“Yes. I’ll be there in ten.”

There was a click in the line.

Zane turned to face Portia, make that a furious Portia.

Her hands at her hips, she stood next to the bed, glaring at him. “I told you I wasn’t leaving.”

“You are, baby girl. Voluntarily.”

“Hah!” she huffed. “You can’t make me. Oliver can’t restrain me. I’ll escape him again.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Watch me!” she threatened.

With a calm he didn’t feel, Zane took one of her hands and led it to his face. He nuzzled his face in her palm and pressed a kiss into it, seeing Portia melt in front of his eyes.

“You won’t do anything of the sort. If you do, I’ll ask my boss to take me off this assignment, and you’ll never see me again.” His threat was a bluff, but he was good at bluffing, his face remaining a stony mask of indifference, a mask he’d worn for decades. It had gotten easier with the years, but tonight, it was the hardest thing he’d had to do.

“You wouldn’t!” Her eyes searched his, but he held steady and didn’t flinch.

When she finally lowered her lids, he saw the disappointment that swept over her face. “You’ve won, but only for today. This is not over.”

He didn’t stop her when she walked down the stairs, but he followed her to the top of the stairs and watched her as she waited for Oliver to arrive. When his car pulled up in the driveway, she opened the door and left without looking back at him even though she had to know he was standing there.

Knowing he couldn’t sleep now even if he tried, he walked into his living room, where Z slumbered peacefully.

“You’re some watch dog! You bark at everything and you couldn’t warn me about her?”

The dog only blinked briefly before continuing his siesta.

Chapter Sixteen

Quinn knocked on the door to Samson’s private office and took another deep breath. He felt like a rat. It wasn’t right that he’d been ordered to keep an eye on Zane. After all, he was Zane’s oldest friend and should be supporting him. But there was also his loyalty to Scanguards and his own worry that his friend might be heading for a cliff.

He’d always seen it in Zane, the desperation that would sometimes grip him when he felt he’d failed in his mission to bring those monsters to justice—monsters like Müller and Brandt. Yet he’d never breathed a word about Zane’s past to anybody in the organization. Nobody knew what Zane had been through. Even Quinn knew only the sketchiest of outlines. The rest he’d puzzled together by himself—and wished he hadn’t. There was such a thing as too much information, and this particular information could turn anyone’s stomach.

“Come,” Samson’s voice sounded from the study.

Quinn turned the antique doorknob and let himself in.

Samson wasn’t alone. As expected, Gabriel was in attendance, like Samson waiting for his report on Zane’s state of mind. After an obligatory shaking of hands, Quinn sat down on the comfortable armchair and looked straight at Samson.

“Glad you could join us. How was your flight?”

“As always, I was in the lap of luxury.”

Samson grinned. “Yeah, we just upgraded the jet. With Delilah and the baby I wanted to make sure there’s a little place for her to lie down.”

“Little?” Quinn chuckled. “That bedroom suite is larger than my entire home in New York.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “If you’re angling for a pay raise, try again.”

Quinn made a face. “Lucky me that I like to slum it.”

Samson laughed. “Is that what they call it these days on Park Avenue?”

Quinn shrugged. “It’s only a condo.”

“A five thousand square foot full floor condo if I remember correctly,” Gabriel added.

“In need of upgrades.”

“Pleasantries aside, does Zane suspect the reason for your visit?” Samson asked.

“I don’t think so. He was his usual abrasive self.” Before entering the room Quinn had already made up his mind not to divulge anything about the assassin Zane had met with. It would require explaining the why and how, and he couldn’t betray Zane’s trust by giving away the secrets of his past.

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

Gabriel nodded in agreement and shifted his foot. “Have you noticed that he’s more aggressive than usual?”

“Actually, no. In fact, he seems calmer than normal. Maybe that dog is doing him some good. Nice little beast.” The puppy was a rambunctious little rascal and the perfect companion for Zane. “The dog even listens to Zane. Whenever he sits down, the pup jumps onto his lap. And Zane doesn’t seem to mind.”