Fields finished unwrapping a peppermint candy and popped it in his mouth, eyeing his motionless young partner. “He’s supposed to be the best fighter in his generation in hand-to-hand. Apparently not.” Even his voice was grizzled, and his eyes had that weary look most agents earned if they survived decades in Homeland Defense.

Raider eyed the prone agent. He was breathing all right but hadn’t regained consciousness. “Why did he have a gun pointed at me?”

“Didn’t know it was you,” Fields said around the peppermint. “We heard Brigid arrive, but there’s no peephole, and she didn’t come in. So, as usual, Rutherford led with his gun.” Fields crunched through the candy. “Apparently that was a mistake.” He didn’t much sound like he cared one way or the other.

Rutherford groaned but otherwise didn’t move.

Facts slammed together with a loud bang in Raider’s head. He focused on the redhead, who was eyeing the scene like she wanted to run back out the door. “Brigid?” His voice remained calm and level. “Want to tell me why these two agents are waiting patiently in your apartment?” Fury spiraled from his gut up his esophagus, and he swallowed it back down faster than Fields had eaten the candy.

She bit her lip. “I was going to tell you in the truck, but then you carried me inside, and then I wanted to tell you, but then you kissed me, and, well . . .”

“You kissed her?” Fields snorted, the thick lines at the sides of his eyes crinkling. “Tough duty, Tanaka?”

Raider breathed in and then out deeply, calming every instinct he had to punch the older guy. He looked at Brigid, somewhat surprised when she met his gaze evenly. “So much for trusting your partner, huh?” God, he was a moron. All it took was a pretty face with green eyes, and he’d assumed he knew her—assumed that she was the person he’d read about on paper and then met. Hell. He’d wanted to save her and show her that she could use her skills with computers in an honorable way. His ego had certainly led the way on this one. The woman didn’t need him as a savior.

She exhaled loudly, twisted her head as she stared at Rutherford. “Is he going to need medical assistance?”

“No,” Raider said shortly, itching to grab the booze he had stashed back at his place. A shot of Jack would go down perfectly right now, but showing that weakness to the HDD agents wasn’t going to happen.

In a surprisingly smooth move, Rutherford catapulted to his feet, ducked his head, and rushed at Raider, hitting him hard enough to lift him off his feet.