Lee pulled off his jacket with one hand while on a straight stretch of street and threw it behind him. “Put pressure on both, if you can. Use this for the head wound. I think that’s probably more important.”
Lee pulled up to the Emergency entrance and glanced in the rearview mirror. Audrey’s reflection startled him. Identical features, yes, but the expression in her eyes, flashing emotion, proved she was different than Kendra. “Audrey, I need you to run in and tell them your sister has been shot. No more, no less. I need to find her identification.”
Mercifully, Audrey didn’t ask any questions as she pulled the door handle open and darted out the side door. He turned off the van and removed the keys. He found the hidden latch underneath the console and opened it to reveal a lock. In the space of ten seconds, he removed and chose the most unused credentials for Kendra. Until he knew what they were dealing with, remaining in deep cover seemed the safest course of action, for all parties involved.
He climbed into the back of the van and stored her gun in the storage compartment underneath the passenger seat. “Sorry, Kendra. If you can hear me, I’m just getting your phone. Help is on the way.” He slipped her phone from her pocket as the automatic sliding doors to the hospital slid open once more.
Two women and one man, all in gray medical scrubs, darted past Audrey’s pointing finger to the van. Two others pushed a gurney behind them. At the last second, Lee removed the conference badge—the one with Audrey’s name displayed—from Kendra’s neck, stuffed it into his pocket and stepped out of the van.
Lee rattled off the two wound locations before the staff could ask. The attendants nodded as they counted and moved her in unison onto the bed. And then Lee looked at Kendra, really looked, for the first time since she’d initially hit the ground. He’d never seen his partner look so peaceful, yet so broken.
They wheeled her away and he was left underneath the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights mounted on the overhang, staring at Kendra’s twin, the air still, with only the sound of beeping trucks and traffic speeding nearby.
“Are...are you okay?” Audrey said as her face lost its color.
Lee tilted his head and studied her. Kendra only paled when she was deathly afraid. “I think I should be asking you that question.”
She blinked rapidly, turning slightly away from him. “When I woke up this morning I was ready for the beginning of an amazing life change. I said goodbye to my alma mater and headed to a conference at Stanford as a post-doctorate from Duke. Next week I’m supposed to enjoy my very first vacation in seven years, and then lead my very own lab at Caltech in the fall. Do you have any idea how many Nobel laureates are on staff? It’s beyond what I ever imagined.” She sniffed and shook her head. “And then I meet her, and none of that seems very important anymore.”
If Kendra had ever spouted such disjointed information, he’d have physically carried her into a counselor’s office. He had no way of knowing if it was normal discourse for Audrey, though. Since he had no idea how to respond, he remained silent.
She gestured toward the closed door and let out a shaky sigh. “I’ve got a sister, and I might never even get to know her.”
“Hey.” Lee put an arm around her shoulder to give an encouraging squeeze, but Audrey spun into his chest, her hands against her eyes. Lee wasn’t sure what to do. He put a hand on her back, tense enough to be obvious she was trying to pull herself together. Kendra would’ve never let herself be so vulnerable. In all the years they’d worked together, she’d never shared so much as a feeling about the weather. “On second thought, are you sure you’re twins?” He forced a small laugh.
“Sorry. I’m not usually like this. You have no idea how exhausted I am, and then a man died—” She reared back, a touch of mascara underneath both eyes. “She probably never cries. Am I right? Great. I’m the weaker twin. I’ve heard that’s what can happen when—”
“That’s not what I meant.”
The doors opened again and an attendant stood on the indoor motion sensor pad, waving them forward. Audrey pulled her shoulders back, nodded and followed the woman with the laptop on a pushcart until they reached a small sitting room. If they hadn’t been interrupted, Lee would’ve told Audrey that vulnerability was a unique strength, but perhaps it was best to shift back into work mode. Lee answered the hospital registration questions as fast as he could, using the cover for Kendra he’d selected.
The attendant tapped her diamond-encrusted pink nails over the keyboard. “And you are the patient’s sister and...” She lifted her head and looked at Lee.
“Husband.”
Audrey’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. She looked down at his hand and zeroed in on the silver silicone wedding ring on his left hand. “You’re married?” She all but shouted the words.
Two men waiting in the chairs outside the open room looked up, curious. Lee offered a tense smile and soft laugh. If she blew their covers over such a small detail, keeping Audrey Clark safe wasn’t going to be an easy task.
