Page 82 of No More Spies

“He wouldn’t have wanted to jeopardize the adoption, and whywould he have any reason to think there was something weird about it?” Kalaasked.

“He wouldn’t have found anything.” Joyce looked miserablestanding there staring at him. “I have connections, too. So did Shannon. Ifhe’d looked, he would have found what we wanted him to find. One of the womenshe connected with in prison was involved in a group of radicals.”

The hits fucking kept coming. “Disrupt? That group?”

Kala frowned. “If she was involved in Disrupt, wouldn’tHuisman know how to find her?”

Awesome. Something he’d put together before her. “Not if shedid what she seems to do and left the group and went on the run.”

“That wasn’t the name, though I do think at one point shedid some work for them. You have to understand how scared she was when she wasin jail. The cartel could get to her in there. She needed protection,” Joycetried to explain.

He didn’t want to hear it. He still didn’t buy that Big Taghadn’t known. Nothing this woman told him would change how he felt, and it wastime to do the fucking job they’d come to do. “I’m calling Flanders. He canmeet us in the meadow about half a mile back. Joyce Reed, I’m taking you intocustody.”

Her eyes went wide.

Kala stood. “Hey, we need to talk about this.”

“Now you want to talk? You didn’t think about talking beforeyou blew up my entire childhood?” He loved her but damn it could be hardsometimes.

“I wasn’t certain.” Kala’s tone was so even, he knew she wasforcing herself to stay calm. “I thought she might be talking about you, but Iwasn’t a hundred percent. I didn’t think it was a good idea to stop theconversation. You know some people freeze up.”

“So it was all for the op.”

She nodded like it was good he understood. “Of course.”

He was afraid he understood all too well. “I kind of thoughtyou cared more about me than an op.”

“I do. Didn’t you want to know? Coop, Zach is your brother,and he’s doing all of this to protect your mom.”

“Eve McKay is my mother,” he insisted. “I doubt he’sprotecting her. And Zach is not my fucking brother. He’s a liar who betrayedhis whole team. That team. That’s my family.”

“And he was part of it. Babe, I know you’re upset, but thinkabout how he treated you.”

He didn’t want to think about anything at this point butgetting home to his parents. He wasn’t being reasonable, and there were warningclangs going off in his head that he should slow down. Cool off. “That was myfamily, but if you Taggarts kept this from my dad…”

“You Taggarts?” Kala asked.

“I mean your dad.”

She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. Which Taggarts are youtalking about? My mom? I’m pretty sure if Dad knew she did. He likes to playthe spy, but he’s actually a surprisingly gossipy old dude. My sisters? I don’tthink so. You’re talking about me. You’re sitting there wondering what? If Iknew about this the whole time and suddenly decided to spring it on you hereand now? Do you think I set the whole thing up?”

Of course he didn’t. “Did you?”

She huffed. “Why, Coop? Why would I do this? You’re notacting rationally. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I need you to be CooperMcKay right now. You know I wouldn’t do this to you. I’m as surprised as youare.”

He couldn’t tell. “I would bet your blood pressure didn’teven rise.”

“Ah, we’re at the cold-blooded snake phase of the argument.Well, I’m sorry. I was trying to do my job the only way I know how, and it didnot include a bunch of drama.”

He got into her space, something nasty twisting inside him.“Oh, because you never cause drama.”

She stared straight at him. “I don’t. I handle this job withprecision. Do you think I lost my shit when I found out my sister got shot? Ididn’t. I did my job.”

She was bringing this up? “You’re mad at me because I wasupset I thought you died?”

“You blew a whole lot of cover,” she shot back. “Why do youthink Ben Parker wasn’t there when Kenz got to Canada? We lost a valuable assetbecause you couldn’t keep it together.”

“Because I thought you were fucking dead.” He shook hishead, anger flaring. He loved this woman and she was bitching at him because hewas upset she got hurt? “I suppose if it had been me, you would have shruggedand moved on, Ms. Magenta to the core. Do I mean anything at all to you? Isthis your way to get back at me?”