Page 59 of Covert Affairs

“To the highest bidder go the spoils. He paid handsomely. The United States had it coming, and I’m just getting started. Once I get that bitch back to Jimbo and he scrapes every last bit of intel out of her, my reward will be enough that I’ll never have to work again. I’ll be on the beach with a rum in each hand, a whole new man. She’ll be on her knees, begging for mercy.”

Ian saw red. He prayed Hunter and the others were closing in. Subduing Viviandfighting his alter ego simultaneously was definitely unexpected. Beatrice had been right—every mission held the ability to blindside you. Vivi had managed to do it now three times.

And two of the three, he’d handled it.

Launching himself at her, he used his weight and mass to take her to the floor.

She was a Tasmanian devil under him. She’d once told him hypnosis, like certain drugs, could make a person stronger and more agile. They didn’t feel pain.

Stronger was a definite. Even though he outweighed her by at least fifty pounds, she rolled them both over and pushed herself away from his grip. Snagging a book off the table near Lippenstein’s recliner, she swung it at his head.

He blocked it and knocked the volume away, mentally scrambling for something else to ask Spear, to keep him talking. “Why make yourself look like me?”

The mastermind enjoyed proving his intellect. “Similar features and build. I’d already picked you out from the endless stream of men and women going to and from her office before I even realized she was in love with you. I took a tactic from her playbook—I created a very realistic mask that made me truly your identical twin.”

Vivi broke from Ian’s grip and lunged for the stunner. He snagged her around the waist and hauled her back to pin her against the built-in shelves. “Come on, Vivi,” he ground out under his breath while staring into her eyes. “Remember me.” To their attacker, he yelled, “You’re the one who put that photo on her desk that day. You disguised yourself as me to get inside the building past her assistant. Fake pass, too?”

“Trust me, I’m superior to both of you in many, many ways. That’s the tip of the iceberg.”

Ian wanted to break every bone in Spear’s body and strip that puffed up, self-congratulatory tone from his voice. “If you’re so goddamn smart, why are you still here? You’re about to be surrounded.”

“How will they know who the real Ian Kincaid is?” the man taunted.

“Because I’m in communication with them, asshole.”

“Not for long,” his twin said.

A high-pitched squeal ricocheted through Ian’s ear like an ice pick to his brain. He winced and yanked out the earbud.

Fuck. What had the guy just used? Some type of handheld EMP device?

The unit was dead. With Ian reeling, Vivi broke from his hold. He tripped her, sending her to the floor, then dropped to grab her ankle. She hissed, kicking at his face.

He held on. “Vivi, damn it. Fight this. Fight for us! Wake the fuck up!”

She cursed and continued to drive her feet at him. He knocked one away, grabbed the other, but still earned a boot heel to the nose.

“Time’s running out, little bird,” the bastard called to her. “Hurry, Genevieve.Come to me.”

Fucking asshole. Ear still ringing and nose now bleeding, Ian managed to descend on her once more. Her breath whooshed out on impact, yet she swung a fist, connecting with his temple.

Damn, his wife was a hellion. He grabbed her face with both hands and forced her vacant eyes to focus on him, even as she boxed his ears. “I’m right here. Snap out of it. Come back to me.” He realized his mistake. “Come tome,” he rephrased, “little bird.”

She blinked. Looked at him like she actually saw him. “Ian?”

The bullet hit him in the shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone. Recoiling from the blow, he rolled to see the man standing a few feet away, the weapon in his hand pointed at Ian’s face.

“I warned you not to interfere.” He stretched out a hand. “Come, Genevieve.”

Her gaze went from Ian to his double. She smiled at the man and Ian yelled, “No!” when she reached to take it.

But his wife was under no manipulation anymore, although she seemed to act like it. As the fucker pulled the trigger, she launched herself at him.

The bullet hither in the chest, the force knocking her on her ass. She was falling…

There were two Ians. The one who stood over her and the other who lay on the floor a foot away. That one roared as warm blood spread over her left side, trickling down her ribcage.

The room swam as the two of them fought, the shadows beginning to close in around her. Her vision narrowed to a pinprick. Her breathing became stilted. She heard another gunshot, but it sounded far away. There was a howl of pain, fists hitting flesh and the crashing of bodies into furniture.

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