She smiled. “Yeah. Hotshot FBI agent takes down a monster, can’t live with the dead haunting him, and reinvents the monster with a second personality. Is that what happened? Is that your defense?” She leaned toward him again, bringing the oddest scent of lilies. “Come on, Force. Tell us what happened.”
Scott pushed away from the table. “This interview is finished. Do not harass my client again.” He waited until Angus stood and then preceded him out the door.
Angus’s head swam as he strode out of the building, ignoring the stares of other cops. “What do you think?”
“My opinion?” Scott asked, walking gracefully down the steps to the sidewalk. “They’re going to arrest you within the week.”
Nari dressed in a navy-blue skirt suit for her first day with her new team. Her shoes were Louboutin, her shirt Gucci, and her attitude one of confidence as she strode into the new office. Three men had gathered around the table right inside the door, and Vaughn looked up from a series of maps. “You came. I thought you were leaving town.”
“No.” She didn’t offer an explanation.
“Well.” Vaughn stood while the other three men just stared. “In order to be on this team, you can’t be hanging out with suspected serial killers. Is that understood?”
How rude to bring that up in front of people she hadn’t even met. She was supposed to be their sounding board, someone they could discuss their cases with, but Vaughn was doing a good job of making her work impossible. She searched for the right answer to his jackass of a question. There wasn’t one. She turned toward the three other men, putting her back to Vaughn. “I’m Nari Zhang.” She held out a hand to the first one, who was around thirty with brown hair and eyes.
He stood and accepted her hand, shaking lightly. “Hank Bistle. It’s nice to meet you.”
She did the same with the others, finding more puzzlement than judgment in their eyes. When she was finished she turned back to Vaughn. “Is this the entire team?”
“No. We have two more out on assignment,” he said, displeasure in his eyes. “The administrator and your father sent them out, but they’ll be back soon.”
Oh, he just had to mention that Quan was their boss. Irritation caught in her throat, but she spoke through it. “I see. Well, I look forward to meeting them.” She turned and smiled at the other men. “I’ll go organize my office and get settled in. If anybody wants to talk or bounce ideas off me, I’ll be there.” Then she walked calmly and confidently out of the main room and down the hallway to her office, where she exhaled, strode around her desk, and flopped into her chair. This was a disaster.
Vaughn followed her. “What the hell was that?”
She sat up. “What do you mean?”
He shut the door and leaned back against it, crossing his arms. “You are not in charge here, and you do not leave a room unless I give you permission to do so.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? If you don’t want me here, Vaughn, then grow a pair and tell the administrator.”
He reared up, his neck elongating. “Excuse me?”
She swallowed. Should she step out of her shoes? The idiot looked like he was about to charge. “You heard me. You’re the lead on this team and you have a say in who’s on it. If you really don’t want me here, tell the administrator. She’d probably understand and just transfer me.” In fact, why hadn’t Vaughn done that? “Unless you want me here?”
“I don’t want you here,” he said, his jaw tight.
She frowned. Had he just looked away for the briefest of seconds? She tilted her head to study him and he stared right back, not blinking. Another sign of deception. Then she glared. “Wait a minute. Did you request me for this team?” she asked.
“Of course not.” He shook his head and wiped his mouth.
Ha. Another sign somebody was lying. “Are you kidding me? You were so hurt that I dumped you that you requested me for your team? Why? Just to make me miserable?” Which she would not let him do. “Good luck, buddy. That was a waste of your time.”
His face flushed and his arms uncrossed. “Fine. Yes, I did request you for this team, and yes, I’m going to teach you a lesson.”
“I believe I taughtyoua lesson before,” she mused, firing up.
His nostrils flared. “Oh, we’re just getting started. You almost ruined both of our careers and one of us has to leave the HDD. I vote for you.”
Her jaw almost dropped open. “You want me on your team to force me out?
“Yes. Want to bet I can do it?” Vaughn asked, his smile actually ugly.
A knock on the door had him moving to the side and opening it.
Bistle smiled and poked his head in. “The rest of the team is here and I’m sure they want to meet Nari.” He looked her over.
Was he making sure she was all right? Apparently Vaughn didn’t have the respect of his team that he imagined. He wasn’t nearly the leader Angus was, and that was a shame for the team. Nari smiled and stood. “Thank you for getting me.” Then she walked by Vaughn and kept walking as Bistle motioned her down the hallway.
