Force shook his head. “He likes whiskey. As a dog, it should totally destroy his liver. But I’ve had him checked out several times at the vet’s after he’s snuck into the booze, and it doesn’t.”
Roscoe emptied the tumbler and sat, looking up at the remaining glasses in Wolfe’s hands with big eyes. He whined, the sound mournful.
“He also doesn’t know when to stop,” Force muttered. “No more, Roscoe.”
The dog cut Force a truly dirty look, then lumbered over to the corner and lay down.
“Huh.” Wolfe handed a glass to Malcolm and one to Force. “Is that why he’s retired?”
“One of the many reasons.” Force took the glass, looking at the liquid as if he knew better but, at the moment, didn’t give a shit.
Wolfe returned to the kitchen for another glass and this time brought the bottle with him.
The dog perked up.
“No,” Force snapped.
The dog sighed and lowered his head onto his paws. But his gaze remained on the bottle.
Malcolm knew how he felt.
Wolfe took the one remaining chair, his glass now full.
Force held up his glass. “For surviving the day.”
“Surviving,” Malcolm answered, taking a deep drink. The liquid exploded in his gut and spread out, giving warmth and a little calm. He looked at the two men who might’ve saved his life that day. “Thank you for being there.”
“Always, Brother,” Wolfe said, his gaze only slightly less crazy than normal. “I miss my team. It’s good to have one again.”
Yeah. A team. “Nothing quite bonds you like gunfire and blood,” Mal murmured, taking another drink. The room started to mellow, the flowers on the couch seeming to fade. Ah. He loved this feeling. “I’m sorry I might’ve compromised our op.”
“We’re fine,” Force said, taking another drink. “It probably didn’t hurt for your girl to see you save her life. Maybe she’ll trust you. Tell you some truths.”
His girl. Pippa was so far from being Mal’s girl, it wasn’t funny. “Maybe. Or the fact that she saw me shoot a guy will push her away.” Mal glanced down. His glass was empty. That was fast. Before he could reach for the bottle, Wolfe was there, refilling him. Now that was a buddy. He smiled. “You as crazy as you seem?”
Wolfe shrugged. “Maybe. Got a head injury, but I wasn’t a straight arrow before, you know. Was across the world and an op went bad. Lost four guys. Good guys.”
Wolfe had lost brothers, Force had lost his sister to a serial killer, and Mal had lost ... what? He’d been the one to kill the closest thing he’d ever had to a brother. So what had he lost? “My soul,” he murmured. Yeah. That sounded right.
Force’s eyes sharpened even as he poured himself another glass. “Who needs it?”
Wolfe paused with his glass halfway to his mouth. “We all do. Souls are important, man.”
Were they? Why? Souls made shooting people hurt. Made seducing pretty women with stunning blue eyes a bad idea. Why couldn’t that be a good idea? “I don’t know. It seems like we’re always trying to ignore the damage,” Mal said, his voice slurring only a little. “Do you think she has a soul?”
Wolfe gave Force a look and then took a deep drink. “Yeah. I think the blue-eyed chick has a soul. I also think she’s a good liar. Watched her at the crime scene. She was scared shitless but managed to keep her story straight. That’s talent, man.”
Talent. Just great. “Right,” Mal muttered.
Angus West straightened up. “Could just be a finely honed survival instinct. She looks innocent, but she’s good under pressure. Maybe it’s a necessity?”
Maybe. Who the hell knew? Mal sighed. “Hey. Who followed her friend home?”
“Didn’t need to. Got her address at the scene,” Force said. His phone buzzed, and he brought it to his face. “We have an update on the Lassiter case. A possible sighting, which is probably bull. But we need to check it out.” He stood, looked at the bottle, and quickly poured three more shots. “I can leave Wolfe and Roscoe here with you.”
Ah, man. The guys were worried about him. Mal stood and lifted his glass. “It’s not my first shooting. It probably won’t be my last. You can’t cuddle and spoon me every time.”
Wolfe snorted as he stood, lifting his glass as well. “Fair enough. Here’s to brotherhood. We’re gonna need it.”
