Garrett couldn’t believe the guard he’d shot wouldn’t stay down. A bullet to the shoulder and two punches to the face hadn’t slowed him one bit. Garrett had him pinned to the ground as he straddled his hips and wrestled for control of the gun the man clutched to his chest. He just wouldn’t give up. Garrett threw a punch to the guard’s injured shoulder and with a howl of pain, the man’s grip on the gun finally abated. Garrett yanked it from him and got up off of the man, holding the gun straight at him as the guard held onto his injured shoulder, the blood seeping between his fingers.
Parker dove to the floor, sliding across on her stomach and reaching the gun before her guard did, but that didn’t mean he was giving up. As soon as her good hand wrapped around the grip of the gun, he flew into her from behind, knocking her down and slamming her head into the hard concrete of the floor. She saw stars and had to swallow back nausea, but she never let go of the gun as the man let his full weight push her into the floor and keep her where she was.
Parker flung her hand that held the gun back and smashed it into the man’s face, a splatter of blood against her cheek and a scream letting her know she’d broken his nose. The man’s hands flew up to cradle his shattered nose, and Parker took that opportunity to buck him off of her and scramble out from under him.
The guard Garrett shot had more fight and determination to live than anyone he’d ever seen before. As Garrett started backing away, the man bolted up and came at him head first. The guard’s head slammed into Garrett’s stomach and his momentum pushed them across the room until Garrett’s back slammed into the wall and the gun flew out of his hands. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Parker get up from under her guard, relieved to see the man bent over on the ground with blood pouring out of his face from between his hands.
No one paid any attention to Milo as he stood by the door watching the action. From the shouts and footsteps that echoed through the palace above, Milo knew it would only be a matter of time before it escalated. He needed to get out of there and to his waiting father. He raised his gun in an effort to make that happen quickly.
<> ~ <> With guns drawn, Brady, Austin, and Cole burst through the front door of the palace. No one paid any attention to the three men in tactical gear as they walked further into the front entryway. Men and women scrambled around, some grabbing their things to flee from the fight they knew would erupt, others arming themselves with weapons in preparation for what was to come. After sweeping the first ten rooms they came to and not finding Garrett or Parker, Austin grabbed the arm of the next person to walk by them.
“Where are the Americans being held?” he asked the woman who was hastily pulling her coat on.
She spoke no English, but she knew what the word “Americans” meant and she wasn’t about to cross the three angry-looking men who held weapons pointed at her. She pointed down towards the floor and muttered, “Sótano,” before rushing past them and out the front door.
Austin looked towards Brady questioningly, “Basement?”
Brady nodded in response.
“This is out of hand,” muttered Cole as they crouch-walked through the first hallway they came to, opening and closing doors in search for the one that would take them downstairs. “I counted at least twenty armed men rushing from room to room. They don’t even give a rat’s ass that we’re here. They looked right at us and kept on moving. How the hell are we going to reason with them to get Garrett and Parker out of here alive?”
Brady did a quick sweep of the room he just entered and backed out, shutting the door behind him.
“Well, the good news is they probably want to burn Fernandez at the stake. Let’s hope we can convince them that we’ll allow it without contacting the authorities as long as they let us get our team out of here,” Brady said as they continued down the hall.
“We’re not seriously going to let them torture and maim the guy are we?” Austin asked as he brought his weapon back up in front of him to sweep a room across the hall from Brady. “I mean, it would give me nothing but pleasure to watch the guy’s toenails get plucked from his feet and his balls cut off, but I’m guessing that would be morally and ethically wrong considering we work for the United States Government.”
“No, we definitely aren’t going to let them tar and feather him. But that doesn’t mean we can’t give them the illusion that we will. At this point I’m willing to try anything to get everyone out of here without any bullet holes in them,” Brady replied.
The men noticed a room at the end of the hall where several people were coming and going. As they made their way closer, they realized a meeting of sorts was taking place with two men standing on a table giving orders.
The team holstered their weapons and walked slowly into the room with their hands in the air in a symbol of peace. If they wanted these people who were riddled with rage and vengeance to listen to them, they had to pretend like they were one of them and completely on their side.
<> ~ <> “STOP!” Milo screamed as he aimed his gun in the general area of the two fighting couples.
Alejandro, with his head buried in Garrett’s gut while Garrett pummeled the man’s back with his fists stopped struggling at the sound of Milo’s yell.
Felipe, with his hands still covering his broken and bloody nose, stopped his forward movement towards Parker, who stood with the recovered weapon pointed at his head.
All eyes were now on Milo, and he smiled to himself in satisfaction. He liked that people would stop what they were doing to listen to him. He wished his father would have stuck around to see the respect he was being given right now. Unfortunately, he could hear the distant beat of helicopter blades and knew that his father’s ride would be there shortly. His father hadn’t been lying when he said he had a prior engagement. He knew his father would wait for him as long as he could. Things were closing in on them and they needed to get out of the country fast if they were going to make it out alive.
