Chapter 36 #2
“I’m no expert, but I think your sister was trying to protect you by keeping her distance. She loved you in her own way.”
She sure had a funny way of showing it. “I didn’t want her protection; I just wanted my sister. What happens now?” Andrea rubbed her hands together, trying to rub some warmth back into her body. She felt so cold down to the marrow of her bones.
“We uncover what was in the data and find out who wants it.”
“She said Carlos was after it, but there could be a million Carlos’s in the world, so I don’t know how that will help.”
“Carlos Verana.”
Apparently, it wouldn’t be so hard after all. “How can you be so certain?” He had said the name so quickly, as if he were sure, but how could that be when she’d just mentioned the name?
“The guys who cornered you at the bar the other night, they work for him.”
“Oh,” was all she could think of to say, then she remembered something. “Holly said she double-crossed him and was planning on selling the drive to someone else.”
Jack’s eyes flared in interest, and it had nothing to do with sex. He reminded her of those crime shows when a clue had been revealed. “Did she say who?”
“No.”
“Oh.” His shoulders deflated.
“Maybe Carlos knows. If we can track him down and question him.”
“That’s a big if. Did you sister tell you anything last night? Even the most unimportant detail,” Jack pressed, inching closer to her on the couch but still not touching her.
Andrea wracked her brain. Her sister had only been there for a few hours. “No.”
“Walk me through the meeting.”
“You dropped me off; Maya mentioned she saw you in front of the house.” She was no longer angry about it, she realized.
Andrea had forgiven him. She couldn’t fault him for doing his job and trying to protect national security.
“I walked inside, and Holly was there. She said she needed a place to lay low for the next few days. First, she told me her boyfriend had hit her, and she’d run scared.
I called my work to call off for a few days. ”
“That must have been when she answered the door,” he said as if to himself.
“How did you know it wasn’t me? Not many can tell us apart.” At least none at first glance for those who knew the two of them.
“At first, I couldn’t. Not until I kissed you—well, her. It didn’t feel the same. When I pulled back, I noticed her hair and dress were different, and her nose.”
Andrea reached up and touched her nose. They had different noses? She had no idea. She’d just assumed as identical twins, everything was the same.
“Yours is prettier,” Jack assured her and gave her a wink, making her blush.
“Thanks, anyway, after I got off the phone, you were gone, and she asked me about you.”
“Like what?”
“What you did, how long you’ve lived there. Apparently, I said something to set her alarm off because she said we had to leave that minute, and you were after her.”
Jack sat back, his face deep in thought. “She must have realized after too many base attacks, eventually we would be on to her. Keep going,” he encouraged when Andrea stopped talking.
“I told her I was done running, and I didn’t believe her. That was until I saw the bag from the boutique.”
Jack winced at the mention of the boutique. “I had meant to force a confession from you, but then I realized you had a twin and knew it wasn’t you I was after but her, so I had to change my plan.”
“How did you know about the boutique?”
“When I went through your house, I found the number on the burner phone. I tracked it to the boutique, so I checked it out. I thought it might be—” He stopped himself as if what he’d thought was something bad. “It doesn’t matter what I thought it was. I used the bag to entrap you.”
“You thought I was Holly, so you thought it was some kind of base of operation, didn’t you?”
“That or a WITSEC operation.”
“It is, or at least a safehouse. They told me if I was ever compromised, I could go there and use a code word, and they’d help.
” Andrea didn’t remember the code word anymore since it had been so long, but she kept her emergency bag and the burner phone with the number in it just in case she ever had to run.
Only when it came time to run, she had forgotten it.
“That was my guess after looking around.”
“What did you hope to gain by breaking into a WITSEC building?” It wasn’t like they were just going to tell Jack all about her.
“Intel on you. When I thought you were Holly, I wanted to know why they would protect a criminal.”
“When in fact they were protecting her sister,” Andrea finished for him.
“Anyway, when I realized she was right, that’s when the car showed up, and we ran.
We stopped after so many blocks, I don’t remember how many because I couldn’t breathe, and I made her tell me what was going on.
She admitted Carlos hadn’t hit her, but she’d double-crossed him, and he had been chasing her for a while.
Since no one knew of my existence, she thought she could hide with me.
She said she’d made arrangements to get out of town in three days.
Well, two now. I didn’t ask where or how. You know the rest.”
It wasn’t a whole lot to help him solve this case. Holly had been their only lead, and now she was gone along with all of her secrets.
“So what now?” she asked. Now that he had everything he needed, was he going to take her to WITSEC or dump her on the curb and wish her the best of luck? Or would he let her help?
“First, we need to get you some clothes, and I need my laptop, then we’ll try to figure out what’s on the drive.” Jack headed into the kitchen when he realized his coffee cup was empty. Andrea followed him.
“Someone’s popular,” he commented as he poured a new cup.
“What?”
“Your phone has been buzzing like crazy.”
