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

“I
called in a favor from the guys in the lab.” Texas Ranger Hardin Kaczmarek made
the announcement as he rummaged through the refrigerator in search of a snack.
He eyed the empty shelves with a frown. “When was the last time you ladies went
shopping?”

“I
don’t know,” Makenna shrugged. “When did you cook last?” Since neither sister
was overly fond of cooking, most of their home-cooked meals came via
compliments of Makenna’s mother or Hardin.

“You’d
think I took you to raise,” the blue eyed man pretended to grumble. “Guess
we’re going grocery shopping this afternoon. Honestly, how did you two survive
before I came into your lives and fed you properly?”

“I
have a cookbook full of take-out menus,” Kenzie said in her own defense.

“I
have a mother who’s an excellent cook.”

“Lucky
for you, you’re about to get a husband who’s an excellent cook, as well.” He
dropped a kiss onto Makenna’s upturned lips and went to study the equally
barren pantry. “You two do get paid, right?” he asked, peering at them over his
shoulder with his piercing blue gaze. “This isn’t a poverty issue, is it?”

“More
like a lazy issue,” his fiancé admittedly readily. “But we have the essentials.
Ice cream, wine, and pretzel chips.”

“Well
then, as long as you have your priorities straight…” He grinned at her
indulgently.

Kenzie
drummed her fingers on the kitchen counter. “You mentioned the lab?” she asked
impatiently.

“Right.”
Hardin pulled his eyes from the auburn haired twin to concentrate on her
sister. “Your brakes had definitely been tampered with. We got a partial print,
but so far no hits from IAFIS.”

“So
who do you think did this? Foto and Franks are both dead, but obviously someone
is still trying to get to my father through me.”

Hardin
shrugged a well-toned shoulder. “Hard to say. Any one of the eight other people
involved in the scam could be behind this. With Franks’ death drawing so much
attention, you know the others must be sweating it out, waiting for their own
part in the scam to be discovered. So far, the Justice Department is keeping
their findings low-key. I think there are three possibilities. Either your
father was exceptionally good at covering his tracks and they honestly don’t
know about the scam he set up, they know something and just haven’t shared it
yet, or someone’s being paid to blame the entire scheme on Bernard Franks,
therefore avoiding a full-blown investigation.”

“After
all, dead men tell no tales,” Makenna murmured.

“But
we have the proof. Once we go public with our files, they will have to
investigate. And prosecute,” Hardin said.

“And
when will that be?” Kenzie asked on a sigh.

“Soon,
Sis, soon,” he assured her, patting her hand. “In the meantime, you have to be
extra vigilant. If you refuse Witness Protection-”

“I
do.”

“-
then you have to be on guard at all times. Why didn’t you call the police as
soon as you realized you were being followed?”

“I
called Travis. And by that time I had lost them, so I thought I was okay.”

“What
did he have to say about your latest wreck?”

“Hey,
neither of them has been my fault,” she defended herself. “I’m an excellent
driver. Both wrecks have been orchestrated by the mafia or Franks or whoever it
is that’s after me this time.”

“All
the more reason you need protection. You’ve been extremely lucky so far.”

“Or
maybe I’m just able to take care of myself, ever think of that?” she asked
smartly.

“So
what was Travis’s reaction?” Hardin asked again.

“I
don’t know. I didn’t tell him.”

“What?
Why not?” he asked sharply.

Kenzie
gave an indignant sniff. “I haven’t told him because I haven’t talked to him.
He said he would call last night, but he didn’t. Just like he didn’t call the
night before, or the night before that. And don’t either one of you dare call
him and tell him. When and if he finally calls me, I’ll fill him in on all the
details of what’s he’s missed not being here.”

“Kenzie,
he deserves to know.” Hardin’s tone was disapproving.

“Why?
Because he was originally assigned to spy on the daughter of a known felon? I’m
sure babysitting doesn’t fall under his impressive new job description.”

“He
deserves to know because he has a personal stake in this.”

“Don’t
worry, I’ll make sure he gets credit for helping crack the case. That should be
another boost to his career,” she said tartly.

