“She fought back and the administrator was shot,” Raider said evenly. “Nari is fine right now. She’s at the hospital, surrounded by a multitude of armed HDD agents.”

“Take me to the hospital,” Angus said, his heart speeding up as adrenaline flooded his system.

Raider nodded. “That’s where I’m driving.” He switched lanes again. “She’s at the one on the east side, not the one where your lawyer is.”

Angus ran his hand down his worn jeans. Even people on his periphery were getting hurt now. “I don’t think Lassiter has ever shot anybody before.”

Raider glanced at him before retuning his focus to the road. “No, but most people don’t fight as well as Nari. He might’ve used a gun with his hostages before; it would make sense, he managed to take so many. But this would be a first, right? Going into a place with so many other people was an incredible risk.”

Angus tried to work with the profile in his head and not freak out that Lassiter had been so close to Nari. Again. “Yeah. For him to take a risk like that, he’s upping the stakes.” Even so, it was out of character for the prolific serial killer. “We have the team pretty much locked down—perhaps that was his only option?”

Raider took another left to the small hospital on the other side of the city. “We’re not going to get in to see her, you know.”

Angus paused. “You can’t be here with me.”

Raider snorted. “I bailed you out, Force. That’s on record, and if DHS wants to fire me because of our association, it’s going to happen whether or not I walk into the hospital with you.” He jumped out of his Jeep.

Angus stepped into the rain, hit again by the loyalty of his team. What would his life be like if he left town and never worked with any of them again? He owed them all, and not only for recent events. Knowing them and leading them had probably saved his sanity as well as his life. “Are you happy with DHS?”

“It’s only been a few days.” Raider ducked his head against the rain and hurried toward the entrance. “But I miss the team already, if that’s what you mean. We were odd, but we got things done.” He reached an overhang and paused, shaking out his hair. “Brigid really misses everyone. She doesn’t like the new computer room or the other techs, and they don’t allow dogs or kittens in the offices.”

Brigid had enjoyed working with Roscoe snoozing on her feet and Kat curled up on her keyboard. “I wish I could think of something,” Angus said, eyeing the several agents milling around the waiting room.

Raider opened the door. “Well, if these agents beat the shit out of us, we can sue and maybe retire on a beach somewhere.”