“Baby, baby, talk to me,” Chance said, tapping Clio’s face. His woman lay pale and unresponsive in his arms. Her identical twin knelt near her, chafing Clio’s hands, and the guy with her stood over them. Bear looked completely confused.
“You’re an asshole,” I said, gazing up at the big brute hovering over us. I was furious. What a terrible way to inform my sister that she had a sister!
“I thought you were Clio,” Bear muttered, looking embarrassed and shamefaced.
“My name’s Thalia. I’m her sister,” I spat as Clio blinked and her eyes opened. It was eerie looking into features so similar to my own. Kelly stood stunned, gazing between the two of us.
“Fuck, will the others look like you two?” Kelly muttered. Uh, maybe we ought to keep that quiet for now. My sister didn’t look too happy.
“Who are you?” Clio asked, and her hands tightened on Chance’s arms. My sister pointed to the brute. “Don’t you talk to me, Bear!” she snapped. Several of the gang members surrounded us, but I was worried about Clio. I’d had two months to get used to this; she’d literally came face to face with her doppelganger.
“It’s a long story, but the upshot is, I’m your sister,” I said calmly as Clio motioned to Chance, and he finally let go and helped her stand. Clio scrambled backwards and propped herself up against a chair. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. We were literally spitting images of each other. Almost as if we’d been cloned.
“How?” Clio whispered.
“This isn’t the time or place, but I’ve been searching for you for two months, ever since I found out I had siblings. We tracked you to this locality, but the trail went dead,” I explained, nodding at Kelly. Kelly was bristling with anger.
“Why don’t we go somewhere more friendly to discuss this?” Kelly said, and I nodded at him. I totally agreed. Whatever my little sister had got into, I didn’t like it. That asshole, Bear, was making shit awkward, and this was not how I envisaged our meeting going.
“Will you come with Kelly and me and let us explain?” I asked Clio, who, while still pale, was gaining colour back.
“I own a tearoom down the street; we can go there and chat,” Clio said. The guy named Chance put his hand out, and Clio clung to him. My eyes narrowed; I didn’t like the idea my sister was involved in a gang.
“That will do,” I said, narrowing my eyes at the hunks surrounding me. Hunks? What was I thinking of?
“Chance, come with me,” Clio hissed, and I felt pain deep inside. Ah shit, Clio loved this guy. Well, he wasn’t good enough for her and I had to figure out how to free her from this mess. Clio would do better when Kelly and I got her home. Wait, had she said she owned a tearoom here? That was a problem with my plans to find her and bring her home.
“Clio…” Bear said, and his voice was broken.
“Fuck you. I’m Chance’s old lady, and you accused me outright of cheating Bear. I’m furious at you, and you’re in the doghouse. And I’m pregnant with Chance’s kid, and you believed I was cheating!” Clio spat angrily. I glanced at the big brute. Bear was a good name for the monster-sized man.
“Clio…” Bear said, and Clio slashed the air with her hand.
“If you loved me like you claim, you would have checked your facts. Chance told you I wasn’t cheating!” Clio spat.
“I had fucking pictures of her and him. How was I to know that it wasn’t you? Not as if you knew you had a twin!” Bear said ire in his voice. I watched, worried, as my sister stepped up to the big brute and reached up and slapped him around the back of the head.
“You should have trusted me!” Clio yelled and stepped aside as Chance moved towards her. I stepped closer, ready to protect my sister, and Chance turned a dark look at me.
“I blame you. If you’d have announced yourself, Clio and Bear wouldn’t be in this position,” Chance growled.
“How could I announce myself when I didn’t know where she was? I was looking for her asshole. Why didn’t that bastard approach me when he saw me with Kelly?” I yelled back. The hell I was taking the blame for this. The big brute looked shamefaced and broken-hearted.
“I warned you, her,” Bear rumbled and rubbed his face. Oh well, that worked, didn’t it!
“You should have come up to me in the street and confronted me then,” I disagreed, and I saw he accepted what I was saying.
“You’re right,” Bear said, but it didn’t pacify Clio.
“Leave me alone. I need time. Being called a whore and accused of cheating has left a very sour taste in my mouth,” Clio growled. She turned to me and beckoned with her fingers. “Follow me.”
Chance held my sister carefully as she led us away from the gang’s clubhouse and across the street. Although he treated her gently, I was wary and worried about what my sister might be involved in. But she was mine, and I had to free her. If we had to run in the night, so be it, whatever it took to free Clio. Clio stopped outside a shop and opened the door. My eyes widened as we walked into an old-fashioned tearoom. A woman came hurrying towards us, her eyes narrowed.
“Clio, you’re meant to be resting….” The woman’s voice faded as her stunned gaze took in the two of us.
“Apparently, Amber, I have a twin!” Clio said, and Amber’s stunned gaze kept swapping between us.
“Holy shit, did you know?” Amber asked.