“Okay.” She understood the need to gather oneself after an ordeal and ducked to retrieve his discarded clothing.

He lumbered into the dark-tiled shower, his usual grace gone. “Throw those away, would you? I don’t want to look at them again.”

It was a good thing, because the clothes were ruined. She hurried from the bathroom, threw away the clothing, and then warmed some brandy for him over the stove and heated a casserole from Pippa in the microwave. It was a healthy chicken, veggie, and noodle recipe that she made just for Wolfe, apparently.

The sky started to lighten outside. She wrung her hands and looked for something to do. Roscoe’s bowl was full, as was Kat’s, and both animals were sleeping on the sofa. Roscoe looked her way, apparently decided all was okay, and went back to sleep.

The microwave beeped and she took out the food before pouring the brandy into a tumbler. Then she fetched a glass of water from the fridge dispenser to place by the casserole along with the utensils. There was something else. Oh yeah. She reached for the closest cupboard and took out a bottle of aspirin to put by the plate.

Should she check on him? She didn’t want to overstep or tick him off any more than she already had. Betraying him to his team and then challenging him to a fight in the truck on the way home was as forward as she wanted to get. For now.

The AC hummed to life just as he walked into the kitchen wearing just his black sweats, his gait slow. His broad chest was bruised, but there were no cuts or burns visible. He paused upon seeing the table, his eyes unreadable. “You didn’t have to do this.”

She chuckled, the sound strained, and sat. “Do what? I just warmed up a couple of things. Please sit down.” Before he fell down.

He sat and reached for the brandy first, taking a big gulp. Then he swallowed four aspirin. “Those should kick in soon.”

Her fingers itched to touch him and make sure he was all right. “You might need something stronger.”

“No. That was fine.” He looked at her, and the bruising on his jaw, combined with his scar, made him look like a deadly avenger. “I’ll be better after a little sleep.” Taking his fork, he ate about half of the casserole on the plate.

She let him eat in peace and then finally couldn’t stand it any longer. Fear sensitized her skin, and she shivered from the cool air. “You said there was a bomb. Could you tell me a little more?”

His lips twitched. “I must really look like hell if you’ve decided to be that polite.”

“I’m always polite,” she said, giving in and placing her hand over his warm wrist. “Tell me what happened.”