He’d been to Cass’s place many times, but he usually stayed on the first floor. They reached the top of the stairs. He was intently focused on what was in front of him, expecting danger at any moment. He readied himself to go into the first bedroom on the right.

But when he heard Cass scream, he spun around. Someone must have been lying in wait in the bedroom on the left.

The man had his beefy arm wrapped around Cass’s neck. She was thrashing about, but it wasn’t doing much good.

Zane rushed toward the attacker, feeling confident that he could take him in hand-to-hand combat.

But then the man pulled out a gun and pushed it into Cass’s ribs, causing her to scream in pain. “Put down your gun or she’s dead.”

Zane wasn’t playing this game. Not with his partner and friend’s life. There would be no bartering. Yes, it would be nice to take this guy alive and interrogate him, but Cass’s life was the most important thing to him.

“You’re going to kill me anyway.” Cass’s eyes widened in fear. She was trying to send him a message.

“No. I need you alive. Diego wants to talk to you,” the assailant said.

“Talk about what?” Cass asked with a strained voice.

“Diego isn’t going to rest until he finds the person who killed his brother.”

With that admission, Zane knew he had no other choice. If he laid down his gun, he would most likely be killed, and Cass would be taken and tortured. Something he couldn’t allow under any circumstance. He had to take the shot.

Zane squeezed the trigger twice and hit the assailant in the head.

Cass let out a shriek as the man flopped to the floor. “Zane!”

“I wasn’t going to negotiate with him. I couldn’t let him take you.”

She threw her arms around him, and he pulled her in close. Her body shook in his arms.

“It’s okay. He can’t hurt you now.”

After a moment, she stepped back. “He came out of nowhere.”

Zane squatted down and checked the body for ID, but there was nothing. “Let’s call this in.”

“Zane,” she whispered.

He looked up. “Yes?”

“I think I’m ready for that safe house now.”

Layla and Hunter had just gotten a disturbing call from Zane about an attack at Cass’s place, letting them know she was being moved to a DEA safe house. According to Zane, the man specifically said that Diego wanted to question Cass.

Layla couldn’t dwell on it too much right now. Since Cass was safe, they had other immediate business to attend to.

“We should be there soon,” Hunter said.