She grasped her spoon and took several scoops from his to put into her cup. “Thanks.” She hummed happily as she licked off the spoon. “How’s it going with your great plan to protect the team without getting emotionally involved?”
“Shrinks aren’t supposed to be sarcastic.” He looked down as Janice delivered his veggie egg-white omelet with a side of fresh fruit.
Once again, amusement lit Nari’s eyes.
“Shut up,” Wolfe said mildly, reaching for the hot sauce at the end of the table near the salt.
“Didn’t say anything. Except it’s hilarious that you’re actually a health food nut—except for the latte treats.” She wiped whipped cream off her top lip.
Wolfe unfolded his paper napkin. “I need to be in top shape and nutrition is part of that. Besides, everyone deserves a treat sometimes.”
“That’s just it, Wolfe.” Nari leaned toward him. “You’ve made connections, you’ve shared your treats with the team, and you didn’t want to, but you have connected. Stop pretending otherwise.” She shook her head as he dug into his healthy meal. “I know you’ve lost a lot, starting with your sister. Even so, you can’t shut yourself off for the rest of your life.”
“I’m more worried about people being sad they lost me,” he said thoughtfully. “Though talking to you about Karen has been good, I think.” Many of their nightly talks had centered around his geeky, adorable, lost sister. In fact, one of the reasons he’d opened up to Nari so quickly was that she reminded him of Karen. He liked the shrink and considered her a friend.
“Then try not to get lost.” She dug into his fruit with her fork. “You’re stronger with a team behind you, so let them help with whatever you have going on. Let me help. We can beat whoever you’re chasing.”
He’d run some of the anger out, but he still kept an eye on the other diners, even though they were few and far between. A threat could come from anywhere. “This guy is a sociopath who will instantly take advantage of any weakness.”
“Your team isn’t a weakness.”
She just didn’t get it. Wolfe shook his head. “If they’re killed to hurt me, they’re a weakness.” As was Dana. The idea of Rock even finding out about Dana made Wolfe lose his appetite. He pushed his plate away.
“Not if you work together. You’ve become a team, Wolfe. We all have.”
Last time he’d had a team, they’d all died. “You and I both know that the second I let my guard down and believe the team will last, I’ll start holding on too tight and freak everyone the hell out.” He took another drink of the brew, letting it warm his chilled stomach.
“Right. You care about Dana?”
“Of course. Feel responsible for her.” That didn’t mean anything.
Nari finished the fruit. “Who’s protecting her right now?”
Wolfe rolled his eyes. “Roscoe is a dog. Dogs don’t count.” Though it was a nice try.
“Hmmm. What’s Malcolm doing?” Nari set her fork down.
Wolfe opened his mouth and then shut it.
“Who went with you to the mansion to confront Trentington?” She finished off her coffee.
Force and the new guy. “I get your meaning,” Wolfe said. He needed to stop relying on people who would just get killed. “You don’t know this guy—the one from my past. He enjoys killing, and he’s damn good at it.” Though Wolfe didn’t like arguing with the shrink, he was feeling marginally calmer.
“What are the odds that this mysterious guy somehow found you two and had you drugged last night?” Nari asked.
Wolfe had already considered the idea. “Zero. It’s not his style. He would’ve just bombed the entire party and then enjoyed the chaos and destruction. Drugging us is too . . .”
“Distant?” Nari asked. “From what you’ve said, this guy likes to get his hands bloody.”
Wolfe nodded. “Exactly.” He drew bills out of his pocket to leave beneath the plate. “I’m gonna miss these talks.”
Nari gathered her belongings and scooted from the booth. “What do you mean?”
He waited for her to stand and precede him to the door, waving a good-bye at Janice on the way. “Just what I said.”
Nari pushed open the door and winced at the heavy rain outside. “How about I give you a ride home?”
“No.” Wolfe escorted her to her compact car, checked the back seat and underneath the vehicle, and then opened her car door. “I’ll wait until you lock it, and please drive carefully.” He’d followed her one time, making sure her route was safe. She had an attached garage in her rental house outside of D.C., and she’d wisely driven inside and shut the door before exiting the vehicle. However, she hadn’t realized he’d followed her, so that was a concern. “Be safe, Nari.”
