She pulled her chin back until she hit the headrest. “Me?”
“Doing my due diligence before we walk into an operation. Your preliminary background check was clear.”
She felt her mouth gape open. “You already ran a check on me?”
“Of course. Any colleagues indicate they’re jealous of your work? Do you have any potential for blackmail?”
It’d probably seem childish if she rolled her eyes, but if there were a contest for most boring, goody-goody, she’d be a finalist. “No, nothing like that. My parents are both in academia. It seemed like a natural progression for me, as well. I’ve been focused on my future career since high school. I didn’t want anything to jeopardize it.” She stared out the window. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”
“There’s nothing crazy about this. It’s brave and you’re serving your country.” He hesitated. “Maybe it goes without saying, but you can’t tell anyone about any of this.”
She figured as much. The silence would be worth it, though, if it gave her the chance to get to know her sister without looking over their shoulders for an assassin. She’d always had a sense that she didn’t really know who she was. Maybe the feeling was common for adopted children, but she’d never been able to shake it.
He nodded forward. “We’re about to make a quick stop at the bus station.”
She gripped her purse. After this, there’d be no changing her mind, no turning back. Her identity would be Mrs. Kimmet, lawyer and white-collar criminal. “Just so you know, I’m keeping my phone.”
He shook his head. “Not a good idea.”
She’d spent thirty minutes preparing her phone this morning, making the necessary changes so she could have access to the outside world, safely. “I’ve changed my name to Andrea Kimmet in the settings, and I’ve blocked all my personal contacts so no one will be able to reach me. In fact, I sent out a mass email this morning—”
“You did what?” His face flushed as he glanced between her and the road, his eyes wide.
Honestly, it was as if he hadn’t heard her when she explained she had a doctorate...and was about to work at Caltech. She may not be spy material, but she could be trusted not to do anything foolish. “There’s no need to get upset. The email explained that my conference at Stanford is turning out to be more of an intensive—in the academic world that means it’s going to be very vigorous—so they won’t be surprised if I don’t check my phone for a week. Plus, I’ve removed my email accounts from the phone. No way to blow our covers.”
He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “So if you aren’t calling anyone, why do you want it with you?”
“The browser. I’m trying to make sure I know everything there is to know about money laundering. You’re not the only one worried I might blow my cover. If someone asks me something I don’t know, maybe I can excuse myself to the restroom and look it up quickly.” Besides, while Lee was getting ready for the day, she’d read a fascinating article that one in eighty births were twins, so separated-at-birth adoptions weren’t so uncommon. There were so many studies on twins she still wanted to read.
Besides, she needed to keep her mind occupied. Every time she let her thoughts drift, even for a split second, her brain replayed the sensation of the dead man’s blood drenching her shirt and the shock of seeing her mirror image shot.
Lee sighed deeply, shaking her out of her mental spiral. “It’s my job to keep you safe, and I can’t do that if you take your own phone. I do, however, have a few burner phones. As long as you don’t call anyone, you can use the browser within certain parameters.”
“Thank you. You should also know I’m not willing to give up my identification at the bus stop until I’m satisfied with the details of the plan.”
His eyes widened as he gave her a side glance. “You’ll be with me the whole time. Just follow my lead. What exactly do you need to know?”
“First of all, where are we going?”
“The Aislado Club.” The Spanish accent rolled off his tongue.
“Aislado means...isolated, doesn’t it?” Her forehead wrinkled.
“Or excluded.” He leaned back in his seat and placed one hand on the top of the steering wheel. “But yes, that’s a pretty literal translation of the name. Do you speak Spanish?”
“Un petit.” She nodded, sporting a smile that disappeared as he barked a laugh, an expression that made his eyes sparkle. She replayed her answer in her head. “Oh, that’s French, isn’t it? So, I guess no.” She shrugged. The romantic languages, much like a romantic life, didn’t come easily to her. “I tried to study both and understand a fair amount, but I always get them mixed up when I try to speak them. Where is The Aislado Club? Somewhere remote, I imagine.”
“Exactly. A very exclusive resort in Big Sur, California.”
A resort meant employees, locks on doors, lots of people and pillows that encouraged you to sleep in. Maybe it would be a lot safer than she feared. “That doesn’t sound too bad at all.”
“Rumors lead us to believe the property actually holds ties to the mafia and serves as a hot spot for the world’s wealthiest suspected criminals to meet and make clandestine, illegal deals.”
She felt the blood drain from her face as she looked ahead. So much for relaxing. “We’re about to enter the lion’s den.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” He slowed at the sign for the bus station and flipped on his turn signal. “Let’s hope they’ve been well fed and are sleeping.”
* * *
Lee adjusted his grip around the wheel in preparation for tactical driving. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them at the bus station, and after the hotel incident, he needed to be alert. There had been a white sedan behind them on the highway, but it was normal for the same car to follow on long stretches of interstate. Now, back on the road, he no longer spotted the same model of vehicle, so his fears must have been unwarranted.
He felt off his game.
Whenever they were on a mission, only one thing mattered: success. He never thought about needing Kendra to do her part, and she certainly never acted as if she needed him. Yet, he knew they had each other’s backs.
