Undercover Twin. Heather Woodhaven

side to side as he slowed to a stop at a light. “I think this would be a good time to ask if you have any enemies.”

      She pulled her chin back until she hit the headrest. “Me?”

      “Doing my due diligence before we walk into an operation. Your preliminary background check was clear.”

      She felt her mouth gape open. “You already ran a check on me?”

      “Of course. Any colleagues indicate they’re jealous of your work? Do you have any potential for blackmail?”

      It’d probably seem childish if she rolled her eyes, but if there were a contest for most boring, goody-goody, she’d be a finalist. “No, nothing like that. My parents are both in academia. It seemed like a natural progression for me, as well. I’ve been focused on my future career since high school. I didn’t want anything to jeopardize it.” She stared out the window. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”

      “There’s nothing crazy about this. It’s brave and you’re serving your country.” He hesitated. “Maybe it goes without saying, but you can’t tell anyone about any of this.”

      She figured as much. The silence would be worth it, though, if it gave her the chance to get to know her sister without looking over their shoulders for an assassin. She’d always had a sense that she didn’t really know who she was. Maybe the feeling was common for adopted children, but she’d never been able to shake it.

      He nodded forward. “We’re about to make a quick stop at the bus station.”

      She gripped her purse. After this, there’d be no changing her mind, no turning back. Her identity would be Mrs. Kimmet, lawyer and white-collar criminal. “Just so you know, I’m keeping my phone.”

      He shook his head. “Not a good idea.”

      She’d spent thirty minutes preparing her phone this morning, making the necessary changes so she could have access to the outside world, safely. “I’ve changed my name to Andrea Kimmet in the settings, and I’ve blocked all my personal contacts so no one will be able to reach me. In fact, I sent out a mass email this morning—”

      “You did what?” His face flushed as he glanced between her and the road, his eyes wide.

      Honestly, it was as if he hadn’t heard her when she explained she had a doctorate...and was about to work at Caltech. She may not be spy material, but she could be trusted not to do anything foolish. “There’s no need to get upset. The email explained that my conference at Stanford is turning out to be more of an intensive—in the academic world that means it’s going to be very vigorous—so they won’t be surprised if I don’t check my phone for a week. Plus, I’ve removed my email accounts from the phone. No way to blow our covers.”

      He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “So if you aren’t calling anyone, why do you want it with you?”

      “The browser. I’m trying to make sure I know everything there is to know about money laundering. You’re not the only one worried I might blow my cover. If someone asks me something I don’t know, maybe I can excuse myself to the restroom and look it up quickly.” Besides, while Lee was getting ready for the day, she’d read a fascinating article that one in eighty births were twins, so separated-at-birth adoptions weren’t so uncommon. There were so many studies on twins she still wanted to read.

      Besides, she needed to keep her mind occupied. Every time she let her thoughts drift, even for a split second, her brain replayed the sensation of the dead man’s blood drenching her shirt and the shock of seeing her mirror image shot.

      Lee sighed deeply, shaking her out of her mental spiral. “It’s my job to keep you safe, and I can’t do that if you take your own phone. I do, however, have a few burner phones. As long as you don’t call anyone, you can use the browser within certain parameters.”

      “Thank you. You should also know I’m not willing to give up my identification at the bus stop until I’m satisfied with the details of the plan.”

      His eyes widened as he gave her a side glance. “You’ll be with me the whole time. Just follow my lead. What exactly do you need to know?”

      “First of all, where are we going?”

      “The Aislado Club.” The Spanish accent rolled off his tongue.

      “Aislado means...isolated, doesn’t it?” Her forehead wrinkled.

      “Or excluded.” He leaned back in his seat and placed one hand on the top of the steering wheel. “But yes, that’s a pretty literal translation of the name. Do you speak Spanish?”

      “Un petit.” She nodded, sporting a smile that disappeared as he barked a laugh, an expression that made his eyes sparkle. She replayed her answer in her head. “Oh, that’s French, isn’t it? So, I guess no.” She shrugged. The romantic languages, much like a romantic life, didn’t come easily to her. “I tried to study both and understand a fair amount, but I always get them mixed up when I try to speak them. Where is The Aislado Club? Somewhere remote, I imagine.”