He had expected it. Hell, he’d set up the op to entrap her for just this outcome. But her betrayal still hurt way fucking more than he’d thought it would. Than he’d been prepared to bear.

  “Zy?” Hunter barked.

  An answer. Right. He should already have one canned. He should have anticipated this fucking phone call. But he’d been too focused on Tessa.

  “Still here. You told me to run down our mole, that it was either Trees or Tessa.” He sighed. “It’s not Trees.”

  “You’re telling me that our receptionist has somehow outsmarted me, my brothers, and nearly a half dozen other well-trained operators? Without raising suspicion—or even a brow—until now?”

  “It’s looking more and more like that, yes.”

  Hunter paused. “All right. But I’m going to make something really fucking clear. If you two are having a spat or a rough patch, don’t you throw her under the bus because you can.”

  So his boss thought he was a petty, vindictive asshole? Perfect. Seemed to fit with the rest of his night. “Are you being serious right now?”

  “Yeah. I know we listed her as a suspect, but mostly through process of elimination. We’ve never stopped believing Trees was our man.”

  “Well, you’re fucking wrong. Accept it.”

  “How do you know? Trees would have the finesse to do this. The connections, the know-how, the—”

  “I made up a story about Kimber’s rescue mission that will be taking place in the next thirty hours. I told her I’d be going in alone to extract your sister in a surgical strike. That was barely an hour ago, and here you are in my ear. That’s not a coincidence.”

  This time, Hunter was quiet for so long Zy wondered if his boss was still on the other end. Finally, he sighed. “Well, fuck. I feel stupid.”

  Take a number, pal. “I’m sure she got away with it for this long because she thought everyone would overlook her.”

  “And we did.”

  “Yep.” Zy knew he was more guilty than most.

  He’d somehow equated her being a single mother and the fact she’d needed help with her safety as being some sign that she was too sweet to sell them out. He should have flipped his thinking. Because she was raising a child alone, she needed more money than she made. And for her daughter, she would do whatever it took to make it.

  “I want a timeline.”

  Was he serious? “Sir, I think our time now would be better spent bringing Tessa in and questioning her—”

  “I didn’t ask what you thought the better move was. If this was strictly my business, I’d probably agree. But I have two other partners, and I think Logan is going to need more convincing than your word, especially since our problems started when Tessa was on maternity leave. Start at the beginning and show me how she could have been our mole for months on end. And if you prove she compromised Valeria’s locations or had anything to do with Kimber’s abduction, then heaven help her. I might kill her myself.”

  “You can’t touch her,” Zy snarled automatically.

  “Are you fucking hearing yourself? Buddy, she just sold us all down the river, and you’re still willing to go toe-to-toe with me, risk your job and an ass-kicking—”

  Zy snorted. “Never gonna happen.”

  “For a woman who took money to compromise a mission likely to put you in a pine box?” Hunter finished as if Zy had never spoken. “Are you that fucking in love with her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Jesus, clean up your shit. I get that you’d give her your heart; we all do when we fall. But your spine needs to stay yours.”

  Hunter was right, and that pissed Zy off even more. “Oh, dispense with the friendly advice. Have you ever worried whether Kata would serve you up to the enemy on a platter for a mere buck?”

  “No.”

  “Then you have no idea what I’m going through. So I’d appreciate it if you’d shut the fuck up.”

  “All right, I’ll try—if you build me the timeline. I want to know every time she reached out, every action she took, and every way she flew under our radar. Then I’ll zip it. But fair warning: that isn’t my strong suit.”

  Zy wasn’t at all surprised. “Fine. It will take a day or two, but—”

  “No. You created this fictional mission. The enemy is all abuzz—pun intended—about your superstar solo mission. So you need to produce enough evidence to convince my brothers, so we can confront her and decide what to do next, before your supposed op.”

  It was the middle of the night, and he didn’t really understand the nuts and bolts of how Tessa had betrayed them. Zy knew only that she had. “How the fuck am I going to do that?”

