by DL Gallie
“She became a part of this as soon as you did. You do realize she ended up in hospital because of you? They thought she was you. You don’t want that to happen again, do you? Kye clearly wants you back and you are going to willingly go back to him because you are going to help me bring him and his organization down.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because it will shave time off your sentence and it will bring down the biggest drug racket since Pablo Escobar in the nineties.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re our—well my—only hope.” I tell her honestly.
She sits back down and picks up the surveillance photo. She stares at it and then quietly asks, “Can you promise me my sister will be safe?” She lifts her gaze to mine. Her face is etched with worry, but I think it’s for her sister and not for herself. This woman is hard to read, which is why she’s perfect for this undercover assignment. “I won’t do this if she’s at risk. I can’t and won’t let her get hurt again.”
“I will do everything in my power to protect her but I can only do that if you agree to help me.”
She stares at me and I have no fucking clue if she’s going to help me or not. She grabs another candy and slowly opens it. She pops it into her mouth and chews. The silence, well apart from her chewing, is deafening.
Finally, she breaks the silence, shocking me when she agrees. “I’ll do it, but if even a hair on my sister’s head is touched or out of place, I will fucking chop your balls off and feed them to you, drenched in hot sauce.”
“My, my, you’re a feisty little kitten.”
"Fuck you, Buster," she snarls, the tone of her voice and her sass turning me on, but at the same time, I’m convinced that given the chance, she absolutely would chop my balls off in a heartbeat.
"Meow," I sass before turning around and walking out of the room. Slamming the door behind me, I lean against the wood and let out a deep breath. A grin appears on my face and I shake my head, this case sure just got interesting.
2
Baylor
Staring at the door Agent Cox just walked out of, I shake my head in disbelief. My mind is racing. The last week has been crazy, like something from a movie. First, I pretended to be my sister when shit hit the fan. Then, I was kidnapped, and now I’m sitting in a police interrogation room being offered a chance to redeem myself by the hottest fucking agent, and rather than deciding what to do, I’m stuffing my face with Laffy Taffy and thinking inappropriate thoughts about Agent Cox and his chiseled jaw. His muscular arms. Gorgeous hazel eyes. Kissable lips. Tight perfect ass. I shake my head and scoff, I’m fucked when it comes to Agent Corey Cox but if I’m going to turn my life around, I need him.
Popping another candy into my mouth, I lean back in the uncomfortable metal chair, and mull over everything he offered. Instead of coming to a decision, I become angry when I think about how he spoke to me. To be honest, I’m fucking fuming right now. How dare he threaten me? Threaten the safety of Ave, fucking asshole.
Staring at the two-way mirror, I wonder if he’s watching me. In case he is, I flip the bird toward the glass and stick my tongue out.
Standing up, I start pacing the room. My breathing becomes labored and my heart is racing, but it’s not because of the decision before me, it’s because of him, Agent Corey-fucking-Cox, and that I was beaten up recently.
Flopping back into the chair, I sigh as a slight throbbing begins between my thighs. I’m currently turned on by this sexy-as-fuck agent, what’s up with that? How can I find him attractive when he holds my life in the palm of his hand? All I can think about is him bending me over this metal table and fucking the life out of me. Seriously, Bay, focus.
With a frustrated sigh, I lower my head to the table and wince at the contact. My face is a mess right now. I’m pretty sure I also have a cracked rib and I stink. The fucking assholes who took me messed with the wrong person, if they weren’t already dead, I’d kill them myself.
The door opens again and my head lifts up to see a paramedic standing there. “Agent Cox sent me in to reassess you.”
“I was assessed at the scene,” I tell the lady.
“Won’t hurt to get a second opinion,” she says, walking into the room and placing her bag on the table.
“Fine,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest and wincing when my wrists rub against my shirt and I’m taken back to that room.
The rope cutting into my wrists.
The tight grip around my neck.
The sting in my cheek when they hit me.
