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"Say your goodbyes, uard naainst Garrett’s head

"Make it fast," the other guard added as he pushed his gun against the side of Parker’s head

Hope sloindled 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 s 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 hter them like animals Neither he nor Parker were helpless They both kne to fight; they both were trained in getting out of situations like this He just needed a plan Parker would beat hi that would put her in har 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 et theht drain out of her slohile 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 saain He pulled his head back so he could see her eyes better, and it worried hih hiain, more firot 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 jaith renewed deterht here how surprised you hen I told you what I did for a living?" Parker asked in hi with this

"Remember the story I told you and how you couldn’t keep your eyes off ofan octave and turning sultry

Parker breathed heavily, the force of the es 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 i her chest heave with every breath she took, her breasts straining against the thin lace fabric covering theh to disarm him," she had said softly as she re the 45 caliber she slid from his shoulder holster while his eyes were otherwise occupied With a straight face she hadhim in the chest

Garrett’s heart sped up as he replayed that uards behind hiht this very moment The perfect distraction If he had more ti so brilliant

Parker shook her hair away fro her shirt to open even further andaround her elbow Everyone in the room now had a clear view of the smooth, taut, naked skin of her stoh, 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 ave Garrett a clear viehere her arether behind the wooden beaers into a puddle on the floor directly below them Only then did he realize that the small tremors that shook her body weren’t fro to pull her hand through one of the handcuffs Garrett knew if her thuh thelook

Break it, she uards 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 drarab 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 arrabbed her left hand, the one she wouldn’t need to shoot with, whispered an apology in her ear, and the slaainst the wooden beaunshot in Garrett’smore 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 hiun 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 hi pain that radiated from her thu the cuffs hang loosely and dangle from her other wrist She ju the gun out of her guard’s hand The gun skidded to a stop against the far wall and for aeach other down They both took off, diving across the roorunts 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 hiuard he’d shot wouldn’t stay down A bullet to the shoulder and two punches to the face hadn’t slowed hiround as he straddled his hips and wrestled for control of the gun the ive up Garrett threw a punch to the guard’s injured shoulder and with a howl of pain, the un finally abated Garrett yanked it froht at hiuard held onto his injured shoulder, the blood seeping between his fingers

Parker dove to the floor, sliding across on her stouard did, but that didn’t ood hand wrapped around the grip of the gun, he flew into her fro her head into the hard concrete of the floor She saw stars and had to s back nausea, but she never let go of the gun as the ht push her into the floor and keep her where she was