Page 11

Oz stared at Ayla.

Captain Nguyen walked toward the door and said, “This one is all yours. I’m putting you in charge of finding Iona Desmond.” He didn’t wait for an acknowledgment before leaving the room.

The tone of voice told him what his CO thought.

It was a good thing Archer confirmed Ayla’s sister was missing or the captain might have torpedoed the entire search.

Oz shook off his own shock. If he was in charge, he needed to ask questions.

“Did your sister use a phone to contact you? Any material device at all? Or was everything this woo-woo psychic shit?”

Ayla’s lips tightened. “It was woo-woo psychic shit,” she said with an edge to her voice.

He stared some more, trying to wrap his mind around it. “You hopped on a plane—when you’re afraid of flying—to Puerto Jardin, a country in the middle of a civil war, because you got a feeling ?” Oz wanted a neutral tone, but what came out sounded like disbelief. Ayla didn’t miss it.

“I knew you’d react like this.”

Pieces snapped into place as his memories of their previous conversations echoed in his head. “This is why you were deliberately vague earlier. Why did you say something now? Why not keep hiding it?”

“Because you made me mad enough that I wasn’t thinking.” She scowled up at him. “I hate this come down off adrenaline. How much longer do these mood swings last?”

With a sigh, Oz used both hands to push his hair out of his face.

Damn. This was the second time he’d discounted what she was dealing with because he didn’t see it as anything major.

At least she tended toward anger. Crying was awkward.

“It depends on the person. You had two incidents close together, so it could take a while. It would have helped if you’d napped longer. ”

“Yes, well, if I could have, I would have.”

“Understood. I’m not trying to aggravate you, Pollita.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Her voice had a definite grumble to it. “I haven’t been able to curb this irritation, and I don’t like it.”

“Come here,” he said softly, and Oz held his arms out. This way it was up to her. If she didn’t want a hug, she could stay where she was. If she needed some reassurance, he was offering.

The hesitation lasted long enough that Oz was about to give up, but then she moved, her arms going around his waist. He held her loosely, wanting Ayla to know that he wouldn’t restrain her, that she had complete freedom.

“Are you still going to help me look for Io?”

“Yes.”

“Even though everything I know came through our twin connection?”

“Yeah.” Oz didn’t want to think about that. “We have confirmation she’s missing from a more conventional source.”

A shudder went through Ayla and Oz lightly rubbed her back. “You’re identical twins. Is there an easy tell? Like your sister has a scar from falling off her bike or got a tattoo or something?”

“No. We look exactly the same. The only way most people can tell us apart is what we’re wearing.

That includes our parents, our friends, and when we were younger, our teachers.

The funny thing is our mother used to dress Io and I alike even though it meant she mixed us up.

Everything matched, even our bike helmets.

Io rebelled when we were six. After that, Mom let us choose our own clothing. ”

Something in her voice made him hesitate, but he wasn’t sure what caught his attention. “You switched places,” he said instead. Oz wasn’t guessing.

“Not since we were kids, but yes. Sometimes we did.”

“How did that work? The two of you sound very different from each other in personality. I’d think it would be easy to detect signs.”

“We know each other inside and out. In everyday circumstances, we were always able to pull it off.”

“Really?” Oz was skeptical. “How does your sister tone down her recklessness? How do you act less cautious?”

“Io isn’t reckless and she’s not full-tilt all the time, just like I’m not sitting in the corner, afraid of my own shadow because I don’t like airplanes.

When we’re in the office at the Paladin League, we’re more alike than unalike in how we behave.

Besides, I said we were kids the last time we switched.

How hard do you think it is to pretend to be each other while a teacher is lecturing or we’re taking a test? ”

“Your friends couldn’t figure it out?”

“Teenagers are self-absorbed. No one ever guessed. Io used to say switching was our superpower, and it would be criminal not to use it.”

Her sister sounded like a handful, but Oz kept that to himself.

