Light from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 3) (13 page)

Kenzie
felt the world fall out from beneath her. The walls of the car crowded around
her, crushing her with the weight of solid brick. She could not breathe, could
not see beyond the black fog in her brain. She could barely manage a whimpered,
“You-You’re cheating.”

“I
told you once before, all is fair in love and war.” He looked over at her long
enough for her to see the dark glimmer of his eyes. “This is both, darlin’.”

At
that moment, Kenzie was not certain if she loved him or hated him. He was
asking her to do the one thing she swore she would never do again; move again,
using another name, another identity. She had done it so many times in the past
that her soul had begun to fracture off into a hundred shards, leaving only a
slim core of her old self. She was afraid if she pretended to be someone else
one more time, she might never remember who she really was.

It
slowly dawned on her that she did not even
know
who
she was, not
really. She certainly did not know who her mother was.

“You-You
have no idea what you’re asking of me!”

“I’m
asking you to stay safe. You’re not out of danger, Kenzie. Have you forgotten
that someone is still out there, trying to either kidnap you or kill you?” He
pulled his hand away from her leg, but she stubbornly refused to release his
arm. Even in her current state of mind, she was aware of the hurt that crossed
his face, just before he masked it with an angry glower.

“Travis.”
Her voice was hoarse and low, scraping against her heart like gravel. “What
you’re asking…. Please don’t make this about you, about us. This is about me.
What you’re asking… if I did this, I’m afraid I would get so lost I might never
find myself again.”

His
voice scraped the same bumpy road. “Either way, I might lose you.”

“I
can’t go into WITSEC, Travis.” Her voice broke. “Not even for you.”

Tension
charged the air. The coarse silence hummed between them, broken by the shrill
ring of his cell phone. The blaring intrusion caused both of them to jump.

His
voice was gruff as he barked into the phone, “Lieutenant Merka.”

Kenzie
rubbed her aching temples as she listened to his brusque side of the
conversation. “I understand, sir…. No, sir, I’m at least five hours away…. I
can be there before seven… Tell Agent Jensen I’ll meet her at the bar…. Yes,
sir. Goodbye, sir.”

“What-What’s
happening?” Kenzie asked. He looked even more agitated than he did when she
pulled one of her infamous stunts.

“Of
all the times for this to go down,” he muttered.

“Tonight?”
Worry sparked in the single word.

“Looks
like it. Look, darlin’, I’m sorry, but I have to go. We have to go back.” He
was already looking for a place to turn around.

“I
understand,” she said with a sigh. If she wanted a future with him, this was
how it would be. The Rangers’ number one assignment was to work with local
police departments all over the state, to assist and lead, if necessary, in any
way possible. Rangers were often called away at a moment’s notice to travel to
a crime scene, no matter where or whose territory it was in. “Is tonight going
to be dangerous, Travis?”

He
refused to lie to her. “It could be. I’m meeting with Rudy tonight.”

“And
he might recognize you.”

He
shrugged, but she noticed how stiff his shoulders had become. “It’s been
seventeen years since I saw him last. I’ve changed a lot in that time.”

Kenzie
was quiet for a long time as they headed back toward Austin. When she finally
spoke, her words took him by surprise. “I can’t go into WITSEC,” she said
quietly, “but if it will ease your mind, if it will keep you even a tiny bit
safer so that you’ll worry about yourself and not me, I will agree to
protection.”

“You’re
serious?” His voice sounded slightly amazed. Definitely pleased.

“I
won’t give up my identity,” she said quickly. “I can’t pretend to be someone
else. But if it makes you happy, I can give up my freedom.”

His
jaw tightened. “You make it sound like I’m a monster, about to lock you up in a
dungeon,” he grumbled.

“That’s
how it feels, Travis, like a prison. Every move I make is monitored, every step
I take is shadowed by an officer.” A teasing smile came to her face as she
twined her hands around his arm once again. “At least the last time I got stuck
with a sexy Ranger to make things interesting.”

He
bit back the smile that threatened to ruin his frown. “I’ll be sure and request
Ranger Miles, our oldest Ranger. Or better yet, Higgins, our female Ranger.”

She
stretched lazily and tried to sound nonchalant. “My closet
is
getting a
little full,” she admitted. “I might have to give up collecting shoes.”

