Lucky Liar (Lucky Alphas Book 1)

by Mallory Crowe

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to reveal Sarah waiting for them. She was dressed in an all-white silk pajama set. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, but neat, like it had just been brushed. The platinum blonde was only a shade or two darker than the bright-white silk, and the whole thing looked rather angelic.

  “If it isn’t the happy couple. I’m happy you were able to stop by. I’ve been dying to ask you more questions about the wedding.”

  Zoe opened her mouth to say hello, but Wade wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. “We need to talk about Dad.”

  Sarah’s face fell, and she looked at Wade as though he’d just slapped her. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “Zoe, tell her what you told me.”

  Zoe mentally took back every thought she had about them being partners. The son of a bitch had just thrown her completely under the bus. “I—”

  Sarah turned her suddenly icy gaze on her. “What exactly do you know about my father?”

  Zoe took a deep gulp. “I, um, I found a letter. It was a confession to his murder.”

  “You’re kidding.” Sarah’s shock turned to skepticism as she looked between them both. “No one would confess to that.”

  Wade looked at Zoe. “Show her.”

  Zoe was really regretting coming here. She pulled her phone out of her purse and scrolled through the saved images. “I didn’t bring the physical document here, but I have the image.” She handed the phone over to Sarah.

  She yanked it out of Zoe’s hand and quickly zoomed in on the writing so she could read it better. “Where did you get this?”

  “I found it in a metal box in the woods. Less than a mile from your old place.”

  “What does this have to do with you two getting married? I know this whole puzzle fits together somehow, but right now I’m really struggling to see the full picture.”

  There was nothing she could say to help it make more sense. Zoe took a deep breath, but finally Wade stepped in to give some explanation. “Zoe came to town and threatened me with this letter. She needed money to take care of her mother, and I needed a wife. I was able to work out an arrangement so we were all happy. Now, I want to know where this letter came from. Who the hell is going around and telling people that our father was murdered?”

  “To be fair, no one’s telling anybody that,” pointed out Zoe. “I found this accidentally.”

  “I don’t believe in coincidences,” said Wade. “If you found it, someone meant for you to find it. You or somebody else.”

  “It doesn’t mention anyone by name,” said Sarah. “Just you. So would it be somebody specifically against you?”

  “Just what I need,” said Wade. “Somebody else trying to take me down.”

  “It probably isn’t that bad,” said Zoe. “Like you said, it’s not like this would stand up in court.”

  “Just because this can’t hurt me doesn’t mean it doesn’t concern me,” said Wade. “I don’t mind having enemies, but I prefer to know who they are.”

  “It shouldn’t be that long of a suspect list,” pointed out Sarah. “After all, there aren’t many people who know about what happened with Dad. I’ve never told anybody. What about you?”

  “Not a soul.”

  Sarah gave him a questioning look. “You told your wife. What about your former fiancée?”

  “If it wasn’t about how pretty she was, Tara didn’t care.”

  Zoe frowned. She was having a harder and harder time imagining why he was marrying that woman. Every time she was mentioned, she sounded worse and worse.

  “It wasn’t you, and it wasn’t me. It’s time to go through the other list of suspects. Leo, Harper, and Shane,” said Sarah.

  Now that got Zoe’s attention. “Shane? The Irish singer Shane? He’s involved with this too? And who is Harper?”

  Wade grunted his annoyance at Sarah, and she shot him in angry glance. “You didn’t tell her?”

  “I was keeping things on a need-to-know basis.”

  “Well, a little warning would’ve been nice, brother.”

  “It’s all right,” said Zoe quickly. “I’m not planning on telling anybody anything. And like Wade said, even if I did, it would be my word against his. And isn’t there some amendment that says I can’t testify against him?”

  Sarah didn’t seem too appeased. “It says you don’t have to testify against him if you don’t want to. You can choose to say whatever you want in a court of law.”

