Shane wished he could fix everything for her. Rewind the clock. Be at her place when this coward attacked. Finish it. Instead, this killer had once again gotten the drop on them.

They made their way carefully back down the stairs and Sloan’s gaze shot from Yael to him and the bag he carried.

“Are you okay, Yael?” the task force leader asked.

“Yes.” Yael’s voice sounded firmer now. Either the brandy had kicked in or the shock was starting to wear off. “I’m not hurt. Just scared and pissed.”

“Thank goodness you weren’t killed. I don’t know how this could have happened.” Sloan crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought we’d caught the suspect. I should never have assumed…”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Alex said. “We all missed this. We are all equally to blame.”

Sloan eyed Yael critically. “Why is he so obsessed with you? Besides the obvious?”

Yael looked startled by the statement.

“Did he take anything?” Sloan asked.

Yael started to shake her head then frowned at the sideboard. “I don’t think so,” she said slowly.

Shane froze. She was lying. He just didn’t know why or about what.

“I want an HRT protection detail arranged—”

“No,” Yael stated firmly this time. “I will stay with Agent Livingstone this evening and we can reassess in the morning.”

Sloan blinked at her tone but Yael didn’t work for her and had clearly recovered her backbone and didn’t want to be ordered around.

“I’ve got this, ASAC Sloan,” Shane assured the task force leader. He felt the weight of all eyes on him as he escorted Yael out the front door and back to his truck. He wouldn’t let this asshole come anywhere close to Yael. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not until they had unequivocally found and detained this UNSUB or put him in the ground.

He was not going to lose anyone else he cared about.

24

Yael paced the area in front of Shane’s boss’s couch as Shane raided the man’s drinks cupboard. She felt stronger now. Shock was rapidly morphing into anger.

“Did anyone find any trace of him yet?” She hated being without her cell phone or any way to communicate. Hated relying on someone else for information.

“I would have heard if they’d picked him up.”

“How did he know I was alone?”

“Sit,” he ordered. “You’re gonna make your feet bleed.”

Yael had forgotten about her cuts. Now, with the reminder, her soles suddenly throbbed.

She sat cross-legged on the couch, making sure she hadn’t opened the injuries, taking the glass of booze from Shane without even asking what it was. He handed her a pain pill at the same time. She popped it in her mouth and swallowed it down with what tasted like good scotch.

The alcohol burned all the way down her throat and made her eyes bulge with tears.