“You’re wrong.” Zoe hopped up from her seat and paced the floor. “It wasn’t my place to explain. Or Mom’s or Dad’s.”
“They know?”
“What I do for a living? Yeah. But like me, they figured you were comfortable with your assumptions, and we didn’t want to shake your world.” Her voice softened. “We knew how you felt about the way you thought I lived. I wasn’t about to dispel the myth for you. And they agreed it was my story to tell. But I wasn’t talking. Not until you accepted me for who I am inside.” She stopped at a window, which not surprisingly overlooked a densely wooded forest.
A cover for this house, just like Zoe’s entire life had been a cover. The same way Ari’s had been a cover for everything she wasn’t willing to face. And she had no words now for the sister she’d misunderstood and in many ways betrayed.
“Do they know you’re alive and well. . . and here?”
Zoe shook her head, her eyes misting. “To tell them would have been to put them in danger.”
Ari released the breath she hadn’t been aware of holding. At least they hadn’t withheld that. Although Ari hadn’t told her parents she’d known Zoe was alive, her reasons were valid. She hadn’t had proof. But double standard aside, she wasn’t sure she could justify it to herself if they’d known and not told her that her twin was safe.
Zoe turned back to her. “Now are you ready to hear how I ended up in this godforsaken place with only Marco for company?”
Ari nodded. “Might as well give it to me all at once.” She pressed her hand to her temples, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on.
“Once Mom set me up hoping I’d fall for Damon, I went to work there and immediately realized that something wasn’t right with him. I couldn’t say what, but my gut told me he wasn’t as squeaky clean as he wanted the world to believe. I picked up little clues, meetings he lied about, dealings with shady characters, and I realized he had connections with known drug dealers. Money laundering seemed like the obvious answer. I just wanted a look at the books and then I planned on going to the authorities. But before I could even find out where the books were, Quinn caught me snooping. Damon walked in on us and ordered Quinn to take me out.”
Zoe shook her head. “So Quinn dragged me out of the casino through the back entrance. Next thing I know, I’m learning that he’s an undercover cop and I have to be stashed at a safe house until the operation is over.”
“Well.” Now that Ari understood everything about her twin, she almost wished she didn’t. “I’m not sure what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ is a start, but it doesn’t really erase the past, now does it?”
“I don’t hold grudges. I’m not perfect myself.” Zoe glanced down. “I mean, I could have been honest, but I was too stubborn. I wanted you to see me on your own.”
A smile tugged at Ari’s lips. “I guess we do come from the same egg. I was pretty stubborn in my beliefs, too.”
“I’m so sorry I had to let you believe I was missing or dead.” Tears filled Zoe’s eyes. “I never wanted to hurt you that way. I just didn’t want anyone going to the casino and risking their lives. I was so sure you’d hear about me and grieve, but you’d do it long distance.” She wiped her damp eyes with the back of her hand. “Guess neither of us really knows the other, do we?”
“But we can change that, right?” Ari asked hopefully.
“Right.” Zoe pulled her into her arms and Ari hugged her sister tight. “Now tell me all about Quinn.”
Half an hour later, the sisters had caught up. To Ari’s surprise though, she hadn’t confided in Zoe at all about her intimate relationship with Quinn. Not because she didn’t want to share with her sister, but because there wasn’t anything to tell. There couldn’t be anything beyond the here and now.
In discovering the truth about Zoe, her occupation, and the fact that she lived a life with direction and zeal, Ari had learned even more about herself. She was more judgmental than she’d believed and because of that she’d lost her sister’s faith and trust. Ari couldn’t say she liked the woman she discovered herself to be.
She’d come here with Quinn expecting a reunion with her twin. She’d gotten a life lesson instead. One that left her more confused about herself and her future than ever before.
• • •
Quinn’s plan had backfired. He’d sensed Ari’s withdrawal and emotional distance even before they’d left her sister behind. For her safety, Quinn still had to blindfold Ari for their return home, and she’d sat in silence for the better part of the ride.
Until finally she spoke. “Pull over.”
“What?”
“It feels like we’re on a highway, so find a rest stop or someplace safe and pull over. Please.”
Quinn shot her a surprised glance.
Her jaw was clenched, a determined expression on her face. He’d sat in the kitchen earlier. The house was small, the walls purposefully paper thin. He and Marco couldn’t help but overhear much of the sisters’ conversation, and it had been far from the warm, fuzzy reunion he’d hoped for. Then again, what did Quinn know about family dynamics? Still, Ari was obviously upset and he figured it was best not to argue with her now.
He drove into an empty truck-weighing station. No markers showed where they were, so he removed the blindfold from Ari’s eyes.
“Thanks.” She blinked into the darkness, obviously trying to focus.
He inclined his head. “No problem.” He placed his hand over the back of her seat. She was distant and preoccupied, and though he should heed her signals, his gut told him to act as if nothing had changed. Until she told him otherwise, he’d assume nothing had.
He let his fingers trail over her shoulders in an attempt to offer comfort. She subtly but noticeably eased back, away from his touch.
His stomach cramped. “What’s up?” he asked. After all, stopping at a truck station wasn’t an everyday occurrence. No more than reuniting estranged twins at an FBI safe house, he thought wryly.
“I wanted to talk.” She glanced down at her intertwined hands. “You knew Zoe was a federal agent.”
He shook his head. “Not at first. When she started working as a dancer, I had no idea. When I found her with confidential files in her hands after she’d broken into Damon’s office, I thought she was just incredibly stupid. Then Damon showed up and ordered me to get rid of her.” He gripped the steering wheel hard, the memories of his dealings with Zoe coming back to him. “The next day, your parents reported her missing.”