Page 7 of Sweet Little Spies

“Okay, if you look like that in the pictures, your futurechildren will worry you were forced into this marriage. You want to run,cousin?”

She glanced back and Tasha Taggart stood in the doorwaylooking gorgeous in her bridesmaid dress. It was a blush pink with a plungingneckline flowing to a fitted skirt. Carys stopped and sighed because it trulywas lovely. Everything was beautiful.

She was letting one thing ruin the most special day of herlife.

A little thing like one of her grooms wasn’t here.

Still, she had to put on a brave face because Aidanwashere. Aidan had been at her side the whole time, and he needed to know how muchshe loved him. She needed to believe they could make this work on their own.Without Tris.

“Devi did an amazing job,” she said, forcing a smile on herface. She wasn’t this mopey girl.

Tash walked in, setting her bouquet aside. “She did indeed,but you should know Kala is complaining the skirt is too tight.”

“I said no weapons.” Yes, she was the bride who had to tellher bridal party they shouldn’t strap on an armory, and it proved beyond ashadow of a doubt her family was filled with psychos.

Psychos she adored. Her family could be intense. Though herfather had left the military and security business before she’d been born, mostof her family still had feet planted firmly in that dangerous world.

She’d made peace with her cousins long ago. Her cousinshadn’t forced Tristan to work with them. She’d come to the conclusion that ifher cousins hadn’t offered Tris a place on their team, he would have foundanother way. She didn’t have to lose her family because one man couldn’t loveher the way she needed.

Tasha grinned. “Oh, you can ban weapons all you like, but Iassure you there are some here, and it’s not just my gang.” She closed the doorbehind her. “Why are you in here all alone, Carys?”

“I needed a couple of minutes.” Her mom was running aroundensuring everything was perfect. Avery O’Donnell was dealing with thephotographer.

She didn’t like to think about Serena Dean-Miles being leftout. She was merely another guest at this grand affair when she’d been such abig part of the planning.

I know he’s going to come around, Carys. I know he lovesyou. I think he’s in trouble and he doesn’t want to bring you into it.

Serena had tears in her eyes the night of the rehearsaldinner. She’d had some wine and gotten emotional.

Carys had been shut down. Like she always was now. She wasstanding here in the dress of her dreams, ready to marry a man she loved, andshe felt…numb.

“You could change your mind. You could walk out there andtell them you want to turn this into a fun party and wait,” Tasha offered.

“Would you like to tell me why I would call off my wedding?”The words came out harsher than she meant them. Or maybe not. Maybe this wasone of those times when she resented her cousins’ secret world.

Tasha’s face fell. “I would like to, but you know I can’t. Ican only tell you he loves you and he wishes things were different. We’re goingto figure this out. I promise. Right now I don’t think it’s safe for him to bearound you.”

“Are we talking about Tris? Because it’s so not safe for himto be around,” another voice said. “Carys, dude, how am I supposed to kick assin this thing? I can’t even hide a knife with how tight this is, and Devi wasreal rude when I suggested an adjustment.” Kala Taggart. The murderiest of hercousins was in the house.

“Hey, stop. We talked about this.” She was followed by hertwin sister. Kenzie was Tigger to Kala’s kind of evil Eeyore persona. She wasbouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy, fun fun fun fun fun. Right up until she had toassassinate someone, but then Carys was sure Kenzie did it with pep to herstep.

The twins were perfectly identical physically. Down to theirscars. Seriously, when one got shot, the other had to find a way to fake thescar if it was visible to the public. From what Carys understood from context,the twins were known through the intelligence world as one person. They’d runan op at the club she and Aidan played at a few months back. Aunt Charlotte hadsat down with the women of The Hideout and explained they were to call KenzieKara for the night and to not ask about why Kala was hiding in the locker roomwhile Kenzie hung out with some dude who was probably a spy.

Carys had done what she always did these days. She’dconvinced Aidan to take her to a privacy room and pushed him to spank her untilshe cried. She’d avoided all the spy stuff.

“You are not ruining the lines of that gorgeous dress with asmall sword on your thigh.” There was only one way to deal with her cousin.Boundaries. They had to be firmly in place. But simply because she had somerules didn’t mean she hadn’t thought of Kala. For all her rage, there wassomething oddly fragile about Kala Taggart. A deep vulnerability that alwaysmade Carys think about her comfort.

Kala frowned, looking at her sister and then her twin likeshe’d been caught doing something terrible. “I’m sorry. I was joking.”

“No, you weren’t.” Sometimes it was fun to get Kala in anawkward position. Carys couldn’t help the impish feeling rising inside. It wasgood to feel anything at all.

Maybe she was coming out of her broody era. Maybe she coulddo this.

Kala looked to her twin. “I don’t know what to say becauseshe’s right. I’m not joking. I know, like, we’re supposed to be all about thebride, but what if someone decides to attack the wedding? This bouquet thingdoesn’t even have thorns. I can probably take out a couple of eyes with myshoes, but I’m at a loss for anything else.”

Yes, it was fun to tease her, but it was time to let her offthe hook. After all, she’d thought of everything. “No, but I made sure thebouquet is long enough and wide enough for you to hide a knife or a smallpistol in.”

Kala’s eyes lit up. “Seriously? Because my mom threatened mewith a bunch of stuff I’m scared of if I screw this up for you.”

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