She touches my shoulder and I flinch. “You don’t seem fine,” she sasses with a grin, reminding me of, well me.
“Fine,” I concede, wiping at the corner of my eye, “I’m not fine. I hurt all over and I stink.”
She steps over to me and stares at my face. “Looks like you went a few rounds with Mike Tyson.”
“I feel like I went a few rounds with him AND Muhammad Ali.”
“And you’re still standing to tell the tale,” she says. Taking my chin in her hand, she turns my head side to side, looking at my face. She scrunches up her nose. “You in any pain?”
“A little, but I’m a tough gal.” She eyes me in that ‘don’t bullshit me’ kind of way. “Fine, I’m exhausted and ready to collapse.”
“Well, let’s get you fixed up. You can chat with Agent Cox and then you can go on your merry way.”
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen anytime soon.”
She nods but doesn’t say anything. She pulls out some medical supplies and gets to cleaning me up. Clearly, the first paramedic did a crappy job because the pile of used swabs is huge.
“I’ll get you something to drink, and let Agent Cox know you are all cleaned up.”
“Thanks,” I tell her, and watch as she packs everything up and exits the room. Once again leaving me alone again with my dirty thoughts of Agent Cox.
The sound of the door opening startles me, seems I drifted off to sleep. The original officer enters again, and I deflate when I realize it’s him. I’d much rather it had been Agent Cox, but I’m sure I will be seeing him again soon. Movement behind him catches my eye and I smile when I see it’s Ave.
“Avie,” I cry, pushing the chair back and standing up.
“BayBay,” she blubbers, her eyes roaming over me.
Racing over to her, I wrap my arms around her and she returns the gesture. She squeezes me tightly, and it hurts like a bitch, but emotion overcomes me and together, we hug and cry. “I was so worried,” she sniffles. “I’ve been going out of my mind with worry the last four days.” Pulling back, she gently grips my cheeks in her palms. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I whisper, my voice is anything but and it totally gives me away.
Ave stares at me. “Wanna try again?”
“You know me too well.”
Her face deflates. “I used to know you too well. Now, not so much,” she says, pulling me over to the chairs. She sits down but I don’t. She stares up at me, her face etched with fear and anger. “You need to start talking, Bay!”
“Always the responsible one,” I grumble, getting pissed she’s playing mother hen right now. Once again, perfect Avery to the rescue.
“Bay,” she pleads. “What happened?”
“Long story.” I nonchalantly reply.
“Bay,” she warns. The tone in her voice affects me in a way I haven’t felt since we were little.
“Fine, I’ll tell you, but first, I need you to listen to everything I have to say.”
Her face pales and I hate I’m putting her through this. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” she asks.
Shaking my head, I confirm, “Probably not…” I take a deep breath, wincing at the tightness in my ribs. “…but, Avery, I need to do this. I need to make amends for my actions. I need to do this for Kye.”
“Who is Kye, Bay?”
My eyes well up again, they’re a mixture of angry, sad, and confused tears. “I th
ought he was ‘the one’ and because of my actions, I thought he died. It should have been me, but he protected me. Like I told you at the hospital, I tried to walk away after that, but I was in too deep. Way too deep.” I bite my lip and stare at her. “But it was all a farce, he tricked me and lied. Avie, this is my chance to put things right. This is my chance to make up for his death, well, for the death of, I don’t even know his name.” As I say this, I start to doubt if he was ‘the one’ and I have so many questions: who was I with? Kye or his doppelgänger? Why did he do this to me? How could I fall for his lies? “For once, I want to do the right thing.”
“I’m so proud of you, BayBay.” Her words shock me. “And that’s the honest truth. Last week, I was broken up and hurt over your actions, and now, I could not be prouder of you.” She squeezes my hand. “This the Bay I know and love. You are taking charge of your life. You are owning your mistakes and you are trying to put things right.” I see nothing but happiness and pride in her face and it confirms I’m making the right decision. “Okay, now, tell me the plan that I’m not going to like.”
