“She doesn’t have enough sense to be angry,” Wolfe said, sipping his drink. “Besides, she has a big story she’s been working on for a while, one she won’t dish about, and she thinks she would’ve found this one, anyway. But I doubt it.”

Force’s eyebrows rose. “Her last few articles have all centered on pretty dangerous criminals.”

“Yes,” Wolfe said, looking toward Nari’s door. “I’ve been providing some backup, but she takes too many risks. I’m not sure why.”

Raider cut Wolfe a look. “What is happening between you two, anyway?” They couldn’t have one of their members feeding materials to a reporter, especially one as good as Dana seemed to be.

Wolfe shrugged. “Just friends. I like her, but emotions aren’t my thing.”

That was the understatement of the century. Or rather, Raider guessed there were a whole mess of emotions in the hulking man. Kind of like a volcano with magma just bubbling beneath the surface. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be in the vicinity when Wolfe blew.

Wolfe grinned and looked at the three men. “I like our team meetings with cookies and booze, even if Brigid and Nari are irritated with us. It’s nice just to be with soldiers for a few minutes. Or agents. You’re kind of like soldiers. I mean, everyone here has been shot. Right?”

They all nodded.

Wolfe poured a fourth glass and leaned over to hand it to West. Then he held up his glass. “To the brotherhood of still breathing after being shot.”

Raider lifted his glass as the other men did the same. Brotherhood. Responsibility and something else, something warm and comfortable, settled onto his shoulders. They’d cover each other’s backs, and they’d get the job done. He’d figure out a way to protect Brigid in the process. “Amen to that.”

* * *

Brigid finished her deep background check on her father, finding no additional arrests or records. Her hands shook a little, and her palms were slightly sweaty. How could she not have known her dad had been arrested several times as a younger man? Did she know him at all? There had been nothing on her mother, thank goodness. Brigid picked up Kat and walked out of the computer room. The four male members of the team were kicked back in the middle of the room at the old desks, drinking whiskey. Giving them a nod and purposely not meeting Raider’s gaze, she walked past them to Nari’s office, where she knocked and waited for the shrink to give her a call to come in.

Why was her heart rate picking up? She could almost feel Raider’s gaze on her back. Don’t look back. Don’t look back.

“Come in,” Nari called.