“Listen.” Wolfe sucked down half of his drink. “I can handle you broody, I can handle you drunk, but I can’t deal with you being an idiot. If you need to hit somebody, let’s do it. I’m happy to take punches from you. But you have to pull your head out of your ass, and it needs to happen now.”

Angus took a deep breath. His friend was right, as bothersome as that fact was. “Is this your idea of tough love?”

Wolfe’s lips twisted. “Huh? No. Tough love would’ve been me putting your head through that tree. This is me trying to be understanding and all of that shit.”

Against all odds, Angus chuckled. God, he did appreciate his friends. “Okay. I’m focused. I’ll be clearheaded by the time we get back in the cabin and I’ll profile everyone.” Not once had he ever thought Wolfe’s would be the voice of reason.

“Good. You might also want to figure out what’s up with you and Nari. You’re pushing her away so she doesn’t get killed, she’s avoiding you because she doesn’t trust her choices in men, and it’s just making everyone else gossipy and curious.” Wolfe tipped back his head and finished his drink, leaving whipped cream on his lips.

Angus frowned. “There’s nothing up with us.” Except a lot of sexual tension and one great night of sex.

“Oh, please. Don’t make me try the head-through-the-tree thing.” Wolfe lumbered to his feet and held down a hand. “Half of your panic here is the idea that Lassiter or Copycat will go after Nari just because you’ve been close to her. That might make you avoid your feelings, or it might make you amplify ones you might not have. Just figure it out before somebody gets hurt.”

Angus accepted the hand and stood eye to eye with the soldier. “I’m not sure I like your philosophical side.”

“Dude. I am so done with talking for the week. This was a lot.” Wolfe clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get some work done.”

Fat raindrops from tree branches plopped on Angus’s head until he exited the forest, where Malcolm was waiting for them. Angus paused, his body chilling at the look on Mal’s face. “What’s happened?” he asked.

Mal’s eyes burned. “We had the news on TV. Apparently joggers beneath Trunky Bridge found a body. Blond female with bright pink streaks in her hair.”

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

The dead woman could not be Millie. It just couldn’t be. Nari scrambled to use every contact she had at HDD to find out more details on the deceased woman, while most of the team did the same. The news report had been brief, and other than the description of streaked blond hair, the joggers hadn’t provided any details to the reporter at the scene.