  “That’s your issue. We hired operators who are problem solvers. Start solving. I’m over here trying like hell to rescue my sister and keep my wife from busting out of her safe house to help.”

  “Do you have anything new on the Kimber front?”

  “Not much.” Hunter sighed. “Matt is running down a few things. He’s proving to be a master of many trades, and we’ll probably hire him if he’s game when this is all said and done. But he hasn’t been in place long enough to put this puzzle together. We keep hoping.”

  Zy didn’t blame him. It sounded like a shitty situation, and Matt seemed like a decent guy. “I hope it all comes together soon and you get your sister back.”

  “Thanks. You have six hours to get me a preliminary timeline of Tessa’s double cross.”

  Then the line went dead.

  Thirty minutes later, Zy pulled up to Trees’s place. The big guy was waiting on the front porch, concern on his face and a shotgun in one hand.

  Zy stepped off his bike and gestured to the firearm. “Is that your idea of a warm welcome? I can go if you’re that adamant about sleep.”

  “Ha ha.” He relaxed his stance with the rifle. “Just being cautious, keeping out the riffraff, you know. But now that you’re here, maybe I should shoot you just for the hell of it.”

  Go ahead and wound me, pal. You wouldn’t be the first one tonight…

  “Pass.” He sighed. “Sorry. I’m all out of jokes.”

  “Yeah. You look like someone shit all over your life. I was just trying to lighten your mood.”

  “I appreciate that, but don’t.” It grated on his fucking nerves.

  Maybe he was a stupid ass for wanting to wallow in his heartbreak. Maybe some stubborn part of him kept holding out hope that when they started putting this timeline together, they’d realize Tessa wasn’t guilty at all and find the real culprit. Maybe tonight’s information would prove to be nothing more than a crazy coincidence. Hell, maybe someone had even bugged her house and her communications. It was unlikely, but he couldn’t rule that out completely.

  The only thing he did know right now? Compiling this information would either make the case against her fizzle out…or solidify it for good.

  His friend held up a hand. “All right. I’ll zip it.”

  Zy hung his helmet on his handlebars, not bothering to lock anything up. Trees and all his booby traps would kill anyone way before they got their hands on his brain bucket.

  His buddy reached behind his back to open the front door. He looked like he was in need of a distraction.

  “Thanks,” Zy called out.

  “Always.” Trees’s voice sounded subdued, heavy. Then again, he understood the gravity of the situation.

  “Where’s Laila?”

  “In her room, waiting for me to fall asleep before she’ll risk getting into bed and closing her eyes.”

  Zy frowned as he ambled up the steps to the porch. “She still doesn’t trust you?”

  “She doesn’t trust anyone. I’m trying not to take it personally.”

  One look at Trees’s craggy face told Zy he still was. “Even if it’s not a knock against you, that’s got to be hard. You’re the dude most people trust with whatever they value—vehicles, pets, girlfriends.”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “She’s not most people.”

  “Is she making noise about wanting to be with her sister?”

  Trees stepped back inside the house and locked the shotgun back in its case. “Some, but Valeria admitted to Laila she’s the reason they’re apart.”

  “At least she’s not blaming you. Did she ever let you buy her warmer clothes?” Or anything that covers her tits and ass?

  “Negative.” Trees sighed. “No offense, buddy, but could we talk about your misery instead?”

  “Why not? Everyone else is.”

  Zy locked the door after them. Together, they made their way to Trees’s kitchen. Subconsciously, he slid into the same chair he had occupied on Christmas Eve. And wasn’t the empty chair beside him—the one Tessa had sat in—a brutal metaphor for where he was in life?

  “Sorry, man. Tell me what happened?”

  He did, leaving out the part where he’d tried to work Tessa’s body over to fuck with her mind…only to lose himself in her instead. But Trees knew him well. He could read between the lines.

  “This is killing you, and you still love her.”

  “I try to tell myself I don’t. That I’m in love with who I thought she was and I miss what it seemed we had. But I can’t lie to myself. She’s double-crossed me, and she would only do that for some reason she thinks is necessary. And I can’t make myself unlove her.”