“He
cares about you, Kenzie.” Hardin defended his friend almost angrily. “You know
that.”

Kenzie
nodded her head with exaggerated innocence, causing her curly locks to dance
around her shoulders. “Oh, yes, he looked really torn up about leaving,” she
said sweetly. “Of course, it was hard to tell, since he was
driving away
.”

Makenna
rolled her eyes skyward and blew out a noisy sigh. “She’s being impossible,”
she told her fiancé. “I can’t talk any sense into her.”

“But
in case you’re wondering,” Kenzie said, her smile saccharine sweet as she
tossed her ebony hair, “when Craven called last night - as he always does - he
was so worried about me that he wanted to fly in immediately. I had to beg him
not to come. Still, my guess is I’ll see Craven face-to-face before Travis even
bothers to call.”

“So
you and Travis have broken up?” Hardin asked with a frown.

“Broken
up? We were never going together to begin with.” She tried to sound sassy, but
her voice broke with sadness. Without another word, Kenzie whirled and fled the
room.

***

Makenna bit her lip worriedly as she watched her
sister go. “She is
all
torn up. Travis broke her heart when he took that
job.”

“He
really didn’t have much of a choice. It was a hell of a promotion.”

“And
deep down, she knows that. But it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Can you
even imagine all she’s gone through these last two months? She’s had such a
hard life, Hardin. She didn’t have a normal childhood, not like you and I did.
Sometimes I feel so guilty, because I was the one adopted and allowed me to
have a normal, happy life. Our parents kept her but emotionally neglected her.
All she’s ever wanted in life is stability. That’s why she refuses WITSEC,
because to her it feels like her childhood, when she was forced to move from
place to place and pretend to be someone she wasn’t. It’s a wonder she’s as
sane and normal as she is, after all she’s been through.”

Hardin
folded Makenna into his arms, his heart full of compassion for her troubled
twin. “I guess to her it feels like Travis deserted her in her time of need.
She probably feels betrayed. Unworthy.”

“She
loves him so much.”

“I’m
pretty sure he loves her, too. But he has his own demons, you know. He was
seven years old when he saw his grandmother gunned down during a bank robbery.
She was his only family. After that he was raised by the orphanage.”

“Then
they do have something in common, after all,” Makenna murmured. “Sad, lonely
childhoods.”

“Witnessing
his grandmother’s murder was what drove Travis to become a lawman. Sometimes he
takes life too seriously, but it was because of his sad childhood.”

“And
her sad childhood was what drove Kenzie to be the exact opposite. After being
deprived of so much as a child, she’s determined to have it all as an adult,
and all at the same time. She’s morphed into a social butterfly, always the
life of the party.” She squeezed Hardin’s muscle-carved waist. “So much in
common, and yet so different.”

“Give
them time, they’ll work it out.”

“Not
if she goes and does something foolish, like convince herself to fall in love
with Craven Shaw.”

“Mr.
Sweetie Pie, as Travis calls him? I don’t think you have to worry about that.
You can’t convince yourself to fall in or out of love. It just happens.”

“I
know that, I’m just not sure
she
does.” Makenna turned her face up for
his kiss. “I just want her and Travis to be as happy as we are,” she whispered.
“They deserve it.”

After
a long and tender kiss, Hardin nuzzled his face against hers. A neat, thin
ribbon of beard trimmed the square set of his jaw, one shade darker than his
blond-brown hair. His intense blue eyes were warm with love as he pulled
slightly back and smiled at her. “Yes, they deserve to be happy. But I’m not
sure anyone can be as happy as I am.” His words were deep and sensual,
whispered with raw emotion. “Because I don’t think anyone has ever loved
another person as much as I love you.”

“I
know of one other person,” she whispered fervently, pressing a kiss onto his
lips. “I love you just as much.”

“Marry
me, Makenna,” he breathed into her mouth. 

“I-I
am going to marry you.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

“Not
soon enough.” It was a conversation they had all too often. “I want to know a
date. A date not more than a month away.”

