Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
How could he think she wanted to hurt him?
Because everyone sees you as the villain. It might not be fair, but with your talents, they always might.
It hadn’t been the happiest thing she’d heard in therapy, but at least Lena didn’t hold back. Kai was always soft and gentle with her. He never would have put the hard truth out there. Kai asked questions. Lena gave truth.
“My mother has done some things she’s certainly not proud of. She did them to survive. Auntie, you start packing up.” Zach sighed and sat back, scrubbing a hand over his slightly shaggy head. He’d let his dark hair grow out and was now sporting a beard.
How had she not seen the similarities in their faces? Cooper and Zach had the same basic coloring, but almost identical jawlines and lips. “With the kind of information I’m sure she has, she could have come to the Agency at any time. Or the FBI.”
“She’s had enough of prison,” Zach said. “And I can’t convince her she can make a deal. I can’t justify everything she’s done. I can only tell you she didn’t want to be involved with Huisman. She’s been working with a couple of groups in Africa and Southeast Asia.”
Joyce started to move, throwing her possessions into a ragged old backpack.
Kala concentrated on the discussion at hand. “Let me guess. Rebel groups.”
“Yeah. She became friends with a woman in prison who was active with a group trying to free her home country from an authoritarian leader. It became her cause. When she got out of prison, she went underground, and I didn’t hear from her for years,” Zach explained.
“So you didn’t go into the Army in order to gain a position you could help her from?” She was still trying to grasp where this story intersected with finding Cooper. It was obvious now how Zach had been trying to get close to his biological brother. Zach had encouraged Coop to spend time with him, hanging out and going to the movies when they weren’t on a mission. When he’d gotten close to Devi, they’d gone out a couple of times. Cooper had begged her to go with him so he wasn’t the third wheel.
She’d gone because it was fun to pretend for a moment that she was with him for real and they were a couple out with friends and family.
Devi was going to be devastated.
“I’ve been honest about why I went into the military. I got a full-ride scholarship to a local college, but the job market when I came out wasn’t great. I went into the military because it was the only way to get out of the trailer park I grew up in, no offense, Auntie.”
“None taken. I got out, too,” Joyce replied as she took apart her water filtration system. “I always wanted better for you and Jonny. For you and Cooper.”
“Did you know what your mother was involved in when you went into the military?” Kala took a sip of the beer. It was cold and cheap, and she would probably be drinking on her own soon, so she should get used to cheap. “I want to know when you decided to infiltrate your biological brother’s life, and how did you know since the secrecy around it has now been well established?”
She didn’t believe her father would know and not tell his best friend. She didn’t believe Alex McKay would know and not tell his son.
She wished Cooper had the same faith in her and her family.
“I knew because I found pictures hidden in my aunt’s closet.” Zach stared into the distance, like he was lost in memory. “I was twelve and looking for blankets, but I pulled it out and the box fell on my head and spilled everywhere.”
“I should have watched him more, but I had to work so he was alone a lot,” Joyce admitted.
“You did the best you possibly could,” Zach assured her before focusing on Kala. “I asked about why there were pictures of my mom with a baby who wasn’t me. I had seen all the pictures of my birth, so I knew it wasn’t me. There was also a medical bracelet with the name Jonathon Reed. I confronted her when she got home from working twelve hours, and she broke down and told me everything. Including the plot to ensure my brother was adopted by Alex and Eve McKay.”
“I also told him it was to protect…Cooper. To protect him,” Joyce said with a firm tone. “We never meant to bother him again. He wasn’t supposed to know we existed.”
“And I screwed that up. I honestly didn’t mean to ever seek him out. I hadn’t heard from my mother in years at the time.” His eyes got that far-off look again. “And then I heard some news. My unit had been working with some Agency operatives, and I was in a debrief at Langley and I overheard a conversation about a new team that was forming. They were looking for a military liaison. This particular group I’d worked with before, and they asked my opinion. They were worried about giving this Big Tag guy too much power. Well, I knew that name. I was curious. I offered to check it out, and then I found out who was on the team.”