that now surrounded the basement, Parker realized the reason for her screams. To her left, Fernandez remained, standing tall and arrogant. Immediately next to him stood Milo, looking properly chastised from having his gun snatched and not being able to perform his job in the swift, efficient way that Fernandez demanded.
Directly in front of her, still on his knees, his eyes mirroring the pain that obviously clouded her features, Garrett held her face in his hands. He tried in vain to quiet her screams by forcing her to look him in the eyes instead of around the room at the monsters behind them.
The sounds that came from Parker were heart-wrenching and cut deep into Garrett’s soul. For one solitary second, his life flashed before his eyes when Fernandez gave the command. He prayed to a God he’d never spoken to before, asking him to keep Parker safe and to make sure she got out of this alive. He would give anything to make sure she was safe.
Now Garrett wished he would have had the foresight to also include her father in that silent plea for protection from all harm.
“Alejandro, do we have confirmation from our lovely nurse that all has been taken care of?”
The guard pressed his fingers to the earpiece he wore and listened for several seconds.
“Si, Senor. Juan was able to succeed in terminating Agent Parker. Unfortunately, he was immediately taken out by the forces that were supposed to be guarding Parker. Our nurse and everyone in the hospital are currently being evacuated,” Alejandro replied.
Parker heard the words that were spoken and felt the impact of their meaning like a punch to the stomach. Memories of her father, past and present, swam through her mind and tears clouded her vision: her father, always so strong and kind and good, curled up on the floor in their living room and coloring in a coloring book with her; taking her to a father/daughter dance and promising not to embarrass her with his old school dance moves; coming in her room at night to sneak her cookies after her mother had already made her brush her teeth and put her to bed; pushing her away and turning into someone she barely recognized and saying awful, hurtful things just to protect her and keep her safe.
“Well, now that that’s finished I think I shall take my leave,” Fernandez stated as he handed Milo’s gun back to him. With an almost nervous glance towards the ceiling, Parker and Garrett suddenly realized the noise coming from that direction. Somewhere in the palace people were shouting and running. So
mething was happening, and it was making Fernandez edgy.
Parker’s grief immediately turned to anger as she watched the man responsible for killing her father step around Milo and head towards the door.
“You son of a bitch! You sick fucking bastard!” she yelled as she tugged against the cuffs that held her arms secured behind her and struggled to get her legs underneath her so she wasn’t sitting down. She rose up on her knees and barely noticed Garrett’s whispered words of warning and attempts at comfort. Garrett wasn’t even aware of the words coming out of his mouth at this point. He knew nothing he said to her would take away an ounce of the pain she felt right now, but he knew he had to do something. There were too many people in this room with guns. Any one of them could decide to shut Parker up with one shot.
Parker’s shouts stopped Fernandez in his tracks and he slowly turned back to face her.
“That’s it? You’re just going to leave, you fucking coward?” Parker taunted.
Parker knew in her mind nothing she said to that man would have any effect on him, but her heart couldn’t care less. She needed to lash out with the anger that was slowly starting to cripple her.
The shouts and pounding of footsteps throughout the palace were getting louder. Garrett knew it couldn’t be Brady and the team; they wouldn’t make themselves so conspicuous. He had no idea what was coming for them, but he knew by the look on Fernandez face that it wasn’t anything good or anything he planned.
“I don’t have time for your childish tirade,” he said to Parker before turning towards the two guards still in the room. “Finish them; I’ve grown tired of this game.”
“What’s wrong, don’t want to get your hands any dirtier than they already are?”
“Parker, what are you doing?” Garrett whispered softly to her.
“He can’t get away this easily,” she whispered back through gritted teeth as a tear spilled down her face.
“He won’t. I promise you, Parker. No matter what, he won’t get away with this,” Garrett promised and let his thumbs wipe away the wetness on her cheeks.
The two guards moved to stand behind Garrett, each aiming their guns on the two lovers who were clearly out of options. Milo stood motionless off to the side, his gun held limply at his side as he watched the events unfold in front of him like he was watching a movie instead of real life. He watched the man, the hero of the story, stand tall and brave even though he was on his knees with death whispering in his ear. He watched him smooth a tear off the heroine’s face and whisper words of love and reassurance. He watched her anger and determination and wished, not for the first time, that he could have been worthy of her love. He was his father’s son, however. The blood of a monster flowed through his veins, and there was no future for him other than the one he’d been forced into. He’d done horrible, disgusting things, things he couldn’t or wouldn’t apologize for. He wished he could be remorseful of those things, but it was impossible. His blood wouldn’t allow it. Truth be told, he loved lording his power and control over people who didn’t matter, young girls who didn’t matter. He enjoyed the thrill it gave him to listen to them beg for his mercy; he reveled in the strength he felt knowing he decided their future and whether they lived or died.
He watched the two lovers with detached irritation, the piece of history the three of them shared cracking and shattering into a thousand tiny pieces that meant little to him in the grand scheme of things. He listened to the roar of footsteps and the shouted commands coming from above, and he knew what that meant. One look at his father’s face and he knew his father realized it as well.
Judgment day was upon them.
Fernandez never answered Parker. He turned and walked out of the basement door with one last wave of his hand to his guards, dismissing them just as easily as he dismissed everyone he killed before.
“Say your goodbyes, mi amigos,” the guard named Alejandro stated as he pushed his gun against Garrett’s head.
