Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted 3)

Oh, shit. “And what do you think would happen to this place? Would he sell it? Shut it down?”

“I don’t know for sure. He’s got two sons, both SEALs, so maybe they’d take over when their hitch is up?” Trees shrugged. “That’s my gut instinct anyway. I just have this feeling change is coming.”

Since his buddy had proven to have a good read on people, Zy nodded. “Sounds like. Anything else important?”

“Yeah. Avoid Aspen.”

“Any particular reason?” When they’d been introduced, she’d seemed all right.

“She’s slow. And I know your impatience; she’ll drive you crazy.”

Zy knew himself well enough to concede Trees was probably right. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Don’t get me wrong. She’s really nice. But…she sometimes mixes up paperwork. And she sometimes gets confused about tasks, so it takes her a while to finish. It’s not uncommon for her to be the last to leave. Don’t start me on how often she manages to lock herself out of her computer. I think all the guys have helped her at least once. The colonel would probably have let her go if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s really good with potential customers and single-handedly talked some city inspector out of coming down on the colonel’s head. Besides, Aspen will be gone in a couple of weeks because Tessa will be back.” He cocked his head. “You’ll like her. She’s your type.”

Not if she’s settled down with some other dude who knocked her up. “I’m good, thanks.”

Trees laughed. “Which means you already met a girl in a bar and spent a meaningless night with her. When?”

“Saturday. And it wasn’t completely meaningless. At least I remember her name.”

“That’s progress for you.”

“Madison was fun.”

Trees raised a brow. “How fun? You going to see her again?”

“I got her number, but…” He shrugged. “Probably not.”

Nothing against Madison. She was what he’d needed in the moment—a good-time girl. She was into parties and fun and seeing where any given night took her. Zy didn’t know exactly what he wanted out of life, but he knew he wanted more than that.

“Plenty of fish, right?”

“What about you, man? You’ve been Stateside longer than me.”

“Well, I can’t snap my fingers and find a flock of women eager to date a gawky-as-fuck six-foot-eight computer nerd. It’s cool. Working is keeping me busy anyway.”

“I have a feeling I’m about to be in the same boat.” He clapped Trees on the shoulder. “Speaking of which, the colonel is waiting. Lunch later?”

“Yeah.”

Coffee in hand, Zy made his way to Edgington’s office. The older man sat behind his desk, phone pressed to his ear. “I have to go, Lottie. I’ll think about it. Yeah.” He paused. “We’ll talk more tonight. Bye.”

As the colonel pasted on a smile, Zy had a feeling his buddy was right. Change was coming.

“Have a seat.” The older man gestured to an empty chair. “Let’s talk for a few minutes. You get settled yet? Find a place?”

“Working on it. I’m in a hotel this week. Trees will help me look for something more permanent over the weekend.”

He nodded. “I suggest you do it fast. I think we’ll be out of the country soon.”

Zy wasn’t shocked. That was the nature of being a personal security specialist. “Anywhere fun?”

“Unless you like a Mexican desert, no.”

“It’s cool. I’ll be ready. What’s the objective?”

“I can’t say more now. Once everything is nailed down, I’ll share. In the meantime, I’ve got some exciting paperwork for you.” The colonel tossed a flat envelope his way, and it smacked the desk between them. “I need those finished ASAP, so bring them back to me when you’re done. Aspen has your log-in information and your computer up front.”

“I’ll get everything set up today. Anything else I should be aware of?”

Edgington shook his salt-and-pepper head. “You’ve already signed the employment contract, so you know the rules.”

“I do. And I don’t think you have to worry about me ‘fraternizing’ with anyone on staff. I’m not ragging on anyone who’s gay, but hairy butts aren’t my thing.”

The colonel looked as if he suppressed a laugh. “I paid a lawyer for a boilerplate contract. He inserted that clause, but now that you point it out, I don’t see much of an issue with this crowd.”

“Probably not. Expectations I should be aware of, sir?”

“I don’t like bullshit. I expect ops to be run smart and clean. I expect you to follow orders…but I expect you to think for yourself if shit goes south and situations get hot. I hired all of you because you’re good at your respective roles and you’re smart.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And don’t ‘yes, sir’ me. I know your reputation.”

A rebel. A maverick. A big stick when shit needed stirring. He wasn’t surprised it had preceded him. “I can’t promise to be a perfect operator, but I can promise to be honest, do my best, and work for the collective good.”