Her smile faded, and she didn’t turn from staring at the oven. “That’s a big ask. You know my research is classified.”
“So was my mission to stop the Masked Network.”
Audrey grabbed a spatula and started transferring the cookies to a cooling rack. She gave a side-glance to Joe. “Are you any good with icing?”
That took him off guard. “Um, maybe?”
“Good. Because I think my sister is going to have a lot harder time pretending to be me than the other way around.”
Kendra barked a laugh. “I’m trained to do undercover work, Audrey.”
“Hmm. We’ll see. If you wouldn’t mind taking over...” Audrey picked up an icing packet and handed it to Joe. “Outline these men, dots for eyes, a smiley face and three cinnamon buttons down the torso.” She finally turned to Kendra. “It sounds like we have a lot to talk about while your new partner works on these.”
“We can talk in front of him. He’s trustworthy.”
“But this is my research, and I can’t take your word for it.” She held up a hand. “No offense, Joe.” She approached her sister. “Besides, if I go along with this switcheroo, which I assume you have good reason for, I need to know you can pull it off.” Audrey stuck out a thumb in Joe’s direction. “And he can be the one to prove it.”
Joe sensed a test in the making, and he wasn’t sure how to study.
FIVE
Kendra knew it wouldn’t be easy, she just didn’t realize Audrey would be so stubborn, even after she’d explained the situation. “I’m not sure you understand—”
“I understand the stakes.” Audrey paced in front of the queen bed draped in a dark blue coverlet covered in snowflakes. “I just need a moment to digest it, especially since you’re asking me not to tell Lee about any of this.” She rolled her eyes and blew out a breath. “It seems wrong to keep secrets from my fiancé.”
“I know it’s awkward, but the less either of you know, the better. It keeps both you and us safer. My source...” Speaking of keeping things from loved ones, Kendra fought back a guilty conscience. She’d broach the topic of their mother after the research was safe and the Pirate was behind bars. Although now, after seeing Audrey in her element, she wondered if Audrey received the academic and positive qualities both their biological parents must’ve had while Kendra was given the cold, dark sides, destined to live a life of deceit and loneliness.
“Your source?” Audrey prompted.
She blinked away the stray thought. “My source told me that the influence of the Pirate is pervasive. We don’t know who to trust.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re not saying you suspect Lee—”
“No, of course not. I trusted Lee with my life...and with my sister.” Kendra smiled and Audrey seemed appeased. “My request stands, though. Please don’t even tell him you’re leaving the campus. Maybe go to your parents for a visit but keep it low-key. Make sure they don’t announce it to anyone.”
“Well, I was pretty stressed last time I spoke to them.” She blew out a breath. “It wouldn’t be a stretch to tell them I was nearing burnout and just need some quiet R and R a few days earlier than planned. I was going to see them at the end of semester.”
Even the nightstand held a small Christmas tree. “I have to ask you, what’s with Christmas exploding in your place?”
Audrey’s intense look of concentration disappeared. “What do you mean? Don’t you decorate for the holidays?” Her expression morphed into one of pity. “Oh, I forgot. Deep cover. You probably didn’t have time or any decorations of your own.”
Even if she had, Kendra would’ve never bothered, but she was curious why her sister was so passionate. There was so much they still didn’t know about each other. “What were the holidays like for you growing up?” Kendra asked.
“The day after Thanksgiving, my parents would pull out a jar with roughly twenty-five days worth of Christmas activities, usually filled with a lot of homemade decoration instructions, movie names to watch and recipes to make. I loved it. Why? What was it like for you?”
“Well, I wasn’t an only child like you. I mean, it was fine, but since my three brothers were all biological and I was adopted, I always felt... I don’t know. The holidays seemed to magnify that I was different. Not their fault—they didn’t say or do anything wrong—but when extended family came over, that’s how I felt.” The memories weren’t all bad, though. In fact, one memory still made Kendra laugh. “My mom did try to get me to help her make cookies and decorations, but I didn’t think it was fair. I just wanted to be outside throwing a football with my brothers.”
