Chapter One
Australia
One year before
Kenzie Taggart looked at herself in the mirror.
“She’s going to kill you.” Louisa Ward stood in the doorway that led from the bathroom out to the big hall where the medical conference was currently in full swing.
Kenzie wrinkled her nose and finished the last of her makeup.
She looked good, if she did say so herself.
She looked like Kara Trent, a pharmaceutical rep from Sydney, Australia.
Normally she would have done her hair and makeup from the comfort of the safe house, but the quarters were tight with the whole team hanging out.
Hopefully, if all went well today, Tasha wouldn’t be going back to the safe house. “Is Tasha ready?”
She ignored the other part. Kala would be pissed that she’d snuck out before dawn and left her to get stuck in the safe house all day, but she would survive it.
It was one of the pitfalls that came with being a spy.
More specifically, one of the pitfalls of being a spy when one shared the spy identity with her twin sister and no one was supposed to know there were two of them, even the hottest man she’d ever seen.
Kala couldn’t appreciate Brian Peters. No matter how many times her twin told her she was asexual and hated all peoples far too much to touch anyone, much less let one in her lady space, she was in love with Cooper McKay and legit didn’t see anyone beyond him.
So beautiful Brian was absolutely wasted on her, and it was Kenzie time.
If Lou was here it was because Tash was, too.
Louisa Ward had been part of her girl gang since they were kids.
It had been her and her sisters Tash and Kala and their cousins for as long as she could remember.
They’d stuck together through everything.
Through every teen drama and college despair.
Through all the broken hearts and exploration that ended with them founding their own sex club—as one did—her girls had been by her side.
It was kind of the same as high school except now they were a CIA team and had way more access to guns, and the enemies were more impressive than mean girls who called her a slut.
She wanted to be a slut for Brian.
Damn, it had been a long time, and her sexuality wasn’t tied up in one dude. She had an itch, and she was worried the hot guy who worked with their target was the only one who could scratch it.
“Tash is nervous,” Lou admitted, leaning against the sink.
“She’s worried he’s going to reject her, and I’m worried that will hurt her in a way that has nothing to do with the mission.
Is this a good idea? I think she really likes this guy.
He’s the first man she’s slept with since that asshole man-douche. ”
Kenzie managed not to spit. Barely. It was an instinct when she thought about Chet Whittington, the asshole who broke her big sister’s heart.
Why hadn’t her mom assassinated the fucker yet?
Oh, yeah. Tash said no. But accidents happened, and Chet was a CIA operative so he could get in a fight where his insides came outside and die and no one would think much of it.
Sometimes she thought she probably needed therapy.
But then she remembered that all the violence was part of her sunny disposition. And it wasn’t like she visited trauma on the undeserving. She was like karma but with good lip gloss.
“I have a feeling about those two.” She gave herself one more glance, ensuring her magenta hair was soft around her face.
Her dad had argued they should go to a more natural color for this assignment, but she’d started talking about the patriarchy, and when that didn’t work how much her period hurt and voila, she kept her favorite color. “Dare seems like a great guy.”
“You’re not worried about his divorce? Tris seemed to be,” Lou said.
Tris hadn’t met the man. “You know I have a sixth sense about these things. I am an excellent matchmaker. Like Emma from Jane Austen.”
“Uh, I don’t think you actually read that book,” Lou countered.
She hadn’t. One of the great things about having a twin was halving the homework.
Mostly. Kala had read that one, and Kenz had taken on The Great Gatsby, which had like a lot of great literary merit and stuff.
Sigh. It could have used some murders and definitely needed some spicy scenes.
Maybe some horny fairies. “Anyway, I think Dare is Tasha’s match, and the fact that he’s suddenly become our target is the universe’s way of telling her this is the path to take. Like me and Brian.”
A brow arched over Lou’s glasses. “There was nothing fateful about you sneaking out of bed to take Kala’s place. You’re supposed to be backup on this assignment. I know you two have the whole twins, we-can-switch-out-at-any-time thing down, but it’s better if one of you does most of the work.”
It was how they functioned. One twin took the majority of the op, with the other as backup because no matter how careful they were about reporting back on what happened, there were always mistakes to be made. They could be tripped up by the smallest things.
