West came up on the other side in case the dog made a move on Nari. What was it with the tie? It was blue with a red crisscross design on it. Pretty boring.
Tanaka loosened his tie and jerked it over his head, tossing it at Force.
“Here.” Force handed the tie to Roscoe. Snarling and growling, the dog took it over to the corner, where he started ripping it apart.
Tension edged with fear permeated the room. Adrenaline flowed freely.
Force eyed his calming dog. “I thought we were doing better with that. Hmm. Okay.”
Banaghan angled her neck to look around Tanaka. “I thought dogs were color blind.”
Force nodded. “Yeah. It isn’t the color. No argyle prints for anybody. On shirts, on ties, and especially on sweater vests.” He gave a shudder. “The last guy with a vest nearly lost his jugular.”
Mal winced. “Maybe you should tell us all his quirks now. Just in case.”
“We don’t have that kind of time.” Force grimaced. “Agent Tanaka, I apologize.”
Tanaka held up a hand. “Raider. Please. Call me either Raider or Raid.” His black eyes continued to track the dog. “What happened to him? It obviously has something to do with the design.”
“He got blown up by an enemy combatant with that crisscross design on his tac vest,” Angus said.
Mal scratched his head. “There are a lot of windows with that design.”
Angus’s face tightened. “I know. Roscoe goes right through those. It isn’t pretty.” He turned toward Nari. “Dr. Zhang, maybe you could work with him.”
Her intelligent eyes widened. “You want me to counsel a canine?”
“Sure. If you’re as good as they say, maybe you could help.” Force’s smile lacked charm.
Her gaze darkened. “Not a problem. I’ll make you a deal: If I help the pooch, you come in for a session or two as well.”
Force visibly retreated, his face losing all expression. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“That’s what I thought,” Nari murmured. “And while we’re getting informal, I wish everyone would call me Nari instead of doctor.”
The pretty name fit her.
The elevator door dinged, and Wolfe stepped out, sprinkle-and-whipped-cream-topped coffees in his hands. He looked around. “I didn’t buy enough.”
Mal waved his hand. “Somebody can have mine.” He couldn’t deal with that much sugar right now.
“Me.” Banaghan turned and made a beeline for Wolfe, taking the first cup he offered. She took a sip and hummed with pure happiness. Her eyes closed in bliss, and she drank several swallows. “No lattes in lockup.”
Wolfe looked over her prison garb. “We’re springing convicts now?”
Force nodded. “Miss Banaghan is our new computer expert. Raider Tanaka is her handler and our chief investigator. He’s also our liaison with the HDD in general.”
Wolfe snorted. “What did you do wrong to get bounced to the basement?”
Raider winced. “Slept with my boss’s wife.”
Wolfe grinned. “That was stupid.”
“No shit,” Raider muttered. “Though I didn’t know she was his wife when I took her home. Found out the next day.”
“Right,” Brigid Banaghan said. “And I didn’t break any laws to end up in prison. Not a one. I was railroaded, man.”
“Miss Banaghan,” Force said, “you help us, you get the pardon. It’s that simple.”
