“You’re blaming me for this?” she snapped, rearing up and then instantly regretting it as her left hip vehemently protested.
“Nari?” Angus ran into the room, blood covering half his face.
Nari froze. He came. For her. She focused on him. “What happened to you?” His shirt was torn, and it looked as if glass was stuck in the thigh of his jeans.
Roscoe ran in next and jumped from the door to the examination table, landing at the edge and sliding toward her.
“Roscoe,” she cried happily, grabbing him for a hug and burying her face in his thick fur. Tears finally filled her eyes, but she hid them, clinging to the dog like a little girl with a stuffed animal. She breathed in as he panted against her. She blinked away the tears before looking at the men again.
“Sir? You can’t have that dog in here.” A harried-looking nurse with wildly curly white hair hustled in. “No pets.”
Angus stared at Nari as if taking inventory of her hurts. “He’s a service animal and he’s a member of Homeland Security.” He didn’t look away from Nari, and his eyes burned an unholy green. “She’s Homeland Security; I was, but I don’t know who the guy against the counter is.” It didn’t much sound like he cared, but even in the moment, he remembered to hide the existence of the HDD.
The nurse faltered, and then noise came from the hallway. She threw up her hands and turned on her white tennis shoe to disappear out the door.
Angus limped toward Nari and reached for her chin, lifting it. “How bad are you hurt, sweetheart?”
The kindness almost undid her. If Quan hadn’t been standing in the room, she would’ve burst into tears. “Not as bad as the other guy,” she tried to quip, but considering she had a death grip on the dog, it probably fell flat. “What happened to you?”
Quan cleared his voice. “Excuse me?”
Angus didn’t even look his way. “Tell me everything about the attacker and what happened.”
Nari gaped. Nobody ignored Quan. She bit her lip. “Um, Angus Force, please meet my, um father, Quan Zhang.”
Angus started. “I thought your father lived in Los Angeles.”
“He does.” Nari pushed hair away from her face. “This is my biological father. It’s a long story.”
Angus’s eyebrows rose. “Oh.” He turned and held out a bruised hand. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”
Quan ignored the outstretched hand. “I know all about you, Angus Force. You’ve been let go, and I suggest you be on your way.”
Angus’s left eyebrow rose in a look Nari knew well. Anxiety rippled through her. “Um—” she started.
“I think I’ll stay here,” Angus said. “How do you know about me?”
“Until the other day, I was your boss. Unfortunately,” Quan said, his voice filled with authority. “I’m the deputy administrator of the HDD.”
Angus straightened. “Is that a fact?” he drawled, turning again to focus on Nari. “You forgot to mention that little detail, now didn’t you?”
* * *
Angus’s ears rang. Yet another smash in the face. Nari’s father was the fucking second in command of the HDD? Why hadn’t she said anything? Well, he kind of understood that. More importantly, why had she ended up with his team in that dismal basement?
The woman just stared at him, her eyes deep pools of hurt.
He sighed. Now wasn’t the time to be mad at her, even if he had the right to be. The idea that a serial killer had touched her nearly made him lose his mind. “You know, Deputy Administrator, you’d think your identity wouldn’t be a secret to the folks working under you. Maybe it’s time the HDD came out of the darkness and into the light.” Something that would never happen in a secret government agency, but it was still nice to mess with the higher-ups once in a while.
“Is that a threat?” Zhang asked, his voice vibrating.
Angus chuckled, so far from real laughter he couldn’t even imagine being amused. Nari had been in danger. Serious danger. “Of course not. It was merely a statement.” He turned to study this man who’d created Nari, instinctively edging closer to her and putting his body slightly between them. “I find it odd you sent your daughter to my team.” Just who was this man?
“She sent herself there,” Zhang said, glancing at his wristwatch. He was about five-foot-nine, compactly muscled, with black hair peppered with gray and an annoying air of superiority. “I have a meeting with the administrator in half an hour and she’s going to want a full accounting.” He looked at Angus’s disheveled appearance. “What happened to you, and did it involve the HDD?”
It seemed the man had moved on from his daughter, who was looking bruised and hurt on the examination table and probably needed more comfort than slobbering from a dog. Irritation grabbed Angus around the throat and dug in. He had to rein in his temper with two hands, and it wasn’t easy. “I don’t know, but it seems likely. We’ve successfully concluded several cases and put some bad people away. It’s not impossible that we’ve made enemies.”
“Enemies you’ve now exposed my daughter to,” Zhang retorted.