  “Well then, I’ll choose not to say anything. Easy peasy.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “Easy peasy. If I weren’t so annoyed right now, I’d probably really like you.”

  Zoe didn’t really know how to take that. She supposed it would have to be a win. “We’ll figure this out,” she assured her. “One step at a time.”

  Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. “Your optimism is amusing. It really is. But don’t you think it’s a tad misplaced?”

  Zoe let out a bitter laugh. “I’ve been in some crazy situations before, and flat-ass broke more times than I can count. You two are some of the richest people in the world. I’m pretty sure we can throw some money at it and get this problem fixed.”

  “That sounds great,” muttered Wade. “Where exactly do you think we should throw some money?”

  “Well, right now we have one major clue to go off of. The note.”

  “I’ve read the note,” said Wade. “It doesn’t give anything away.”

  Zoe turned her focus on Sarah. “Did you see any clues in it?”

  Sarah shook her head. “Nothing that stood out to me.”

  “All right,” said Zoe, undeterred. “Then it’s time we go to the source.”

  “Isn’t the problem that we don’t know who the source is?”

  “I’m not talking about who. I’m talking about where. I found the note in a steel box in the middle of Birdsville. Maybe it’s time we go back home.”

  Wade strode toward his office, yelling at Thomas as he closed in on the door. “I need you!” he demanded.

  By the time he’d reached his desk, Thomas was walking in the office and closing the door. “What do you need, boss?”

  Wade winced. He hated when Thomas called him that, but for some reason his favorite assistant thought it was hilarious. “What do we know about the leak?”

  “I kept you in the loop on everything.”

  “Give me the whole picture of that loop. Give me a summary.” Wade had read every single text and email his team had been sending him as he searched for who had given the information to the Chinese, but there was something he was missing. He felt as if the answer was right in front of him, and if he just put the pieces together right, it would all makes sense. Maybe if he had Thomas lay it all out for him, he could get to the bottom of it.

  “First of all, we did a sectioning off of all employees who had access to the marketing information that was leaked. From that list of three hundred names, we went looking through email and phone contact history, at least for company cell phones and office phones. Anyone who had any contact with anyone having to do with the Chinese was marked off for further investigation. Also, we looked for anybody fired or anybody put on a performance improvement plan in the past six months, since we know the data leak was recent.

  “That narrowed it down to about fifty people. From there, we had our private investigator look into each one, looking for any sudden large deposits or unexpected spending. From there, we’ve gotten nowhere. Anybody who is spending large cash amounts had a legit reason for it that was thoroughly vetted by our investigators. Right now, we’re back to going through the original list of three hundred and trying to section off anyone we could’ve missed.”

  Wade really wished he could figure out where Thomas was going wrong. What avenue should they look down that hadn’t already been looked down? He had fingers in almost every part of this organization, and he should know something. Some light bulb should’ve gone off by now. Between this and whoever was trying to dredge
up the past, he needed to solve at least one of his problems. He needed at least one win. But even Thomas’s bright ideas, like looking for sudden big spenders, weren’t panning out. If someone had gotten some obscenely large wire transfer from China out of the blue, the government might put a hold on it. How long would it be before the perpetrator would even start spending all that cash?

  He let out a deep sigh of resignation. “I’m going back to Birdsville.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I didn’t fucking stutter. I have some business I need to take care of back home.”

  “This is kind of a big deal.”

  “Do I seem like the type to not understand that on my own?”

  “I mean....” Thomas had the good sense to look intimidated. “Weren’t you just there?”

  “I won’t be there long. One night at the most, I’m guessing. I’m sure the investigation will continue on.”

  “Of course. We’re scheduling everyone for interviews right now. If anyone seems to be acting suspicious, I’ll follow up.”

  Wade nodded. That seemed to be a good direction. See if any of the suspects could pull off lying to a real person’s face. “Are you going to be doing the interviews?”

  “I’m doing them with Fritz.”