Audrey’s eyes filled with an understanding she couldn’t possibly know.
The sensation unnerved her. “Anyway, I wish I could give you time to weigh the pros and cons of hiding at your parents’, but we need to find the Pirate’s identity before he finds out mine. I need you out of here so I can take your place, pronto. I’m up against the clock.”
Audrey spun to the dresser and pulled out a green, tissue-wrapped bundle. “I have a present for you. And, since it sounds like there’s no other option, I think you need it sooner than later.” She shoved the package into Kendra’s arms.
She tried to follow Audrey’s train of thought but failed. “I didn’t get you a present. It’s not Christmas yet.”
“It’s for the mission.”
Kendra felt her face scrunch in confusion. “But you didn’t know about the mission until now.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “Just open it.”
Kendra sighed and ripped apart the tissue paper to discover a replica of the ridiculous sweater Audrey was wearing. It portrayed a reindeer on the front wearing a sweater—a sweater within a sweater—with tinsel wrapped around its antlers. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m assuming this is your first ugly Christmas sweater. You’re going to love it. More important, you need to embrace the Christmas spirit or no one is going to believe you’re me. Now let’s get your hair pulled back—I’ll hurry and straighten mine so we match—and see if that handsome man you clearly have a crush on can tell the difference between the two of us.”
Her cheeks burned. “First of all, we are friends and colleagues and nothing more. And I didn’t bring him here to help you decorate.”
“He seemed happy to help.”
For some reason it annoyed Kendra that Audrey had pegged him correctly. “He’s probably the most helpful man alive, but—”
“And it’s a very relaxing activity.” Audrey crossed her arms.
“Maybe for you.”
“Sounds to me like someone needs a lesson in holiday fun.”
Kendra forced down a growl that threatened to surface. While they often seemed to get into small rounds of bickering ever since they’d met, as if making up for lost time in the sibling-rivalry department, they needed to focus. “Second, this isn’t a game.”
Audrey stilled and a fierceness Kendra recognized replaced the smile from a moment ago. “Believe me, I understand. If the Pirate is really the mastermind of Masked, I have an inkling of what he’s capable of, but I’m not sure you understand that if it gets out I let my sister take my place in the lab, my reputation, my grant and my career will be ruined.” She ticked off three fingers in a row for emphasis. “Besides that, I’m responsible for all those grad students, postdocs and technicians who work for me.” Her index finger jabbed in the air, pointing over Kendra’s shoulder as if the people she listed were standing behind them. “If you discover the Pirate’s identity without capturing him, he’s going to kill anyone in my lab that can point the finger at him.”
“I’m well aware of the dangers.” Kendra studied the floor and tried to shut down her defensive streak. “I will admit I wasn’t thinking about the risks to your future, but, Audrey, you took my place. I think I can handle taking yours. I’m actually trained to do
this sort of thing.”
Audrey sank on the edge of her bed. “When I was you, I had Lee by my side. He’d been your partner for ages and knew you enough to offer me help when I needed to be convincing. You have Joe. He seems nice, but he doesn’t know me. And, I’d venture to say that while we’ve been getting to know each other, you don’t know me as well as the lab staff that’s with me seven days a week, without fail.”
Kendra wasn’t ready to admit that her sister had given this a lot of thought. So instead, she sighed. “Fine. I’ll agree to your test. I can’t believe you got me a matching sweater.”
Audrey’s face relaxed. “It was first on my twin bucket list.”
Kendra gaped. “You have a bucket list for us?”
“Don’t you?” Audrey stepped forward and grabbed both of Kendra’s hands, pulling them together. “I don’t mean to complicate things, but I have some news. Big news.” Her eyes looked directly into Kendra’s. “You know how you asked that we wait until you returned to get married?”
She felt her eyes grow wide. Had they already gotten hitched?