They began passing the first foothills of the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains. The Aislado Club would be nestled in between the foothills and the cliffs 1200 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Lee had studied the satellite photos, but no one in the Bureau had been close enough to get more detailed intel.
He kept glancing at Audrey. He couldn’t help it. She looked the same as Kendra, yet everything about her seemed softer, more vulnerable. He didn’t like how much he needed her to play the part and stay safe, to let him keep her protected, but they were so close to taking down the Network he could almost taste the victory.
Her green eyes suddenly darted to him. “So if this resort is supposed to be known for criminal deals, why hasn’t the FBI taken it down before now?”
“Resort might’ve been a strong word. It’s called a club for a reason. Invitation only. Private. You won’t find anything about it on the internet.”
She reared back, her face aghast. “Invitation only? How do they stay in business?”
He laughed and pulled his phone from his pocket while holding his thumb on the home button to unlock it. “You’d be surprised how many people are looking for an ultra-exclusive experience. The waiting list usually takes a year before a spot opens, depending on your connections. Membership costs hundreds of thousands. There are a handful of places just like it all around the world. Though, to be fair, they don’t have the same sketchy reputation.” Another reminder of how much the FBI had invested in their deep cover the past few years.
“Who? Who goes to these places?” She raised an eyebrow. “Have you gone to any of these types of resorts?”
He handed her the phone. “Once you’ve had a personal, twent
y-four-hour butler, there’s no going back to regular hotels.”
She smirked. “You’re kidding.”
He smiled. “When we first started the cover, Kendra almost blew it when she spotted a certain well-known talk show host.”
Audrey’s mouth dropped. “Who?”
He didn’t know why he even said it. He’d never felt the urge to impress before, although he never had the liberty to discuss his missions with anyone. “Sorry. Classified.” He handed her his phone.
Audrey released an exasperated sigh and dropped back in her seat. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”
“Pull up the photos album. I downloaded all pictures of Kendra and me during our time developing our cover. Take a close look at Kendra and any group photos you see. There’s a slim chance we might run into one of the people there so let’s go through it.”
Audrey bent forward and used her fingers to zoom. “You guys really do look like a married couple.”
Her voice sounded strained. Maybe the thought of having to pretend she was married to him scared her. Lee tried not to let his pride hurt.
“I’m really not that hard to be married to,” Lee said. “I won’t try to hold your hand or kiss you, but I will probably need to put my arm around your shoulders a couple of times. Are you comfortable with that?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly and while Lee would like to think it was a positive response, he knew Kendra’s cheeks flushed like that when she was either happy or annoyed. Lee had no idea if Audrey had the same tendencies or which emotion it meant.
She tapped the screen. “What about the lady with the red hair? She looks genuinely friendly with Kendra and is in several photos.”
Lee nodded. “Yes. Sylvia Dexter. Art antiquities dealer.”
Audrey raised an eyebrow. “A legal one?”
He laughed. “When we first started developing our cover, Sylvia and Kendra hit it off at one of the resorts. She’s the big reason we’ve been able to climb up the ladder in the right circles.”
“Is there a criminal society page I need to read to catch up?”
It was clear by her tone she wasn’t impressed. “Let’s just say we’re not looking very closely into Sylvia’s career until after we take down the big fish.” Lee figured that was enough for Audrey to get the idea. She didn’t need to know that Sylvia had the reputation for being ruthless, rumored to have assassins on speed dial.
“She offers legitimacy. I get it. If I see her, what would she and Kendra talk about?”
Lee had no idea. He had his own marks to focus on when they were on missions together. “I’m sure the normal things. Chitchat.”
He felt Audrey’s incredulity before her mouth opened. Lee held up a hand. “We can cross Sylvia off the list. We know for sure she won’t be at the Aislado this week. Last time we saw her, she said she was going to Europe for the rest of the year. We’re here because of Adam’s connections alone, but as you said, Sylvia offered us legitimacy. If someone mentions her name—because she does travel in the same circles—you need to acknowledge you know her.” He slowed on the last curve. “We’re almost there.”
He turned into the private driveway lined with redwoods. Without any signs, those driving by would think it was a billionaire’s estate on the hilltops. After two speed bumps, they rounded the corner and stopped at a guard booth. A man in a tailored suit and with a demeanor that indicated some type of prior military experience stepped forward. “What can I do for you?”
“Oh. Maybe we made a wrong turn,” Audrey said softly.
Lee could understand the nervous reaction. There was nothing about the guard, the booth or the gate that indicated it was anything other than a residence, but it wasn’t a good sign she was already questioning him. “Mr. and Mrs. Kimmet. We should have a reservation.”
The man disappeared for half a second and returned with a laminated pass. “Follow the road to the underground garage. The security team will check and stow any weapons you may have before you begin your itinerary. Enjoy your stay.”
Whatever Lee had been expecting, it wasn’t that. The gates swung open and he rolled up the window as they drove forward.
“Did you know they were going to do that? Are you going to give them your gun?” Audrey whispered as if the guard, now a hundred feet behind them, could hear.