Taking a seat next to her, I stare at my sister. “Well, when the agents found me, River and Smallie were being dickheads, as usual. They were waiting for orders from Kye—”
“You said Kye was dead.”
“Spoiler alert, he’s not. Cox just informed me he’s alive and well. Apparently, the person I saw die wasn’t him.”
“This is like something from a movie.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, when you were attacked, they were coming to get me to take me to him, but when that went to shit, the plan changed. Once they got me, it went to shit again because I was rescued before the supposedly dead Kye turned up. In the process, River and Smallie were killed, which are all good things because for one, they were fuckers, and two, it led me to here and the redeeming of me.”
“Okay, so what’s the part I’m not going to like?”
“Cox—”
“Who’s Cox?” she asks.
“Some agent,” a sexy as hell agent “who needs my help to bring down Kye and his drug ring.”
“Bay,” she pleads, “I don’t like this.”
“Can’t say I’m a fan either, but I need to do this, Avie. This is my chance to make amends for my actions and redeem myself. Also, my time served will be reduced, and I ain’t gonna let that asshole get away with what he did to me. He needs to pay for that.”
“Can’t you just do jail like a normal person?”
“Nope, not my style,” I nonchalantly say with a shrug.
“Why any jail time at all, if you’re helping them?”
“The great gnome arrest from when I was twenty.”
“Fucking gnomes,” she scoffs and I laugh.
“Fucking gnomes,” I agree. “Anyway, helping will reduce my time to twelve months rather than two years.”
“Isn’t there another way?”
Shaking my head, I reply, “No, Ave, there isn’t.”
“Is it wrong that right now I want Bitchy Baylor to appear, and for you to tell everyone to go fuck themselves or to fuck off?”
“Ohh, she did,” Agent Cox says as he reenters the room. “Multiple times.”
3
Corey
Both of them turn to face me.
“Fuck, you again,” Baylor says, while at the same time her sister asks, “Who the hell are you?”
“Wow, for twin sisters you’re different, yet the same,” I say, walking over to Avery, I stretch out my hand, “Agent Corey Cox, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Evans.”
She shakes my hand but eyes me suspiciously.
“So you’re the one with this plan for my sister.” She air quotes plan and stares intently at me, her glare isn’t as intimidating as her sister’s, but it’s still frightening. “What will you do to guarantee her safety?”
“I can’t one-hundred-percent—”
“Then no, my sister will not be doing this.”
“Ave,” Baylor intrudes, “I have to do this. It’s either this or jail. I really don’t have a choice.”
“Why?” her sister pleads.
“Because I need answers. I need to know why Kye did what he did, but more importantly, I want to bring the asshole down. No one fucks me over like that.”
A laugh escapes my lips, causing Baylor to turn her head toward me, scowling, and raising her eyebrows defiantly. “What the fuck is so funny, asshole?”
“Watch your mouth, Baylor,” she huffs and crosses her arms and winces a little but my eyes are locked on her pushed-up tits. She clears her throat and I lift my gaze to hers. “You constantly surprise me and that’s exactly why you are the perfect person for this assignment. Even if you are a pain in my ass.”
“Am not,” she sasses back.
Shaking my head, I take a seat across them and look toward her sister. “Avery, I will do everything I can to ensure Baylor gets through this safely.”
“But—” she protests, but Baylor interrupts her.
“Avie, I’ll be fine,” Baylor confidently says, reaching out to squeeze her sister’s hand, “I can hold my ground with the best of them, besides I’m Bitchy Baylor, I’ve got this.”
“No, you’re my BayBay and I worry. I know you’re strong but you’re my sister, my twinsie. I don’t want to lose you. I know you are a tough b-i-t-c-h, but—”
“Did you just spell bitch?” Baylor questions her sister.
Avery nonchalantly shrugs. “Yeah, and?”