“Lee and I took a guess that you would be back by Christmas either way so we’ve planned a small wedding. Family only. It’s time we meet each other’s parents, don’t you think? I know my parents can’t wait to meet you. They’ll have you loving the holidays within ten minutes of meeting them.”
Kendra’s mouth dropped open. “Uh...wow. Congratulations.”
Audrey pulled her into a tight hug. Kendra closed her eyes tight. The hits just kept on coming. She wasn’t ready to admit to Audrey that she hadn’t even told her parents yet that she’d discovered a twin sister. She wanted to have more information, more answers, before she presented such big news to her law-enforcement family.
Audrey pulled back and her eyes glistened with excitement. “If you could make sure no one is trying to kill you by Christmas Eve, that would be great.”
Kendra’s mouth went dry. “So no pressure.”
* * *
Joe stepped back from his work. Some of the gingerbread men had buttons that resembled tears, but at least he got most of the smiles right. At the sound of footsteps approaching, he turned to find two identical sisters in front of him. They stared at him wordlessly, and he knew they were waiting for him to take a guess.
No contest.
While they both wore the best Christmas sweater he’d ever seen and matching jeans, Kendra had her eyebrows raised, which made her eyes look a little bigger. They held a distinct lack of amusement. She tucked her chin while averting her gaze and pulled back her shoulders. A textbook set of cues for flirting but Joe wouldn’t let himself believe that’s what she was doing. Kendra was anything but textbook.
More likely, she was sending confusing signals on purpose in the hope he’d guess wrong. But, he had to admit bias. He felt a spark, one he couldn’t explain, when he looked at Kendra. And clearly it wasn’t dependent on how she looked because Audrey looked—obviously—just as pretty.
“To be fair, you know I study people, right?” He gestured and looked left at Audrey before he waved toward the cookies. “I tried my best, Audrey, but I’m not a skilled decorator. You might not want to trust me with the rest.”
Kendra sagged. “How’d you know who was who?”
If he voiced aloud his thoughts, the amount of awkwardness in the room would increase tenfold. “Let’s just say I know you better than you think.” He suddenly noticed Audrey’s hand and pointed. “It would also help if the engaged woman in the room wasn’t wearing a diamond.”
Kendra’s smile was triumphant as she spun toward her sister. “Okay. So you cheated. I’m going to need that ring.”
“Not a chance.” Audrey held her hand to her chest. “I take off my ring before I go to work. I have a strict policy against jewelry because of some of the equipment. No one at the lab ever sees the ring so it stays with me.” She eyed both of them. “Before I agree to this swap, I have questions. Why now? Why would the Pirate go after my research now?”
Joe waited a beat for Kendra to answer but she looked conflicted, perhaps about what to reveal, so he jumped in. “There are rumors going around in the intelligence community that you are near a breakthrough of sorts.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “In my field, we call gossip ‘collaboration.’ But for classified research, I would expect scientists and engineers to be a little more tight-lipped. It’s easy enough for it to happen, though. While the research data itself is classified, we’re encouraged to be fostering a spirit of teamwork. This university is a tight-knit community so it’s probably to be expected.”
“Is there anyone in your lab we should suspect? Someone who might be getting paid to leak these kinds of details?” Kendra asked.
“No. I mean if there were, it wouldn’t be the first time a postdoc researcher transmitted information to another party, but I don’t think anyone in my lab fits that mold.”
“Your research grant is defense-related,” Joe said. “The rumor said something about invisibility cloaks?”
Kendra snickered. “It was invisibility and cloaking,” she corrected.
Audrey didn’t crack a smile. “Please. Tons of labs have made invisibility cloaks.”
Joe gaped. If he could get his hands on one, he could just imagine the well-earned pranks he could play on his brother.
“But it’s not like you might imagine, so put the subject out of your mind. I’m using metamaterials, nanotechnology and optics to make something a little more commercially viable. Let’s just say we hope to produce something that can cloak sound as well as visibility. So I’ll agree to allow you in my lab, but the data needs to stay secure.”
