Page 6 of Girl Between (Dana Gray FBI Mystery Thriller #5)

The agent in him made him avoid touching the elaborate gold handrails winding up the staircase. But that didn’t stop him from arriving in front of the bleu clair door before he was ready.

Jake steadied his breath as he worked up the courage to swing the gold lionhead knocker.

He felt ridiculous. This wasn’t a raid, but he would’ve been more comfortable with his Sig Sauer drawn.

That was until a mirror image of himself answered the door.

Jake stood frozen, staring at himself. Or the version he might’ve been if he’d never joined the Army.

The slimmer, early thirties doppelganger received Jake with an open expression, the long fingers of his left hand wrapped around the brass of a trumpet.

“Bonjour,” the man greeted.

Jake stood there, immobile in his disbelief. He’d been hoping to see his father. But being faced with an alternate version of himself was shattering .

The man before him had the same brown hair and blue eyes as Jake, stealing all the questions he’d prepared.

“Puis-je vous aider?” Can I help you? The words registered, but Jake still couldn’t find a response. Luckily, the man facing him seemed to make the same connection regarding their similar features. His perplexed frown matched Jake’s. “Est-ce que je te connais?” Do I know you?

Jake jerked back to reality. “Bonjour. Je m'appelle Jake Shepard. Do you speak English?”

The man nodded.

“I’m looking for Adam Miller,” Jake said.

“Do you mean Adam Berger?” the man asked.

“No. Miller.”

Jake watched the younger version of himself shake his head vehemently. “Your last name is Shepard?”

Jake nodded.

“Berger is the French translation, no?”

Again, Jake found himself stumped. If Dana were here, she would’ve probably started speaking French fluently and explaining Jake’s confusion. But without her, he found himself dumbfounded. Thankfully, the young man in front of Jake wasn’t.

“I’m sorry, I think you may have the wrong address. This is the Berger residence. I’m Luca Berger. Who are you looking for?”

The words rattled around in Jake’s skull, understanding unable to settle in.

Berger was the French surname for Shepard.

Why hadn’t he seen that before? He’d studied the residency of this apartment extensively, but until now he hadn’t made the connection.

Yet, with his spitting image staring back at him, it was impossible to deny.

Jake’s throat rolled as he fought back the pain of this sudden realization. “Can I come in?” he asked.

Luca took a step back and opened the double door wider, inviting him in.