“Make it fast,” the other guard added as he pushed his gun against the side of Parker’s head.
Hope slowly dwindled out of Garrett. He could incapacitate one guard, most likely two if luck was on his side, but never three. Milo was still a loose cannon, and Garrett had no idea what his old friend would do if Garrett chose to fight back right now. Having a weapon would make it easier but having Parker free from her bindings would make it perfect. There was too much uncertainty with the situation as it stood. He would never take a risk with Parker’s life or stray bullets headed in her direction, but he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. He wouldn’t let these men slaughter them like animals. Neither he nor Parker were helpless. They both knew how to fight; they both were trained in getting out of situations like this. He just needed a plan. Parker would beat him up if she knew he was hesitant to do something that would put her in harm’s way. She would tell him she did this for a living and to stop coddling her.
“I’m ready if you are,” Garrett told Parker conspiratorially as he wiped another tear off of her cheek. He tipped his head forward and let his forehead rest against hers. To the guards, they looked like two lovers saying goodbye. Garrett kept her face in his hands and willed her to understand the real meaning of his words. He was ready to try and get them out of there, with her help.
Garrett watched the fight drain out of her slowly while they were held captive. After hearing her father killed over the phone and then unleashing her anger at Fernandez, her eyes glazed over and he knew she was in shock. Too much had happened down in that basement, and he feared that even if she did survive, she’d never be the same again. He pulled his head back so he could see her eyes better, and it worried him that she seemed to be staring right through him.
“I’m ready if you are,” he told her again, more firmly this time.
Garrett’s whispered statement finally got through to her. His words put a spark back into Parker’s eyes, and he knew she finally understood. She lifted her chin and clenched her jaw with renewed determination.
“Remember on the flight here how surprised you were when I told you what I did for a living?” Parker asked in him.
Garrett nodded his head, unsure where she was going with this.
“Remember the story I told you and how you couldn’t keep your eyes off of my cleavage?” she asked, her voice suddenly raising an octave and turning sultry.
Parker breathed heavily, the force of the motion pushing her breasts out from the edges of the torn shirt that hung off of her.
Garrett wondered momentarily if she had lost her mind, when suddenly, the memory of their conversation on the plane burst forth.
Parker had confidently reached up and popped open the first three buttons of her shirt until her cleavage and the edges of her red lace bra were visible. Garrett's eyes immediately flew to her exposed skin, watching her chest heave with every breath she took, her breasts straining against the thin lace fabric covering them.
"Distract man number one long enough to disarm him," she had said softly as she removed her hand from inside his coat, carefully palming the .45 caliber she slid from his shoulder holster while his eyes were otherwise occupied. With a straight face she had mimed the action of shooting him in the chest.
Garrett’s heart sped up as he replayed that moment in his mind. He knew without a doubt that the two guards behind him would be staring straight at Parker’s chest right this very moment. The perfect distraction. If he had more time, he’d kiss her and tell her how much he loved her for being so brilliant.
Parker shook her hair away from her face, the action forcing her shirt to open even further and making one arm fall completely off of her shoulder and pooling around her elbow. Everyone in the room now had a clear view of the smooth, taut, naked skin of her stomach, and if they were staring hard enough, which Garrett knew they would be, they’d see the rose colored circles of her nipples peeking through the lace of her bra. Parker angled her body slightly to the right, which gave the room full of men a better view of what
she had on display, and it gave Garrett a clear view of where her arms came together behind the wooden beam. He watched as rivulets of blood dripped off of her fingers into a puddle on the floor directly below them. Only then did he realize that the small tremors that shook her body weren’t from fear or nerves, but from the effort she was making to pull her hand through one of the handcuffs. Garrett knew if her thumb was broken, her hand would easily slide through the metal. He looked up into her eyes with a questioning look.
Break it, she mouthed silently.
“That is enough. Time is up,” one of the guards stated as he cocked his gun close to Parker’s ear.
“I love you. Don’t snub nose me,” Parker told him with a wink.
“Don't be so dramatic. The safety is on. At least I didn’t grab the loaded Beretta Jetfire in your ankle holster or the back-up .357 snubnosed revolver in mine."
Garrett only had one second to contemplate the craziness of this plan, and one second was all he needed. He ran his hands quickly down the sides of Parker’s arms and wrapped his arms around her. In one swift motion, he grabbed her left hand, the one she wouldn’t need to shoot with, whispered an apology in her ear, and the slammed her hand against the wooden beam. The snap of her thumb as it broke sounded like a gunshot in Garrett’s mind when he knew it was probably nothing more than a whisper of noise.
Garrett’s hand quickly slid into Parker’s pant leg and found her backup gun in her holster. He whipped it out and spun around, firing a round into the shoulder of the guard directly behind him before he even knew what happened. The guard’s gun went off as his arm flew out to the side but Garrett paid no attention to where it landed since he knew Parker was safely behind him.
Parker ignored the screaming pain that radiated from her thumb all the way up her arm as she pulled her hand free, letting the cuffs hang loosely and dangle from her other wrist. She jumped up onto her feet and kicked her leg up high, knocking the gun out of her guard’s hand. The gun skidded to a stop against the far wall and for a moment, she and the guard stood still, staring each other down. They both took off, diving across the room for the gun at the same time. She heard scuffling and grunts from behind her, but couldn’t allow herself to worry about Garrett when she had her own fight to handle. She needed to trust that he could handle himself.
Kiss Kiss Page 108