by Shayla Black
Goddamn Trees for knowing him too well.
Zy cursed. “No, I haven’t taken her to bed. I’d be happy to ignore that stupid-ass rule. Tessa is too afraid of getting fired to break it. I’m telling you…she’s a good person—a rule follower—who wants to do the right thing.”
Trees seemed to weigh his words. “Or she won’t sleep with you because she doesn’t want to get in too deep with someone in the very organization she’s spying on. Sure, it probably has something to do with being a single mother, too. But if I was in her shoes and I was guilty of passing on information for money, the last thing I’d want is to get close to anyone who could find me out.”
What his friend said made a lot of sense. Zy couldn’t deny that, but… “You’re way off base about Tessa.”
“I think you’re the one who’s way off.”
And Trees would, unless someone showed him proof.
Zy cursed again. What the fuck was he supposed to do? “I don’t want to argue. You gotta help me, man.”
“Do what?”
“Prove you’re not our mole.” And that Tessa isn’t, either.
“Still can’t get the bosses off your back?”
“No. They texted me just before we pulled away from the Wests’ place, asking what I had for them.”
Trees raised a brow. “What did you tell them?”
“I haven’t answered yet.” Zy didn’t know what the fuck to say.
“Avoidance isn’t going to make those bastards stop asking.”
“You’re pointing out the obvious.”
“Tell you what. The clues you’re looking for should be on our network and on our teammates’ computers, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me at them. When we get back, I need to head into town to pick up groceries anyway. I’ll spend a few hours at the office and look through the network, just to make one-hundred-percent sure we haven’t been hacked. Then I’ll start taking apart computers. Josiah and Cutter seem like the easiest because they’re both gone. I’ve got Josiah’s computer in my duffel in the back of my truck. He gave it to me this morning before he slid his arm around Maggie’s waist and waved goodbye with a big ol’ smile. And Cutter turned his in the day after Christmas, before he took off for LA again with Shealyn.”
“That would be great.” It might not turn up anything, but it would at least allow him to look at other possibilities.
What are the chances that the guys leaving to get married were on the take?
Zy tried not to put a number to that, because he was afraid it would be near zero. But it wasn’t Tessa; he knew that in his heart.
“Thank you,” he added.
“For pitching in?”
“For not hating me.”
“I wasn’t thrilled. I didn’t say anything at first because I was too pissed. Then I realized you wouldn’t have searched my place without cause. When I tried to imagine what that was…it wasn’t hard to figure out who would put you up to spying on me or why. And once I had that answer, I figured you were as pissed as I was.”
“Maybe more so. They’ve had me ‘working’ on this almost full-time for nearly three months.”
Trees laughed. “Is that why you’ve suddenly become a hard-core Sudoku champ?”
Zy felt heat rush up his face. “I knew you weren’t guilty. And when they refused to give me another assignment, I had to pass the time doing something… How did you know?”
“An educated guess. They’re paranoid. A few months back, they asked me to look at everyone’s online profiles and make sure no one was surfing porn or gambling online.”
That was news to Zy. “What did you find? You gotta tell me.”
“Bryant was an absolute Boy Scout, just like Walker calls him…until he met Shealyn. Then he was all too happy to look up the sexiest pictures of her he could find. It seems like the only things One-Mile gets a boner for are guns and a certain preacher’s daughter.”
Or she wouldn’t be pregnant. “And Josiah?”
“Nothing…except an occasional trip to this dirty little site focused on spanking videos.”
Zy could see that. It wasn’t something he’d ever been into, but he also hadn’t tried… “That would explain why Maggie seemed like she had a sore ass the day we met her.”
Trees grinned. “It would.”
“And the bosses?”
He shook his head. “Logan and Hunter both have pictures of their wives I won’t talk about, but I’m pretty sure that’s their version of porn. Joaquin…he doesn’t have anything on his machine. I’m not shocked. He’s a cool customer, but…”
There was something going on in those deep waters. “For sure. So…do you want to tell me why you keep rope in your nightstand?”
