Page 20 of No More Spies

So much easier.

“Of course you were scared.” Her mom had gone allsympathetic.

But her dad watched her like he knew she was holding back.Like he knew she’d thought about it when Julia Ennis had offered to not sendher home at all.

Once you let yourself be who you were born to be, youwon’t sit around and worry why you’re not like your sister.

Could her father see through her? How disappointed would hebe?

It was funny. She didn’t want Cooper now. Somewhere in allthe hours of staring at the ceiling of her cell, she’d realized there would beno open arms for her. Oh, she was absolutely certain if she walked up to him,he would hug her and say all the right things and even take back everything hesaid that night. But it would be his guilt talking. It would be the CaptainAmerica part of Coop that couldn’t even be really mean to a villain. She gotit. She was bad for his reputation. She would only ever be a dirty secret forhim to enjoy, and she wouldn’t fucking be that for any man.

She didn’t need him.

She didn’t need anyone.

“What did she say to you?” Her father spoke in that deepvoice he used when he was pissed.

Was he pissed at her? “Not much. Just some bullshit abouthow Kyle was her true love. She went on about that a lot. It was kind ofpathetic.”

“Are you telling me you were never alone with her?” herfather asked, those icy eyes pinning her.

She glanced over and Kyle was already back to kissing MaeBe.MaeBe, who her father trained and treated like she was worthy. MaeBe, who JuliaEnnis would never in a million years tell the things she’d said to Kala.

When reality is flexible, we can all be heroes. We canall get what we need. When you no longer care what other people think, you’refree. When other people don’t matter at all, you’re completely free to remakethe world the way you want it. Some people would call that evil, but evil is aword used by the weak. You and I don’t have to use that word. All that mattersin the world we make is that we get what we want. Think about it, kid.

Like there was something deep and dark inside her Julia hadseen. Like recognizing like.

Would Cooper find some sweet girl he wanted to date and thenKala would raze the earth beneath them? Would she be the evil queen? The evilqueen did not get to run away with Prince Charming.

“I wasn’t the one she was interested in,” Kala said quietly,hoping Kyle didn’t hear her.

Kyle knew she was lying. Kyle knew exactly how interestedJulia had been in her. She prayed Kyle liked her enough that he wouldn’t evertell her parents how the most evil woman he’d ever met had seen so much ofherself in his cousin.

“I doubt that.” Her father didn’t seem to want to give up.“Julia Ennis was a woman who liked to play games. Especially mind games. Yousay no one hurt you.”

Her calm threatened to rattle. She didn’t know. She didn’tfucking know. She only knew that everything hurt when she woke up and she’dwanted her mom and dad, but she couldn’t now. She couldn’t. Because she didn’tknow. “Beyond the dude I fought with? He kicked me a couple of times before hemanaged to shove a needle in my shoulder, but in his defense, I did break hisnose.”

Her mom had gone pale.

But her father merely leaned in. “Did she leave you alonewith them?”

“With the guards?” She was sick of the interrogation. Shewanted to put on headphones and shut out the world. Maybe if she got the musicloud enough, she wouldn’t hear Julia’s voice in her fucking head.

“With anyone,” her father clarified, every word clipped andseemingly cold.

Why was he pushing her? Her mom had hugged her and held herhand and pulled her way too close—something she might have objected to but shehad just been kidnapped. Her mom had told her she didn’t have to talk if shedidn’t want to. Her mom had cried a lot once her dad and the rest of the familyhad shown up.

Charlotte Taggart had been a rock. Right up until she didn’thave to be. When her dad walked out of that house and wrapped his arms aroundthem both, her mom dissolved into a ball of emotion.

Kala cried a bit initially. Pure relief had caused it. Thenthe hours passed as they waited to be able to fly home and a nice numbnesssettled in. She’d talked to her sisters and brothers and felt absolutelynothing.

It was good, so good to feel nothing, and her father wasthreatening it.

“I was with Kyle. Kyle made sure I wasn’t alone with her,”Kala replied, feeling her jaw tense, her calm starting to shake.

“Kyle wasn’t with you when you were taken,” her fatherpointed out. “He wasn’t there when the fuckers killed a woman in front of you.”

“She was the one who turned me in, so who cares?” Kalaasked. But she’d thought about it. Thought about the woman and wondered whatmade her take that job, what her hopes and dreams had been. Thought about howcasually they’d taken her life. Like it was easier to kill her than it was topay her invoice. “I would have thought they would clean up after themselves.”

---