  Wade nodded again. The head of security was a good choice. He had a police background, so he’d have a good eye and ear for lies. “Good job, Thomas. Keep me updated on what happens, all right?”

  “Of course, sir.” Wade thought Thomas would leave after that, but instead he asked, “How is Zoe doing?”

  Wade froze and looked up from his computer. “She’s doing fine.”

  Thomas let out a sigh of relief. “Oh good. I was worried you were going back home because she was having trouble adjusting.”

  “Of course she’s not having trouble adjusting. Why would you think that?”

  “I didn’t think—I mean, I’m just worried about her.”

  Wade balled his hands into fists until his knuckles were white. “What is there to worry about?”

  “Nothing, I’m sure. I just know she was lonely without you, and it’s her first time in the city. She seemed so sweet and... I just don’t want her to get eaten up.”

  “I’ll make sure she doesn’t become prey for anybody.”

  Thomas frowned. “That’s exactly what a predator would say.”

  It felt odd to be out on the streets of New York City alone. Ever since she got here, she’d either been cloistered up in Wade’s apartment, being shown around the city by his assistant, or out with him. This was her first chance she’d had to truly be alone to take in the sights. Even if it was just to get coffee from around the corner.

  Soon enough, she’d have a lot more of this freedom.

  What would she even do with all of her time? She knew that the society of rich wives was a busy one. Even though the women didn’t have “jobs,” their philanthropy and social upkeep for their husbands led to a pretty full schedule.

  It was as if she’d taken on a new job without any job description to follow. Hopefully Thomas could help her out. She was sure he’d have to go out of his way to help her, but she had a feeling that not even Wade knew all the responsibilities she was supposed to fill.

  When Zoe reached the coffeehouse, there was a depressingly long line. How could this many people still need a caffeine hit at this late in the afternoon? She supposed the city that never slept would never lose the demand for caffeine. She immediately stood in line and studied the menu as if she didn’t already know that she was going to get the most caramely drink possible.

  She glanced around at the other patrons. Some of them looked like everyday people, some were in power suits, while a few of the women looked kind of like... her. She could easily spot the clothes that were a cut above the rest and the tasteful jewelry. The few women like her deftly stood out.

  Is that what she looked like to others now? Did she look rich? Cultured? As if she belonged?

  Self-consciously, her hand reached up and rubbed her empty earlobe. She wasn’t wearing any jewelry. It seemed too awkward to wear anything that wasn’t gold or silver, considering her new social status. Should she ask Wade to buy her some? Well, considering her allowance, she could buy herself a pair.

  What a strange thing to add to her daily schedule. Two o’clock: coffee. Three o’clock: buy diamond earrings. Four o’clock: take private plane back home.

  Good grief, this was too surreal.

  She was just about up to the counter when something happened. At first, she wasn’t all that aware of it. Then she realized that everyone in the place was sneaking glances behind her.

  Had someone famous come in? Zoe risked a glance behind her only to have her heart sink. Tara just strode into the place and looked as if she’d just walked off the cover of a magazine. Her long blonde hair was in perfect beachy waves, and the silky white dress she wore hugged her curves perfectly; the deep V showed off a whole bunch of cleavage yet still managed to look like she wasn’t even trying. Zoe whipped her head back around and willed herself to be invisible. This had to be a coincidence. This had to be a coincidence. This had to be a coincidence.

  “Zoe! I’ve heard so much about you. I figured it was time we meet.”

  Nope, definitely not a coincidence. Zoe took a nervous gulp before turning around to face the woman who had broken Wade’s heart. “Funny, I was definitely not thinking that it was a great day to meet you.”

  Tara narrowed her eyes and smiled at the exact same time. Zoe couldn’t tell whether it was a look of amusement, disdain, or judgment. She was going to go ahead and assume all three. “Well, you’re not what I was expecting.”

  “You’re just as beautiful as I was expecting,” said Zoe weakly. Flattery. She was definitely going full flattery on this one.

  If anything, Tara’s eyes just got more judgmental, proving that flattery was not the right way to go.

