He blinked in surprise and then something flashed in his gaze that had her blushing. She’d basically confessed she would have slept with him last night if he hadn’t put the brakes on. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t change her mind now.

Her cell chimed at the same time as Shane’s and they both checked their screens. Sloan wanted them in early. Then Yael’s cell rang again, only this time it was her boss.

“Alex?”

“I need you as soon as you can get here at the Sunset Motel in Ruckersville.”

“Why?”

“I’ll fill you in when you get here. Bring Livingstone.” Alex hung up.

Shane was looking at her expectantly.

“Looks like we’re going on another field trip.”

16

The Sunset Motel looked exactly as Shane expected it to look. Straggly weeds growing through cracks in the pavement. Two rows of small units facing one another each with a narrow wooden walkway out front. The traffic on the highway was close enough to rattle the dusty windows in their frames and the overhead sign flickered with eternal vacancies.

To save time, Shane had driven his truck again so they didn’t have to head back to the FBI Academy grounds to pick up Yael’s SUV. Alex Parker had cleared the way with Sloan and Shane had even checked in with Novak. Covering the bases and his ass and reminding everyone he knew how to be a team player.

HRT did not like lone wolves.

Yael once again had her laptop open to do research on the way over. She’d been quiet but not in a resentful way. She obviously wasn’t a morning person.

“Figure out what we’re doing here?”

Yael frowned. “No. I don’t see anything online. If it’s a crime, they kept it off the police scanners.”

Shane pulled up outside the main office next to a black Audi sports car. Alex Parker stepped out of the reception and they exchanged a look he recognized.

Trouble.

Shane killed the engine and climbed out. Yael didn’t wait for him to open her door. She got out, wrapping her leather jacket tighter around herself to help fight off the razor edge of the relentless January wind.

Shane came around to the front of the truck. “What’s up?”

“I think I figured out where EG spent the night before last, before he killed Zenko.” Alex led them inside the cramped reception area. A woman of South Asian descent stood behind the counter with a worried expression on her face. A small fake Christmas tree sat on the counter in a belated reminder of the festive season. A door that led to a living area was open and a young girl sat mesmerized by cartoons, her small hand digging into a plastic bowl of dry cheerios which crunched noisily between her teeth.