“You don’t have to run off. I’ve got more cookies.”

Izzy looked down at the empty cookie plate and realized she’d eaten them all as they’d been talking. She laughed. “I might explode if I eat any more, but they were amazing. Just what I needed.”

“You should stop by more often. It was so good to see you.”

Izzy gave Alicia a tight hug, fighting back tears. She hoped this was the beginning of a massive break in the case. One that would ultimately get to the truth.

Zane’s mind was reeling from the interrogation he’d gone through that morning, still trying to figure out how he’d become a suspect in the DEA investigation. Someone thought he would be a convenient target, and it was his priority to figure out who was gunning for him. The cartel had more power and influence than most people could imagine. Unfortunately, their tentacles stretched wide and right into the belly of the DEA. The thought sickened him.

As a Marine, Zane could not imagine turning his back on his country and working for the cartel. And he was confident that once investigators looked closely at him and his background, they would realize that he could not be a traitor. He needed to figure out who could have the motive and the opportunity to set him up. But he also couldn’t allow himself to be totally focused on those issues, because his partner still needed him.

He’d told Mason that Cass was solid, but he had his doubts. She had taken all of this very personally—which he understood, given that the attacks were highly personal. He sat beside her now on the sofa in the DEA safe house as she worked on her laptop. She had a serious look on her face, and a frown pulled down on her lips. He wondered what was going on in her head.

He tried to give her space to work and act as normal as possible under the circumstances, but he knew there was a huge cloud hanging over her—one of stinging fear. And he hated seeing her like that. The woman he had worked with for the past few years had always been tougher than most of the guys he knew. That had all changed when she became a prime target of the Mejía cartel.

“How’s it going?” He figured that was a safe enough question to ask.

Cass stopped typing and looked at him. “Honestly, I’m just trying to finish some reports to keep my mind off the bigger issues. There’s nothing like bureaucratic paper work for that.” She gave him a slight smile. “What about you? You’re the one just sitting there, staring off into space. Is it about being questioned today?”