  “Why don’t we take a walk? We have so many things to discuss.”

  The last thing Zoe wanted to do was take a walk with this woman, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. If they stayed here and talked, their dirty laundry would be heard by everybody.

  “It’s a great day for a walk,” she muttered, stepping out of her space in the line before she ever got the caffeine fix she so desperately needed.

  Tara led the way and held the door open for Zoe as though she were actually being nice. But almost as soon as they were out of the coffee shop, she got right to the point. “So you’re the woman who snatched up Wade as soon as I let him go.”

  Zoe imagined what Tara had thought she would be like. A home wrecker? Considering Tara was the one who left, Zoe could hardly take the bulk of the blame.

  “I always wondered what a supermodel would be like,” said Zoe. “Beauty, ambition, ruthlessness. It truly is a sight to behold.” Since flattery wasn’t working, she might as well get right to her safety place. Snark.

  “You’d be surprised how good a little bit of ruthlessness can be for the skin.”

  “I don’t think much would surprise me anymore,” she muttered. “Wade’s doing good though, if you’re wondering. He’s been facing some of his past demons, and really reconnecting with his hometown.” So that might be a gross exaggeration, bordering on an outright lie, but she wanted to make sure Wade looked good to his ex. It was kind of her job to make him look good, after all.

  “Oh, I was never worried about Wade. The man’s like a cat. He always lands on his feet and manages to beat his prey into submission. Are you feeling beaten yet?”

  Why did everybody refer to her as prey? Did she have mousy written on her forehead or something? “I’m still firmly in the honeymoon stage. It’s nothing but joy and orgasms right now.”

  Tara was pretty good at keeping her face cool, but Zoe was pretty sure she saw surprise flash under the layer of Botox on Tara’s forehead at the orgasm remark. That’s right—she wasn’t afraid to go sexual. And if she landed a blow, she was going to keep dig
ging. “But I’m sure you and your boyfriend are the same way, right? He must be so happy to finally have you to himself. I can only imagine the hours and hours and hours and hours you spend in bed together. I’m surprised you’re walking upright.”

  “I’m not having any trouble in that department, thank you very much,” muttered Tara, her irritation showing.

  “I’m sure you don’t. Hopefully it’s your boyfriend, not your friend Bob, doing the work, right?” Zoe knew she was pushing too hard, but she was kinda starting to enjoy it. Tara might be an okay person, but what she’d done to Wade was really shitty. He might never have a chance to tell her how much she’d hurt him, mainly because he refused to admit he had feelings, but Zoe could take these few minutes to at least give Tara a taste of her own medicine.

  “You’re a cheeky little cunt, aren’t you?”

  “That’s the most British way I’ve ever been insulted. Now did you actually come here for a reason, or do you just want to judge me to my face?”

  “Oh, I don’t need to judge you to your face. You already know what everybody thinks of you. You’re a man-stealing, gold-digging, half-breed bastard from the sticks in way over your head. No one’s thinking you have an epic love story with Wade. They’re waiting to see you crash and burn. So no, I’m not here to tell you any of that. I’m here so you can tell Wade to call me.”

  Zoe managed to keep her face steady through the stream of insults. She couldn’t expect to dole it out without taking some in return, but she had to admit Tara’s words hurt. It was everything she was afraid of: being gossiped about behind her back and being considered nothing more than a money grabber. Basically her mother’s worst nightmare. The one thing Diane had fought against tooth and nail. But she had to admit, she was taken aback by Tara’s request. “If you want to talk to Wade, call him yourself. I don’t see why I need to be a middleman.”

  “Of course I’ve been calling him myself. He’s been ignoring my calls. I left some messages with his good-for-nothing assistant Thomas. I was completely ignored. Not that I’m surprised. Thomas never liked me anyway. So I had to get Wade’s attention somehow. So I figured by coming here, talking to you, and getting a few pictures in the press, that would be worth Wade’s attention.”