Page 58 of Sweet Little Spies

She rather thought she knew what her cousin was doing. Kalawas poking at all her sore spots to point out her weaknesses. To show her howhard this was going to be.

Because she was soft.

She was a Taggart, too. Oh, if things had gone the way theywere supposed to she would be Carys O’Donnell, and maybe the name didn’t changethings, but maybe it would have.

She was still Carys Taggart, and it was time to prove it.

Carys got into Kala’s space. “The good news, cousin, is Ican put you back together after I take you apart.”

Cooper winced. “I don’t think that’s how this is going togo.”

“Baby, why don’t you spar with Lou?” Aidan had joinedCooper.

Kala’s lips curled into a snarl she still managed to makelook cover-model worthy. “Really? You think you can take me, doc? You’ve beenin your ivory tower for too long. It’s fucked with your reasoning skills.”

“Yeah, well the Agency is the only reason you’re not coveredin tattoos and traveling the world in a built-out school bus,” Carys shot back.

Kenzie laughed out loud, but everyone else went still asthough waiting for carnage.

Lou gave her a weak smile. “I mean, she is right about thetats. You complain about it all the time. It’s also the reason she’s notpierced all over.”

“Except in the good places,” Cooper said with an entirelymasculine smile. It made Carys wonder what was really going on between thosetwo.

Kala’s eyes narrowed. “Thanks, Coop. As for my sweet, naïvecousin, let’s go.” She frowned suddenly. “And I wouldn’t build out a freakingschool bus. Ewww. I would be fully tatted up in a tiny house in the middle ofthe forest with a small goat army. Thank you.”

And then her cousin punched her. Right in the gut.

The air whooshed out of Carys’s lungs, pain flaring as shetried to get enough oxygen.

“Hey.” Aidan stepped in front of her. “That wasn’t fuckingfair.”

“There’s no fair where we’re going,” Kala replied simply.Aidan had a couple of inches on her and a lot of muscle, but her cousin wasn’tafraid of him.

Because she knew damn well she could handle herself. Despitewhat her cousin had said, her reasoning skills were top-notch, and she knewadmiring her most psychotic relative for her cool under pressure probablywasn’t the healthiest thing. Kala had a lot of issues. Being sure of herself ina fight wasn’t one of them.

“Hey, let’s get into the locker room and let Aidan look youover.” Her brother reached for her hand.

“Maybe it would be for the best,” Kenzie said with a wince.

“Yeah, Carys, let the men take care of you,” Kala taunted.

She’d been letting everyone take care of her for the lasttwo and a half years. Poor Carys. Her man left her. Aidan had to take care ofher all alone. The sympathy was nauseating when she thought about it.

She’d just taken it.

She wasn’t taking it anymore.

They weren’t playing fair? She sniffled and held a hand outto her cousin. “I get it now. Forgive me.”

Kala frowned as though deeply disappointed in her. “Sure.It’s okay.” She reached out to shake her hand. “Like I said, I’ll watch out foryou.”

Carys found her cousin’s radial nerve and pressed her thumbdown, causing Kala to gasp. She took the moment to kick her right between thelegs, probably hitting whatever piercing she had in there.

The whole room went still.

“That’s right, baby. You give her hell,” a deep voice said.

She looked over and Tristan was standing in the doorway withZach Reed in tow.

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