Covert Christmas Twin (Twins Separated At Birth Book 2) Page 14

  Joe grabbed the extra plate of cookies he remembered was still in the kitchen. The Santa coat and pants had slipped on right over his clothes. The pouch reserved for padding worked perfectly for his bag as well as Kendra’s pack, although the discomfort of carrying the weight all at the front of his waist was hard to ignore. The beard started to itch almost instantly.

  Mrs. Claus, complete with fake glasses, threw open the apartment door and moved to take off at a run.

  He reached for her arm. “No, don’t use the exit stairs. Go to the interior stairs. They’ll be taking the perimeter ones to get up here. We need the first floor.”

  She nodded and they practically flew down the hallway and stairs in tandem. A quip about not needing reindeers was on the tip of the tongue, but he practiced self-control. The instinct to crack jokes—even Dad-worthy puns—after tragedy came on strong. In law enforcement, the coping strategy seemed acceptable, almost welcomed, but the move into pastoring would call for new techniques.

  He hoped he’d never have to see another life taken again.

  They rounded the corner as footsteps pounded above. They’d barely missed whoever was watching for them. If Joe had been working for Masked and was given the task of organizing the framing of Audrey, he’d have ordered the lookouts, likely turned agents, to hold “Audrey” there until the police arrived to confirm the frame-up story. As if on his cue, sirens reached his ears.

  They stepped on the first floor. “Now where?” Kendra whispered.

  “Use your lock-pick set and open the first door on your right.” He’d made sure she had the set in her palm before he’d shoved her bag in his red coat.

  Kendra plastered a fake smile on her face and entered the hallway, careful to avert her gaze. She moved so naturally he almost believed she loved the outfit as she turned to the door he’d mentioned. The first door to the right was also the door closest to the stairs that would have a back door facing the street.

  “Merry Christmas,” a voice called out. “Getting a head start, are we, Santa?”

  Joe turned around to face a woman with curly hair and a Christmas sweater featuring Rudolph. She snickered at her own joke but stopped midlaugh. She carried two cloth bags filled with groceries. She leaned forward, her eyes squinting before they widened. “Audrey, is that you? I almost didn’t recognize you in that getup! What are you doing?” Her wide grin turned into a concerned frown. “I thought you weren’t going to do that until before the wedding, with your fiancé.”

  Kendra tried to hide the lock-pick set in the palm of her hand. “Um, have you met my fiancé?”

  She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Joe. “This is not your fiancé unless you have more than one or he had plastic surgery after he proposed.”

  “Brother, my fiancé’s brother,” Kendra added, smoothly, as if the woman had actually interrupted her original thought.

  The woman glanced at Joe then back at Kendra as if waiting for an introduction. Joe reached out his hand. “Hi, I’m Santa, but you can call me Joe.”

  “Yes, I’m familiar with your work.” She gestured to herself, causing the grocery bags to swing precariously close to his belly full of backpacks. “I’m Sara. Audrey and I met at staff orientation and bonded over the burned coffee and stale bagels they served.” She looked down at the tray of cellophane-covered cookies and back to the door they were in front of. “You’re not giving cookies to Alan, are you? I thought you couldn’t stand him.”

  Kendra’s eyebrows rose so far they almost disappeared underneath the set of white curls attached to the red hat. “Well, um, Christmas is the time to lay down our grievances, right? If I’m going to say I love this holiday, I better remember what it’s really about.”

  The woman shook her head and opened her arms. “Only you would say that.” The left grocery bag painfully bounced off Joe’s knee as she moved her arms around Kendra for a hug. “Love you, girl.”

  Kendra fisted the hand around the lock pick and returned the hug. “Love you back.” Her eyes looked wide, as if in disbelief. Two men burst through the exit doors at either end of the apartment hallways and ran toward them. Joe fought not to flinch. Both were dressed in jeans, nondescript T-shirts and hoodies—they might as well have written undercover on their backs.

