Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted 3)

“Something like that. Depends on what the judge decides.”

True that. “Thanks for the info, buddy.”

Trees clapped him on the shoulder. “What are friends for? By the way, in case you need to blackmail Councilman Bennett into being harsher with his nephew, I hacked into his computer and printed out a complete history of his porn habits. That’s some sick shit, man. I’ll never look at vegetable shortening and barbed wire the same again.”

Zy didn’t want to know.

“Thanks, man. Unless I need it, keep that shit to yourself.” They laughed as Zy sat and booted up his computer.

“You haven’t been on assignment lately. What do the bosses have you working on?”

Damn. Trees was observant, and he’d been purposely evasive. He should have seen this question coming. “Um, just some background for a potential new client.”

Trees frowned, and Zy did his best not to wince. He felt like shit for lying to the friend who’d had his back through thick and thin. Eventually, when he proved Trees wasn’t their mole, he hoped the big guy would forgive him.

“Sure,” Trees said dismissively, then focused stubbornly on his screen.

“Look,” Zy dropped his voice. “They gave me an assignment I can’t talk about yet, okay? I’ll explain as soon as I can.”

And he would.

The promise appeased Trees a little. “Sure.”

But as his friend focused on his work again, Zy merely stared at his own computer. What the hell could he do to prove his friend innocent when Trees was sitting a mere six feet away? Everything One-Mile had said on Friday evening swirled through his head.

“Hey, I got a question… How secure is our network here? Is it pretty hack proof?”

“That came out of nowhere. Why do you want to know?”

Shit. How the hell was he supposed to answer that?

Zy shrugged. “Just curious since you were talking about hacking the councilman’s shit. I know you usually like to put your two cents into whatever cybersecurity you work with. We good here?”

Trees raised a brow. “You hiding the fact you’re into Crisco and barbed wire, too?”

“Fuck no.”

His friend laughed. “Good to hear it. We’re safe. Right after I hired on, the colonel and I put our heads together and shored up the internal firewall. He’d done a decent job, but you know I like to put my touch on everything.”

That should make EM’s network a hundred times harder to break into than a bank vault. Which meant the chances of anyone on the outside hacking past Trees’s safeguards to mine their information were almost nil. But that also meant anyone on this side of their firewall stood the best chance of wreaking havoc. One-Mile had ruled out everyone except Trees and Tessa, but Zy refused to believe either was guilty. Someone else around here had to be on the take. But when he reviewed the list of suspects again…they were the only two who made sense.

“Is something going on?” Trees asked.

So much I don’t even know where to start. “Nothing important.”

Trees clearly didn’t believe him. “You know I’ve always got an open door and an ear, right?”

“I do. Thanks, man.”

Trees nodded. “What are you going to do about Tessa?”

“Cash is apparently going to rehab, which means he’s out of her house and out of her life for a while…but my hands are still tied.”

“That’s got to be fucking miserable. Sorry.”

Zy nodded. “You still seeing Madison?”

“I’m not dating her. We’re friends.”

“She’d sleep with you if you asked.” But Zy knew what Trees was going to say.

“I know. She told me. But she’s not what I need.”

Trees was looking for the sort of female who could survive by his side through any sort of apocalypse, one he seemed convinced was imminent. And she had to have the birthing hips to give him lots of kids. Madison wasn’t that woman. She was a high-maintenance waif from start to finish.

“Doesn’t mean it’s not okay to want her for now.”

Trees nodded like that had crossed his mind. “I know. But—no offense—she’d had too many guys like you talk her into bed for a night and walk away. Her heart has been broken, and I don’t want to add to her unhappiness simply for a few minutes of thrill.”

Ouch.

Madison had seemed casual and happy for the pleasure. Until now, Zy hadn’t thought he’d actually hurt her. “Shit. Now I feel bad.”

“I told her you’re actually a good guy…deep down.” Trees sent him a wry smile. “Still not sure she believes me.”

Zy hadn’t given her any reason to.

The hours until lunch passed by at a snail’s pace. Tessa usually took her break around twelve thirty, preferring to finish her morning tasks first. A few minutes beforehand, he ensured all the bosses were either wrapped up or out finding food before he approached her.

“Hey.”

She didn’t smile, but her eyes glowed with something like yearning. “Hi. Good weekend?”