This
time, he did not fight the smile. It upended his frown, just like the woman
beside him kept upending his world. “Well, that’s one less thing I’ll have to
worry about.”

“I
don’t want you to worry at all, Travis. That’s the only reason I’m agreeing to
this, to keep you safe.”

“I’m
still going to worry about you, Kenzie, no matter.”

“Okay,
but just a tiny bit,” she allowed, holding up her fingers a mere inch. “Keep me
tucked away in your heart, but clear your head. I want you coming out of this
in one piece.” She slid her gaze over him with a devilish smile. “And I can’t
wait to see you in all your biker glory. Might be kind of kinky,” she said,
waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

But
the smiling man beside her was slipping away. With every mile, her approachable
companion fell further behind, replaced by the solemn, serious Ranger she knew
so well. By the time they reached her apartment and he disappeared into the bathroom
to change clothes, his persona had already changed. The stoic, unyielding
lawman was back.

Twenty
minutes behind closed doors, and even that was debatable. Travis stepped out
looking like a different man. The upright, uptight Ranger had been replaced by
a dangerous, devastatingly sexy rebel.

Black
leather chaps encased impossibly long legs, exposing faded denim only at his
crotch and buttocks. Seeing his best features highlighted and so clearly on
display, Kenzie’s mouth watered. Heavy boots replaced his usual cowboy style.
Chains hung from the wicked black belt hugging his waist. The white wife-beater
shirt stretched tight across his scarred chest, revealing arms hard with muscle
and shoulders broad and pointed. He wore a black leather vest and wristband,
with a vibrant red and black bandanna encircling his head. In short time his
hair looked longer, greasier. But most shocking was the vivid tattoo that now
stretched down his left arm.

At
six feet, four inches of lean muscle, his biker persona was intimidating and
mean, and so outright sexy that Kenzie thought she heard herself sizzling from
the inside out. Her eyes raked over him, taking in every fascinating detail.

“Kenzie,
are you alright?” he asked in concern.

She
put up a trembling hand. “Stop. I swear, if you as much as touch me, or call me
darlin’ again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

“Are
you mad at me?” he asked in confusion.  

Kenzie
took a deep breath. “I’m trying to let you get out of here with your virtue -
and my pride - still intact, but I swear, I’m about to come undone, just
looking at you!” she said, her voice oddly shrill. “And just who is Agent
Jensen and why are you meeting her at a bar?”

“She’s
FBI. She’s part of my cover.”

Kenzie
knew the answer, but she asked anyway. “What part does she play?”

“My
old lady.”

She
drew in a sharp breath, surprised at the evil green fangs that sank into her
heart. “You’re meeting her in a bar, looking like that?”

His
brows drew together. “Yeah,” he said warily. “Why?”

“Good
Lord, my teeth ache, just looking at you,” she mumbled. “How could any woman
keep her hands off you?”

Travis
looked slightly embarrassed by her words, the faint stain across his cheeks a
direct contrast to the hard, confident character he portrayed. As understanding
dawned upon him, he said, “There’s no need to be jealous, darlin’. Look at my
tat.”

Her
eyes settled on the realistic-looking tattoo he offered for inspection.
“B-Betty Boop?” Inspired by floor mats in the Volkswagen, Kenzie had used the
name Betty while in Wyoming.

He
grinned mischievously, setting off another wave of desire within her. “Told you
I’d been thinking about you.”

She
studied the cartoon image, which did seem to have some of her facial
attributes. Even though Kenzie was well endowed, her bust was not nearly so
generous and overflowing as the girl depicted on his arm. And she certainly would
not be seen holding
that
in her hand in such a suggestive pose. For
Travis, the image was shocking; for a hardcore biker, it was more modest than
many she had seen.

Travis
slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “As much as I hate to
leave you, it’s time for me to go.”

Biting
her lip to keep from begging him to stay, Kenzie clung to him tightly. Fear
overruled lust as she thought of all that could happen. “Promise me you’ll be
careful.”

“I
promise.”

“Call
me when you can.”

“It
may be a few days. Don’t freak out if you don’t hear from me.”

“I’ll
try,” she promised. “It was bad enough when I thought you just didn’t care, but
now I know how much danger you’re in!” she lamented.

“I
cared,” he assured her. He took her by the arms and held her just far enough
away that he could search her face with dark, glittering eyes. “I do care,” he
said urgently. “Very much.” He proved it with a long and thorough kiss.

