She forced a smile, her heart rate speeding up. “That’s not fair.” A guy with an ego like his would definitely not like the fact that she’d gone over his head—a fact that had, unfortunately, gone public. But she wouldn’t apologize for trying to save a fellow agent.

“It might not be fair, but it’s true.” He flattened his hands on his neatly organized desk.

“Actually, I believe I was calm, collected, and measured in doing my job and protecting Lisa as well as the entire agency.” She lowered her chin. Why did jackasses always say a woman was high-strung or irrational when she reacted appropriately? “Get over it, Vaughn.” Not the tone she wanted to take with him, but he wasn’t giving her a choice.

“I don’t want you on my team.” Anger shone in his eyes, but he managed to keep his tone level.

“I don’t want to be on your team,” she agreed. “So you should request a transfer. You know as well as I do that my father won’t help if I ask to be moved.”

Vaughn sighed. “I guess he knows you better than I did. You don’t belong in this agency.”

Maybe not. Sometimes she doubted she did. She crossed her legs, reminded instantly of a slight bite mark on her thigh from Angus. He’d marked her. She felt all warm and mushy for the slightest of moments.

“Come on, Nari. You’re only here to prove something to your absentee father. Why don’t you quit and open a practice and make tons of money?” he asked.

The words were a direct hit—the truth usually was. She banished thoughts of Angus and what might’ve been. It was over, and now she had to deal with real life. How had she found herself involved with this jerk again? She had belonged with Angus Force’s team and she had made a difference there. She was good at her job. “What’s the case you’re working on, Vaughn?” They were getting nowhere with this conversation.

He opened a desk drawer and retrieved a deep-blue file folder to slide across the desk. “We’re investigating a fairly new transnational gang that originated in El Salvador and has set up here in DC. They’re primarily into drug running right now.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “They’re in competition with MS-13 and the 18th Street Gang?”

“They’re trying to be.”

She reached for the file folder. “They haven’t been taken out by either gang yet?”