She frowned as something struck her. “Why didn’t we hear the shot? Was Zenko bleeding out on the couch for twenty minutes?”

Shane looked up, green eyes narrowed and laser focused. Frowned. “EG must have used some sort of suppressor. Either homemade or the real thing. It is still surprising we didn’t hear anything. I didn’t even think about it.”

Yael took a drink of her beer and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.

His eyes ran over her features and she suddenly regretted that she was in her pjs with no makeup and wet hair. She felt exposed. Raw. Vulnerable. Her usual armor was gone.

“You’re good at this, you know,” he said suddenly.

She huffed out a laugh. “Hardly.”

He came around to her side of the counter and she shifted nervously. “I mean it.”

He moved closer, reached out for her plate. Her hands trembled as she handed it over and he was gracious enough to pretend not to notice. He put the plates in the dishwasher and she placed the containers with leftovers in the bag on the counter for him to take with him.

“Keep it,” he insisted, washing his hands in the sink. Then drying them.

“Are you sure?”

He smiled as he stepped closer. Took her hands in his. She went to withdraw but he grasped her tight for a moment.

“Yael.” He held her until she raised her gaze. “I don’t know if it’s me who makes you nervous or men in general—and I honestly don’t know which I’d hate more.”

Her eyes went wide.

Usually, men gave up on her when she didn’t fall all over them. Shane seemed to be made of Teflon when it came to dealing with brush offs. Not in a creepy way. In a way that made her think he might genuinely respect her and be interested in who she was beneath the surface.

He squeezed her fingers. “You don’t need to be nervous around me, Yael. You can trust me. I promise I’m one of the good guys.”

She wanted to believe him but she’d been here before. Maybe not with a rugged HRT operator, but with other men over the years. Men she’d thought might be worth the risk of intimacy. She’d been proven wrong every single time. She tugged her hands away.

“You lied to me today to get what you wanted. How can I trust what you say?”

His eyes widened in surprise. He might be one of the good guys but he’d been happy to use her to further his agenda. She’d almost forgotten about that fact because he’d charmed her with care and attention. She couldn’t afford to forget things like that. Manipulation mattered. Then again, so did lying about your real identity.