Gabby didn’t have a sister, but that’s what she would have looked like. They had the same wide-spaced hazel eyes and heart-shaped face. If Gabby had red hair and a better haircut, they could be twins. Although this woman had what Gabby’s grandma would call “a schnoz.”
Gabby could barely focus as Alice went on about facial recognition software. “Facial recognition measures the shape of the face, the distance between features, the similarity of the features themselves, as well as a person’s expressions,” Alice explained. “We did a thorough search of social media profiles to come up with a facial match to Agent Darcy Dagger. Except for the nose, you and Agent Dagger are nearly identical.” Agent Strong scanned Gabby’s face. “You both have that weird little divot in your chin.”
This was surreal.
“The nose isn’t as significant of a difference as it appears. It’s one of the easiest features to disguise. A simple prosthetic will do the trick. A different face shape or smile is much more difficult to hide.”
“You want me to replace Agent Dagger?” Gabby’s world was spinning. She glanced at the clock. Normally she’d be heading to the grocery store or throwing something in the Instant Pot so she could focus on the kids in the evening. Instead the CIA was asking her to replace an agent who did who knows what. In her photo Agent Darcy Dagger looked straight into the camera with a confidence Gabby had never known. Her look said, “I’m ready to save the world, one mission at a time.”
Gabby could make a beer can chicken.
“You’re kidding, right? This is a joke.” If they were still married, she would have suspected Phil. If Alice and Valentina were men, she would expect them to pull off Velcro pants and start singing “Happy Birthday.” Or maybe Ashton Kutcher had started filmingPunk’dagain. Anything was more likely than the CIA recruiting her.
“What did Agent Dagger even do? Was it hard?”
Agent Strong took a sip of coffee from Gabby’s “World’s Greatest Mom” mug. “Darcy was working undercover to take down a Russian shell company masking itself as an American investment business.”
Shell company—Gabby wasn’t sure if she could use that term in a sentence.
“The company is laundering blood money.”
“When you say ‘blood money,’ you mean someone died?”
“Yes.”
Gabby blinked. The more they talked, the less sense they made.
Agent Strong continued. “They are laundering blood money through the business and sending it back to Russia.”
Gabby tried to put it all together, but it sounded like the two-sentence description of a movie Phil would love. She usually fell asleep or scrolled through social media until she ended up watching a girl slightly older than Kyle give a detailed makeup tutorial. Then she would ping-pong between being upset at the expectations Kyle would have to face and wondering if she should order new mascara.
If she was going to consider working for the CIA—how had that thought even crossed her mind?—she needed to make sure someone was around to help with the kids. Lucas couldn’t make his own after-school snacks yet, and Kyle needed a ride to horseback riding. Bonding with an animal was supposed to help with her self-esteem. Gabby picked up her phone to dial her mom. “Let me just check and see if my mom can come to town and watch the kids after school.”
Valentina reached across the table and grabbed her phone. “Ms. Greene, you don’t understand. You cannot call anyone.”
“What if I can’t find someone to watch the kids?”
Valentina looked her dead in the eye. “Ms. Greene, this is a matter of national security. You absolutely cannot tell anyone anything.”
“But—” These women obviously didn’t understand how difficult it was to find childcare.
Agent Strong leaned forward with her elbows on the table, getting uncomfortably close to Gabby. “If you breathe a word of this, you will be charged with multiple counts of unauthorized disclosure of secrets related to the national defense. I will not hesitate to bring you in.”
“Oh.” She dropped her hands to the breakfast table.
“Can I have an extra day to think?” She didn’t want Kyle and Lucas to grow up without a mom because she joined the CIA on a whim over coffee.
“Yes, but we have to get an agent back in the field as soon as possible.”
Gabby nodded dumbly.
“Lives are at stake, Ms. Greene. We have to move fast.”
Before they left, Gabby thought to ask, “What happened to Darcy?”
With no affect, Agent Strong stated, “She was taken out.”
“Taken where?” Gabby asked.