Trees merely smiled. “I don’t.”
Zy laughed with his best friend, like old times. But he was anxious to get back home—both so Trees could start proving who their slippery mole was and so Zy could confront the bosses and he could finally be with Tessa.
“Then you better start driving, or I’ll start asking more questions.”
“Good luck with that.” Trees pulled off the shoulder and onto the road. “But don’t worry. We’re going to figure out who’s been selling our secrets to Montilla and his folks.”
“If anyone can, it’s you.”
“I hope for your sake it’s not Tessa.”
Zy shook his head. “It’s not.”
After all, she’d still been on maternity leave when their first mission to Mexico had gone sideways. How could she have had anything to do with that?
Trees shrugged. “Maybe you’re right.”
But Trees didn’t think so. Zy heard it in his friend’s voice.
January 26
Zy made his way to the office before the sun had even risen. After a night of tossing and turning, he hadn’t seen the point of pretending to sleep anymore.
Today was the day, and since the bosses were usually here early, he’d come to have it out with them.
But the minute he opened the door, it wasn’t Hunter, Logan, or Joaquin who greeted him. Instead, the place was still dark except for a hint of a light from the far right corner of the office, and Trees stood waiting for him, looking both tired and grave.
“Jesus…” Zy peered at him. “You’re still wearing yesterday’s clothes. Did you even go home last night?”
“No. I made my way through Cutter’s computer in a few hours. Josiah thought he’d be cute and added all sorts of extra bits of security and encryption that took forever to get around.”
Zy’s heart started pounding. “And?”
“Grab coffee and meet me at my desk.”
Trees turned away, then. He was always a man of few words when he wasn’t sure what to say.
Dread crawled through Zy’s gut as he poured some much-needed java in what looked like a clean mug. Besides Tessa, Cutter was the only other person around who’d washed the cups regularly. Vaguely, Zy wondered if he should step up and pitch in.
Another day. Right now, there was too much happening to worry about someone else’s day-old cooties.
Sipping his joe, Zy made his way to his desk, sat, and rolled his chair beside Trees to peer at his friend’s screen. “What did you find. Anything?”
“Nothing on Cutter’s. It was clean to the point of boring. Since the bosses texted me late yesterday and asked me to wipe it for the new guy, I started there. I thought Josiah’s would be similar, but he tried to be a wise guy.”
“To hide something?”
“It’s taken me about nine hours and cost me a night of sleep to give you an answer, but no.”
“Did you find anything? At all?”
Trees shook his head. “It looks like he merely added his own layer of security, just in case. It wasn’t a horrible idea. Of all of us, he took most of the dangerous missions, so if his machine fell into the wrong hands…”
True. As former CIA, Josiah had taken those gigs because no one had his field or spy ex
perience. His shoes would be incredibly hard to fill. And Zy wasn’t totally shocked that Trees hadn’t found anything incriminating, just frustrated.
Who the hell was their fucking mole?
“Yeah. Did you check the network?”
“Only enough to ensure that we haven’t been breached and don’t have any detectable trojans or malware. But I haven’t done any sort of deep dive through internal communications. I ran out of time.” He sighed. “And now I’m out of steam, so I’m going to go home, grab a few hours of sleep, and I’ll be back this afternoon to finish up. I called Hunter to let him know. He told me he’s got a new assignment for me in Florida starting tomorrow, so I’ll be sure to finish this before I go.”
Zy’s impatience made him wish Trees had all the answers now, but his buddy had done what he could after their seven-hour drive yesterday, and he needed to tamp down his expectations. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it more than I can tell you. Really.”
He nodded and got to his feet, then grabbed his keys before lumbering for the door. “Try to hold your shit together while I’m gone. We’ll have more answers soon.”