She
pulled away. “Hardin, you know I want to marry you, more than anything I’ve
ever wanted in my life. But I- I can’t marry you just yet. Not until all of
this with Joseph Mandarino is settled. Not- Not until Kenzie is settled.” She
curled her fingers into the hard planes of his chest, begging him to
understand. “How can I marry the love of my life and ask her to be a part of my
happiness, when her own heart is breaking? I can’t do that to her. And-And I
can’t abandon her right now. She needs me, Hardin.”

“I
need you, too,” he growled. After a terse moment, he gave a weary sigh and
gathered her close again, leaning his forehead against hers. “Kenzie’s already
like a sister to me, you know. And when we do get married, she will always be
welcomed in our home. She can even live with us, as long as she understands the
meaning of a locked door.” He slid her a devilish look that heated her blood.
“I understand waiting until this thing with your father is over, providing it’s
over with soon. But what if she and Travis don’t work out? What if her heart stays
broken? You can’t put our happiness on hold, waiting for her to find her own.”

“I
know that, I do. Thank you for being so patient with me.” She gave him a quick
kiss. “Hopefully, we won’t have to wait very long. Hopefully, Travis will come
to his senses and tell her how he feels. But he has to
call
her first!
What is wrong with him, anyway?”

“Travis
walked into a very sensitive case in Nacogdoches. He has his hands full right
now. I can’t talk about it, but Kenzie needs to give him a little space, cut
him a little slack. She needs to be a little more patient with him.”

“Unfortunately,
patience is one thing my sister has in very short supply.”  

After
taking the sisters grocery shopping, Hardin prepared a large meal. He joked
that he would be working the next few evenings and wanted them to have plenty
of leftovers so that they would not starve.

They
ended up making a small dinner party of it, inviting their neighbors Marci and
Linda to join them. The group lingered on the balcony, enjoying good wine,
friendship, and some of Hardin’s entertaining stories. Makenna knew that both
her friends had not-so-secret crushes on her buff and handsome Ranger; there
was something about his easy manner, gentle teasing, and his deep, smooth
laughter that captured a woman’s heart the moment she met him. And while their
eyes lingered on his handsome face and rub-board abs, he never seemed to notice
the devastating effects he had on any woman other than Makenna.

Kenzie
insisted on cleaning up the kitchen, shooing her neighbors out the door when
they tried to help. She and Craven were having a running text conversation, but
her mind kept straying to Travis. Despite her brave claims of no longer being
in love with him, she knew it was a lie. She was miserable without him, and
deeply hurt by his failure to call as promised.

“Are
you sure you don’t want me to help clean up?” Hardin asked one last time as he
made his way to the door.

“After
you did all the cooking? It’s the least I could do. And I’m almost done.”

“If
you’re sure… Oh, hey, I almost forgot.” He picked up an envelope from where he
had stuffed it on a shelf earlier. “The Captain gave me these to give to you.
They’re the personal pictures from that roll of film your mother left you in
the envelope. He thought you might like them back.”

Kenzie’s
hands were unsteady as she reached out to take the pictures from him. The day
she left home for good, her mother gave her a large manila envelope, telling
her to keep it safe but to never open it. Her mother called it insurance.
Thinking it contained a life insurance policy, Kenzie tucked the envelope away
and forgot all about it. But three weeks ago she had re-discovered the envelope
and finally opened it, thinking eight years was close enough to ‘never’. Along
with a cryptic letter, the envelope contained coded messages, partial evidence
of the fraud surrounding Modern Power, and an undeveloped canister of film.

When
developed, the film revealed several politicians involved in the scam, but two
of the pictures on the roll were personal. The pictures were of her shared
third birthday party with Makenna, taken shortly before their separation. The
pictures were proof that, for at least a day - and possibly the first three
years of her life - she might have had a happy, normal life, even if she did
not remember it. Just the possibility offered her solace and a small measure of
peace.

“Thank
you, Hardin,” she whispered, pulling the small envelope to her chest. For now,
it was enough to hold them close to her heart and imagine the memory.

“You
bet.” He started to turn away, but stopped to look at his soon-to-be
sister-in-law. “He’s got a lot going on, you know,” he said softly.