  He needed to think like Kendra, stay in character. He was just a guy dressed up in a Santa costume who was waiting for someone. Joe stepped directly behind Sara to help block Kendra’s face. Sara pulled back from the hug and Kendra seamlessly spun toward the door and knocked. The three of them, looking ready to spread Christmas cheer, didn’t register so much as a second glance from the men who were now running up the stairway.

  Sara glanced at the door as if waiting to see what would happen.

  “Maybe he’s not here,” Joe offered.

  “Or maybe he’s in the bathroom,” Kendra added. “We went to all this trouble. Let’s give him another minute just in case.”

  The woman shrugged, wandered down the hallway to the very next door and unlocked it. “If he doesn’t want the cookies, you know where I live.” She finally closed the door behind her.

  Kendra exhaled and inserted the lock pick.

  Sara’s door opened once again. “Actually, I want to see his face when he answers.”

  Joe sidestepped diagonally to give Kendra time to pocket the pick set. “You were right in the first place. He doesn’t seem to be home. Allow us to deliver the cookies to you?”

  Sara grinned and held her arms wide-open, ready to accept the tray.

  Joe shook his head. “Full Santa service means I need to put them on your table.”

  Sara laughed and shrugged. “Suit yourself, but you’re not allowed to complain that I don’t have a tree again.” She pointed at Kendra.

  “Now that does sound like something I’d do.”

  “I told you I’m working on it.” Sara opened her door and Kendra and Joe followed as more footsteps approached. Sara closed the door behind them, shaking her head. “Wonder what they’re up to.”

  “You can never tell on a college campus.” He passed through her tidy but sparse living room and set the plate of cookies on an end table before moving to the sliding glass door.

  Kendra stopped at the two cloth bags set on the counter and pulled out a box of candy canes. “How would you feel if I took these to hand out while in costume and replaced them later? I haven’t had a chance to hit the store lately.”

  Sara pulled her chin back in surprise. “I guess it’s okay. I mean they’re really good in hot cocoa.”

  Kendra popped open the box and handed her one wrapped candy cane with a smile. “So are the cookies.”

  Joe unlocked the back door and slid it open. “Speaking of antics on campus, I think I want to train for the big night and sneak out the back.”

  Sara raised an eyebrow as Kendra offered an awkward laugh and crossed the room, candy canes in hand, to join him. “What can I say? He’s a bit weird.”

  “Good. You’ll fit right into his family.” Sara giggled at her joke and waved before she lifted the cellophane off the plate of cookies.

  Kendra closed the glass door behind her and the stood on the small cement patio. “I thought handing out candy canes might help us sell the costume until we get off campus.”

  “Perfect, but it might not have been necessary.” He led her through a grouping of sweetshade trees. They crossed the street, off campus, but students walked and biked nearby. Kendra passed out candy canes until she had only two left. By that time, they approached an assisted-living facility he’d noticed earlier.

  “While I’ve never found Santa to be particularly attractive, it’s nice to know you’ll age well.”

  “Why, Mrs. Claus, are you saying I look good with a beard?”

  “You always look good.” She rolled her eyes but her cheeks flushed. “Are you sure your purpose isn’t to go into cove
rt ops yourself? You handled that well—unorthodoxly, but still well.”

  “No, I have no desire for anything covert.” He glanced over his shoulder as he led her into a small enclave in between two of the assisted-living buildings. He removed the beard and allowed himself five seconds to scratch his chin. Kendra had already taken his cue and removed the outer Mrs. Claus hat and curls.

  “Where should we put them?”

  “How about on that table. Maybe the staff will see it as a gift and entertain the residents.”

  Kendra groaned. “I’m going to have to buy new costumes for Audrey.”

  “That’s positive thinking. Someday everything is going to get back to normal.” He set the pile on an outdoor table and led her back to the street. The adrenaline was beginning to fade again. He desperately needed sleep, but according to the brochures he’d studied while in the security waiting room, there were motels nearby for visitors. Just two more streets over there was a motel that was cheapest on the list. As long as nothing was living in or under the mattresses, waiting to bite him when he closed his eyes, he’d sleep. His eyes drooped at the thought.

