Wicked as Lies Read online

  Contents

  About Wicked as Lies

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Wicked as Sin

  Wicked & Devoted World

  About Shayla Black

  Other Books by Shayla Black

  WICKED AS LIES

  Written by Shayla Black

  This book is an original publication by Shayla Black.

  * * *

  Copyright 2021 Shelley Bradley LLC

  * * *

  Cover Design by: Rachel Connolly

  Photographer: Wander Pedro Aguiar, WANDER AGUIAR :: PHOTOGRAPHY

  Edited by: Amy Knupp of Blue Otter

  Proofread by: Fedora Chen

  Excerpt from Wicked as Sin © 2020 by Shelley Bradley LLC

  ISBN: 978-1-936596-73-7

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means—except for brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews—without express written permission.

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away, as it is illegal and an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  * * *

  All rights reserved.

  ABOUT WICKED AS LIES

  * * *

  He wants her…and he doesn’t care if she’s the enemy.

  * * *

  Chase “Zyron” Garrett left a bloody stint with Uncle Sam for the personal security business. His employment agreement forbids hookups with co-workers, which isn’t a problem—until Tessa Lawrence, the office secretary and single mom, is harassed by her vengeful ex-boyfriend. Zy is assigned to protect her, but the moment he meets the gorgeous blonde, those contractual restrictions tighten around him like a noose.

  * * *

  Tessa Lawrence is alone in the world…except for her newborn baby, and she’s determined to survive without anyone’s help. Then Zy walks through her door. Fiercely protective yet tender, he’s everything she wants in a man, lover, and father for her daughter. But he’s totally off-limits. If she falls for him, she’ll be fired.

  * * *

  When a teammate is captured and the enemy predicts their every move, it’s clear they’ve got a mole. The bosses task Zy with discovering their traitor, and all clues point to the woman he’s losing his heart to. With danger lurking, he’s caught in a tangle of unquenched need and searing betrayal. Will their love be the greatest casualty of all?

  January 26

  * * *

  Chase Garrett, known to most as Zyron, stepped off his bike and locked up his helmet. His hands fucking shook. On the long walk up the shadowy path to the familiar front door, he let out a slow breath. Calm wasn’t happening.

  He’d waited forever for the right to touch Tessa Lawrence. He’d been her friend, her co-worker, and her protector. But most of all, he wanted to be her lover.

  Today, everything had changed. So tonight, that might finally happen.

  Night enveloped him, chilly, still, and clear. Stars winked in a vast midnight sky. The world seemed to have stopped, as if it held its breath in anticipation. Or maybe that was just him, working to keep his lungs functioning and his head screwed on straight. Thoughts of Tessa made him hungry and desperate. Always had. He’d never craved a woman the way he did her.

  Would she finally say yes?

  At the front door, he knocked and told himself he wasn’t making a mistake. He wanted to do this. Yeah, but he had to do this. His bosses hadn’t left him any choice.

  It took a minute, but the porch light came on. He sensed Tessa on the other side, saw a shadow pass in front of the peephole. Finally, she eased the door open. Her face was bare, her blond hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Her bottom lip was rosy and puffy, as if she’d been chewing on it nervously. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy, just a plain set of long-sleeved cotton pajamas in a muted green with a simple satin trim, but they hugged every curve of that body he’d craved for ten seemingly endless months. They also told him she wore nothing underneath.

  All his blood rushed south. He started to sweat.

  “Zy.” She sounded surprised, but she looked as if she’d half been expecting him. “What are you doing here? It’s getting late. Is everything okay?”

  “Did you really think that, after today, I wouldn’t come?”

  “No.”

  “Is Hallie asleep?” he asked of her infant daughter.

  “She fought some, but I got her down about thirty minutes ago.”

  He enjoyed spending time with the little girl, but she was a distraction they didn’t need tonight. “Good. Can I come in?”

  She hesitated. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Did you get a new contract today?”

  Another hesitation before she nodded. “Joaquin emailed it to me.”

  “Did you sign?”

  “Zy…” She bit her lip again, this time as if she tried to stop herself from answering.

  He wasn’t letting this go. He’d waited for her. He’d wanted her. And he intended to take her. “Did you?”

  She sighed. “Yes.”

  “So did I, first thing this morning. The restrictions keeping us apart are gone.”

  “They are, but—”

  “There are no more buts, Tessa.”

  Finally, she nodded. “How did you know?”

  “The bosses told me.”

  “Why?”

  She wasn’t asking why they’d rewritten the employment contracts and rescinded the clause that had prevented them from having any non-work contact of a sexual nature. No doubt the trio of bastards they worked for had fed her some story. They were good at that. Probably why they were successful. No, Tessa wanted to know why they’d told him about her contract.

  Because they want me to get close to you, to fuck you, and find out if you’ve been selling us out. Right now, I hate my goddamn job…but I want you more. “Because when they changed mine, I asked about yours. You know why.”

  “I do.”

  Good. “Can you think of a single reason I can’t come in, strip you down, and make love to you? Tell me right now.”

  Even by the dim lights of the porch, he saw color flush her cheeks. “Did you mean what you said on Christmas Eve?”

  “Every word.”

  Tessa dragged in a shaky breath as she stared at him with big green eyes. Finally, she stepped back, her baby-pink toe nails a soft splash of color against the white tile of her foyer. “Then there’s no reason at all. Come in.”

  March 3 (The previous year)

  * * *

  “Welcome to the jungle.” A smile played at Caleb Edgington’s mouth as the one-man welcoming committee waited, hand outstretched, just inside the office.

