Page 9 of Double Take

“I need you to know that I am not Mark Hammond.”

“Why?”

“Because your late husband was a bastard.”

That was something they could agree on, but she’d heard enough bullshit. She stood up. “You need to go now.”

“Please…”

“Please, nothing. Get out.”

His face seemed to sag. “Can I see you again…another time?”

“No.” She strode to the door and flung it open, waited until he got up, and stepped onto the porch.

He’s the one. He’s the one.

Had she considered her inner voice wise? She was a moron.

“Seeing how you’re not dead, I intend to initiate divorce proceedings,” she said and then winced at her stupid admission.Never show your hand to the enemy.The last time she’d tried to divorce him, he’d blocked her.

Maybe the previous time had been a coincidence. She’d only tried three attorneys. And this was Terra Nova, not Earth. She might have a better chance of getting an attorney here. She was pretty sure she could get a no-fault dissolution of marriage,but if she needed a reason, she had plenty to choose from—abandonment, adultery, mental cruelty. Being a lying sack of shit probably wasn’t grounds, but it should be.

“You can’t do that.”

“Watch me.”

“Your husband is physically and legally dead, and you have no idea the heap of trouble you’d unleash.”

“You’re threatening me? You asshole!” She slammed the door in his face.

Chapter Five

What the hell had he been thinking approaching her like that?

He hadn’t been thinking at all. He’d beenfeeling. After traveling halfway across the galaxy to get a glimpse of her, he hadn’t been able to resist talking to her. Now he’d fucked things up worse.

She’d misunderstood his intentions. He would never threaten her; he’d meant to warn her. Divorces were public record. Filing for a dissolution of marriage would announce to the world Mark Hammond was alive. Exposing one agent could expose the entire agency. Dark Ops would take swift action to keep its secrets. When they discovered he’d been the cause of her filing, they’dpermanentlyretire him.

He never should have mentioned the organization—that alone could result in hisandher disappearance—but she’d looked at him with such incredulous disdain. Cover stories, disguises, his identity—his whole life was false. For once in his miserable existence, he wanted to tell the truth and tell it to somebody who mattered.

Look at me. See me.

She hadn’t believed him, and he had no way to prove his real identity. As he’d said, DNA wouldn’t do it. Hammond had been cremated, so there was no body to exhume. Ironically, the only person who could prove he wasn’t her husband was Faith herself. She had identified the body at the morgue.

He didn’t know how to prevent her from filing for divorce. Terra Nova was a long way from Earth. It was unlikely she could file this late on a Friday afternoon, and hopefully distance and bureaucracy would hinder her efforts.

The only option now was to give her time to process what he’d said and then approach her again.

He’d never considered that she might not believe him—he hadn’t planned to speak to her! Impulse and longing had overridden his good sense. If he had thought about it, he would have expected shock—although not so much that she’d keel over in a faint. Fortunately, he’d caught her before she hit the stone floor.

He trudged toward the Happy Night Inn. Low-key, laid-back, low-tech Terra Nova would have been the perfect spot to rest and unwind.

He would snap before he unwound.

He greeted the innkeeper at the front desk with a passing wave and went straight to his room. It was tiny but homey and quaint. A patchwork quilt covered the queen bed, and a rag rug lay on the wooden floor. Fresh flowers had been placed in a vase on the dresser. He sank into the easy chair in the corner.

Despite his unease at the turn of events, he felt rejuvenated at having seen Faith. Brown eyes had sparked with ire and disdain, but she looked good. Shorter brunette hair dusted her shoulders and framed her pretty face. She was no longer the dewy-eyed bride she’d been at her wedding; however, the pinched expression in later vids had vanished, making her look younger than her thirty-two years.

---