  Kendra took her bag back from him and swung it over her shoulder. “I almost forgot to turn my phone back on.” She clicked the power button. Ten seconds later the phone vibrated violently.

  “I’ve missed ten messages from Audrey.” Kendra opened her mouth in horror. “We’re only supposed to contact each other in emergencies.”

  * * *

  Over a mile off campus, they reached the historic Route 66. Kendra did her best to keep up with Joe’s fast strides while trying to read through Audrey’s text messages.

  “It’d be better if we were somewhere secure before we address those. We need to be alert,” he said.

  Her heart pounded wildly. How long had Audrey been trying to reach them? Worst-case scenarios and visions of her twin injured—or worse—flashed through her mind. “But it’s my sister and everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. So you stay alert while I read.”

  He reached for her arm and pulled her sideways, closer to him. “I’d like to be alert for danger in the form of people, not mailboxes.”

  She looked up to see he had kept her from running right into a commercial mailbox, but she ignored his plea because she’d already opened the messages application. The first message read:

  Are you okay? Very odd communication. Need advice. Think we need to talk.

  Her heart rate slowed a little. Maybe Kendra hadn’t failed to keep her sister safe.

  The message repeated for a second time but with the addition of 100%, their agreed-upon code that would prove it was Audrey who was messaging.

  The third message read:

  This is getting serious. I know we said no voice mails but you’re not answering your phone. We need to talk.

  The fourth message repeated the third with the same addition of 100%.

  She groaned. “Okay, maybe it’s not so bad. I think she kept forgetting the code.”

  Except the pattern of escalating messages made it clear the matter was indeed urgent. The tenth and final message read:

  SOS. You have two hours to call me back or I’m taking matters into my own hands. 100%

  “She says it’s an emergency.” She glanced at the time sent. “I have ten minutes to answer this before Audrey does something potentially dangerous.”

  “We’re here,” he said, pointing at a run-down sign with only half the letters still visible. “See if she can wait five minutes. I just want us to be in a secure room before you talk.” His eyes met hers. “Tell her the analyst insists.”

  Kendra’s brain fought to remember her agreed-upon code for half a second before she texted a reply.

  Stand down. Am safe. Promise to call from secure location in a few minutes. 2*

  It’s about time!

  It’s about time! 100%

  “She responded,” Kendra told Joe. Sandwiched in between the buildings, a small motel stood. It seemed hard to believe they were less than a mile from Caltech. It was as if they’d left a suburb and entered an old city.

  He pointed to a sitting area hidden behind a tall pillar. She stood as nonchalantly as possible behind it while he checked them in. Within two minutes, Joe joined her and led her to two doors that still used old-fashioned metal keys. “Thankfully they accepted the Visa Gift cards and were able to give us adjoining rooms.”

  Inside, they found a modest set of rooms with blue walls and white bedding. He sank down on the edge of the one he first saw. “Okay. You better call her now. I’m not sure how much good I’ll be to anyone in a minute.”

  Kendra didn’t need to be told twice. She dialed and waited for it to ring.

  “I’ve been worried sick!” Audrey’s voice came on the line. “You better have some solid reasoning why you’ve been ignoring my calls.”

  Joe’s left eyebrow raised. “Put it on speaker.”

  Kendra tapped the button but didn’t get a chance to warn Audrey because she couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

  “I got this email last night from Wyatt, and I didn’t know what to think. I spent most of the night panicked and pacing until my mom made a steamer—it’s milk that she puts the tiniest bit of delicious syrup in. You have to try it sometime.”

  “Audrey—” Her sister’s mind ran a mile a minute and could sometimes jump to tangents.

  “You told me not to check any email, and I haven’t answered any emails, but I did check my personal email account. Not my work account. I know even that is against the rules you gave me, but you don’t know what it’s like waiting without any—”

  “Actually, I do know what that’s like to wait like that,” Kendra finally interjected. “And from a hospital room of all places.” One look at Joe’s weary face told her not to take any time on personal matters, and there also wasn’t room to express her frustration that Audrey hadn’t followed her instructions about avoiding email altogether. “What did the email say?”

