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"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 infor 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 the 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 co the silent treat 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 andappropriate for the occasion," Austin inforroan and a few muttered curses about her husband, Parker stoet 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 th dress with capped sleeves

Parker was in heaven at the boutique located right on the resort They had ners in that little store than in all of Nordstro 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 screa 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 hi slutty And Garrett’s favorite color is blue"

Parker threw her arive a rat’s ass what Garrett’s favorite color is And for the record, I have a vagina, so I’ slutty" Parker turned back to the mirror and cocked her head at her reflection "And his favorite color isn’t blue It’s red," sheto ht," 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 fro 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 roo 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 hi his words

"We’re just friends, Conrad," she whispered, turning away froood 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 sa

If an outsider like Austin saw sos she had weren’t just one-sided The thought scared the hell out of her and made her want to run back to the roo Tell hi that it had always been hi hurt, and that he was the only one she wanted to let it all go for She wanted to tell hiive that to Milo should eat her up inside but all she could think about was loving Garrett and having hilanced up and noticed Austin ss he had said

"Stop looking at me like that," she huffed in irritation as she turned tothe 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 iven Austin his dimensions and was pleased hat he’d picked out for him

The limo would be there in five minutes, and the only confir 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 , and his head turned in the direction of the sound