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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.”
“Or”—Logan cut in before Zy could push back—“Tessa.”
This shit again?
It was all he could do not to punch the asshole. “No. Fuck no. She’s the goddamn receptionist. She doesn’t have access to those secrets. She wasn’t even here in March when—”
“We didn’t think so, either. But now we’re rethinking.”
“Based on what? This is bullshit.”
“Shut up and listen,” Joaquin growled. “We’ve eliminated every other possibility. It’s either your bestie or your girl.”
“She’s not my girl.”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. We all know you’re one bad decision away from breaking your contract…unless you already have and there’s something you want to tell us?”
“I haven’t touched her.”
The three of them exchanged another glance, then seemed to come to some silent conclusion he wasn’t privy to.
“Then here’s the deal: You’ve got two weeks to figure out which one of them is guilty or we’re letting both go.”
Zy’s heart stopped. “What?”
Hunter picked up where his brother left off. “We’re going to make it easier for you by sending Trees out of town. Invent a reason you need to stay at his place while he’s gone or something. Search it from top to bottom. If he’s got dirt, you need to hand it the fuck over.”
“He doesn’t. I told you. I showed you.” Zy knew he kept repeating himself, but Trees wouldn’t stab him—or anyone else—in the back like that.
“If you’re convinced he’s innocent—”
“I am.”
“Then investigate Tessa.”
Were they insane? “How am I supposed to do that? You’ve all but threatened to fire her for doing anything more than speaking to me.”
Logan reached behind him and plucked a file folder off his credenza, then whipped out a small pile of papers held together by a staple. He flipped a few pages, drew a giant X on one, then jotted something in the margin. He passed it to his brothers next. Each of them also scribbled on the side. Finally, Logan shoved the document back in the folder and slid it across the table to him. “No need to negotiate a damn thing now. You’re welcome.”
Zy opened the folder and found his employment contract inside. The nonfraternization clause had been crossed out. All three of them had initialed.
They had removed the restrictions keeping him from pursuing Tessa. Just like that? Even the goddamn idea made his skin tingle.
When he looked up, Logan smiled. “Yes, you’re now free to fuck her. Congratulations. But you better think with something other than your dick.”
Too late. His dick was having a party…and his conscience was choking on guilt. They wanted him to get close to her so he could deceive her?
He couldn’t do that to Tessa. “No.”
Joaquin shrugged. “Told you we should have just fired Trees and Tessa and been done with it.”
It took everything he had not to jump out of his seat and tell them to go fuck themselves. “Neither of them deserves that.”
“No?” Hunter shrugged. “Then prove it.”
Over the past ten months, he’d seen the three of them push, shove, and maneuver some of his fellow operators into tight spaces and corners to get what they wanted. Zy had tried to keep his nose clean, but now that he was on the receiving end, they really were manipulative motherfuckers.
