CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
Zane entered a holding room at the DEA headquarters to meet with Cass, who sat at a small table, waiting for him. He got the sense that she’d been put through the wringer. Deep, dark circles hung under her pretty brown eyes. And yes, they were pretty. He was having a hard time getting back to where they’d been—the friend zone.
This bombshell she’d dropped on him had somehow brought them even closer. She’d hidden stuff from him, yes, but he got it. He had an awful relationship with his family. The fact that she was willing to lay everything on the line for her brother showed what kind of woman she was. He only wished she had come to him. He had more money than he knew what to do with and could have easily helped her. Although it occurred to him that he’d never told her about his money. They both had their family secrets.
All this Boy-Scout stuff had messed with his head. Did Cass really see him like that? He didn’t see himself like that, but he wondered if somewhere along the way he’d given her the wrong impression. Yeah, he had a problem with perfectionism, but he was far from perfect. And he was beating himself up, because maybe that had caused her to do something that threatened not only her career but her freedom.
“Cass.”
“I wouldn’t have held it against you if you hadn’t come. You still have your reputation to protect. You don’t want to be known as the man who partnered with a thief.”
He took her hand. “Don’t talk like that. What are they saying?”
She looked at him. “My lawyer is working with them, trying to cut a deal.”
That gave him a little hope. “What kind of deal?”
“One that avoids jail time, given my pristine record, but I won’t be able to be a DEA agent anymore.” Her voice sounded strained. “I have no idea what I’ll do.”
“Why don’t we take it one step at a time?” Just the revelation that she wouldn’t have to face jail time was huge and took a big burden off his shoulders. They could figure everything else out.
Her dark eyes widened. “We? You can’t seriously act like you’re going to stand by me through this. I’ve hidden things from you, and let’s not even get into the other stuff I tried to pull.”
“Yes, Cass. We. We’re stronger than that. Yeah, you messed up, but that doesn’t change our friendship. Our partnership.” And whatever else there might be to come.
“It does, though. We’ll never work together again. I’m done.” Her voice got much louder.
“You might be done at the DEA. That’s a harsh reality, but it doesn’t mean your life is over. If you’re able to take some sort of deal, you could start fresh. The DEA might be off the table, but there are other options.”
“You mean in the private sector,” she said.
“Yeah, totally, or there might be other agencies willing to overlook one lapse of judgment.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking CIA.”
“You know I am.” He couldn’t help but smile.
She sighed. “Like you said, I’m not really in a position to make any plans right now. We can focus on one day at a time.”
“Good.”
She studied him for a moment. “Why, Zane? I don’t get it. You had every right in the world never to speak to me again.”
He took a deep breath, not sure what to say or how to say it. “You know, I’m not even sure myself. I just know that I really care about you.”
“As a friend.”
“For sure.”
“As anything more?” she asked softly.
He stilled at her words. He didn’t want to avoid the issue. That wasn’t his style, but this was difficult. “Honestly, Cass, I’m not sure what I feel.”
She nodded. “That’s fair.”
“We don’t have to sort all of that out today, but I wanted you to know that I’m here for you.”
Her eyes misted.
He couldn’t believe he was seeing this from tough-as-nails Cass. That let him know she was really having a rough time, and seeing her in this weakened state broke his heart.
After Layla’s discussion with Nick, she realized she wanted to be a part of questioning Bryce. At first Nick had pushed back against the idea, but once she agreed not to be in the room, he had relented.
Hunter wasn’t with her but was back at the safe house, working on the DEA investigation. He had been more than understanding about being left behind, given all the internal political issues this situation would cause within the Agency.
So now she found herself at Langley, watching from the surveillance room as Bryce’s questioning began. Was she finally going to get answers to many of the questions that had been plaguing her?
True to his word, Nick appeared to be taking the lead and doing the questioning, along with Frank Gibson. In the surveillance room with her was the other, more junior investigator, Monty Hicks.
Bryce looked beaten down. He was normally completely put together, but tonight his hair was disheveled and his navy dress shirt was wrinkled.
Nick cleared his throat. “Bryce, this will go a lot easier if you don’t play any games. We already know a lot. Your being forthcoming with us will go a long way in determining how this situation is going to be treated. If we feel like you’re holding back or lying to us, I can personally guarantee we will push for the harshest penalty possible. Am I clear?”
Bryce didn’t respond but didn’t break eye contact with Nick either.
Layla’s nerves were frayed as she waited to see how this was going to play out. She had no idea what Bryce was going to say.
Frank opened the thick manila folder sitting in front of him. “We want to talk to you about Layla Karam. You worked very closely with Layla while at the Agency, correct?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How would you