He
finally released her, turning to gather his duffle bag and riding gloves. “I
have to go.”

She
fought back tears, failing miserably. “Be safe.”

He
gave her a reproachful look. “You, too. Work with the people who come to
protect you. Play nice.”

Kenzie
brushed away a tear, twisting her face with a sweet smile. “Don’t I always?”

Travis
chuckled. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“What
I want is for you to give Agent Jensen a message.”

“Which
is?”

“That
you, Travis Merka, aka Stix,” she said smartly, jabbing a finger into his
chest, “are taken. Tell her to keep her hands off.”

The
slow smile that softened his face was the most magical thing Kenzie had ever
seen. His rare smiles always melted her heart and curled her toes; this one humbled
her. She had never seen a man look so genuinely pleased, so touched. It was a
heady feeling, knowing she inspired such a smile.

The
flirtatious light that came into his eyes was just as potent, as he turned her
earlier words back on her. “Aw, darlin’, does this mean I’m your man?”

Kenzie
grabbed his face with both hands, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him soundly. She
landed back on the balls of her feet, wearing a pleased smile. “What do you
think?”

“I
think I’ll put in for a transfer the minute I get back,” he mumbled.

She
laughed, hiding her giddiness by raking her eyes over him. “Be sure and keep
the biker outfit,” she purred in a sultry voice. “It’s very sexy.”

One
more kiss, and he sighed. “I have to go.”

Kenzie
hooked an arm through his. “It may not be good for my reputation to be seen
with such a bad-ass biker, but come on, I’ll walk you to your bike.”

“You
don’t have to.”

“Are
you kidding? This is one pleasure you are not going to deny me tonight. And if
I’m giving up my shoe collection, I’ve got to get my jollies somehow.”

***

Four
hours later, Kenzie stirred from a restless sleep when she heard the buzz of a
text message on her phone. Reading it, she smiled and curled up with the warm
and fuzzy feeling echoing in her heart. The words, like the man, were simple.

Heart
and soul, darlin. Heart and soul.

Kenzie
tried. She tried to ‘play nice’, but the effort was too much.

The
moment she agreed to police protection, two DPS officers showed up at their
doorstep, disguised as Kenzie’s and Makenna’s shadows. From that moment
forward, everything the sisters did was monitored and recorded, traced and
followed. The partial print from her damaged brake line came back with a match
from a known criminal; his ties with the Italian Mafia brought in agencies from
all over. At any given moment, their apartment might be overrun with an
assortment of local police, DPS officers, Texas Rangers, FBI agents and
Homeland Security personnel. Kenzie thought the constant protection was
over-kill, but no one seemed to be asking for her input. They rotated shifts
among the agencies and someone followed either sister any time one stepped foot
out of the apartment. Cars were checked, calls were monitored, packages were
scanned. It was like living under a microscope.  

Makenna,
more tolerant than her twin, found the protection an irritating but necessary
evil; Kenzie found it stifling. By the third day, she made a game of trying to
outwit the agents who followed her every move. By the fifth day, the game had grown
weary, the agents had grown angry, and Kenzie’s nerves had mushroomed into a
destructive force.

Makenna
came in while Kenzie was packing her suitcase.

“And
just where do you think you are going?” her sister demanded.

“Uh,
what are you doing home so early? I thought you were doing interviews today.”

“My
last appointment canceled, so I got through earlier than expected.” A freelance
reporter, Makenna was doing a special series for
Now Magazine,
the same
magazine where Kenzie was employed as a photojournalist. “But don’t change the
subject. Why are you packing a suitcase?”

Kenzie
was careful not to look her sister in the eye as she delivered her practiced
speech. With her uncanny twin sister radar, Makenna would see right through her
lie. Letting her hair fall as a veil in front of her face, she tucked a
colorful selection of underwear and bras into one corner of the luggage. She
had a weakness for frilly, sexy undergarments, even though they were seldom
seen by anyone other than herself. “Kate called and offered me an assignment.
In Miami, of all places. Can you believe it?” She glanced up just long enough
to flash an enthusiastic smile. “I haven’t been to Miami in about three or four
years, since I did that story on the shark attack. Do you remember that? So
tragic.”