  “Oh. He said he had come to Caltech earlier than planned—we already knew that, obviously—but he says that when he stopped by my laboratory he was met by my doppelgänger, a look-alike imposter that could never be me, unless I’d taken a leave of my senses and resorted to illicit drug use.” Audrey pulled in a sharp breath. “What did you do? Why would he think I’d gone crazy?”

  So far there was nothing Audrey had relayed that warranted an SOS alert. “I didn’t know about your circuit-board-themed tree. He had brought you an ornament.”

  “He did?” Her voice softened. “Oh. Well, I told you it’s harder to switch places than you’d think.”

  Joe tilted back his head and closed his eyes.

  “Was that all?” Kendra urged.

  “He said you’d been shot. Were you?”

  Joe’s eyes flew open and he leaned forward. “Audrey, what specifically did he write?”

  “Oh. Hi, Joe. Might’ve been nice if my sister had let me know I was on speakerphone. Glad to hear you’re alive, too. He wrote... Let me pull it up.” The sound of tapping fingernails and a couple clicks on a keyboard could be heard. “Okay. ‘Not only do you have a look-alike trying, no doubt, to steal your research while you’re away, but she was in a gunfight last night and taken to the hospital. In the event you have a sister you’ve never mentioned, I thought you should know right away. And if you don’t, I think you should be concerned about the safety of your research.’”

  “It’s a trap.” Kendra sank down in the armchair in the corner and rested the phone on her knee.

  Joe shook his head. “We can’t jump to conclusions.”

  Something in the back of her mind demanded attention. She sat upright. “What did you say about his favorite movie?”

  “The Princess Bride, but everyone—”

  “Who was his favorite character?” Kendra nodded at Joe with a m
eaningful gaze, willing him to see where she was going with the series of questions.

  “Westley, but I don’t see why that—”

  “Also known as the Dread Pirate Roberts,” Joe interrupted. “And also not proof, Kendra. I’ll grant you, it is another pirate with a near-mythical reputation.”

  Kendra held up her index finger. “You can’t deny that I didn’t get into a gunfight or go to the hospital last night. Where would he get that?”

  “It’s possible Wyatt wrote that because he really thought you were dead and out of the picture.” He rubbed his forehead. “I really am tired. You’re right. Whatever the reason, it’s still a ploy to get Audrey here. But we don’t know if it’s to get her back as his girlfriend or for more nefarious reasons, like stealing research. It looks bad, but we can never assume.”

  Audrey was silent for a brief moment. “You’re not implying Wyatt is...” She blew out a forceful breath that produced feedback on Kendra’s phone speaker. “Is everyone in my life something they’re not?”

  “Apparently that’s our family legacy,” Kendra said, the bitter words slipping out before she thought about it.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Kendra couldn’t tell her now, over the phone, about Beverly and their double-agent father. That wouldn’t be fair, yet she was dying to tell her. “Someone told me recently that you can never really know everything about a person.” Her eyes met Joe’s.

  He responded with a hard frown, then stood and paced.

  “Did you find out something? Are you trying to say I shouldn’t trust Lee?” Audrey asked. “Do you know something I don’t know?”

  “No, she’s not saying that at all,” Joe answered. He looked up. “I’m sure she was referring to Wyatt. Right?”

  If Kendra could rewind time and start the conversation over, she would in a heartbeat. Her stomach turned to concrete. “Of course I mean Wyatt. I’m also grumpy at our lack of progress and lashing out.”

  No matter what complicated feelings Kendra was trying to sort out for herself about Beverly and their biological father, she had no right to mess up her sister’s happily-ever-after. And, judging by the wording of Wyatt’s email, he assumed Audrey had no idea what was going on the past couple of days, which kept her safe. He also knew her as a genius and had a fondness for her. Kendra wasn’t about to jeopardize that.