“What is the matter with you?” Felipe asked angrily. “Don’t just stand there! Shoot them!” he shouted, gesturing towards Garrett and Parker. “No wonder your father thinks you are worthless. You allowed a woman to outsmart you and bring a gun in here right under your nose! Did you even think to search her? What if she’d shot the President, you stupid idiota!”
Milo shifted his body, turned his gun on Felipe, and fired before the man could utter one more insult. The right side of his face exploded in a bloody mess before the man slumped to the ground. He wasn’t about to let some lowlife guard disgrace him in his father’s home.
Next, he turned his gun on Parker and had a small moment of regret that it had come to this. She looked up from the dead body sprawled at her feet and her eyes grew wide with shock. He pulled the trigger and enjoyed a moment of satisfaction at hearing an anguished shout from his former best friend on the opposite side of the room.
Parker didn’t have time to think, only react. It took her one heartbeat to pull herself out of the daze and realize Milo was going to kill her if she didn’t move. The gun went off at the same time her feet left the floor and she dove away from its trajectory. She landed roughly on her shoulder a few feet away, sliding a few more feet until she slammed into the wall where Garrett had been standing. She could hear him yelling and cursing, but it all sounded like it was coming from underwater. His voice sounded far away and muffled. She raised herself up on her elbow and a burning pain shot through her side. She ignored the burn and shook her head to try and clear it. She glanced over and saw Garrett on top of Milo, pummeling him with his fists. Her backup gun that Garrett must have dropped at some point laid a few feet away from her.
Parker didn’t want to distract him by shouting his name, but something didn’t feel right. She struggled to get into a sitting position, feeling entirely too vulnerable lying on the floor. Garrett heard her grunts and a small whimper escape past her lips. He paused, holding onto the front of Milo’s shirt with his fist in the air, and then turned his head towards her.
“Parker!” Garrett shouted. “Are you hit?”
He scanned Parker’s face and body for any sign of a gunshot wound but she was curled into herself and he couldn’t see clearly. She was struggling to sit up so he took that as a good sign. As soon as Milo had fired off the shot at her, Garrett hadn’t even realized how loudly he’d screamed. He’d watched the man turn his gun on her in slow motion, and he’d shoved the guard off of him with strength he hadn't even known he possessed and charged Milo. Garrett had barreled into the side of him, knocking them both to ground, Milo’s gun skittering across the floor in the process.
Milo took advantage of Garrett’s hesitation as he checked on Parker and brought his fist up to the side of Garrett’s head. The force of the blow toppled Garrett off of him, and Milo lunged for the gun he’d dropped, snatching it up and scrambling further away from Garrett.
“This will all be easier if you just stop fighting, Garrett,” Milo told him as he stood up, spit some blood out of his mouth, and then wiped his chin with the back of one hand. “Don’t you want to die with dignity? Let’s make this quick so I can leave with my father.”
A short bark of laughter came from Alejandro, the guard who had been trying to sneak out of the room undetected as soon as Garrett shoved him away and went for Milo. He’d seen Milo shoot his friend Felipe without any warning. He knew exactly what his fate would be if he stuck around in this basement. However, hearing the delusional words coming out of Milo’s mouth made it hard for him to keep quiet. He knew he’d never make it out of the room now anyway. The only good news was he would have the last laugh.
“I’m sorry, but do you find this funny?” Milo asked him angrily as he pointed the gun in his direction.
“Si, señor. I find it funny that you actually believe your father has any plans on taking you with him,” Alejandro said with a smile, pushing his hands in his pockets and leaning up against the wall.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Of course he’s taking me with him. I’m his son. I’m the heir to his business and his only descendant,” Milo explained with a frustrated roll of his eyes.
Milo cocked his gun, figuring he might as well shut this guard up as well before he moved on to Parker and Garrett.
“You are a fool. You honestly think you are his only heir? You think all of the women he’s enjoyed over the years never produced other offspring? Right now three of his sons are upstairs working as guards. He promised them the same things he’s promised you. Only he didn’t order their execution before he left,” Alejandro explained with a smug smile.
The color drained from Milo’s face as he listened to the words the guard spoke. He didn’t want to believe they were true, but deep down, he knew they were. He was and always would be a loser. A little boy that no one gave a shit about, always getting the raw end of the deal when everyone around him got everything their hearts desired. He knew he could never live up to his father’s expectations, and his father knew that as well. With every turn in his life, he’d made the wrong choices. He chose to never fight back when his stepfather used him as a punching bag. He chose to move into a home filled with happiness and love, knowing he would always be an outsider and only given those things out of pity. Milo had chosen his father’s twisted life over the frivolous idea of love and friendship, thinking it would finally be his turn. And now, once again, he was being cast aside like garbage.
“I’ve been listening over my earpiece to all that is happening upstairs. The employees aren’t happy with what you and your father have done to their women. The sounds you hear are them preparing to come down here and tear you limb from limb. Your father knew that would happen. He knew, and he walked out that door figuring if you were still alive when he left, you wouldn’t be for long,” Alejandro said smugly. “You’re going to get what you deserve, little boy.”
