Angus patted the hard concrete next to him. “Do youeverlet your hair down, Zhang?”
“My hair is down.” The temptation to sit next to him for just a brief moment was almost more than she could resist. Plus, she felt like an idiot just standing there in an empty room, looking down at him. “I really did try, Angus,” she said softly.
“Jesus. Just sit down.” He reached for the bottle again. “Do you ever fucking relax?”
“Of course.” Knowing she was being manipulated didn’t stop her from playing along. Her boot heels clip-clopped as she walked toward him and sat where Wolfe had been. At least the concrete was warm there.
Just the two of them in the office, once again. She’d become used to sharing this time with him and surprise filled her at how much she was going to miss it, even though her skin felt too tight and her body too restless. Too needy. “Do you ever feel like we’re the two grownups in this place?”
Angus chuckled. “On occasion, definitely.” He extended the bottle. “One last drink before we close this office?”
“I have to drive home.” After the day she’d endured, she would love to lose herself in a bottle. But somebody had to keep a clear head.
“Raider and Brigid are coming by, and they’ll give us a ride home. Come on, Nari. This is the last night we’ll see each other; we might as well say goodbye with a drink.” Without waiting for her to answer, he raised the bottle to his mouth and took several deep drinks.
She shook her head. “I would hate to see your liver, Angus.”
He chuckled and set the bottle back on the ground.
Roscoe whined across the room.
“No,” Nari said firmly. “You are not drinking, Roscoe.”
The dog wagged his tail, yipped, and flipped around to disappear in the office.
She laughed. “He is so dramatic.” And adorable. The humor deserted her faster than a contact high. “I’m really going to miss him.” Her chest ached and she eyed the bottle. No. Getting tipsy with Angus was a huge mistake, and one she’d likely not recover from. At least for a while. She sighed and rested her head back on the wall, closing her eyes.
“Rough day?” Angus rumbled.
“You have no idea,” she muttered. “Get this. I’ve been reassigned to a team led by my ex-boss, who was also my boyfriend, and last time we worked together we almost destroyed our careers because he’s an ass.”
Angus patted her leg, shooting jolts of electricity through her body. “Sorry about that. How did that happen?”
His touch warmed her, and she settled in to a comfort she hadn’t realized they’d developed. “There was another member of our team who kept jumping into danger after she lost her partner. I also thought she was doing drugs to cope.”
Angus winced. “She wouldn’t be the first agent to do so.”
Nari nodded. “I know, and I couldn’t get her to seek help. Vaughn wouldn’t force her to seek assistance, saying she just wanted disability, or that women shouldn’t be in the agency anyway. I had no choice but to go over his head. The press found out and HDD was almost exposed.” Remembered anxiety pinged up her chest and she breathed through it.
“That sucks,” Angus said, his voice thoughtful. “Were you correct?”
“Yeah. The agent did end up in counseling, and she quit the agency to open a gardening supply store with her cousin. She’s much happier now.” Nari opened her eyes to see his intent ones focused on her. Green and shining with that undeniable light only he had. If she could paint, she’d try to capture that look.
One of his dark eyebrows rose. “This is why you were demoted to our team?”
“Yes,” she said softly, unable to stop her gaze from running over his impossibly rugged face. Strong angles and stubborn shadows matched the strength, cunning, and pain in the depths of his fierce eyes. As a psychologist, she wanted to get into his head and provide some assistance. As a woman, she craved to dive into his heart and provide comfort. During her time in his unit, he hadn’t allowed her to do either.
Of course, the first was a risk to him and the second one to her. Definitely. At some point, she needed to learn she couldn’t save bad boys who didn’t want to be saved. She sighed.
His lips twitched into a smirk. “Yeah. I know.”
At least they could laugh at themselves together. Or at least smirk. She finally let her body relax and absorb the fact that it was over. Her time with Angus’s team had come to an end. The idea hurt. “I wish I could’ve saved the team,” she murmured.
“We’re not done yet,” he said, his shoulder touching hers in a way that provided comfort despite the turmoil around them. “Although I do have to ask you a question. You were willing to lose your job to force a teammate into counseling and yet you’ve never tried to push me into getting help.”
She sighed. “You aren’t weak or at risk, Angus. Oh, you’re obsessed and on the edge, but I’ve never thought you were a true danger to yourself or anybody else. Plus, you’re excellent at this job.”
He blinked. His smile was almost boyish, and the brief glimpse of the sweetness inside him warmed her from head to toe, giving her that gooey feeling she didn’t know what to do with.