Makenna
let her rattle on for a few minutes as she eyed the assortment of jeans and tee
shirts going in. When Kenzie stopped chattering, she asked, “Dressing rather
casually, aren’t you?”

“Oh,
I haven’t finished yet. These are my causal clothes.”

“You’re
seriously wearing blue jeans while you’re in Miami? Won’t that be rather hot?”

“I
have some capris in here,” Kenzie lied, vaguely waving a hand over the pile of
clothes. “I just thought jeans might be better if I had to do any down and
dirty investigating.”

“Funny,
Kate didn’t mention any assignment when I talked to her earlier,” Makenna said,
still lounging casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest.

“It
just came up.”

“And
I just talked to her. Like ten minutes ago, literally.”

Kenzie
shrugged. She bent down on one knee, searching under her bed for her other
sneaker. “Guess she forgot to mention it. You know how busy and forgetful
editors can be.”

“Funny,
though, seeing as we were talking about you.”

“Well,
you never know,” Kenzie murmured, snagging the shoe by its toe and hauling it
out with a satisfied grunt. “Oh, look, here’s that earring I was missing.”

Makenna
rolled her eyes but made no comment about her sister’s lack of organization. “I
guess the jeans will also come in handy in the mountains,” she asked dryly.

“There-There’s
no mountains in Miami.”

“No,
but there are in New Hampshire.” Propping her hands on her hips, Makenna
snapped at her sister. “Kenzie Reese, I cannot believe you are going to stand
there and lie to me! You know good and well you aren’t going to Miami. You’re
planning on sneaking back to Haverhill. Admit it, that’s what you’re doing,
aren’t you!”

“You
seem to have it all figured out, you tell me.”

“You’re
seriously going to use that tone with me? What are you thinking, Kenzie! There
are people out there wanting to do you harm. Don’t you remember what happened
the last time you went to New Hampshire? What happened to me just weeks before
that?”

“No,
Makenna, I don’t remember,” she drawled. “I don’t remember being held at
gunpoint by Bernard Franks. I don’t remember watching him shoot at the man I
love or seeing Travis shoot back, putting that neat little bullet hole right in
the center of his forehead. I don’t remember the blood, or being trapped in the
muck and the mud, I don’t remember the smell that I swear is still trapped
inside my nose!”

Makenna
softened, but her face was still set with disapproval. “Well apparently you
don’t remember that you are still in very grave danger. We both are. We have no
idea who is following us, who tampered with your brake lines, who still might
come after us next. Until those charges are filed, we are still a threat to the
other people involved in this mess, and therefore we are still in danger. You
cannot go traipsing off to New Hampshire at a time like this.”

“And
I cannot stay here. I have to go, Ken.” Makenna plopped down on her bed,
sending her laptop on a nosedive toward the edge. She grabbed it just before it
hit the floor.

“Why?”

“It’s
eating me up, Kenna, not knowing the truth about our mother. I have to find
some answers, or I’m afraid I’ll go mad,” she admitted, pressing her fingers
into her aching temples. “Between having someone constantly breathing down my
neck and obsessing over Travis’s safety and needing to know the truth about the
past, I am just about at my breaking point. Do you know I almost made that
sweet little lady who lives on the first floor cry? Her walker got stuck in the
elevator and I nearly cussed her out.”

“I
yelled at the person at McDonald’s for giving me back too much change,” Makenna
admitted sheepishly.

“You
feel it too, don’t you?” Kenzie looked at her twin with bright, burning eyes.

“I
feel so guilty,” Makenna whispered. “My parents are the most wonderful people I
know. I love them with all my heart. I feel like I am betraying them by wanting
to know the truth about my birth mother.”

“You
know they understand.”

“Do
they? I don’t even understand,” Makenna said miserably. She plunked down beside
her sister. “Our parents left me, Kenzie. They abandoned me. They didn’t know I
would be adopted by a loving family. For all they knew I could have been sold
into human bondage! Why should I want to find them? Why would I want to know
more about a mother who would just walk away from her child like that?”

“Because
you know there’s more to the story,” Kenzie said softly. “You saw the picture.
She loved us. Both of us.”

They
sat in silence for a long moment, until Kenzie said quietly, “I have to go. I
have to do this.”

“It’s
like a fire burning in your soul,” Makenna murmured in understanding.

