“So you got the cash and the drugs?” Hunter asked.
“Yes. Everything completely secured,” Cass answered.
“Casualties?” Hunter asked.
“None on our side, but the cartel suffered some,” Zane said. “But everything was by the book. We didn’t take any chances, and our plan was executed to a T.”
Layla spoke up. “One of the casualties was Roberto Mejía, the younger brother of Diego.”
Hunter let out a low whistle. “If Diego thinks one of you is responsible for his little brother’s death, then the threat matrix just went up infinitely.” He paused. “There is a possibility that it’s not a mole and that you got caught on the cartel’s surveillance cameras.”
“No, that’s not possible. We cut all the feeds,” Cass said.
“Maybe you thought you did but there was another system or a backup,” Hunter said. “And now the top cartel brass know who you are and are seeking revenge. That would explain the serious nature of the attacks.”
Layla had additional worries. “And they’re looking for something. Maybe for any of their cash or drugs.”
“Why would they think we’re dirty?” Zane asked.
“I don’t know.” It was one of the questions Layla had been debating. She was trying to block out the fact that Hunter was sitting in her living room and instead think about the details in front of her.
“I assume the Agency sanctioned your involvement in this work?” Hunter asked.
“Of course. I would never go rogue. I don’t break my word, and they have my unfettered loyalty.” She didn’t even try to hide her frustration.
Hunter let her accusation go. “The way I see it, you’re most likely either dealing with someone on the inside who gave you all up because they cut a deal with the cartel, or you were caught on a surveillance system you didn’t know about, and they’ve tracked you down.”
It was as good a time as any to tell them her other unfortunate news, and if Hunter was being read into all of this, then Layla couldn’t exclude him. “There’s something else I need to tell you all. I have no way of knowing if there’s any relation to the situation we find ourselves in, but you need to know that while I was in the hospital, my boss stopped by to tell me that I’m on administrative leave.”
“What?” Zane asked loudly. “For what?”
A deep frown pulled at Hunter’s lips, but he didn’t say anything.
“The IG’s office has opened an investigation in which I’m the subject. My boss had zero details, so I’m clueless as to whether it has any connection to this or whether it’s just bad timing and one more problem for me to handle.”
“Once Mason tells the Agency about the security threat, I bet they’ll reinstate you,” Cass said.
She doubted that. “Or it will just give them another reason to keep me on the sidelines.”
Zane ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t like it. What if the cartel is somehow setting you up? Making you take some sort of fall. Or worse.”
“Then why bother with the bombing if they cooked up this IG investigation?” Layla asked.
Zane shrugged. “Maybe they’re taking this on from multiple angles to cover all their bases.”
Layla looked at Hunter, who locked eyes with her. She could tell he wanted to say something but was keeping quiet. “Where do we go from here?” she asked.
Zane stood. “Cass and I are going to stick close to each other. There’s strength in numbers. You and Hunter should pair up. We’ll work this thing as a team. No solo action. You’ve already been the target of a bombing, John is dead, and Cass’s place was ransacked. We should all be on high alert.”
“Wait a minute,” Layla blurted before she could help herself. “I don’t need to buddy up with Hunter. I can take care of myself. I’m trained for this stuff.”
Hunter stood. “Maybe Layla and I should talk about this privately to make sure we’re both comfortable with the situation.”
Zane arched an eyebrow but didn’t argue. “Cass and I will leave you to it, then.”
Once it was just Layla and Hunter, he turned to her. “We really need to talk.”
Layla didn’t know how she was going to handle all these threats—most of all, the one to her heart.
Izzy looked into her boyfriend’s warm brown eyes. They’d just finished eating takeout and were now sitting on the couch in her apartment, watching cable news. She’d found out early on that they both shared a love for it, and it was an inside joke that they would do their own running commentary.
But she wasn’t in a joking mood tonight.
“Are you finally going to tell me what’s been bugging you?” Aiden asked. Aiden was a great guy. He was Jay Graves’s son—the Army CID agent she’d become close to while investigating a huge case earlier in the year. “There’s absolutely nothing you could’ve done to stop that bombing. You can’t take that on your shoulders.”
“It’s not that.”
“Well, I don’t have to use my cop skills to know that something is up.”
She’d promised herself she’d never date a cop after what had happened to her. One violent attack by her superior at Arlington PD had changed her forever. But Aiden couldn’t be more different from the monster who had hurt her.
“You’re right about something bothering me, but it’s not the bombing.” She took a breath. “You know how much my friendship with the ladies means to me. The three of them have welcomed me and Lexi into their friend group. When Lexi got sent abroad on assignment a few months ago, it became just me and the three of them. I don’t know what I’d do without them now that I’ve experienced friendship like that.”
“I’m sensing a but is about to come out of your mouth. Whatever it is, I’m here to listen.”
Just one of the many things she loved about Aiden. In fact, she felt like she’d fallen in love with Aiden the first time she ever met him. But she