She
didn’t even pretend not to know they were talking about Travis. “I’m sure he
does, unpacking and all.”

“I
probably shouldn’t tell you this, but he’s working on a major case. He got this
promotion because he is very good at what he does. And because they needed him
there.”

“Is
he- Is he in danger?”

When
Hardin hesitated a fraction of a second too long, Kenzie’s breath stalled in
her chest. “Our job always has the element of danger.”

“Did
he- Did he know what he was walking into, when he took this job?”

“Yes.”

“If
anything happens to him…” Her voice thickened with tears and she was unable to
finish the thought.

“Be
patient with him, Kenzie. He has a lot going on right now.”

Angrily
pushing away the tears that gathered in her eyes, Kenzie set her jaw. “Yeah,
well, so do I. The last thing I need right now is the added worry that he’s
going to go and get himself hurt. He knew the danger I was in and apparently he
knew the danger he was walking into. He went anyway.” She forced her heart to
be as cold as her voice. “He made his choice.”

“He’s
a good man, Kenzie. The best I’ve ever known. And I know he cares about you.”

“Apparently,
he just doesn’t care enough.” Her voice was softer now, sadder. Faking a smile,
she said, “Thanks for dinner, Hardin. And thanks for the pictures. I appreciate
it.”

“Sure
thing, Sis.” He hugged her and just for a moment, she clung to him, needing to
feel the security of his embrace. “Keep your eyes open for anything out of the
ordinary. Trust your instincts. And call me if a single hair on the back of
your neck as much as tickles.”

Kenzie
shoved him playfully away. “Okay, okay. Now kiss my sister and say goodnight.”

“You
heard her, woman,” Hardin grinned, grabbing Makenna by the waist. “Kiss me.”

As
the two lovebirds lingered by the door, Kenzie wandered toward the couch, carrying
her envelope of pictures. The two photographs were the only ones she had of her
childhood. One of them also featured her father, smiling like she had never
seen him smile before.

What
had gone so horribly wrong to change their lives?

She
had asked the question a hundred times, but never found an answer. They had
been happy in the picture; just two months later, her family left New
Hampshire, abandoned Makenna at a church in San Antonio, and the mad cycle of
their new life had begun. Over the course of the next fifteen years, Kenzie had
lived in over a dozen towns, had gone by almost as many different aliases. Her
entire life had been a series of lies and make-believe.

With
legs suddenly too weak to support her, Kenzie sank into the cushions of the couch.
Her fingers shook as she pulled the photographs out. Tears blurred her vision
as she studied the nearly identical faces, one cherub decked out in a frilly
green dress, one in blue. Their hair was styled in long sausage curls, one head
dark auburn, the other glossy black. The green eyes and dimpled smiles were the
same on either child. And they were so
happy
.

Kenzie
sat back, curling her long legs beneath her as she continued to study the
picture. She imagined what might be in each gaily-wrapped present. The cake,
she decided, was probably chocolate with strawberry frosting. And after the
party they would curl up on the big blue couch and their father would read to
them from Makenna’s book. 

The
book and a rag doll were the only toys their mother packed for Makenna’s new
life. With nothing more than a change of clothes and a small patchwork quilt,
their parents had left the little girl behind. And, it turned out, even the
book and the quilt had not been a means of comfort for the child; both were tainted
with clues, nothing more than pawns in the dangerous game their parents played.

Shuffling
the photo behind the other one, Kenzie realized she held three photos in her
hand. There had only been two before; where had the third picture come from?
Had it been left in the negative folder when they first looked at the roll?
Puzzled, Kenzie glanced at the photo she remembered, the one with their father
standing between the twins, his face all happy and proud. Pain hitched in her
heart as she quickly slid the photo behind the others to reveal the new
picture.

Kenzie’s
breath escaped on a gasp. The photograph shook as her hand trembled, making it
difficult to focus, but one thing was crystal clear: something was terribly
wrong.

Across
the room, Makenna shut the door behind Hardin and twisted the locks he insisted
she use. One glance at her sister, and the smile slid from her face.