  “I know.”

  “She’s not capable of consciously hurting the people she cares about.”

  “The Tessa I know? No.”

  That made Zy feel better…and worse. “Which says she could only do this to me because she doesn’t really give a shit about me at all.”

  “I don’t believe that. I’ve watched her. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and I think she loves you. Any chance she doesn’t understand the ramifications of what she was doing?”

  “No.”

  “Maybe she—”

  “Whatever you’re going to say, no. Don’t try to make this better. You can’t. So let’s just get this shit done. The bosses want a timeline of the mole’s activities, so…I guess we’ll start at the beginning. Go through the backups. See what you can find in the electronic records on the EM servers.”

  “How long do you have?”

  Zy glanced at his phone. “Another five hours, give or take ten minutes.”

  Trees barked out a laugh. “They don’t want the fucking world or anything.”

  “They never do…”

  “I got a spare computer in the office. Would you grab it? I’ll start capturing the data sets and pulling them down. Once I’ve got them, I’ll show you what we’re looking for, then you can search the records, too. This will go twice as fast if we both look.”

  “Sure.” It’s wasn’t as if Zy expected to get any sleep tonight anyway, and doing something made him feel better than doing nothing at all. “On it.”

  When he headed to that corner of the house, he found Laila kneeling at the side of the guest room bed, wearing one of Trees’s oversized T-shirts. A peaceful instrumental tune played softly from her phone. Was she praying?

  He’d barely stepped on a creaky floorboard a good twenty feet behind her when she jumped up and whirled around, suddenly crouched in a fighting stance, gripping a shiny, sharp switchblade.

  Zy held up his hands to prove he was unarmed. “Sorry to disturb you. Just grabbing a laptop from the office.”

  When he gestured to the room to the left of hers, she relaxed a little. “Hello, Zy. Go ahead. You are not disturbing me.”

  Maybe not in the way she meant, but it seemed she found any male presence in her life disturbing. “I’ll be quick. You okay? Need anything? Doing all right with Trees?”

  “I need nothing except to be with my sister and her son again.”

  In other words, with family, from whom she took solace. With whom she felt safe. “Hopefully, we can make that happen soon. I know being here is out of your comfort zone—”

  “Comfort is not my first concern. Your friend and I should not be alone together.” Laila met his gaze straight on, as if she refused to be cowed by him. Or maybe she’d already seen it all in her short life and had nothing left to fear.

  “He would never touch you without your consent,” Zy assured.

  “So you say. But perhaps you are right.” She frowned with confusion. “Madison came by. It is clear she would allow him into her bed. It is equally clear that he has not partaken.”

  “Because Trees isn’t looking for an easy lay. He may be big, but he’s not a bully. Or a rapist.”

  “It is my experience that all men eventually reach the limits of their restraint. He will come to the end of his.”

  Zy shook his head. “No. It’s his job and his duty to take care of you. He won’t shirk that, especially to touch you against your will.”

  “I know you genuinely believe that.”

  And her sad smile said she wasn’t convinced.

  Suddenly, she glanced above his shoulder.

  Zy turned to find Trees standing in the hall. “Be right there.”

  “You okay, Laila?”

  His buddy’s usually gruff voice caressed the woman’s name with reverence. Yeah, Trees had it bad.

  “I am well. Do what you must.” Almost reluctantly, she tucked away the switchblade. “I will resume my prayers.”

  Then she turned and glided to her knees, seeming to tune them both out.

  Zy grabbed the laptop and headed toward Trees, not missing the longing in his eyes. It sucked that the first time he’d ever seen Trees truly interested in a woman, she seemingly had zero interest in him—or any man. Zy needed to wrap up his search for the mole quickly so Laila could return to her sister…and leave Trees’s place. If not, his buddy’s heart would be toast.

  “Did she say anything?” he whispered as they headed back to the kitchen.

  “Nothing you probably haven’t heard. Madison came by?”

  He nodded. “To return my house key. She kept up the place while I was gone.”

