Page 7 of Masquerade

Afterwards, a female cop had taken her aside and said Kate’s report wasn’t the first against Andrew. He was controlling and potentially dangerous, but would make a credible defendant. She advised Kate to take steps to protect herself.

With few alternatives, Kate had disappeared from social media and Sydney for a while. Ms. Dowdy Researcher had been born. Andrew’s ego fed off other people’s envy so his women needed to be glamorous enough to attract attention to him. Six months ago, a disguised Kate had quietly slipped back into Sydney.

“Hair?” Her sister was a ruthless orchestrator of her disguises.

“Surely you recall the dull brown we were born with.”

“Never dull.” Anna’s hair hadn’t been its natural colour in years. “On you it’s subtly sexy. Just making sure you’re not backsliding from the Heidi look.”

Kate rolled her eyes at the cross-examination. “Before you ask, the glasses were perched on my nose the entire time.” Her twin claimed a lot of people didn’t look past glasses. “Tell me again why we started this.”

“So Ms. Dowdy Researcher can pass Andrew in the street without him recognising her as Kate Turner. And it works. Ms. Dowdy can stand in front of that billboard, and no one can see a resemblance.” Anna focused on their success. “What makes you so sure Liam identified you?”

“His suspicion.” Kate remembered his gravel-voiced suggestion he’d seen a photo of her, unsure even now whether his rumbling timbre or his words had stolen her breath. “He held my hand way too long when we met.” A firm grip, not over-anxious clammy or take-no-prisoners crushing. Warm, smooth—the handshake Kate would give her male romantic lead. He ticked lots of boxes for a hard-to-resist hero. She groaned. “Kill that thought!”

“Kill what?”Nothing wrong with Anna’s hearing.

“His laser-like scrutiny.” Kate ignored her sister’s question. “Talk about eyes shooting daggers. His had me against the wall like a specimen pinned to an insect spreading board, with my arms and legs dangling. Do you think Niall told him I’m the model?”

“He promised.” Anna’s loyalty had won her legions of friends. “And to be honest, I don’t think Niall’s come clean about the billboard to his brother even now.”

Kate crossed to the window overlooking the billboard. The first time she’d seen it, the sheer size and in-your-face vibe had frozen her to the spot. She’d shut her eyes in immediate denial. If she couldn’t see it, it wasn’t there. Then she’d peered at it through her fingers, fighting the urge to scurry into the nearest wombat hole.

She’d swung in a fast circle to see if anyone had spotted her, her heart jackhammering in her chest. Satisfied no one was looking at her, her brain had thawed enough for her to be objective. Her face had been broken into jigsaw-shaped pieces in the first shot, making the model unrecognisable. She’d forced herself to stand and study the huge photo. And had discovered she wasn’t alone. The billboard had attracted a few second looks from pedestrians even on that first day.

On the day of the photo shoot, she’d borrowed Anna’s clothes and run a rinse through her hair. Afterwards, she’d changed back into her dowdy-researcher disguise. Adopting Anna’s glamour, even for a short time, had been disorienting. She’d never had Anna’s interest in clothes, but Andrew was responsible for Ms. Dowdy’s fashion choices. He’d stolen a piece of her, and Kate didn’t know if she’d ever get the courage to look like herself again.

As the billboard gained in notoriety, Kate’s anonymity remained intact. Anxiety spiked occasionally if someone gave her a second glance, but over the month since its release her confidence had grown. While her sister basked smugly in the unexpected commercial success, Kate came to terms with being famous and anonymous at the same time.

Like being gifted a magical force field. Now you see me, now you don’t. The billboard was neutralising her fear that Andrew would recognise her.

Until today.

“No one else has made the connection between us.” Anna unconsciously echoed Kate’s thought. “Does Liam suspect you’re the model or only that you’re my twin?”

“I don’t know what he suspects. Just that he’s suspicious and not the type to ignore the feeling.” Kate had chosen her multiple disguises as protective shields. She refused to believe he’d seen through Ms. Dowdy, through the manufactured image of a billboard and seen her—Kate Turner. She rubbed at the goose bumps rising along her arms because, for a few moments in the boardroom, she’d thought exactly that. Trapped by his perception, she’d felt simultaneously more powerful and more vulnerable. “We should have told him. Technically, it’s not his face, but basic courtesy demanded we tell him the truth.”

“If he thinks you’re my twin, we just need to negotiate his silence about our relationship,” Anna mused.

“What can you offer a man whose image was used without his knowledge?”

“I’ll speak to him. The Genosearch promotion ends with the full reveal of Niall. That’s the deal. In a few weeks, it’ll be ancient history. Everyone will move on. I promise.” Anna couldn’t imagine a problem she couldn’t solve. “If I were him, I’d talk to Niall before doing anything else,” she mused. “Don’t worry. Niall won’t break a promise.”

“Are you sure?” Kate dropped onto the bench.

“I’m sure. He met the job requirements.”

She pictured Anna ticking points off on her fingers.

“Identical twin, right age, unknown, discreet and trustworthy. Although I did wonder if he had his own little subplot going.”

“Bombing Liam out of his ivory tower?” Kate recalled Niall’s exact comment when she’d asked why he hadn’t told his brother.

“Sounds like that wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“He’s a wounded lion, Anna. Niall’s been out of the country for a few years. I’m guessing he doesn’t know what Liam’s demons are.” Kate had sensed power on a tight leash.

“We both pushed for Niall to tell him. You more than me.”

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