Page 13 of No More Spies

His mom would be upset if he didn’t take her advice. Whatwould she think of him? Would she wish she had a kid who listened? Maybe therewas something in his DNA that made him this way, something buried deep insidethat neither of his parents could recognize in themselves the way Tasha hadtalked about.

But Tasha wasn’t a Taggart by blood either.

Maybe Tash was better than he was. Better at fitting in.Better at being the child her parents hoped for.

He sat for a moment, feeling heavier than he’d ever feltbefore. He wasn’t sure how much time passed. Very little. An eternity. Tashasat beside him, texting. Probably keeping Kenzie and Lou up to date.

He didn’t have anyone to text. Not about her. His friendswould say good riddance.

TJ was asleep.

He was alone.

He missed her.

Kyle walked in from the back rooms, a phone in his hand. Nothis cell though. It was small. Like a burner. Why did Kyle have a burner phone?

“Proof of life,” Kyle said, not bothering to look over as hewalked out the door and into the night.

It was weird.

Tasha stood. “Where is he going? There’s a car out there. Idon’t think there’s supposed to be a car out there.”

Something cool snaked along Cooper’s spine, some instincthe’d never felt before but had been buried deep. Was it too much of acoincidence that Kala disappeared on the night everyone was freaked out aboutKyle’s evil ex? From what he’d gathered, this Julia Ennis person was tryinganything she could to get Kyle back in her clutches.

Wouldn’t taking Kala be a good reason for Kyle to walk intoa trap?

They watched as Kyle got into the car and pulled away, tiresscreeching.

“We should tell someone,” Tasha said.

Was Kala in the car, too?

MaeBe Vaughn was suddenly in the lobby, and she wasn’talone. His dad was there along with Ian and Charlotte Taggart, and all had grimexpressions on their faces. Something had changed. Something big.

Tasha seemed way more capable of rational thought than hewas. She pointed toward the parking lot. “He left. He went out the door and gotin a car. I don’t think he knew them.”

MaeBe’s face went pale. “Who?”

“Kyle,” Tasha replied. “He didn’t even say good-bye. He wastalking to someone on the phone and he left. Why would he leave when Kala’smissing?”

Cooper was terrified that he knew the answer to Tasha’squestion.

He stared out into the night as they spoke and worried hemight never see her again.

Chapter Three

Kala came awake to the nauseating sensation of turbulence.Her eyes opened and for the briefest second she thought she was on the planethat would take her to the family cabin in Colorado. They normally drove,everyone piling into her dad’s big SUV. It was five hours to Amarillo wherethey would stay, eat steak because…her dad…and then wake up and six more hoursto the cabin.

But this year she and Kenzie had a martial arts competition,and her mom had stayed with them while Dad started the vacation. They’d taken aplane to Alamosa where Dad met them, and then she’d known why they called itthe Rocky Mountain Scareways.

She hated turbulence.

She wasn’t on a plane to Colorado.

Why did everything ache? What had happened? The fuckingRussian. He’d…had he? She couldn’t remember because she’d been unconscious.Unable to protect herself. She didn’t even know… She didn’t know if she was avirgin anymore.

Bile rose but she forced it down. Take stock. She neededsituational awareness, and she would only have a couple of minutes before theyrealized she was awake.

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