Milo didn’t want to hear anymore. He raised his gun and fired off four rounds directly into Alejandro’s self-righteous face before turning the gun on Garrett.
<> ~ <> “Well, that went well,” Cole muttered as heavily armed employees filed past them and down the hall to show them the way to the basement.
“Offering to give them first crack at Fernandez was a good idea. It probably saved our asses,” Austin replied as the three men pulled their weapons back out of their holsters and followed the mob down several different hallways.
Brady suddenly heard crackling and sporadic words coming through his wireless mic. As they walked through the palace, he pressed his finger to the button on his throat.
“Brady here, come in. Over.”
Austin and Cole looked back at Brady questioningly when they heard him speak. Brady shrugged in reply and heard more static and part of a word every few seconds.
“This is Chief Brady Marshall, can you repeat that last command. Over.”
After a few more seconds of annoying static, a voice came through the mic loud and clear.
“Marshall, good to hear your voice. It’s Captain Risner. I’m outside with an extraction team from the Navy and two special op teams from the CIA. We’ve got the place surrounded. We’re ready to move on your command. Over.”
“Be on the look-out for a helo coming in from the East, possibly landing on the south side of the property. We have intel that Fernandez is going to attempt to escape. We’ve got a palace full of confused employees who seem to be sympathetic to our side but are pissed as hell at Fernandez and want first crack at him. We’ve given the okay on that as long as they make sure we get out of here alive with McCarthy and Parker. We’ve got at least twenty heavily armed individuals so make sure everyone is ready. Over.”
“Roger that. Men are getting into position now and have visual on the helo. Over.”
The group of employees followed by the SEAL team stopped by a door at the end of the corridor. The man who seemed to be in charge of the employees pointed to the door and then saluted the team before ushering his people off in another direction.
Brady, Austin, and Cole let them go knowing that the men outside would take care of the situation that was heading towards them. The sounds of gunfire from behind the door that led to the basement threw the three men into action.
Austin flung open the door and the men raced down the stairs.
<> ~ <> Milo took a step in Garrett’s direction and aimed the gun directly at his heart. He cocked the gun, and before the bullet had been fully released into the chamber, Milo felt something rip through his shoulder that took his breath away. His legs gave out and he dropped to his knees, his hand went numb, and the gun clamored to the floor.
He looked over at Parker, her face bruised and bloody, her shirt half ripped off her body and one arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand holding the gun steady, aimed straight at him.
Milo never saw Parker crawl across the floor and pick up the gun Garrett had dropped earlier. He was losing his touch.
“If I wasn’t my father’s son, I think I could have loved you,” Milo spoke to her in a pain-filled voice, stopping to press his hand to the bullet wound in his shoulder.
“It shouldn’t have mattered whose son you were. You always had the opportunity to be a better person. And I did love you. You were my best friend. No matter what, I would have always been your friend,” Parker told him, tears slowly falling down her cheeks.
She hadn’t hesitated to pull the trigger when Milo aimed his gun at Garrett. Parker knew she’d do anything, kill anyone to make sure Garrett was safe. But she still had a conscience. She still had a heart. She’d just shot the man she thought she would marry. She’d just put a hole in the arm of the man who knew her biggest fears and had shared in all her joys. She wondered if his words right then were a last ditch effort to redeem himself. Maybe he figured if he made peace with her, he wouldn’t go straight to hell when his heart stopped beating.
“I know I’m not going to live long what with the hole you’ve put in me, and I highly doubt your first order of business will be to order medical attention for me
. If those people upstairs find me alive, it won’t be a pretty death they’ll give me. They’ll make sure I suffer,” Milo said.
“You deserve every bit of suffering you get,” Garrett said angrily. “Do you honestly think we have any fucking sympathy for you right now?”
“Oh I know you couldn't care less about what happens to me, old friend,” Milo said with a wince as he pressed his hand harder against the steady flow of blood that poured out of his wound. He could tell by the pulse of the flow that Parker had nicked an artery. “But I don’t think she has the heart to let me die so brutally, do you, Park?” he asked as he turned his attention back to Parker.
For a moment, Parker wondered if she really could put her gun down and walk away, allow all of those angry people upstairs to slice him to pieces or beat him until the last breath escaped from his body. She’d killed plenty of people in her career: drug dealers, foreign insurgents– all monsters, all killers of the innocent people exactly like Milo. The only difference was she’d never shared her life with any of those people. For the most part they were faceless criminals that left a trail of death and destruction in their wake, and their deaths never gave Parker one night of restless sleep. But she’d never shared her body with those individuals, never shared her soul. Parker wondered if she’d sleep as easily this time around.
Milo saw the hesitation in her eyes and thought maybe he’d misjudged her. Maybe he’d given her kind heart too much credit. She might actually let him suffer brutally before he took his last breath. He knew he would die in that room; his carelessness let him forget that Parker had access to a gun. His hatred of Garrett made him sloppy, and now it was all over. Milo knew of only one way to make Parker change her mind, one way into manipulating her into ending his life quickly and to show him mercy.
Kiss Kiss Page 109