“Kenzie!
What’s wrong? Is it your leg? Something from the wreck? I knew you should have
gone with the ambulance! What is wrong with you?” Makenna imagined vivid
scenarios as she flew to her sister’s side. Kenzie was curled up on the couch,
her face void of color and her entire body trembling.

When
her twin did not answer, Makenna sat down on the couch beside her. She touched
her sister’s arm, finding it cold and quivering. “Honey, you’re as cold as ice.
Are you in pain?”

Kenzie
managed to shake her head. She closed her eyes and turned the photograph in her
hand toward her sister.

“Oh!”
Makenna’s voice squeaked when she saw the unfamiliar picture. Her own hand
wobbled as she reached for it and pulled it close for examination.

“Oh.”
This time, the word whispered in awe. “Oh, my. Is this - Is this her? Is this…
our mother?”

A
woman stood between the little girls in the photo, her arms curled around their
waists as she bent to their level. The picture had been snapped as she was
laughing, freezing the look of joy upon her beautiful face. Even though the
color quality of the photograph had been compromised after so many years, there
was no denying the sparkle of her green eyes, or the lively auburn highlights
peeking from her dark hair. Her hair was clipped an inch beneath her ears and
Makenna could practically see the cloud of curls dancing in the still
photograph.

Struggling
to find a memory, Makenna stared at the woman who had given her birth. In her
heart, Madeline and Kenneth Reagan were her parents. She had never had any
desire to know the couple who gave her life, then gave her away. She had a
faint memory of a man reading to her on a big blue couch, but she had no memory
of this woman. For the first time, Makenna regretted that fact. The woman in
the picture obviously doted on the two little girls. The children leaned into
her, their faces happy and shining as they shared the spotlight with their
mother.

“We-We
look like her.” Makenna breathed the words in awe. Reeling in her own shock,
she never noticed Kenzie’s reaction to her wonderment. “We-We have her heart
shaped face. Her eyes. Definitely her full figure. I-I think you have her cheekbones.
And I guess this is where I got my red hair.” Her finger trembled as she traced
the face of her birth mother, a woman she suddenly ached to remember.

Tears
ran unbidden down Makenna’s face. She thought she was beyond the hurt of being
abandoned as a child, she thought she wanted nothing to do with Joseph and
Maggie Mandarino, the people who so carelessly left her behind. It took only
one photograph to change all that.

“We
look so happy,” Makenna said. A frown of confusion puckered her brow. “You-You
said she was so stiff. So uncaring. But, look at this!” She thrust the photo in
front of her twin. “She obviously loved us. There’s a glow in her face, a
sparkle in her eyes. She loved us, Kenzie.” Desperation flavored her words. For
the first time, she wanted to believe that. She
needed
to believe it.
More importantly, Kenzie needed to believe it.

Kenzie
slowly shook her head, her cheeks ashen. 

“This
woman loved us, Kenzie. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know what made her
give me away, what made her treat you so coldly, but you can’t deny this
picture!” Makenna’s voice rose with something akin to panic. “Once upon a time,
our mother loved us!”

Kenzie
continued to shake her head. Finally, a few strangled words squeezed past the
lump in her throat. “Not her.”

“What
do you mean, not her? Of course her. You saw our room in New Hampshire. No one
goes to that much trouble for their children unless they love them.” Their
adventures in New England had led them to their childhood home, a home they
legally owned. Practically untouched by time, the log cabin was exactly as they
had left it twenty-three years ago. The room the twins shared was hand-painted
with fairies, a little girl’s paradise in lavender and green.

Kenzie
managed a coherent whisper. “That’s not her.”

“Not
who? Our mother? Of course it is. We look exactly like her! I don’t remember
her,” Makenna’s voice wavered at the admission, “but this is undoubtedly our
mother.”

Kenzie’s
head bobbed in the other direction, nodding affirmation. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Our mother.” Kenzie raised grief-stricken eyes to her sister. Her voice was
raw as the words suddenly burst from her. “But that is not the woman who raised
me!”