  He shut the door behind him and shook it. “Thank you, sir. I’m happy to be here.”

  “Come on in. Before I introduce you around, do you prefer Chase or…”

  “I’ll answer to almost anything, but most people call me Zyron. Mr. Garrett is my dad, and Chase is a stupid-ass name. Not sure what my mother was thinking with that.”

  The former colonel—and his new boss—laughed. “Zyron it is. Mind telling me where that nickname came from?”


  He kind of did because he’d probably get ribbed for it, but since one of the people who had stuck him with that moniker worked here, Zy knew he wasn’t getting out of it. “Some of the assholes I served with in Afghanistan decided I looked like Zac Efron. I’m not sure it was a compliment.”

  “Since they basically called you pretty, I’m not sure it was, either. You poor bastard.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How long have you been Stateside?”

  “Flew out of Qatar three days ago.”

  “Still enjoying that jet lag, are you?”

  “Yes, sir.” It had been particularly wicked when his alarm went off at five a.m. for his morning run.

  “Then you’ll probably need some coffee while I introduce you to the others.”

  Zy nodded. “I’d appreciate it.”

  “You got it.” The colonel stepped aside and settled a big, war-worn hand on the nearby desk and directed his attention to the woman behind it. “This is Aspen, our temporary receptionist.”

  “Hi.” The woman, a thirtyish brunette with big glasses and a granola-vegan vibe, smiled.

  “Nice to meet you.” He nodded her way.

  “She’ll be here for another couple of weeks. Our usual receptionist, Tessa, is on maternity leave, so Aspen has been filling in. And you know this guy…”

  Zy saw his old buddy, Forest Scott, lumbering in his direction and met him halfway. “Hey, man. Now I remember why everyone calls you Trees. It’s been a few months, so I’d forgotten how damn tall you are.”

  The big guy pulled him in for a bro-hug. “Bite my ass.”

  “You’re not my type.” He slapped Trees on the back.

  Yeah, they sometimes exchanged insults and pretended to bust each other’s balls, but Trees was more like a brother to Zy than the brother with whom he shared blood. He was grateful for the day Uncle Sam had introduced them. In the last nine years, Trees had saved his life—in more ways than one. Hell, he wouldn’t have this job now if not for his best friend. Instead, he probably would have jumped from contracting gig to contracting gig in one Middle Eastern war zone after another, a little more miserable each day. But Louisiana was good. And it was far from Silicon Valley—exactly what he needed to return to the States in peace.

  “Back here you’ll find a coffee bar. I have the office to the left.” The colonel pointed down the hall. “In the corner by the window, the guy on the phone? That’s Cutter Bryant. He’s former military and a local from nearby Sunset.”

  The whip-lean guy with the angular face and blond hair held up a hand and waved. Zy waved back.

  “The guy settling into the desk beside him is Josiah Grant.” The colonel dropped his voice. “Former CIA.”

  Big, buff Josiah stood and held out his hand. “Don’t hold that against me.”

  Zy shook with him. “You got it.”

  “What’s your background?”

  “Served with Trees. Been out about eighteen months, contracting. I’m demolitions.”

  “Oh, so you’re crazy?” Josiah teased.

  Zy smiled. “Because I like to blow shit up?”

  “That, and you’re friends with him.” Josiah pointed at Trees.

  Everyone laughed, even Cutter, who ended his call and shook his hand.

  After they exchanged a few pleasantries, the colonel escorted him down another hall, then pointed to a darkened office. “Copy room here.” Down a bit farther, they passed a closed door. “Storage. And down here...” He trekked to another alcove with two desks.

  “Is where I sit,” Trees finished, then pointed to the empty desk under the window. “You’ll be here, buddy.”

  “Great.”

  Truly, it was. Trees was used to his kind of crazy. They’d never had angry words or a disagreement they couldn’t end with a good-natured punch, a fart joke, and a beer.

  “So if you want to set your backpack there, yeah… That’s desk, sweet desk.” The colonel smiled, then motioned him to follow around a corner and past a concrete pillar. “And this is Pierce Walker.”

  As the brawny guy with intense black eyes rose to his feet, Zy wondered why Walker was alone—and looked perfectly happy about it.

  “One-Mile,” he corrected, extending an inked arm and a big hand his way.

  “He’s our resident sniper,” the colonel supplied.

  Instantly, the guy’s nickname made sense. Zy took his hand. “You have a one-mile kill-shot to your name?”

  “A little over, yeah. A few years back. Sadr City, Iraq.”

  “Shit, I heard about that. Of course, by the time I heard the story, your name was classified.”

  The loner tugged at his beard with a cynical smile.

  “And…that’s the whole happy family at this point. Why don’t you grab that java and meet me in my office?”

  “Sure. Thanks.” As his new boss strode away, Zy gave One-Mile a head bob, then headed to the coffee bar with Trees.

  “What do you think?” his buddy asked.

  “You weren’t lying. It seems like a good fit.” Zy poured himself a big mug of java, steaming hot and black. “Anything else I should know?”

  His buddy did the same. “So far, no one seems to be in anyone’s hair or under anyone’s skin.”

  “Happy to hear it.” Unfortunately, Trees’s tone said there was more to the story. “But?”

  Trees pulled at the back of his neck. “But…I gotta be honest. The colonel got remarried not long ago. And since you agreed to take the job a few weeks back, there’s been a lot of talk—nothing confirmed—that the colonel might retire.”

  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?”