She was still dealing with the aftermath, and Ayla would probably slug him if she thought he was dissing her twin.

It was interesting, however, that she didn’t refer to their connection as the superpower. “Tell me about this psychic bond.”

Ayla stiffened and leaned back to look him in the eye, but she didn’t stop holding him. “Why?” Suspicion was in her voice and written all over her face.

“Because you’re going to expect me to take action based on it.”

“You won’t, though. You’ll triple-check everything through tangible means.”

The irritation was back, and Oz hid a smile. It would set her off if Ayla thought he was laughing at her. “Do you read each other’s thoughts? Is that how this thing works?”

“No, we can’t read each other’s minds. One of us consciously decides to send thoughts to the other. We don’t always connect. If someone is busy or asleep or stressed, the messages don’t go through. Distance also plays a big factor. It’s hard to hear anything if we’re not in proximity.”

“And you know this because?”

“We ran tests throughout our lives. They were simple when we were young, but by the time we were in high school, Io devised thorough protocols.” One side of Ayla’s mouth kicked up. “She liked science class. I liked English.”

“You complemented each other.”

That earned him a full smile. “Yes, exactly.”

Oz found it difficult to focus on the conversation.

Ayla was always beautiful, but when she smiled, it made it hard to breathe.

That she continued to hold him only made it that much more potent.

He latched on to something. “You said distance is a problem. There are thousands of miles between Trujillo and Los Angeles. How’d you get anything from Iona? ”

When the smile left Ayla’s face, Oz wished he asked something else. “The message was garbled. Just a few words came through.”

“Which words?”

“ Puerto Jardin. Kidnapped. Help. I checked with her department at the Paladin League and found out she’d been assigned to do a story on the ruins at San Isidro.”

“That’s when you booked your ticket, grabbed your passport, and rushed down here? Based on four words? Your sister, who knows you hate flying, asked you to help her?”

Ayla stepped back and crossed the room. Oz missed the warmth of her body pressing into his, but he stayed where he was. It was a miracle she’d held onto him to begin with. He wouldn’t scare her now.

“There were large gaps in the message. I’m sure she told me who I should contact for help, because yes, she knows I don’t like to fly.

She knows I don’t like adventure or risks, even small risks.

And if a Russian mafia boss is after her, she definitely wouldn’t want me leading the rescue.

But I didn’t get that information, and checking on the situation in this country made it clear the authorities were out of the question. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“And you haven’t received any other messages from her?”

“I hear the skepticism in your voice.”

“Sorry, Pollita.” Oz leaned his hips against the table that they used as a desk. “I can’t help it. I am skeptical, but I’m doing my best.”

“This is why Io and I swore not to tell anyone about it.” Her shoulders slumped. “No, there haven’t been any more messages. I’ve tried to contact her, but I get nothing. The complete disconnect is terrifying. What if she’s dead?”

Oz heard her voice wobble on the last word. He didn’t like Ayla scared and tried to reassure her. “You said you can’t get anything when someone is stressed. If she’s been kidnapped, she’s in an extremely high-stress situation.”

“That’s what I keep telling myself, but I’m not getting any of her emotions, either.”

He froze for a moment. “Whoa. Wait a minute. What do you mean by get her emotions ?”

Ayla looked stricken and reluctantly admitted, “There’s an empathic link, too.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Thank God the captain wasn’t here for this little nugget of intel.

The anger returned, and Oz was glad to see it even if he was the cause. He would bet, though, that the reason she was dealing with mood swings had as much to do with fear for her sister as adrenaline. Ayla had been doing a great job of compartmentalizing it. Until now.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that.” He was usually better at concealing what he thought. “Let me ask this differently. Are you telling me the link isn’t just telepathic, but you two are also empaths?”

She looked at him warily as she tried to read him, but Oz was back in full control. “Only with each other. And it’s not all the time.”

