Caesar gawked at his partner, too dumbfounded for admonishments or even words.

He had been spying?! …Well, that was like him, but the explanation absolutely wasn’t. It was beyond just unconvincing to any sane person—it was like nonsense a child would blurt out when they couldn’t think of a better lie.

And Joseph was an incredible liar. And this was his life on the line. So, why…?