  She hadn’t done that purely out of the goodness of her heart. “Think she’s falling for you?”

  “Nah. She’s looking for something.”

  “Love?”

  “I thought so for a while. But it’s more. She’s not happy—with her job, her family, her friends, her hookups. She’s searching for something, and I don’t think she knows what yet. It’s another reason I won’t sleep with her.” Trees sat at the kitchen table. “She’s expecting that someone new in her life will solve her problems, but until she figures herself out, nothing and no one will put a dent in her dissatisfaction.”

  Leave it to Trees to boil a situation down to a few concise sentences. Granted, Zy only knew Madison from one sweaty night nearly a year ago, but now that he heard his buddy’s opinion, it jibed with what he’d observed. “Yep.”

  “You ready to do this?”

  Can I gouge my eyes out with an ice pick instead? It sounds like more fun. “As I’ll ever be.”

  “I got the data sets ready. We need to account for all the breaches in EM Security’s information, times where the enemy seemed to know shit when they shouldn’t have, and see if we can trace it back to any communication from Tessa, see who it was going to, and how she might have passed the information.”

  Zy figured they’d be doing something like that. “So what am I looking for?”

  “Anything. Emails, website hits, log-ins to online locations that seem fishy. If I have to drill down to the keystroke level, I will. But let’s see what we can establish without that since months of that info would take more than five hours to comb through.”

  “Sure.”

  “You take January through March. She was on maternity leave most of that time, so the majority of the emails and communications you’ll be sifting through will belong to Aspen.”

  “Oh, god help us all. I’d forgotten about her.”

  “I’d like to…” Trees grumbled. “I’ll take April through August and see what kind of patterns emerge. Oh, and be sure to look at any cookies, plug-ins, or other programs she might have downloaded. I compiled a list of EM-approved software.” He set the paper on the table between them. “Anything else is something she would have downloaded without telling the bosses and worth looking at. If you have questions about whatever you find, holler. I’ll figure it out.”

  “Thanks.” But Zy wasn’t grateful at all. He didn’t want Tessa to be guilty. He wanted this to be a big misunderstanding that would just go away.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Then they both dived in. Zy wasn’t terrible with tech, but he wasn’t anywhere near Trees’s caliber. Still, he made his way through the first-quarter emails from the previous year associated with her profile pretty quickly. As Trees said, most of them were Aspen’s since she’d used Tessa’s computer during that timeframe. She had been into some unusual shit, too. Soap carving, competitive cat costuming, and another pastime Zy had never heard of.

  “What is toy voyaging? Any idea?”

  “No. What the hell?”

  Zy looked it up, then gave a dumbfounded shake of his head. “Who sends their toys with strangers so they can be photographed around the world? And why is that a thing?”

  “Is it? Really?” Trees looked as confused as Zy felt.

  “It is for Aspen. She gave someone this ugly straw hat with flowers to drag all over Europe. The person sent back a bunch of pictures of statues wearing this hat. She seemed really excited. Just before that, she’d been to some resort in Mexico and taken pictures of these weird nesting dolls from Russia and photographed them on the beach, in the jungle, and beside the hot tub.” Zy shook his head. “Apparently, they all got a kick out of that.”

  “Because that’s not weird or anything,” Trees quipped.

  “Not at all.”

  “I hate to judge, but I’m glad we don’t work with her anymore.”

  “Same. So here’s a piece of software either she or Tessa downloaded on January thirty-first, exactly one year ago. The location suggests it was installed onto Tessa’s machine. Was she in the office that day?” Zy had no way of knowing since he hadn’t begun working for EM Security yet.

  “Let me bump that against a calendar I maintained. I told the colonel I wasn’t a fan of letting the temp use Tessa’s machine because we didn’t know her well, but we didn’t have a spare at the time. So I kept track of who had control of it when.” Trees flipped over to another document on his computer, then frowned. “That was one of Tessa’s last days in the office before her maternity leave. She was supposed to have worked with Aspen the following Monday through Wednesday, as I recall. But she went into labor on Tuesday morning and didn’t come back until the end of March.”