“Are you saying, you and an unarmed civilian headed off to check out a lead on the whereabouts of an explosives expert who was known to be armed, dangerous and who was most likely responsible for killing one of our own?”

“The plan wasn’t to confront Zenko. It was to confirm whether or not the suspect was there.” Shane stayed in his truck as he patiently explained exactly what had gone down. His boss was pissed, which Shane understood, but Novak would have done the same thing in his boots.

“We all know how plans can go to shit in the real world,” Novak said.

Amen to that.

“Anyway, I left Yael in the neighbor’s woodshed in case things went south while I went to find out if it was Zenko’s truck hidden under a tarp at the side of the cabin. I planned to verify and then watch from the woods until backup arrived. Trouble was when I went around one side of the house, Yael saw someone else leaving via the front door.”

“She see his face?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“He see her?”

The idea sent another rush of alarm racing through Shane’s veins. “She doesn’t think so.”

“I hope not. She already has a target on her back.”

Shane grunted. He didn’t like being reminded of that fact.

“Does she have protection?”

“She has a great security system and security guards at the entrance to her gated community.” Shane could almost see Novak curling his lip.

“What about a weapon or training?”

“No. She doesn’t like guns.” Fuck. Shit. He couldn’t believe he’d left her there alone when he’d seen what this Evi1Geni-us guy was capable of. The asshole had drilled a hole in a woman’s temple for money or fun—or both.

“Okay, boss, look, I get it.” He was an idiot. “I’m heading back to her place to sleep on her couch.” Shane’s stomach churned as he put his truck in gear and began retracing the route he’d just traveled. Why had he left? Because he’d been worried he couldn’t control himself. He—who was supposedly a master of controlling himself and his actions. It was what the Hostage Rescue Team did.

Why had he been turned inside out by a mere kiss? Why had he run?

“I could request a protective detail from HRT. We could give the FNGs some useful real-world experience and at the same time keep her safe.”

For some reason Shane hated that idea and knew she would too. “She’s not big on people or fuss and I honestly don’t think she’d cooperate. I’ll drive her to and from work tomorrow and if there’s a gap in security, I’ll talk to her boss about arranging some supplemental measures.”

“Shane…”