Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted 3)

Tessa hoped her house was still standing when she got there, but she was too tired to care about it—or him—right now.

Finally, she wedged herself and all her crap toward the plane’s narrow exit, pausing to pick up the stroller from the attendant so she could set Hallie down and stash her gear.

As she crossed the mostly empty terminal, it felt like a ghost town. She’d never seen the wide-open space with virtually no one filling it. All the restaurants were closed, the shops shuttered. Then again, it was after ten p.m. Hers was the last arriving flight today, thanks to her connection from Dallas being delayed. Night had fallen long ago. Darkness pressed in through the windows, making everything in her world seem bleak.

Hallie fussed, wanting to get out of the stroller and move around. The baby was also tired and hungry, and Tessa didn’t blame her. She simply didn’t have a way to deal with her daughter’s unhappiness until they got home.

Finally, she made her way to the bag claim, scanning the expansive area for her former boss.

What she saw instead made her heart seize up in her chest.

In a line next to her carousel was the colonel—along with the entire EM Security team—waiting for her. Hunter held a bright white bouquet of flowers. He and Logan, beside him, both looked banged up. Josiah and Cutter didn’t have too many scratches. Same with Joaquin. But he pushed a wheelchair, and she bit back a gasp when she saw One-Mile slouched in the seat, looking like he’d recently had one foot through death’s door. What he had endured at the hands of Emilo Montilla made her own pain seem smaller. Trees towered over them all with a surprisingly soft expression. And at the end, Zy stood, his stare intense and unwavering.

At the sight of him, the dam of her strength nearly broke. She pressed a hand over her mouth to hold in a sob.

“Welcome home, Tessa.” The colonel stepped forward and wrapped her in a warm hug, which she’d desperately needed for days.

“Thank you. All of you. This is…” She held herself together by sheer will and gave the team a wobbly smile. “I’m beyond touched.”

“These are for you.” Hunter handed her the bouquet of calla lilies, white roses, snowdrops, and greenery. “We’re sorry for your loss.”

She took them, automatically lifting them to her nose. She closed her eyes to regroup and lost herself for a guilty moment in the floral scents before setting them on top of the stroller. “They’re lovely. I appreciate it.”

Honestly, it was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in eleven days.

Logan stepped forward. “What do you need from us? Whatever it is, name it. We’ll take care of it.”

Tessa teared up again. She was at the edge of her control. This was another reason signing her contract had been the right choice, despite the fact it separated her from Zy. Naturally, the money and the benefits had been important, but the sense of family… She needed that so badly. Now that Daddy was gone, she no longer had one of her blood, but she had these men who’d somehow become like protective older brothers.

Losing her father had been a terrible, shocking blow. But her unexpected blessings filled a space in her heart.

She shook her head. “Just the weekend. Y’all look like you’ve been off to war and you might need me in the office.”

“We have been,” Josiah said.

“And we could use you in the office, for sure,” Joaquin added. “When you’re ready.”

She gave them all grateful smiles, then approached One-Mile. “I’m almost afraid to ask if you’re okay.”

The sniper’s face was fearsome—bruised and bloated and unwelcoming as usual—but tonight those black eyes held something surprisingly tender.

“His jaw was broken, so it’s wired shut. He can’t talk,” Logan supplied.

“And we’re all grateful,” Cutter muttered under his breath, who was apparently still furious that One-Mile had taken his girlfriend to bed.

Walker flashed him a glare and an obscene finger gesture.

“Ignore them,” Trees suggested. “Glad you’re back. My condolences.”

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Hallie fussed in the stroller, and the colonel smiled her daughter’s way. “Want out of there, little girl?”

The baby cooed as she flapped her arms and kicked her chubby legs.

“That’s what I thought,” said the older man. “I’m getting lots of practice with my grandkids.”

Out of nowhere, the thought that her dad had only had a handful of minutes to know that joy blindsided her. The grief that came with it was like a blow to the belly, stealing her breath and debilitating her with a pain that went beyond something she could fight with a pill.

Without even thinking, she turned to the only team member who hadn’t spoken to her. At his side, he held a plush white teddy bear with a pink bow around its neck and Hallie’s name stitched on its little hat.