He knew it was madness and hated the fact he was violating her privacy, but the operator in him couldn’t not check. He picked up her cell and entered the number he’d seen her input several times today. He checked her call history and thumbed through every messenger app he could find. Nothing.

A wave of relief crashed over him followed by a feeling of self-disgust that made his skin crawl. There was no indication Yael was feeding information to EG. There never had been. She’d done amazing things to help find the man who’d killed his best friend. With a sudden rush of clarity, Shane knew that Alex Parker would never have brought her permanently onboard if he had any doubts at all as to Yael’s integrity.

“Jackass.” He was furious with himself all over again for doubting her and for potentially putting an innocent woman in jeopardy. What a prick.

He needed to double down on making her safety his number one priority. EG had seen her face and even Zenko had seemed to recognize her, suggesting the two criminals had discussed her in some way. He didn’t like that realization. He didn’t like it at all. He rubbed his forehead and heard the shower go on. It spurred him into action.

Yael headed past the spare room and bathroom, and her as-yet-unpacked office that was waiting on the delivery of new furniture, to her bedroom. She dumped her dirty clothes in a disgusting heap that she’d probably throw in the trash tomorrow. Moments later, she stepped under a welcome spray of hot water.

It should feel weirder having a man in her house while she was naked but Shane Livingstone had proven he was one of the good guys when he’d pulled an injured man out of a burning building even though that man had, in all probability, killed his best friend. And later, with Sloan, he’d tried to take responsibility for lying about the details of today’s road trip even though he hadn’t had to.

Quickly she washed her hair and soaped her skin, then stood with her head pressed against the cold tile as she waited for the conditioner to work. Was Shane Livingstone only here because of the case? Did he feel guilty about lying to her about what he’d told Sloan? For the fact that they’d ended up in a dangerous situation? Or was his interest far more basic?

She didn’t know. Worse, she didn’t know what she wanted the answer to be.

She needed to remember that getting involved always ended in disaster. And getting involved with someone she worked with… Bad idea.

But they wouldn’t be working together for long. Even if the task force didn’t catch the killer, Shane was only HRT liaison until his arm healed. Then he’d be off, breaking down doors and saving the world once again.