Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
He wasn’t his brother.
“I was right, Jules,” he said, his lips barely moving. He pulled back and looked at the man—Ant. “Where is he? The—the man who pretended to be you?”
Ant looked at Liam oddly, but before he could say anything, there was the distinct sound of police sirens and helicopter blades.
“Your ride has arrived, Uncle,” Ant said, walking over to Uncle Wayne and hauling him to his feet with one hand.
Uncle Wayne cursed and nearly passed out, but Ant ignored it, dragging him unceremoniously toward the front door.
“Will someone explain to me what the hell is going on?” Jules said.
His mind still reeling, Liam whispered, “This is the real Anthony, Jules. Don’t you recognize him?” Although his face had matured a lot, Liam could still easily see the teenage Ant’s features in that man’s face.
“But—” Jules said. “Then who the hell was the other Anthony? And where is he?”
Liam’s heart clenched. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling. There was indignation and fury—that fucking liar—but there was elation too. He wasn’t a pervert. He wasn’t sick and twisted. He was—maybe they could—
Shaking those thoughts off—now wasn’t the time—Liam turned and followed Ant out of the house. He needed to find out what was going on.
It seemed Ant had handed Uncle Wayne off to the authorities; the police helicopter was leaving already.
“I think we deserve an explanation,” Liam said.
Ant’s shoulders tensed. He gave a clipped nod and returned to the house.
Liam and Jules followed him into the office.
“It’s a long story,” Ant said, taking the seat behind the desk.
Liam felt his insides tighten in discomfort when he saw him in the seat Anthony—the impostor—usually occupied.
“We have time,” Jules said, plopping down in the chair opposite him. Liam took the other one.
Ant looked from Liam to Jules, his lips pursed. “First of all, I’m sorry for not returning home sooner.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Liam cut him off impatiently. He wanted to know where he was. And who he was. “Why was there someone else impersonating you? And where is he now?”
“He told us he—you were seriously injured,” Jules said. “Was that a lie?”
“It wasn’t,” Ant said. “I was really injured—shot with a sniper rifle. Shot in the head.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “How did you survive?”
Ant shrugged. “I was lucky. It was a great, professional shot. I should have died on the spot—I would have if the bullet hit a hair’s breadth to the left. But I managed to stay alive long enough for my team to get me to the hospital. Even after I was stabilized, the doctors still didn’t think I would wake up—I had minimal brain activity, close to brain dead. I was in a coma for a long time. Months.”
“But what about A—the impostor?” Liam said, trying to sound casual. “Who is he? Why was he impersonating you?”
Frowning, Ant sighed. “I can’t tell you his identity. We both were part of an elite secret intelligence squad, and the identities of its members are classified. I can’t tell you his name.”
“There has to be something you can tell us,” Liam pressed. “Come on! You can’t expect us to accept this lousy non-explanation.”
Ant pressed his lips together. At last, he said, his words slow, as if he was measuring them, “I can tell you that he was my partner. We have been friends for a decade, brothers in all but blood.” He grimaced. “Obviously I wasn’t awake at the time, but apparently he was angered by our superiors’ inaction and decided to find out himself who was responsible for my state. It seems he decided that being the bait was the best way to draw the killer out.”
“His mission wasn’t authorized?” Jules said before Liam could say anything.
“Of course not,” Ant said with a shake of his head. “We’re intelligence officers, not detectives. And we’re not allowed to act on home soil. But he’s always been a bit of a maverick. He went behind our superiors’ backs.”
“Then how did he fool the Inheritance Department?” Liam said, utterly confused.
Ant shrugged. “He knows me better than anyone. Over the years, I’ve told him a lot about my family, so I imagine it was easy for him to impersonate me. It helps that at a passing glance we look similar enough that we can use each other’s IDs without any problem.” Ant chuckled. “Other members of our squad called us twins for a reason.”
Liam stared at him in skepticism. “There are advanced lie detectors in the Inheritance Department. He shouldn’t have been able to pass them no matter how well he knew you.”
Ant averted his gaze. “Let’s just say there are ways around it. And before you ask, I can’t tell you.”
“Come on, they checked his DNA!”
Ant pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, his discomfort obvious. He looked around the room, and after a long moment, said, “What I’m about to tell you is highly classified. It can’t leave this room, get it?”