Audrey crossed the apartment to retrieve her purse. “I have what I need on a flash drive at all times, but you need to secure my office hard drive. My staff focuses on their assigned tasks, but I’m the only one who sees how everything ties together.” She eyed Joe. “Lee was supposed to come for a visit in a couple weeks, right before Christmas. I already jumped through the hoops to get him a security badge so he could meet everyone. We’ll just say he came early if you’re okay with acting the part of a doting fiancé.”
Joe tempered his response to not sound overeager. “I think we can manage. Kendra is experienced at acting like part of a married couple. I’ll follow her lead.”
Audrey regarded him. “Yes, but engaged couples are a little more doting on each other. They look in love. At least we do. And Lee and I both love the holidays. I’ve talked about it enough with my coworkers that they’ll know.”
Kendra pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at Audrey. “Let us worry about the cover situation. Are you saying the rumor about you getting close to a breakthrough isn’t true?”
“I didn’t say that.” Audrey’s lips curved to one side. She clearly had a juicy secret. “If the rumor is going around, though, it explains why I had a last-minute request for a tour.”
Joe frowned. “A tour?”
“Right after Kendra let me know she was on the way here, the request came through. It’s not that unusual for the government to want to check in on progress and review how the funds are being used, understandable when they’re providing me with an eight-million-dollar grant.”
Joe felt his eyes bulge but realized that probably wasn’t a huge amount given the type of research.
“What is a little odd is the short notice from DARPA on who is visiting the lab tomorrow,” Audrey added.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was sending people? That could be the Pirate’s connection to the research. “So you got the list of who is visiting?”
“A couple of people from the Department of Defense as well as a couple scientists from a few related research labs DARPA has in the works. I’ve already secured them passes.” She picked up a stack of smart cards attached to lanyards from the desk in the corner and handed them to Joe
. “I’m supposed to meet them outside the lab at ten in the morning.”
Joe’s and Kendra’s eyes met. The timing of the tour request couldn’t be ignored. “Good thing we came straight here.” He picked up one of the three burner phones he’d purchased with a Visa gift card, thanks to Beverly’s stash, at the airport kiosk and handed it to Audrey. “Keep this on at all times in case we need to ask you a question—I imagine there will be some as we secure your research.”
Kendra pointed at the phone’s screen. “If you receive a text from Joe or me, we will end the message with the number 2 and an asterisk so you know it’s from us. Whenever you text me reply with a—”
“With a 100% because I’m behind you one—”
“We don’t need to choose meanings behind our codes, but sure.” Kendra took a deep breath and looked at Joe. She paled slightly. “I think we’re about to meet the Pirate.”
SIX
Kendra had never needed so much coffee. They’d stayed awake until three in the morning as Audrey mercilessly drilled them on “just enough” lab procedures and vague go-to answers until she was satisfied the swap wouldn’t ruin her research and career. Kendra then handed her fake identification to show at the airport while Joe supplied the car rental keys and Visa gift cards to pay for Audrey’s flight.
Now, a little after nine, the burner phone buzzed with confirmation Audrey had made it to her childhood home in Michigan. Kendra checked the clock. The DARPA review team would arrive at the lab in thirty minutes. She needed to beat everyone there to get her bearings.
Joe stepped out of the bathroom, shaved and dressed in an emerald green button-down shirt. He looked annoyingly chipper given he’d had a sleepless night, as well. He glanced at Kendra and clearly fought back a laugh. “Suits you. Festive.”
She knew he was referring to her one-button red blazer covered in images of snowmen, reindeer and evergreen trees. “If Audrey hadn’t bragged to her techs that she was wearing this for the review, I could dress like a normal person. At least when she had to pretend to be me, it was either lounge pants or designer outfits.”
Covert Christmas Twin (Twins Separated At Birth Book 2) Page 5