Beside me, Asher took a deep breath. “So I finished running the analysis on Avery’s files.”
Amy leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. “What did you find?”
He slid his hand away from hers, and a hurt expression flashed across her face. “Nothing. It was wiped before we even got there. His whole system was just too clean.”
I shook my head. “What does that mean?”
“There was a back door into Avery’s files. Someone used it to erase the incriminating ones. He was up to something, and either his killer knew it and wanted that information or someone else is covering for him.”
We all stared at each other in silence, and suddenly, it felt real. My skin crawled. A man was dead, and someone we might know had killed him. But why? What was it they wanted?
Amy stretched out a hand to touch Asher’s arm but paused. “Ash, the first test is Friday. If someone is targeting scientists or trying to sabotage the project, we need to tell them or we’ll put everyone at risk.”
He jumped to his feet to pace in front of the table. Coco looked up from where she was cleaning the bar, but Asher waved her back. “Give me the rest of the week. If we don’t make some sort of progress by then, we’ll tell someone. Please.” His voice sounded desperate, and my skin pricked with unease wondering what else Asher wasn’t telling us.
Max nodded. “We can do that. Right, guys? Give him a break.”
Amy pouted, but she finally shrugged. “Fine. We’ll wait until next week. But I just want to go on the record that I think we should have told Danvers about this when Lexie first discovered the anomaly.” Her expression was more calculating than annoyed and made me wonder what exactly was going on in her brain.
“We’ve gone this long. Let’s let Asher do his thing. He’s never let us down before,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t get all smug and cocky at my compliment
She turned and tapped a finger against her chin. “That’s true. I mean, it’s not like he’s his mother, right? We can trust him.”
The color drained from Asher’s face. “Amy!”
“Well, I’m just saying. You’d never betray us.” She sank back in her chair while Max, Zella, and I exchanged confused looks.
Amy’s voice turned husky. “Want to go back to your place and see if I can find anything with those files? Your tutoring the other day was…useful.”
He stared at her for a long moment before shrugging. “Sure. It’ll be good to get another set of eyes on them.”
Amy got to her feet and wrapped a hand around his arm. “We’ll keep you guys posted if we find anything. See you later.”
He was careful not to look at any of us as he led Amy from the restaurant.
The three of us stared as they left Coco’s. I closed my open mouth with a snap.
“What the hell just happened?” Zella demanded.
Max shook his head. “Amy mentioned Asher’s mom, and it was like she’d punched him.”
Asher’s mom. Amy. I chewed my lip as something niggled at the back of my mind. “I think he got an email from his mom a couple of weeks ago. Amy read it.” Whatever was in that email must have been more serious than I’d thought.
Zella’s voice went up an octave, and she echoed my thoughts. “What did it say? I’ve never seen him like that before.”
I wished I knew. There were so many things Asher and I had never talked about, so many things I wanted to learn about him.
Zella got to her feet and slung her bag over her shoulder. “I guess we’re not going to find out sitting here. I’m going to run to the bathroom before we leave. You’re still dropping me at fencing practice, right, Max?”
He nodded, and I perked up. “You fence? That’s so cool. Is there someplace around here that teaches it? I’ve always wanted to learn.”
“Yeah, there’s a studio off South Street. I’ve been going for about three years. It’s fantastic.” She paused. “Let me know if you want to tag along some time.”
I blinked once in surprise before nodding. “Thanks! I’d like that.”
She nodded back and headed toward the bathroom.
Max watched her leave and shook his head. “Asher and I aren’t best friends or anything, but there’s something wrong, Lexie.”
I was still shocked at Zella being so nice, but I nodded, dragging my thoughts back to the earlier conversation. “Yeah, I got that impression, too.”
He paused, looked down at his cup. “Are you two dating?”
A heat crept up my neck, and I wasn’t sure how to answer. “No? Yes? I don’t know.”
“Amy doesn’t take no for an answer, does she? Though I suppose most guys wouldn’t mind that if they were dating someone who looks like Amy. She’s definitely not your typical science nerd.” He blinked once, and his cheeks went pink. “Not that you look like a typical nerd either, Lexie.”
I laughed. “Thanks, Max, but I have no illusions about the way I look. I’m perfectly average, and I’m okay with that.” Most of the time. “What about you, Max? Are there any girls you’re interested in?” I couldn’t stop my gaze from flicking toward the restrooms.
He grimaced. “Not really. Besides, who’d want to date me anyway?”
“Max, any girl would be lucky to date you. And I can think of at least one off the top of my head who’s very interested.”
Max’s eyes widened, and his voice sounded strangled. “Who?”
“Uh-uh. I’m not telling. But seriously, if you can’t figure it out, I’m going to have to deduct some guy points.”
He looked slightly panicked. “But I don’t know how… What do I do…?”
I leaned across the table and put my hand on his arm. “Max, just be yourself. And try not to be so clueless.”
Zella approached the table, eyes narrowed. “Did I interrupt something?”
Max yanked his arm away from my hand like Asher had done with Amy, and I bit back a smile. He shot to his feet. “There you are, Zella. Ready to go?”
I could see the wheels turning as she jumped to the totally wrong conclusion, and I shook my head. “Just giving Max some advice. Any girl would be lucky to have him, right, Zella?”
Our gazes locked, and I willed her to understand. I wasn’t poaching her territory. I was trying to help her. Finally, her shoulders relaxed, and she nodded. “Definitely. Max is a great guy.” She chewed her lip and looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes.