Elle eased the safety off the H&K .45 and put her hand on the door. It was unlocked.
She raised the gun and swung into position just inside the door. The soft blue-white glow of a computer monitor filled the bedroom. Data streamed across the screen.
And the illumination fell across a figure lying in the middle of the floor. She knew exactly what the black dot in the center of the bodyâs forehead was.
Silently, a shadow separated itself from the darkness. She pulled the gun up and fired. A man cursed in surprise.
In the next handful of seconds, her feet were swept from under her as a weight fell on top of her, knocking out her breath. âStop,â a deep voice said as she crashed a forearm into his nose and eye. âI didnât kill him.â
She went still. âThen let me up.â
Cautiously, the man lifted his head and looked at her.
She gasped. âYou!â
Dear Reader,
Ever since I wrote Double-Cross about twin sisters Samantha St. John and Elle Petrenko, Iâve been dying to get back to them and tell more of their story. I mean, come on: twin sisters who were separated for twenty-three years! Who wouldnât want to know more?
I love suspense/romance novels that introduce me to new places, so I really wanted this one to move around. And it does! From the Red Light District in Amsterdam to Germany to Russia to the Greek Islands. I also love stories about sibling rivalry and misunderstanding and I knew I had to include the problems Sam and Elle would have just trying to figure out the pecking order. Thatâs one of those things that can take all your life if you come from a big familyâlike I do. And Elleâs dad seems to be a great dad to have if youâre a spy. One of the things Iâve discovered in my own life is that no matter how out-of-the-norm your life is (and there are parts I still canât discuss!), your family life tends to be normal and weird at the same time.
I hope you enjoy Sam and Elleâs new story. Please stop by my Web page at www.meredithfletcher.com to say hello and tell me what you thought.
Happy reading!
Meredith Fletcher
Look-Alike
Meredith Fletcher
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Meredith Fletcher for her contribution to the ATHENA FORCE miniseries.
doesnât really call any place home. She blames her wanderlust on her navy father, who moved the family several times around the United States and other countries. The one constant she had was her books. The battered trunk of favorite novels followed her around the world when she was growing up and shared dorm space with her in college. These days, the trunk is stored, but sometimes comes with Meredith to visit A-frame houses high in the Colorado mountains, cottages in Maine, where she likes to visit lighthouses and work with fishing crews, and rental flats where she takes moments of âearly retirementâ for months at a stretch. Interested readers can reach her at [email protected].
To Drs. Donna and Brian Johnson, staunch supporters
of Athena Force and of my writing. And to my editor, Natashya Wilson, who loves romance adventure as much as I do and helped me straighten all the wrinkles.
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Outside Suwan, Berzhaan
The Middle East
âPlease! I beg you! Donât kill me! I made a mistake! Just a mistake!â
Seated in the back of the luxury limousine, Vasilios Quinn listened to the man beg for his life. It was music to his ears. A return to days he hadnât seen in many years.
Soundproof windows kept the manâs panicked cries from reaching the dark night outside the limousine. Less than five miles from Suwan, the capital city of Berzhaan, they were in desert highlands filled with hard stone ravines and shifting sandstorms.
It was the perfect place for an execution.
âI swear to you! It will never happen again! I will not allow myself to be so tempted!â Tears ran down the manâs quivering jowls. He was in his thirties yet covered in mounds of baby fat. He hadnât known the hard life so many of his countrymen had suffered.
Berzhaan was part of the Middle East and had faced a precarious existence all its life. The current government, headed by Prime Minister Omar Razidae, suffered from internal strife. The United States was believed to support Berzhaanâs Kemeni guerrillas, who wanted control of the country. As a result, the native terrorist networkâthe QâRajnâattacked the government and the Kemenis alike to drive out the U.S., as well as American sympathizers. Death did a daily business in Berzhaan.
Quinnâs business was with the QâRajn. The man on the limousine floor had acted as go-between to the terrorists.
âI trusted you, Malik,â Quinn said.
Malik sobbed. âI swear, you can still trust me!â
âUnfortunately,â Quinn said, âtrust is like virginity. Once given, it canât be given again. You have to be careful whom you extend it to. I have been very careful. Youââ he pointed the silenced Glock .45 at Malikâs nose ââare my first mistake in over twenty years.â