But it wasn’t fair that Kala got to work the hottest guy she’d ever seen.
Kala wouldn’t even flirt with him. Unless one counted evil stares, sighs that reeked of disdain, and a lecture on proper torture techniques flirting.
That was how Kala’s meeting with Brian had gone.
Kenzie should know because she’d watched the whole thing through Lou’s spy glasses.
And the guy had totally seemed into her. Was he into her twin? Would he find her boring and docile? Though he’d also seemed frustrated with Kala’s attitude. “This guy is a good way to get close to Dare Nash.”
“I thought Tasha was the way to get close to Dare,” Lou challenged.
“And someone needs to back her up, and that’s going to be easier to do if we can move around as a foursome. Kala didn’t set that up properly,” Kenzie pointed out.
“Uhm, Kala thought Tash was blowing off steam with some random hottie. She didn’t know he would become the target. She certainly didn’t know the guy who came on so strong would end up being important.” Lou’s arms had crossed under her breasts, her intelligent eyes narrowing.
Lou might technically be her sister’s bestie, but she was more like a fourth sister.
She’d been with them since they were kids, and she didn’t play.
But the good news? Kenzie was excellent at justification.
She nodded Lou’s way like she made her point and was deeply grateful for it.
“Yes, and now we know which twin should take the lead with our gorgeous best friend of the target. Me.”
“She’s going to kill you,” Lou said with a sigh.
It was time to get serious. “Do you honestly think Kala made a connection with Brian?”
If she had, then Kenz would have to think about stepping back. There was still time. She glanced down at her watch. The opening breakfast was about to begin. She was sure Kala was awake and ready to punch her in the face. She could get over here and take Kenzie’s place quickly.
Lou sighed. “No. Of course she didn’t. She found him deeply annoying because he’s not Cooper McKay, who she claims to find deeply annoying as well.
” Lou checked her hair in the mirror and fixed her glasses.
“But he liked her. I think that was all about the gorgeous bombshell thing you both have going. He might not have noticed the daggers she was shooting him, and I managed to make sure those were all verbal, thank you.”
“Do you really think she’s the best person to work Brian?” She had Lou in a corner with that question.
“I will admit you’ll probably be able to get more out of him.” Lou pulled her cell and her fingers ran over the keys as she spoke. “Kala didn’t like him, but I think some of that is the tension between her and Coop. It’s going to explode at some point.”
Kenzie felt a bright smile cross her face.
She loved a love story, and her twin was in the middle of an epic one.
Kala and Coop had loved each other for a long time, but Coop had been a dumbass kid and he’d hurt Kala and Kala had been…
she’d been Kala and had not taken it well.
Her twin wasn’t one to forgive easily, and she never, ever forgot.
Which was why it had been great to throw them together on a CIA team and let them work out their issues while they all saved the world and got to do cool things. Well, when their parents let them.
Sometimes she thought the whole I’m-a-spy thing would be cooler if her handler wasn’t her dad.
“It’s going to explode into a beautiful wave of love and passion,” Kenzie said confidently.
Manifestation was a real thing. Positive thoughts led to positive actions.
It was how she handled her life. Rise above the fray.
Well, until she needed to kick a little ass, and then she manifested that, too.
“You watch. They’ll be married in a year or two.
It’s why I was so enthusiastic about bringing him on the team.
I knew when she said we should consider Coop that she was coming out of her tiff with him. ”
“Tiff?” Lou settled her bag over her shoulder. “It’s been twelve years. I know everyone says you’re like your mom, but there’s a whole lot of Big Tag in there, too. But seriously, we need to talk about how you’re going to handle Brian. You can’t go in and be one hundred percent Kenz.”
She started out the door. It was time. “I know that. I’m never one hundred percent me when I’m working.
I’m Kara. I’m the operative. I’m not looking for true love.
I say that shit because it makes Dad and Kala vomit.
I wouldn’t mind a couple of wild nights, though.
I thought the whole spy thing would be way more interesting.
James Bond gets all the sex, and when I find a hottie who I could seduce intel out of, my dad always finds another way. It’s sad.”