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“Abuzz? Fuck.” He sighed. “That cocksucker. I reamed him out once. He just never fucking listens.”
“Who?” Tessa’s hand shook as she took the phone and opened the app, looking terrified.
“Phillip Garrett,” Trees helpfully supplied.
She frowned, clearly confused. “The billionaire who owns Abuzz?”
“Yeah.” Zy sighed. “My dad.”
Trees knew he hated to mention the connection, hated people thinking he’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. It didn’t shock Trees that Tessa didn’t know.
“Really?” Her eyes widened with hope. “He could help us track down or pinpoint the location of the kidnapper keeping Hallie.”
Zy snorted. “The Tierra Caliente cartel has been using the app to communicate for months. I warned him once, and if it’s still going on, they’re paying him to look the other way. He won’t help. Dear ol’ Dad is more interested in making a buck than doing what’s right.”
“It’s one reason they don’t get along,” Trees supplied.
“One of many.”
Tessa looked stunned. “You grew up with a billionaire?”
Zy winced. “And the billion problems that go with that.”
“You never told me.” She sounded hurt.
Zy didn’t respond to that. “The kidnapper sent a new message? What does he want now?”
Tessa’s fingers trembled as she opened the DM and fresh tears fell down her cheeks. “Something I don’t know how to give them.”
“Let me see. Let me help you,” Zy insisted. “You’ve been dealing with this by yourself for too long, and I can—”
“You can’t,” she screeched. “See for yourself.”
When she shoved the phone into Zy’s hands, Trees looked over his buddy’s shoulder and scanned the message.
Who is the mole leaking EM Security’s information to outsiders? You have twenty-four hours to provide information and proof or Hallie will pay with her life.
What the fuck? But the implications seemed clear. Whoever had kidnapped Hallie must not have been the same people paying the mole for information about EM Security missions—at least that seemed logical, but in a world of murderous thugs willing to sell deadly chemicals for cash, there probably was no such thing as loyalty. Anyone could be double-dealing.
“Can I see your phone again?”
Visibly shaken, Tessa passed it back.
Trees couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “If there’s a way to solve this, we will.”
Wordlessly, she nodded. But her terrified expression hurt.
Zy slung an arm around her, and Trees scrolled back through her Gmail. Bingo! The video of Hallie eating had come from a different address than the one the mole—someone other than Tessa?—had sent information about EM’s missions and Valeria’s whereabouts to.
Trees wasn’t sure who the players were, but they needed to figure it out fast.
“Let’s go inside. Tessa can get warm. We can dig more and game-plan.”
The couple agreed. No wonder, since everyone was drained. Tessa wanted a hot shower, and Trees agreed to meet Madison halfway between his place and town to pick up some necessities for her.
After a quick grab of items on the side of the road, Trees squeezed Madison’s shoulder in thanks. She gave him a tired smile and a kiss on the cheek.
“Go home and get some rest.”
“Do you need more help?”
She was loyal and selfless…and she would make some man an amazing wife someday. Trees didn’t know why he hadn’t fallen for her. On paper, she was perfect.
One thing he did know? He considered her a friend, and he didn’t want her any deeper in this. “We got it from here. Thanks for everything.”
With a nod and a wave, she was gone. Trees headed back to his place, trying not to look at the clock and think about all the hours of sleep he was missing.
As he parked in back of his house, he received a text from Zy. I have an idea. You going to be much longer?
With a wry grin, he pocketed his phone and shouldered his way inside. “No, buddy. I won’t be much longer at all.” Then he turned to Tessa, holding out the overnight bag. “Madison said this should get you by for a day or so.”
Tessa rose, gripping the blanket around her, and took the sack by the handles. “Thank you. And please thank her for me.”
“She said she was happy to do it.”
“I’ll go change.” Tessa headed to the bathroom.
“I’ll catch Trees up on our theory,” Zy called to her retreating back.
“Theory?” Trees asked once they were alone.
“We think we figured out who our mole is. Let’s call the bosses, so I can explain this all at once.”
They wandered to the kitchen together and sat. Zy dialed Hunter, who answered on the first ring. “You got something?”
“Yeah. You sitting?”
“Just a minute. Logan and Joaquin want to hear this, too.”
Trees wasn’t surprised they were all up in the middle of the night. Their lives had to be pressure cookers right now.
It wasn’t long before Hunter spoke again. “We’re all here.”
“Tell us what the hell is going on,” Logan demanded.