Zy nodded and let him go. He didn’t want to…but fuck. He couldn’t expect Trees’s engine to rev when he had no more gas in his tank. “Do you need me to take you home?”
“Nah. I’m good.” His buddy waved, then he was gone.
In the silence, minutes ticked by like hours while he waited for the bosses to arrive so they could have the conversation he’d been dying for since Christmas Eve. He downed coffee and tried to catch up on emails, watching the door all the while.
Finally, Hunter came in, went straight to his office, and shut the door. Logan came in a few minutes later and did roughly the same thing. Joaquin finally appeared thirty minutes after that, and the bosses immediately holed up in the conference room for what appeared to be some super-secret powwow.
Motherfucking sons of bitches. He was tired of waiting for them to make good on their promise.
At close to eight, Zy rose and paced the reception area in front of Tessa’s desk, feeling like he might crawl out of his skin. He wanted to see her, talk to her. And if his “negotiation” with the bosses—when he finally got to have it—went well, he wanted to touch her. But she was running late.
Hopefully, nothing was wrong.
Suddenly, Logan emerged, grabbed a black coffee, then approached him. “You have a desk.”
He did—way in the back and around the corner where he couldn’t see Tessa walk through the front door. Logan knew it, too.
“Waiting to say hey to the new guy,” Zy lied.
Logan shot him a dubious stare over the rim of his mug. “Sure you are. Lucky for you, Kane is already here, finishing up some paperwork with Joaquin. I’ll take you right to him since you’re so eager to shake his hand.”
Bastard. His boss was calling his bluff. “What the fuck do you want?”
“We’re ready to talk. Conference room. Five minutes. Come with less attitude. We’ve got a new mission for you.”
Seriously? He’d just gotten back, goddamn it. They knew what he wanted. The last thing he wanted to do was leave town again. Yeah, yeah… This was his life, and he’d signed up for this job. He was often gone for weeks at a time with almost no advance warning. But he needed to fix this contractual situation and settle everything with Tessa before the wedge she’d put between them over a month ago grew bigger.
Zy didn’t bother to swallow down his sarcasm. “Can’t wait.”
“Don’t worry. You’re going to love this mission,” Logan assured with an evil grin. “Right before you hate it.”
Then the son of a bitch disappeared.
What the fuck did that mean? He didn’t have time to figure it out before the door behind him opened.
Zy turned. And there she was, his gorgeous bundle of blonde, all big green eyes, soft mouth, and lush tits. He’d missed everything about her, right down to her Southern sass and bless-your-hearts. Jesus, even the sight of her had his breath catching and his body pinging.
Yeah, he had it bad for Tess…and every fucking person on this team knew it.
She dumped her keys in her little pink purse, gripped her laptop bag, and looked up, stopping mid-stride. When their gazes locked, the heavens fucking parted; he felt it.
“You’re back!”
Zy wanted to touch her so damn bad, but he didn’t dare—yet.
“As of last night,” he managed to say past the knot in his throat. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
“Hallie okay?”
Adoration softened her eyes. “She’s fine. Walking everywhere now. I can hardly keep up.”
“What about—”
“Let’s go, Garrett,” Hunter Edgington called out as he made his way to the conference room. “Shit’s hitting the fan and time’s wasting.”
Zy gritted his teeth. “Lunch later?”
Her gaze fell. “We shouldn’t. After the Christmas party—”
“Nothing happened.” Absolutely fucking nothing—no matter how badly he wished otherwise.
“Maybe not physically, but…” she whispered. “You’re splitting hairs.”
“I’m being factual.”
But she was right. He’d tossed out the L word like a bomb, hoping to persuade her to break all the rules with him. He’d been close to piling on and kissing her senseless until she’d given in, too.
Tessa sent him a pleading expression. “This job pays better than everything else. You know I need it.”
“Yeah.” He hadn’t told her that he was trying everything he could to change their situation. No sense unless he succeeded. “I just want to talk to you. I won’t…” Touch you, try to seduce you, tell you all the ways I’m dying to make you mine. He cleared his throat. “Please. I missed you.”