“And
it’s the one thing I can do right now, even though my life is spinning out of
control.”

Makenna
heaved a long sigh. “So what was your plan? How were you going to give them the
slip?”

Kenzie
grinned. Her sister knew her so well. “I was going to tell them I had an
assignment in Miami. I was even going to buy a plane ticket to Florida, so that
anyone monitoring my credit cards would think I went south. After the
bodyguards followed me to the airport and saw me safely on a plane to Miami, I
was going to sneak off, pay cash for a ticket to New Hampshire, and be merrily
on my way.”

“Another
infamous Kenzie Reese scheme,” Makenna muttered. Secretly, she admired her twin
for her spunk and creativity.

“And
it will still work. You just have to pretend you know nothing about it.”

“There
is no way I am letting you go through with this far-fetched plan of yours!”

“But
I have to go!”

“Then
you have to take me with you.”

Stunned
by her sister’s response, she drew in a sharp breath. “Are you- are you crazy?”

“Apparently
so, sister dear,” Makenna sighed. “But if you’re going, I’m going. This
involves me just as much as it does you.”

“Hardin
will never agree to this.”

Uncertainty
crossed her face before it was replaced with a look of defiance. “Hardin is my fiancé,
not my keeper.”

“He’s
also a Texas Ranger and likes his rules and regulations about as much as Travis
does. He’ll never let you go.”

“Then
we won’t tell him.”

Kenzie
stared at her sister in surprise. Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she asked,
“Where is my sister and what have you done with her? Why are you agreeing with
me on this? Why are you not throwing a fit, telling me what a crazy scheme I’ve
created this time?”

“It
is crazy. Crazier than the original scheme that started all this mess to begin
with, when you convinced me to pretend I was you and go to New Hampshire three
months ago. But I started this, and I’m going to finish it. I don’t like lying
to Hardin, and I would avoid it if I could. But we both know he’d never let me
go, just like Travis would never let you go if he knew what you were planning.”

It
was Kenzie’s turn to falter. Maybe this scheme was too crazy, even for her…

“So
how do we pull this one off, Oh Master Schemer?” Makenna asked. “I guess I could
pretend to be covering the print aspect of your assignment, whatever it was
supposed to be.”

“Knowing
Hardin, he would call Kate and confirm our precise schedule, right down to the
minute.”

“So
how do we get past our jailers?” Makenna challenged, using the term Kenzie
favored for their bodyguards. “We can’t just sail off into the wild blue yonder
without them following us.”

“That’s
it!”

“That’s
what?”

“We’ll
take a cruise!” Kenzie grabbed her computer and began typing. “Look! There’s a
cruise that leaves out of Boston day after tomorrow, and cabins are still
available. This will be perfect.”

When
Makenna looked at her in confusion, Kenzie elaborated. “We’ll say this is just
the break we need after so much stress and worry, blah, blah, blah. I’m sure
our jailers will be thrilled to have us out of their hair for a few days. Since
they will most likely fly us to Boston on a private jet, there will be no
credit cards or flight manifests to flag our whereabouts. No one will ever know
we are in Boston. Even if someone actually discovered we were booked on a
cruise, they would be looking for us on the ocean or in the ports where we were
scheduled to stop. And best of all, Hardin won’t worry about not hearing from
you, because there’s limited contact on-board a cruise ship.”

“Okay,
so we con the government into secretly getting us to Boston. How do we get to
New Hampshire? Our credit cards would show renting a car.”

“Not
if we pay cash.”

“They’ll
still take out a hold on the card,” Makenna insisted.

“We
aren’t going to rent a car.” Kenzie’s eyes twinkled. “We’re going to buy one.”

“Are
you serious? Buy a car?”

“Not
a new one. Just some old junker that can get us to where we’re going. What is
it, about four, five hours away?”

“About
half that. It’s not like Texas, where it takes thirteen hours or more to get
across the state,” Makenna reminded her.

Kenzie
flashed a brilliant smile, her green eyes glowing with pleasure. “So there you
go,” she said smugly. “The perfect plan.”

Makenna
stared at her twin, her expression equal parts admiration and horror.

“What?”
Kenzie asked defensively.

“It
is absolutely amazing how your mind works,” Makenna murmured. “Scary, but
amazing.”

“Thank
you,” she preened.

“That
wasn’t necessarily a compliment.”