“You and Dana,” Brigid replied quickly. “There’s more than friendship.” In fact, Wolfe seemed very interested in the pretty reporter’s safety.
“Nope.” Wolfe yawned, nearly dislodging the animal. “Just friends. Can’t be anything more.”
“Why not?” Could she finally get Wolfe to talk?
He exhaled, his massive chest moving. “Lots of reasons. One, I have a job to do and am working to make it happen. Two, if I get it done, I might go back to the teams. Three, after the explosion that took me off the teams, my head ain’t all the way right.” His smile revealed a shocking dimple in his left cheek. “And I wasn’t all that right to begin with.”
The elevator dinged, and they both turned, Wolfe reaching for his desk drawer. Then he paused.
A five-foot-tall woman with bright purple hair, several earrings, and hazel eyes strode out lugging a matte-black briefcase that looked heavier than she did. She looked up, drew out a badge, and flipped it open to reveal she was an HDD operative.
Wolfe set the kitten on the desk and dropped his feet to the floor with a loud clump. He stood and strode toward her, reaching for the bag. “Let me help.”
She shook her head and stepped back. “Nope.” The woman had to be in her midtwenties and was dressed in a flowing skirt and lime-green tank top beneath a mauve suede sweater. She looked more like a gypsy than an HDD agent.
Angus and Raider strode out of the case room and around the hub of desks.
Angus reached for the briefcase. “Agent Frost, I assume?”
Agent Frost? The name couldn’t fit the woman less. “Yep.” She kept hold of her briefcase and shimmied around the men toward the hub in the center. “Hi,” she said to Kat before gently laying down the case.
Kat looked her over and then gingerly scampered over the desk to reach her, instantly rubbing against her belly. Agent Frost glanced down. “Whose kitten?”
Wolfe shrugged. “He stays with me, but he’s his own little man.”
“Can I pick him up?” she asked, her gaze softening.
“It’s up to him,” Wolfe predictably replied.
The woman slowly reached for the kitten, who jumped into her hands. Her laugh was high and melodious. She could probably seriously sing. “You’re a sweetie.” She snuggled the kitten, kissed his nose, and then set him back down before turning to face the group. “So. Who am I wiring up?”
“Wire?” Panic flushed through Brigid, and she moved toward Raider instinctively. “You can’t wear a wire. They’ll search you for sure.” She touched his arm and then looked at Angus for backup.
Angus’s gaze narrowed on her hand. His chin lifted. He stared at Raider.
Oh, crap. Brigid let her hand drop. Force probably didn’t like romance among his operatives. “Well, Angus?” She put a bit of snap in her tone.
His head tilted very slightly to the left. “All right. Things to discuss later. I agree that Raider will probably be searched, and a wire is a risk.”
Agent Frost snorted. “Not if I’m wiring the handsome dude.” She flipped open her case and turned to look him over, head to toe. And then the other way. “You sticking with the dark shirt, ripped jeans, and boots?” At his nod, she tapped her finger on her lips. “We have a few options, but the range on these is just a few miles.”
That was good since it meant backup would remain close to Raider.
Agent Frost looked him over again. “I can place the listening device on your belt buckle. For the camera, hmmm now. How do you feel about my piercing your ears?”
Raider grinned. “Had them pierced as a kid but haven’t worn earrings in years.”
The woman drew out a large needle. “Well, then this is gonna hurt a little.”
Raider lost his smile.
* * *
All during the turbulent ride on the crappy helicopter, Raider’s newly pierced ears burned, reminding him of his wild youth. Wolfe drove him near the outskirts of South Boston after departing the motel where they’d left Force to organize the surveillance equipment and weapons. Even in the rain, a few kids hung out on street corners, vaping. The buildings close to town were nicer and better preserved, but on the outskirts, there were boarded-up buildings punctuated by bars and a brick Catholic church.
“You ready?” Wolfe asked, peering into the darkened night where rain had started to fall.
“Yep.” Raider would’ve loved to have a knife on his body, but he’d definitely be searched. His phone rang, and he answered. “Hey, West. You ready to give me undercover tips?”
