Page 86 of No More Spies

Because everyone sees you as the villain. It might notbe fair, but with your talents, they always might.

It hadn’t been the happiest thing she’d heard in therapy,but at least Lena didn’t hold back. Kai was always soft and gentle with her. Henever would have put the hard truth out there. Kai asked questions. Lena gavetruth.

“My mother has done some things she’s certainly not proudof. She did them to survive. Auntie, you start packing up.” Zach sighed and satback, scrubbing a hand over his slightly shaggy head. He’d let his dark hairgrow out and was now sporting a beard.

How had she not seen the similarities in their faces? Cooperand Zach had the same basic coloring, but almost identical jawlines and lips.“With the kind of information I’m sure she has, she could have come to theAgency at any time. Or the FBI.”

“She’s had enough of prison,” Zach said. “And I can’tconvince her she can make a deal. I can’t justify everything she’s done. I canonly tell you she didn’t want to be involved with Huisman. She’s been workingwith a couple of groups in Africa and Southeast Asia.”

Joyce started to move, throwing her possessions into aragged old backpack.

Kala concentrated on the discussion at hand. “Let me guess.Rebel groups.”

“Yeah. She became friends with a woman in prison who wasactive with a group trying to free her home country from an authoritarianleader. It became her cause. When she got out of prison, she went underground,and I didn’t hear from her for years,” Zach explained.

“So you didn’t go into the Army in order to gain a positionyou could help her from?” She was still trying to grasp where this storyintersected with finding Cooper. It was obvious now how Zach had been trying toget close to his biological brother. Zach had encouraged Coop to spend timewith him, hanging out and going to the movies when they weren’t on a mission.When he’d gotten close to Devi, they’d gone out a couple of times. Cooper hadbegged her to go with him so he wasn’t the third wheel.

She’d gone because it was fun to pretend for a moment thatshe was with him for real and they were a couple out with friends and family.

Devi was going to be devastated.

“I’ve been honest about why I went into the military. I gota full-ride scholarship to a local college, but the job market when I came outwasn’t great. I went into the military because it was the only way to get outof the trailer park I grew up in, no offense, Auntie.”

“None taken. I got out, too,” Joyce replied as she tookapart her water filtration system. “I always wanted better for you and Jonny.For you and Cooper.”

“Did you know what your mother was involved in when you wentinto the military?” Kala took a sip of the beer. It was cold and cheap, and shewould probably be drinking on her own soon, so she should get used to cheap. “Iwant to know when you decided to infiltrate your biological brother’s life, andhow did you know since the secrecy around it has now been well established?”

She didn’t believe her father would know and not tell hisbest friend. She didn’t believe Alex McKay would know and not tell his son.

She wished Cooper had the same faith in her and her family.

“I knew because I found pictures hidden in my aunt’scloset.” Zach stared into the distance, like he was lost in memory. “I wastwelve and looking for blankets, but I pulled it out and the box fell on myhead and spilled everywhere.”

“I should have watched him more, but I had to work so he wasalone a lot,” Joyce admitted.

“You did the best you possibly could,” Zach assured herbefore focusing on Kala. “I asked about why there were pictures of my mom witha baby who wasn’t me. I had seen all the pictures of my birth, so I knew itwasn’t me. There was also a medical bracelet with the name Jonathon Reed. Iconfronted her when she got home from working twelve hours, and she broke downand told me everything. Including the plot to ensure my brother was adopted byAlex and Eve McKay.”

“I also told him it was to protect…Cooper. To protect him,”Joyce said with a firm tone. “We never meant to bother him again. He wasn’tsupposed to know we existed.”

“And I screwed that up. I honestly didn’t mean to ever seekhim out. I hadn’t heard from my mother in years at the time.” His eyes got thatfar-off look again. “And then I heard some news. My unit had been working withsome Agency operatives, and I was in a debrief at Langley and I overheard aconversation about a new team that was forming. They were looking for amilitary liaison. This particular group I’d worked with before, and they askedmy opinion. They were worried about giving this Big Tag guy too much power.Well, I knew that name. I was curious. I offered to check it out, and then Ifound out who was on the team.”

He’d likely seen the name McKay, done some research, andfigured this was the way to meet his brother. “You should have come forward.”

“Why? I never meant to tell him. Ever. I meant to be hisfriend, his brother in everything but name,” Zach explained. “I thought thedanger was probably past, but I didn’t want to wreck him. He loves his parents.He didn’t seem to need to know more, so I let it be. But that doesn’t mean Ididn’t grow to love him. He’s got a huge family. I do not. Yes, I wanted to beclose to my brother. I still do.”

She wasn’t getting into this with him. Let the shrinks dotheir jobs. It was enough to know her father had no idea. He would have lookedinto Zach, but with no reason to question the connections, why would he havefound them? Her father wasn’t a god, no matter what that T-shirt he wore said.“When did your mother get in touch with you?”

His eyes closed briefly, and when he opened them again,there was a certain amount of resignation there. “During the investigation intoThe Jester. I was working with Tristan on another team, so she had no ideaabout Cooper. She’d been dealing with The Jester, and when she refused to makebombs for the Disrupt group, he threatened to out her. At first she was afraidof going to jail again.”

She knew how this ended. “And then she was afraid ofHuisman.”

“Yes. I managed to take out The Jester, but Huisman is smartand he has connections no one in our world has,” Zach admitted. “I thought shewould be safe with Tristan pretending to be The Jester. I thought I couldmanipulate the situation, but at some point, Huisman figured out her name andhe started to look for Shannon Reed. He figured out I’m her son, and here weare.”

Kala glanced over, and Joyce was making quick work of thecamp.

“Huisman didn’t care about Tris and Carys, did he? He didn’tgive a shit about me.” Bitterness tinged Kala’s words. “We were all incidentalto the one he was trying to get. You. Huisman always wanted you. Hell, he evengot the wrong sister. He wanted Tash because he knew you would do anything forTasha.”

“I would do anything for you,” Zach rasped out. “He had methe minute he took a member of my team. Kala, I would never betray my team thatway.”

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