“Same parameters as the telepathic link?”

“Mostly, although we can get each other’s emotions even when we’re not deliberately sending. It depends on the situation and how strong the feelings are.”

Oz thought about that. “With a kidnapping, her emotions should be strong.”

Ayla nodded. “I expected to pick something up in Trujillo.”

“You’re dealing with the aftermath of two stressful incidents. Your own emotions are seesawing all over the place.”

Her expression brightened. “You’re right. Maybe Io is okay, and my moods are the problem. I’ve been out of kilter since I got off the bus and those gang members surrounded me. Then add you and the Russian mob on top of that?” She shrugged. “It makes sense.”

Nothing Ayla said made sense, but she believed what she told him.

“Once my shock wears off, I should pick up something from Io especially if we’re close to her.”

“You’re staying here,” Oz told her, firmly.

“Oh, no, I’m not.” Ayla took a step forward and glared at him. “This is my sister we’re talking about. No one cares about finding her more than I do. No one has the connection to her that I do, and we’re going to need to use it. I know it. I’m going to search for her.”

Fucking hell. “You told me you don’t like to take risks. The Russian mafia thinks you’re Iona and nothing you say will convince them that you’re not.”

“I understand that.”

Oz kept talking. “You don’t know the city. Or what areas are dangerous. Or if your sister is even still in Trujillo. You don’t know?—”

“That’s why it’s better if I work with you. You can keep me safe while I give you information about my sister. Plus, if I pick up on her, I can tell you that, too.”

“Pollita—”

“What? I know you don’t believe me about the twin link thing. No one believes it, especially after psychologists claim to have debunked it, but I promise you it’s real.”

Trying hard to keep the disbelief out of his voice, Oz said, “Even if it is real, you’re safer in this house than roaming the city. I’ll look for Iona. One of my friends is going to help me. We’ll find her. Trust me.”

Ayla took another step forward. The room was small, and it put her in the center. She held out a hand toward him. “Please. You need to understand how much Io means to me. I’ll do anything for her. Anything. ”

Oz believed that. The fact Ayla was in Puerto Jardin proved it. It spoke volumes that someone who hated planes took a nine-hour flight.

He frowned, biting back a sigh. The captain put him in charge. That meant Oz was making the call. Common sense said she should remain here.

“If you leave me behind,” she said, “I will sneak out of this house and look for my sister on my own.”

“That would be fucking stupid.” Shit, he should have worded that better.

Her eyes flashed blue fire. “I’m aware of that, but I don’t care.

Everyone should have a person in their life that they’re willing to do something stupid for.

Iona is my sister. We not only shared a womb, we were literally one egg until we became twins.

If I have to risk my life for her, that’s exactly what I’ll do. You can count on that.”

Oz knew she was determined, but he’d underestimated how determined. Her resolute disregard for her safety could be a problem.

It was an easy call to leave her at the safe house and let the captain babysit her. If she tried to escape, BD would catch her before she could get out.

Probably.

The Big Dog had his plate full running this op. There were a lot of moving pieces and multiple teammates undercover. Given what was going on, it was only a matter of time until something required BD’s attention.

And that quickly, Ayla might decide to dart out the door. If no one was around to monitor her, she’d be gone, out searching for her sister.

The same thing the Russians were doing.

She knew it was an idiot move, but she would do it anyway. Oz pushed his hair back, took a deep breath, and then studied Ayla. He saw resoluteness in her eyes, in her facial expression, in every muscle of her body.

“Fuck. You realize that you might make it harder to find your sister.”

“I won’t.” Another step forward brought her within touching distance. “I’ll do what you say. Promise.”

“I’m telling you to stay in this house.”

“Except for that.”

“I’ll take you with me to look for Iona, but I swear to God, the first time you don’t listen to me, I’m bringing you back here and handcuffing you to the bed. Are we clear?”

“Crystal. I promise you won’t regret this.”

“I already do.”