Now that he mentioned it, she had heard an insistent buzzing. She’d just assumed it was his phone. “I don’t have my phone, I lef—” Andrea looked at the phone on the counter. “That’s not my phone; it’s Holly’s.” She had forgotten she’d taken it from her when she’d planned to call 9-1-1.
“Your sister’s phone?” Jack asked, sounding excited as he came around the counter.
“Yeah.”
Jack picked it up. “It’s locked. Any chance you can open it?”
Andrea doubted it, but she was willing to try.
She took it from him and tapped the black screen.
She expected a pin code or finger print identification lock.
Instead, it was facial recognition. She held it up to see her whole face, and it opened.
There were dozens of text messages. She tapped the icon to read them.
There was no name listed on who sent them. It was listed as restricted.
“It’s about the buy,” Jack stated, his facing hovering over her shoulder to read the texts.
“The person she double-crossed Carlos for?”
“I think so. May I?” he asked, holding his hand out for the phone.
Andrea let him take it as she made herself another cup of coffee. “What does it say?” Andrea inquired after a moment.
“Your sister was in contact with someone to sell the drive to in two days. They were to meet at Hotel Baker in Louisiana,” he replied, staring down at the screen. Occasionally, he would scroll through something. “Too bad she won’t be there.” A strange look came into Jack’s eyes.
“I don’t like that look,” Andrea commented, setting the pot down and taking a drink of coffee.
Jack looked up at her, and she felt her stomach plummet. She really wasn’t going to like this. “I think she should keep that appointment.”
Andrea glared over at Jack. “You’re not funny, Jack.” What an ass to suggest a dead person go to a meeting. That didn’t even make any sense.
“I wasn’t being funny. I’m serious.”
He looked serious, but he couldn’t be. “My sister is dead. How on earth could she go to this meeting?” Jack just stared at her, and that’s when she realized what he meant. “You can’t be serious.”
“Deadly,” he responded evenly.
“I can’t pretend to be my sister.” The buyer would never believe it. He would see right through it and kill her just for spite. No, absolutely not.
“Why not? No one knows she has a twin or that she’s dead. It’s perfect.” He smiled as if the plan was genius when it was anything but. It was suicide.
“But I’m nothing like my sister,” Andrea sputtered, pointing at herself.
“I could never pass for her. Did you not hear my story a moment ago? These people will kill me.” She was sure they were all paranoid.
What if they asked her something she couldn’t answer or any other number of things that could go wrong?
“Why not just text him to meet, and when he shows up, attack him or something? Something that doesn’t involve me.”
Jack shook his head. “Because he could sense a trap and leave, and we might never find him again. If he sees you, he’ll be assured, and we can catch him in the act.”
Andrea shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jack. I want to help you. I do. But I can’t do something like this.” Andrea started breathing hard, feeling as if she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs. Was she going to pass out? Her heart felt like it was beating a million beats a second.
Jack set the phone down and wrapped her in his arms. He could probably feel her shaking.
But she couldn’t stop it. “Sweetheart, I know you’re not the combatant and prefer being left alone.
I know I’m asking a lot of you, but it’s the only plan we have of catching the buyer.
I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll have eyes on you the entire time,” Jack promised.
Andrea pulled back to look at him. “You can’t promise something like that.
You can’t protect me against all of these people.
I don’t even know how many there are. You’re just one man.
” It was definitely suicide. She wished she’d never taken her sister’s phone.
She wouldn’t be in this position. She should have done a lot of things differently. Hindsight was 20/20.
“Not alone, no, you’re right, but with help, I can.”
“Help? Like who?” Who would be crazy enough to help them against who knew how many bad guys?
“My teammates. We’re trained for situations like this.”
“What, suicide missions?” she scoffed before rolling her eyes.
She understood he was some military guy, but this seemed out of his depth.
This wasn’t the movies where the good guy faced overwhelming odds and always came out unscathed.
This was reality, and anything could and would probably go wrong.
Jack looked offended she didn’t believe in him, but she wouldn’t back down.
She didn’t want to see him killed or get herself killed.
“That happens to be our specialty.” He smiled, looking down at her smugly.
“You’re serious?”
“Why do you keep doubting me?” he asked, looking wounded she would even question.
“Do I need to dignify that with an answer?” Because she hadn’t seen him doing anything but spying on her. He could be all talk and no action.
Jack shook his head. “Forget I asked that. To answer your question, yes, this is something we do a lot. Missions that are deemed impossible.”
“I swear if you start doing the theme song, I will beat you.” It seemed like something he would do just to get a rise out of her.
Jack simply chuckled at her threat. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Alright, where do we start?” She couldn’t believe she was agreeing to this.
Jack pulled her in for a brief kiss. “I’m going to call my team in and make a plan, then let my supervisor know what’s going on.”
Andrea nodded, hoping she wasn’t getting in too far over her head, but she had a sinking feeling she was.