Nari scratched Roscoe’s ears in her minuscule office as Adele crooned from the speakers of her computer. After a sleepless night she’d just given up the idea of resting and headed back to work, wearing her black jeans and a mint-green silk shirt. Dressing up had been too much effort, although her opal jewelry and tall boots made her feel put together.

Roscoe set his jaw gently on her thigh, closing his soulful brown eyes and sighing. His markings were dark across the lighter fur on his face, making him probably the most handsome German shepherd alive, in her opinion. At least he wasn’t hung over.

“Did Angus drink that bottle last night after I left?” she whispered.

Roscoe opened one eye, looked at her, and then shut it again.

Oh, she didn’t think the dog really understood her question, but sometimes Roscoe seemed almost human.

The whole team had gathered in the office this morning. Angus remained in the case room, obsessing over his obsession. At least he’d made it home to shower before showing up in yet another pair of ripped jeans and a dark tee that stretched across his wide chest. He’d given her one of those looks earlier that had made her want to both kiss him and punch him. How did he affect her like that?

Brigid Banaghan worked away in her computer room, no doubt running searches for Angus that would lead nowhere, while their new member, ex-journalist Dana Mulberry, conducted research on one of the free computers. Well, maybe not ex-journalist. There was no doubt Dana would take a story and freelance it, if an interesting one came up and was okayed by Angus.

In the middle of the office, testosterone reigned supreme. Malcolm West, Raider Tanaka, and Clarence Wolfe sat at their desks in the center hub, going through busy-work case files sent by the HDD brass. They were all dressed in jeans and dark, long-sleeved shirts, their normal uniform for the office.

Agent Millie Frost, their new Q, had disappeared into the storage room turned vault with her mysterious equipment. The blue streaks in her blond hair had faded to a light aqua and her face had finally lost its pinched look. Nari had given Millie time to get settled in and now she needed to set up a schedule with her for weekly counseling appointments, as she had with the rest of the team.

Except Angus Force. He wouldn’t set foot in her office—a fact she appreciated. While she wanted to help him, the attraction between them wouldn’t dissipate.

The elevator dinged, high and tinny. Roscoe stepped away and turned his head toward the door, while Nari straightened in her chair. “It’s probably Jethro,” she whispered. The British professor consulted with Angus; he’d just finished rehab on his leg after injuring it during an Op.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Wolfe snapped loudly.