LITMIR.BIZ

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      “It’s...it’s new. Eloped. We were waiting to tell you after dinner.” Lee looked between her and the attendant, who didn’t seem surprised.

      Of course they would be married. Audrey didn’t know why it bothered her so much. The tingling in the back of her neck called her bluff. She was jealous, even though she had no right to be. Her new sister not only was her better in every way but had also married a superhero. They probably saved the world by night and enjoyed intellectual pursuits during the day. For fun.

      She blew out a breath and focused on the geometric pattern of the gray carpet to silence her internal rant. She needed to get her hands on research journals about twins. Many studies had been done or were in progress. Could this surge of ridiculous feelings be catch-up on thirty-three years of sibling rivalry? Maybe it was to be expected.

      Lee touched the back of her arm and she realized she’d missed the rest of the registration process. He pointed toward a hallway. “She said we should head down to the surgery waiting room.”

      Her knees wobbled as she straightened. “Sur-surgery?” She thought she’d get a chance to see Kendra again—conscious—before anything drastic.

      “They need to remove the bullet.” Lee gently cradled her arm and led her down the hallway. “Let’s take a little detour,” he whispered. He looked over his shoulder and pulled her into a dimly lit room with chairs set in rows.

      The cross at the far end caught her attention. “This isn’t the waiting room.” Maybe he wanted them to pray for Kendra together. Audrey wasn’t averse to it, but she’d admit to being a little out of practice.

      He gestured for them to sit in the back row. “I know, but it’s empty and private.” He exhaled and slumped forward. “Listen, you can’t do stuff like that.”

      “What?”

      “Have a huge reaction when I’m referencing our covers.”

      “Our?” She pointed at herself.

      “No. Yes. I mean, your sister and I work as a married couple. We’re not actually married. The cover makes it convenient to work as partners in certain undercover missions.”

      “So you’re not my brother-in-law?”

      The left side of his lips curled up. “No. Sorry.”

      The knots in her stomach unfurled and while she felt genuine relief, it was followed by a slam-dunk of guilt. Sure, she found Lee attractive. Who wouldn’t with those kind eyes, thick hair and a strong physique capable of carrying her away from danger? Not to mention the way he listened and comforted her.

      The emotional roller coaster made no logical sense. Kendra should have someone in her life, even though Audrey didn’t. She didn’t consider herself to be an envious person so the feelings caught her off guard. Maybe she just wasn’t mentally ready to gain a brother, as well as a sister. Her shoulders dropped. She was going to fail at being a good sister. She could already tell.

      Lee turned his body perpendicular to hers to face her. “I know this is a lot for you to take in, but I need to get answers before I can determine the current threat. I need to know if that man said anything to you before shots were fired.”

      “The man you said was Adam?” The man who had bled to death on her. The thought worked like a magnet, pulling her gaze back down to her bloodied blouse.

      “Yes.”

      “It...” Her mouth went dry as if she’d just chewed on cotton balls. “It happened so fast. I thought for sure he had the wrong person, which it turned out he did.”

      “I know it’s hard to remember but please try. Any detail might help.”

      She faced forward and studied the light fixtures, willing her mind to return her to that dark sidewalk. “He said not to trust anyone.” Her eyes widened. He’d shoved his fist into the front of her bag and had told her to take it. Was there something in her bag? “He said something about not the first one.”

      “Not the first one?” He frowned and looked up to the ceiling as if trying to decipher the meaning.

      She tried to slip her hand into the front of her bag without Lee noticing. Her fingers reached a smooth metal object the size of a tube of lipstick. A thumb drive perhaps?

      “Was there anything else?”

      Audrey hesitated. How was she to know whether she should trust Lee? Granted, he had saved her life and wasn’t the one who shot at her. “Why was Kendra using my name at the conference?”

      His forehead wrinkled in thought, but his lips formed a tight line.

      Audrey knew it. If she didn’t play hardball, Lee wouldn’t answer any of her questions. She narrowed her eyes. “My memory is coming into focus, but I’m sure it would be a lot clearer if I had some answers.”

      He reared back and raised an eyebrow. A second later a smile crossed his lips. “Every time I start to doubt you could really be her twin, you surprise me.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and faced forward. “Fine. You already know that Kendra and I are undercover federal agents.”

      “That’s so vague.” She still hadn’t seen so much as a badge. He had identification for both of them—obviously fake—that he provided for hospital registration, but he didn’t have any insurance cards for the attendant. Instead, Lee had rattled off Kendra’s insurance member number and said it was a Federal Blue Cross account.

      “We’re FBI special agents. But before I say more, I need to know why the Bureau didn’t know you existed.”

      “I didn’t know Kendra existed, either.”

      “But we do a comprehensive background search on agents.”

      “Obviously, the fact we had a twin wasn’t disclosed at our adoption. I’m positive my papers said I was an only child.” Her voice rose as she processed her statement. Perhaps they weren’t twins after all, but that didn’t explain their shared birthdays.

      He narrowed his eyes. “Where do your adopted parents live?”

      “Michigan.” She leaned into his gaze. “Do you know where Kendra’s are?”

      “Montana.”

      The fact they both started with M struck her as funny. Why would their birth parents adopt them separately? A wave of sorrow took her breath away. She could’ve had a sister growing up.

      “But why didn’t the Bureau find you?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “What social media are you on?”

      “None. My parents have always thought those sites were untrustworthy. They were passionate about parental controls until I graduated high school. By then, I knew I was going into academia, and didn’t have any interest in risking my career over a tagged photo or rumor being spread about me.” Though it did seem odd how passionate her parents were about avoiding social media. Was it possible they knew something? “Okay, I answered your question so back to mine. Why was my sister using my name?”

      He shrugged. “The best I can figure is it was a mistake.”

      “That seems highly unlikely. I’m going to need more.”

      He blew out a forceful breath. “I can’t give you an easy answer. What you want to know is classified.” He studied her for a moment. “We’re allowed a bit of wiggle room to gain informants or assets. In fact, we often recruit from college campuses, and since you are in academia...” He shook his head as if belittling himself for what he was about to do. “If, in the future, the FBI should need your expertise or services in any way, Dr. Clark, do I have your word that you will help us to the best of your abilities?”

      She didn’t even have to think twice. There was no way the FBI would ever need her help, and if saying she would was what it would take to learn more about her sister, so be it. “You have

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