“You are something else, Avie. Like seriously, how are we twins? We are—”
“Baylor, focus,” Avery snaps. “Please don’t do this. Choose time in jail. It’s safer. I’ll hire you a great lawyer, I’ll do everything I can to help you. I just can’t lose you, Bay.”
“Avie, I choose Cox,” she looks to me, and her words affect me in a way they shouldn’t, “and his plan. I want do this.” She looks me dead in the eye, “I’m one-hundred-percent in.”
“Are you sure about this, Bay?” her sister questions again, clearly uneasy with her sister’s decision. She’s worried about her sister’s safety and I get it, but I need Baylor to do this.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She looks back at her sister and smiles, but it’s forced. Underneath her tough girl front, she’s scared and she should be, this will not be a walk in the park. If I’m honest, there’s a huge chance this will go tits up and Baylor’s life could be in jeopardy, but it’s a risk that needs to be taken, and I will do my darnedest to keep her safe and get my man. “I’ll be fine, Avie. Promise.” They hug each other and the moment between them reminds me of my brother, Hunter, and me, well before his death that is.
Avery’s eyes widen and she pulls away from Baylor, “Ohh, candy,” she says, reaching over to grab one from the box I left for Baylor, but before she can grab one, Baylor slaps her hand away.
“Mine,” she growls at her sister, but what surprises me is she’s staring at me as she says this and not at her sister.
“Wow, living up to your name of Bitchy Baylor right now.” She shakes her head. “I forgot how possessive you get of your grape Laffy Taffy.”
“See, you do know me…and you just swore,” Bay sasses at her sister. Avery sticks her tongue out in that affectionate, sisterly way. “And yes, you may have one. Only cause you said bitchy.” She emphasizes the word one. Avery leans over and grabs two candies, garnering a growl from the Laffy Taffy warden.
Baylor grabs one herself and pops the treat into her mouth, “So what’s the plan, Stan?”
“Don’t ever call me that again,” I snap.
Baylor leans into her sister. “This one has a stick up his ass,” she not-so-quietly whispers.
“I heard that.”
“You were meant to. You really need to take a chill pill or get laid…maybe even both.”
“Baylor,” her sister warns, “Be nice. You just agreed to help Agent Cox.”
“He needs me more than I need him,” she snaps at her sister.
“Get fucked, asshole.”
“Watch it. The way I see it, Baylor, you help me, or get used to the color orange for the next few years. What will it be?”
“I like you,” Avery says, staring directly at me. She turns her attention back to her sister. “Baylor, I you need to listen to him. Tame your inner beast for once in your life.”
“Harsh much?” Baylor snaps at her sister.
I hold back a laugh; I like this one too. For twins, Baylor and Avery Evans are total opposites but there are also many similarities, including their looks. If you didn’t know better, it would be easy to mistake one for the other. I can see why River and Smallie thought Avery was Baylor.
“Baylor, seriously,” Avery lashes out at her sister, no longer is she calm, cool, and collected. Her fears over her sister are surfacing and she’s laying it all out in the table for Baylor. “Pull your head out of your ass. For once in your life, play nice and listen. You are literally being handed the best lifeline anyone could ask for, and you’re going to piss it all away if you keep this up. Just stop being Bitchy Baylor and be Benevolent Baylor. Please, Bay,” she begs, “do the right thing, if not, you will end up in prison for a long time, or worse…dead.”
Baylor stares in disbelief at her sister, I don’t think Avery has ever spoken to her like this before. Baylor is taken aback by the forceful nature of her sister just now, but I’m confident that Baylor can do this. Sure, she plays tough, but from my observations, underneath her bitchy exterior is a person with a heart who wants to do the right thing. She puts on a front, I know because her actions and personality remind me so much of Hunter. He, too, was in a similar predicament, but unfortunately for him, he didn’t have someone watching his back and he lost his life. He’s the reason I became an agent. He’s the reason I want to help Baylor, because the similarities of their situation mirror one another, and I will not lose someone in that manner again.