Page 82 of Sweet Little Spies

“I prefer this place. I know The Court is luxurious andstuff, but I’m… I think I’m more me here. Or I’m becoming the me I want to be.Yep, I’m just going to do it. We never tell Big Tag this conversation happened.Am I clear?”

Oh, he was so deeply curious. Zach seemed like a rock. Hewasn’t exactly forthcoming when it came to personal stuff. They’d been workingtogether for years. Zach was the one who took care of the subs Tris topped atThe Court since he would never touch one in a sexual fashion.

Huh, had he been trying to replace Aidan? Like he alwaysneeded a partner…

He shoved the self-reflection aside because finding out whatmade Zach tick seemed way more interesting. “As crystal.”

Zach sat back. “Okay, and if I get too…I don’tknow…personal, tell me, but I might need some advice because I don’t date and Idon’t want to scare this girl off. I can be intense, though she handled me finetonight. So I didn’t date in high school because I didn’t have time. My dad ranoff when I was young, though not before he knocked my mom up twice. She wasactually super smart. She was like a STEM girl before it was a thing.”

“You have a sibling?” It was news to him.

“I do, but we didn’t grow up together,” Zach said, taking aquick sip of his beer. “By the time she was pregnant the second time, she’dgotten into trouble. She ran into the kinds of problems a single mom can,including owing money to people who don’t send you to a collection agency, ifyou know what I mean.”

Well, he’d heard Zach had some unsavory connections. “I doindeed. So she what? Sold the kid?”

“I believe gave up for adoption is the term we typicallyuse, though I always wondered. She was in prison for cooking designer drugswhen she gave birth. I was only a year old at the time, so I often wonder whyshe didn’t give me up, too. It was a closed adoption, and even after sheeventually got out, she wouldn’t talk about it. I only know the kid existsbecause of my aunt.”

“The one who worked with Big Tag?” He’d heard the storyabout Zach’s heroic aunt who did some work with the big boss when he was in theGreen Berets. The aunt had been thrilled when she’d found out her nephew wouldbe working under the man she’d so admired.

Zach nodded. “The one who gave up her military career so Ididn’t go into foster care. Needless to say, we lived in a small town and westruggled. So when other guys were partying, I worked two jobs so we could keepthe trailer we lived in.”

It appeared there was a reason Zach rarely talked about hisfamily. “How long was your mom in jail?”

“She did seven years, and then she got out and got involvedin some other bad shit. She lived with my aunt and I for a few years, and thenone day when I was fourteen, the cops came looking for her and I haven’t seenher again,” Zach explained. “My aunt told me she didn’t want me to come visit,and I honored her choice. Even when she was around she wasn’t, you know. Shewas always hustling, doing whatever she could to make money. Illegally, ofcourse. It’s not like she got a job that used her degree in a good way. Iwonder what she could have been if she hadn’t met my father. It was my dad whogot her into trouble. He worked for some bad people, and she fell in with them.According to my aunt, he enjoyed the idea of corrupting some egghead scientist.So she’s probably cooking meth somewhere or dead. I don’t know. Anyway, Ididn’t date because I worked. I managed to scrape together enough to getthrough college and then went into the Army. I liked the Army, but it’s alsonot particularly conducive to a relationship.”

And he had some unresolved conflict with his mother thatwould lead to distrust and abandonment issues when it came to women.

Tris had helped test Aidan and Carys when they wereundergrads. He’d really gotten something out of the psych classes they’d taken.“What changed?”

Zach seemed to think about it for a moment. “The team. Beingaround Ian and Charlotte. Making some friends I can actually count on. Istarted this whole journey… Well, let’s just say my plans upended and thethings I wanted back then aren’t what I want now. Now I want to work with myteam and come to the club with a sub who I take care of for more than anorgasm. One who sees me as more than a Dom. I want what the people in thiscrazy group want. You know I was sent in by the higher-ups to find anything I couldto discredit this experiment.”

Their team worked differently than other Agency teams. Triscould understand why some people would worry about them. Change was scary. “Ithink we all suspected. But we got to you.”

Zach shrugged. “You could say that. My bosses aren’t happywith me, but there’s not a lot they can do. I’m not giving them anything theycould use to dismantle the team. We have to be careful, though. We’ve beenvigilant about protecting the twins, but if it gets out…”

“They’ll both be in danger,” Tris concluded.

“We’ll all be in danger.” Zach turned solemn. “Have youthought about the fact that the attack might not have been about TJ?”

Only every minute since it had happened. “You think someoneknows I took over The Jester’s identity? I’ve been very careful. When we neededa physical presence, I sent someone else. Always someone different, and wenever gave them the full information. If it’s gotten out, then we have a leak.”

It was absolutely his worst fear.

“I’m worried about it,” Zach agreed. “No one knew where youwere. TJ’s kept a low profile.”

“But it’s not hard to guess TJ was probably going to be athis cousin’s wedding,” Tristan pointed out. “The bigger problem is why theywould attack the way they did. TJ can’t talk if he’s dead.”

“It could be a message. I want you and TJ to be on thelookout for any odd communication that could be read as a threat.” Zachshifted, his gaze going over to the stairs leading up from the dungeon floor.“Hey.”

The biggest smile came over Zach’s face, lighting him up.

Devi strode into the lounge wearing street clothes. A plainwhite top over jeans she rolled up at the feet for a casual look, her red hairflowing around her shoulders. She was quite lovely when he thought about it.She’d always been a little sister to him.

And she had absolutely no time for anyone except Zach.“Hello, Sir.”

Zach looked weird. Giddy. Like he was the one with a crush.He stood and immediately got into her space, his hands going to her hips whilehe loomed over her. “You want to get some waffles?”

She was grinning as she tilted her head up. “Soundswonderful.”

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