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Tai whistled low under his breath. “That’s an interesting wrinkle.” His eyes darkened like thunderclouds. “So whoever killed her went to a lot of trouble to frame a dead man.”
“Seems that way,” Fuller agreed wearily. “My superiors don’t know I’m here. But this case isn’t sitting right. And you did us a solid cluing us in that Victor or Mikael or whatever the guy’s name is was dead long before the murder. Whatever government agency gave you that info would never tell local cops.”
Pulse racing, Tenaya managed a shaky nod. The layers of deception never seemed to end.
Tai clapped the detective on the shoulder. “Appreciate you bending the rules. We’ll take it from here.”
After Fuller left, Tai turned to Tenaya, eyes implacable. “Whoever’s behind this just ripped open a whole new can of worms.”
Fear clawed at her insides, but she forced it down. Answers were coming, finally.
She met Tai’s uncompromising gaze, resolve hardening within her. “Let’s go fishing then.”
Tai’s teeth flashed in a fierce grin. “Now you’re talking.”
Less than ten minutes later, the rest of the team slipped into the condo to discuss the implications of the detective’s intel.
She perched on the edge of the sofa while Tai paced like a caged panther. He threw up his hands. “I get that whoever killed that woman might would want to frame Zhezhnov, but why are they obsessed with Tenaya?”
“Who says they are?” Fenn mused. He paced, too, warming to his subject. “What if Tenaya’s the diversion? You know, smoke and mirrors.”
The realization stole Tenaya’s breath. “Because Victor––Mikail Zhezhnov––was obsessed with me.”
Fenn turned to her, green eyes intent. “Exactly. It’s the perfect cover, right? To whoever is orchestrating this charade, you’re just a means to an end.”
Her father whistled. “Looks like our imposter scored a sick little two-fer. They made it look like Zhezhnov’s a psychotic murderer, and now they’ll get the triad to go to war with the Red Hand.” His weathered face creased in a gentle smile. He reached over to pat her hand. “Whatever the motives, we got this. A group of punk gang members is nothing compared to the fanatics we’ve faced down.”
Tenaya turned to him, some of her turmoil easing at his calm, steady presence. Just having him close fortified her. She managed a small, grateful smile. If nothing else good came of this nightmare, the tentative seeds of a relationship with her father offered a start.
Tai crossed to crouch before her, his heat palpable, his hands engulfing hers. “I know this is a lot. But we’re going to untangle this. The play-acting ends now. Fake-Zhezhnov’s going down.”
His uncompromising gaze bore into hers, transmitting his resolve. Slowly, Tenaya’s galloping pulse steadied. She managed a small, jerky nod.
Resolve swelled in her chest, matching the banked fury radiating off the indomitable man beside her. Whoever had hijacked her life didn’t yet realize just what kind of hell they’d unleashed upon themselves.
32
Tai stalked the perimeter of Tenaya’s sleek living room, frustration boiling inside him. The latest twist in this confounding case left them back at square one, just when he’d thought they were finally gaining ground.
Instead of an answer to his challenge at the casino, they got another mystery dumped on them.
Bridger dragged both hands down his face. “Let’s think this through from the beginning. Who benefits from pretending Zhezhnov’s still alive and also benefits from taunting this triad?”
Graham leaned forward, weathered face creased in concentration. “What if it’s not about Tenaya at all? Could be she got caught up as collateral damage in something bigger.”
Mason grunted his agreement. “There’s always an angle.”
Tai resumed his restless pacing, thoughts churning furiously. They were circling the truth, he could feel it. “Okay, say Tenaya’s just been a smokescreen this whole time. What’s the end game?”
Silence fell while they contemplated.
Tenaya bolted to her feet. “We need to follow the money.”
Fenn did a face palm. “Of course.”
“Start with what we know about Zhezhnov’s connections,” Graham suggested gently. “Where does that lead?”
Tenaya closed her eyes in concentration. Tai recognized the signs of her agile mind kicking into high gear. Though he barely dared hope, a rightness filled him. They were on the cusp of a breakthrough. He could feel it.