She sighed like she couldn’t refuse him. Fuck, he wished that was true.
“A-all right.”
“I’ll come around about noon.”
Tessa smiled at him again. “Looking forward to it.”
“Now, Garrett,” Joaquin Muñoz growled as he stuck his head around the corner.
“For fuck’s sake…”
“Go,” she encouraged. “Whatever it is seems important.”
It was, and soon he hoped she’d know precisely why.
“If something comes up, I’ll let you know,” Zy promised, then stomped down the hall, hung a left, and barreled into the conference room, barely refraining from slamming the door. “I’m here.”
But he didn’t say more. He couldn’t with the new guy in the room. Around six foot and built broad with an obvious hard-on for bodybuilding, he had piercing dark eyes, a black mustache, and a watchful mien.
“You met Kane Preston?” Hunter offered.
“Briefly.” While all the shit had been going down with the creepy cult, the deputy had been cleaning up the absent sheriff’s mess.
“Josiah highly recommended him, said he’d done an excellent job the last couple of years in Comfort.”
Kane stuck out his hand. “But I was looking to make a change. Some folks call me Scout. But as long as you don’t call me motherfucker, I’ll probably answer.”
Zy tamped down his impatience to get the bosses alone and clapped his hand in the other guy’s. “I’m Chase Garrett. You’ve probably heard everyone call me Zyron.”
“Yep. Good to see you again.”
“Got everything you need?” Joaquin asked the former deputy.
“I do,” Kane replied. “I’ll go make myself useful.”
“Perfect,” Logan said to the guy’s wide, retreating back. The minute he’d gone and shut the door behind him, the younger Edgington turned an intent gaze his way. “We need to talk.”
“Hell yeah, we do.”
“We’ll get to you and Tessa in a minute. More urgent stuff has come up in the last forty-eight hours. Sit.”
Fuck.
He’d run out of patience with their sidestepping him, but this sounded ser
ious. Damn it. Zy took a seat in the nearest chair, across the table from Logan. “What’s up?”
“Our mole struck again. The only people who knew the location of Valeria Montilla’s new safe house were the three of us and One-Mile. At least until last night.”
Zy froze. “What happened?”
“Someone broke in to their new digs in Orlando. Valeria was at a concert, thankfully. But Laila stayed behind to babysit her nephew. She and Baby Jorge barely escaped with their lives. We have to relocate them all now.”
“You need me to go?” He hated to leave Tessa with so much on the line between them, but to save Valeria’s younger sister and son from being snuffed and slaughtered, he would.
“No. We’re sending Kane and Trees to bring them back here.”
Hunter jumped in. “A couple months back, we started working on a plan to relocate Valeria and her family nearby, then shit happened…”
“You’ve got everything in place now?” Zy asked.
He nodded. “We’ll be watching their new safe house ourselves. But we worry it’s for nothing until you figure out who our fucking mole is. If it’s not Trees, we need you to prove it now.”
He tried to keep a leash on his temper. “I know you all have a boner to blame him, but he isn’t guilty, and I’ve proven it as best I can.”
Hunter sent him a cutting glare. “Forgive me if we’re not willing to just take your word about your bestie.”
“I’ve spent three fucking months digging. I’ve seen zero evidence he’s leaked even a drop of urine out of this place, much less critical secrets. Seriously, I spent every waking moment with him in Comfort, just like you insisted. We slept in the same bunkhouse. I dug through his phone. Unless he was shitting or showering, I watched him. He’s done nothing, and I don’t know what you want as proof that he’s innocent.”
The trio fell silent and exchanged glances.
Hunter raised a brow. “Here’s what we know: It’s not the three of us. It’s not One-Mile, who almost died in Mexico as a hostage. It’s not you. Cutter and Josiah are gone now, so I doubt it’s them. That leaves Trees.”