TWO
“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 my word.”
He placed an elbow on the back of his chair and leaned sideways. “Well then, as my asset, I can tell you the man that approached you is—was an FBI agent. While undercover within a drug trafficking enterprise—the less you know, the better—he was able to move up the ranks to a lieutenant. At that time he gained access to something much bigger. Have you ever heard of The Masked Network?”
She shook her head.
“It’s essentially a cellular network for criminals. They use smartphones that are wiped of all normal capability and equipped with encrypted software. Members within their organized crime sect can only talk to each other.”
“So it’s like a private cell phone group?”
He shrugged. “For lack of a better explanation. It’s impervious to any attempts at tracking, hacking or eavesdropping. Criminal enterprises use the service to plan murders, drug and human trafficking, weapons deals... You name it, the network helps facilitate the crime. Only, no one can join the network without personally meeting the so-called CEO, and he only agrees to meet through a referral of a high-ranking current subscriber.”
She leaned back, processing. “You said Adam moved up the ranks in an organization. Was he one of those high-ranking subscribers willing to give you guys a referral?”
He regarded her with surprise and admiration. “You catch on fast. What was your doctorate in?”
“Electrical engineering.”
He nodded but seemed disappointed. Her stomach suddenly felt hollow, a weird sensation she couldn’t shake. There was no reason to care what he thought. She loved her field, excelled in it.
“We certainly hoped that’s what Adam wanted to meet about. Kendra and I have been undercover for years working toward that very goal. Adam arranged a meet with Kendra. He chose the location. It was last-minute because there was a raid scheduled to take down his organization today. Today was the earliest we could meet.”
The flash drive grew hot in her hand. If she’d known that its contents had the potential to hit most of the criminal organizations in the country at its knees she would’ve handed it over the moment she’d remembered. But she still didn’t know why Kendra had used her name, so she nodded for him to continue.
“Like other federal agencies, the FBI has arrangements with many colleges. They’re usually perfect public places to meet. Our university liaison—who isn’t an FBI agent—assigned Kendra your name as a cover. If I were to make an educated guess, I imagine the liaison thought Kendra already had a cover because her photo was already in the system—except it was really you—so all she had to do was add me as her husband.”
A lightbulb went off. “Yes, my photo was already on file with conference attendees. They required one when I signed up for the conference, along with my bio.”
He shrugged. “If we want more answers on how the mix-up happened, we’ll have to wait until Kendra is awake.” He smiled as his eyes searched hers. The extra scrutiny increased her pulse. “For your safety, Kendra is registered with the last name Catmull at the hospital. No one should be able to connect the dots between you two.”
The speakers crackled and invaded the silent room. “Lee Catmull, please report to the surgery waiting room.”
Lee’s face turn
ed white. If Audrey hadn’t known better, she would’ve believed that Kendra was his wife in that moment. Maybe their covers had become so ingrained that he loved her like one. She tried to imagine him as a future brother-in-law, but her brain refused. Too much to wrap her head around in one day, especially since her newfound sister might not live through the night. She reached over and grabbed Lee’s hand, squeezing to keep her fingers from shaking. She bowed her head before either of them could object. “Lord, please help.”
It was probably the lamest prayer in the history of prayers, but it was all she could vocalize. An unbidden thought surfaced. If her sister died, would a target suddenly be on her back instead?
* * *
Lee didn’t let go of Audrey’s hand, but instead helped her to standing and walked back out of the chapel. He’d just made her an FBI asset—he didn’t even want to think about the paperwork that awaited him in the future—but after what he’d just told her, he needed to make sure she wasn’t a flight risk. They still had so much to talk about.
They strode together to the open doorway of the surgery waiting area. He continued to hold her hand because it seemed to help her remain calm. Besides, she was the one who’d reached for his hand in the chapel, and if it kept her from breaking down like she did at the hospital entrance, it would be rude to let go before she was ready. Rows of chairs faced monitors displaying lines of patient numbers and surgery status updates.
“Look at your bracelet.” Audrey pulled her hand from his and reached for his wrist.
He’d forgotten the registration attendant had placed the plastic-coated identification on him. He looked down at the number and found its match on the screen. “Surgery in progress.”
A man in scrubs approached, holding a blue bag. “Can I see your wrist?”
Undercover Twin Page 2