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A neighbor stepped from the house closest to the sedan. The neighbor’s dog began to bark wildly, tugging on his leash but held back by his owner. The driver quickly started the engine and pulled the car away from the curb to head down the road and disappear from sight as it rounded a curve.

Chapter Ten

Zane walked through the doors of KSI moving slower than normal. He was ready to be back at work, but his injury made his movements stiff. The pain had subsided for the most part, but he was frustrated to not be back at one hundred percent.

“Hey, man, need me to carry you upstairs?” As the security guard stationed behind the security desk in the lobby, Jordan Raines made an imposing figure meant to ward off people who had no business at KSI. It wasn’t just his six-foot-one frame - burly enough to stretch the seams of his uniform almost to their limit - which made him intimidating, but it was also his rigorous military training as a Marine which people dared not cross.

Though he appeared scary as hell, Jordan was easygoing in nature, as evidenced by the grin slitting his face, but the best thing about him was his wife Stella, one of the sweetest women and best cooks Zane had ever known — though if someone told his mother he felt that way, he would emphatically deny it.

Zane responded to Jordan’s teasing with a middle finger salute, which made the man belly laugh.

“It’s good to see you back, man, but seriously, there’s no shame in taking some time to get back to one hundred percent. You look better than you did in the ICU, but you still look like hell.”

Zane stared at him derisively. “Thanks, man. Appreciate the support.”

“I’m not trying to be a dick. I want to watch out for you. We almost lost you.”

Zane softened his expression. “Yeah. I know. Just feeling a little smothered, is all.”

“Hey, you know I have to look out for you. Stella would have my balls in a sling if I didn’t.”

Zane grinned. “Yeah. Tell her thanks for the lasagna she dropped off at my place. It was what I needed after all the hospital food.”

Jordan nodded. “It’s one of my favorites, but she wanted me to tell you if you wanted something else, let me know. In the meantime, Tryst said if you came in to send you straight to his office.”

Zane sighed. “He wants me to work some easy case Brick has. He doesn’t think I’m ready to be in the field or work the case I already had.”

“Nothing wrong with taking it easy, man. At some point, they’ll need you to close this one out, and you’ll be ready when the time comes. You’re no good to anyone if you rush it. But it’s damn good to see you back.”

Zane stepped into the elevator and released a long breath once the doors closed with a swoosh. Even easygoing Jordan was giving him grief about coming back to work. What happened to the guys he usually worked with who told each other to “shake it off” whenever they got injured in the field? The hovering and well-meaning words of concern were exhausting.

But the smothering continued as he gingerly made his way to Tristin’s office. He forced himself to swap a few friendly words with their receptionist, Eleanor Frost, who was too much like a hard-ass grandmother to the whole staff for him to blow her off. Then came the questions about his condition from investigators Isobel Garcia and Gennessey Croft. He endured good-natured ribbing from his teammates, Brennan “BB” Beckett and Griffin “Wings” Tyler. He earned a stern lecture from Jay for coming back to work too soon before he was standing in front of Tristin’s door, knocking briefly and pushing it open without waiting for permission to enter.

Brick was already in Tristin’s office, and neither man seemed surprised to find Zane there. He suspected Jordan alerted them that he had arrived. He closed the door behind him, bracing himself for the lectures they would give him.

“You look like shit, but it’s good to see you up at least.”

Just how bad did he look?Though Tristin’s grin took the bite out of his words, Zane was starting to feel self-conscious with all of the wise cracks. If one more person joked about his appearance, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from throat punching him.

“Can we not talk about me? Tell me about this case already, so I can close it and get back to my own case.”

Tristin raised a quizzical brow. “What? You don’t want an update on your case before we talk about the other?”

“I didn’t figure you’d tell me if I asked.”

“We found Morrison.”

That got Zane’s attention. The elusive Morrison whom De la Peña accused him of working for had plagued his thoughts since he’d regained consciousness after his surgery. Not once had he heard the name mentioned while he was imbedded in the crime family, and he couldn’t understand how the crime boss could be so troubled by someone but never talk about him prior to the night at the warehouse.

Zane lowered himself into a chair, his gaze shifting from Brick to Tristin and back. “Well? Don’t leave me in suspense. Who the hell is he?”

Tristin picked up a file folder from his desk and passed it to Zane. “Max Morrison. He’s not a gun runner. He’s not the head of some crime syndicate. He’s not into drugs or prostitution or any other criminal activity Armando might be interested in. At least not that Travis and Kat were able to find.”

Zane opened the folder, but he was too keyed up to focus on what the papers said. “Then why is Armando suspicious of him?”

“He’s a casino owner. He owns several all over the country. The FBI suspect his businesses are used to launder money, but he’s too good to get caught.”

“Why would De la Peña accuse me of being a spy for a casino owner? It doesn’t make sense.”