Wicked and True (Wicked & Devoted 4)

“It’s no problem. Thank you, ma’am.” Matt tipped his hat.

If she hadn’t been falling apart and already in love with Zy, she would have better appreciated just how damn hot he was, gray eyes surrounded by a thick fringe of dark lashes and a sly smile.

Instead, she shook her head. “I’m not ma’am, just Tessa.”

“Tessa is a pretty name.”

She swallowed. He was flirting. She couldn’t handle this right now.

“Thank you. I should get back to work.”

“My friend is too polite to ask you something,” One-Mile butted in.

She frowned. “What’s that?”

“Walker…” he growled in warning.

“He thinks you’re hot and wants to know if you’re down to have drinks tonight. Or sex. He’s up for both.”

Matt backhanded his buddy in the chest, then sent him a killing glare. “I apologize for my former friend’s terrible manners. I’d just like to get to know you.”

He seemed like a really nice guy, but now wasn’t the time and he wasn’t her man. “Sorry. I’m…involved.”

“So you and Zy kissed and made up?” One-Mile asked.

Was that how everyone else saw their relationship? As having fallen apart over the past few days? “There was never a fight to start with.” Then she turned to Matt. “If you want to get to know a really sweet girl, I know someone I could introduce you to. Madison is—”

“Thanks.” Matt looked distinctly embarrassed. “I’ve spent a Friday night alone before. I’ll be fine.”

With an apologetic nod, she walked away, then glanced at her phone. She still had ten minutes left on the kidnapper’s clock.

Making her way to her desk, Tessa glanced over her shoulder to ensure no one was following or watching, then she opened the device and tapped out an email, attaching the pictures she’d taken and advising them that something would probably be happening soon, but the plan was still forming and she’d know something more later tonight. Then she sent it off and prayed.

A few minutes later, she received a message in return. It contained no words, just a still image of Hallie, looking clean and pink-cheeked. She wore a too-large gray shirt and sat on a shag carpet some soft beige shade, holding a plastic banana, laughing at a cat jumping in the air. It was date- and time-stamped less than five minutes ago.

Her heart soared.

Tessa kept scrolling, hoping there was more, especially instructions on when and how they might release her daughter. Instead she found two additional demands.

Advise us the minute you know the plan. Email may no longer be secure. Download the Abuzz app and await further instructions.

She did it immediately. Of course she was going to. But she couldn’t keep living like this. Every day without Hallie was excruciating, but at least she’d had work to occupy her. This weekend, she would have nothing. And if she couldn’t tell Zy that she wanted to move in with him, she would have no one. How would she make it until Monday with her sanity intact? She wouldn’t. She was going to have to do something else and get creative—now.

The day dragged on for-fucking-ever. The police finally cleared out about midday. Tessa was eating her lunch at her desk, seemingly fixated on her phone when Zy came by to ask her out. Instead, he just kept walking, pushing his way out the door before he hopped on his bike.

God, this sucked, but Trees had put everything into perspective on their last call.

Listen, if she’s not guilty, then lying to her about this fake op won’t mean anything. You’ll just say later that it fizzled due to new intel. She won’t question it. And if she’s guilty of passing on information…well, you’ll find that out—and who she’s telling—if some shit goes down that matches your BS. You just gotta hang tough until then.

As much as Zy didn’t want to think Tessa could be guilty, he was starting to realize she might be. He’d known for a while that she needed money, but always believed she was the kind of person far too loyal to stab her friends and lovers in the back.

It might be time to rip off his rose-colored glasses.

The second half of the afternoon proved as excruciating as the first. Matt and One-Mile scooted out a little before quitting time to find the cowboy another place to hang his hat while he stayed in Lafayette. Apparently, Matt cramped Walker’s style because he couldn’t fuck Brea on the kitchen counters whenever he wanted. That was a direct quote.

Leave it to One-Mile to blurt the unvarnished truth.

Once they’d gone, he was alone with Tessa. So he sauntered to the front of the office, stopping beside her desk. If he was going to go all in on this ruse, he was going to do it right and leave no room for error.

“You all done with everything the bosses asked for?”