“Of course.” It was too late to turn back now, and the last thing he needed was for her to be more visibly nervous. If everything went to plan, hopefully she could be heading back to her engineering lab or that vacation she mentioned by the end of the day. “I’m sure that...uh...it’s probably to level the playing field.”
“Oh. Is that why so many clandestine deals happen here? It’s like organized crime’s version of Switzerland? A place to make peace talks?”
Lee grinned. “I probably wouldn’t have put it that way, but yes.”
As the hill dipped, he spotted the garage the guard had mentioned. There weren’t any other side roads to be seen. From what he could tell, it was the only road in or out of the resort. Two guards, even bigger than the one at the gate, flanked their vehicle on either side with hands up. Lee pulled to a stop and rolled down the window. One man held a telescoping pole with a mirror underneath it and swiped it under the vehicle. The other man peeked in their back windows and asked to check the trunk.
All the while, Audrey looked white as a sheet. “Should I pretend this is normal?” she whispered.
The man with the pole leaned forward. “Proceed.”
Lee rolled up his window. “I’ll admit I’ve never been somewhere that does that.” He pressed lightly on the gas and entered a well-lit underground garage. They slipped into an extra wide parking spot in between a Lamborghini and an Aston Martin.
“I’m used to feeling out of place, but I’m thinking you should’ve asked for a car upgrade.” Audrey laughed. “Okay, so presumably we have a suite here? I could use a moment to change outfits. I think I just sweated through my clothes.” She stepped out of the car and grabbed Kendra’s suitcase. She’d taken a few of her own items from her bag before they’d left it at the bus station. Lee picked up his own rolling case, which purposefully looked like a matched set to Kendra’s.
Yellow arrows pointed to a marbled walkway in the middle of the cement beams. Audrey pointed. “Shall I?”
“Lead the way.” Having her ahead of him gave Lee the chance to casually take stock of the security cameras at every angle of the garage. Audrey’s unusual gait fought for his attention. She strode forward, her back and shoulders rigid as she whipped her head from side to side. Oh, dear. They didn’t have the “don’t act like what you imagine a spy would act like” talk. He hadn’t thought it would be necessary given her profession.
She wobbled and tipped sideways, but her hand landed on a cement beam and she quickly righted herself.
He took an extra-long stride to slide up next to her. He spoke quietly. “Please walk normally.”
Her pace slowed as she glared at him. “You don’t know me well enough to know that I’m not.”
“That you’re not normal?”
She blinked rapidly. “Well, that, either. You don’t know how I normally act, but I’ll admit I never wear high heels.”
“Fair enough, Andrea.” Lee said her cover name slowly, for emphasis, in hopes she’d start acting like her cover. “We can take it slower. It’s better not to draw attention.” He stepped closer and placed a hand on her back and offered her a smile, trying not to notice how warmth shot up his arm. It was an underground garage in California, though, so naturally, it would be warm. “Remember we’re here to enjoy ourselves. We’ll have a little business meeting, of course, in which I will handle everything to get what we need. So no stress. The Kimmets are in their element here.”
She nodded rapidly. “Right.” They stepped up to the glass doors, which slid open to reveal a body scanner and
an x-ray machine, run by more men in tailored charcoal suits who could substitute as linebackers for any team in the country, except he noticed the outline of a holster underneath their jackets. So security, likely hired or part of the mafia, were the only ones with guns on the property. Interesting.
“Mr. Kimmet, if you have any weapons we need to register and store them for you at this time.” The guard gestured to an empty gun case.
He hesitated, trying to think of a creative solution that would enable him to keep his weapon.
“Sir? Your weapon?”
Just past security, the sound of piano playing and laughing could be heard echoing off the marble flooring. He turned to address the guard to his right when he heard a voice shout. “Andrea? Andrea Kimmet!”
Lee would recognize the bright red hair anywhere. Sylvia Dexter waved frantically as she leaned against the mahogany reservations desk. For once, could a criminal keep their word and be where they’d say they would be?
The mission hadn’t even started and if Audrey said one wrong thing, they’d both end up dead, and Lee wouldn’t even have his gun for self-defense.
FIVE
Audrey flinched as Lee gently tapped her elbow.
“Someone’s calling your name, Andrea.” He enunciated every syllable of her cover name again. That was going to get annoying really fast. Then she heard it in the distance. “Andrea!”
Audrey looked up, plastering a smile on her face. Her roaming gaze found a woman with hair that changed from dark shades of red to orange depending on how the light reflected. She wondered if the hair color had fire in the name. It was that Sylvia woman from the photos, the art antiquities dealer.
She held up a hand as way of greeting, unsure whether Kendra would’ve acted bubbly or reserved with Sylvia. Audrey went with the facial expression she remembered from the photos, a bold smile showing all her teeth. She met the woman’s eyes before turning slightly toward Lee as he handed over his gun to one of the men in suits. “I thought you said she wouldn’t be here.” Ventriloquism had never been a strong suit, but that didn’t keep her from trying.
Undercover Twin Page 5