“As much as I trust your skills, Alex.” Chen sent him a look that Yael couldn’t decipher. “I want you to check and double check and then triple check. He got into your employee’s machine and I want to know how and for how long, and exactly what he saw and heard.”

The implication was Yael wasn’t as good as Evi1Geni-us was, and she hated that Agent Chen might be right.

Alex nodded stiffly.

Yael stood, feeling dizzy and defeated. She quickly left the room, heading for the washroom. She lifted the seat and threw up in the toilet, her stomach recoiling from the horror of what she’d witnessed, the finality of death, and the fact she’d failed Anya Baker and Evi1Geni-us had beaten her at her own game. When she came out of the cubicle she paused. Her friend Laura stood there, looking pale and shaken.

“You okay?” Laura asked.

Yael nodded. Walked to the sink where she washed her face and tried not to remember staring into that monster’s eyes glistening behind his stupid mask. She had protections on her system. Solid protections. How had he gotten past them? What had she missed?

She grabbed a paper towel. Dried her face. Forced herself to speak. “You?”

“Hell, no.” Laura swallowed audibly. “That was messed up. How did he manage to get into your computer?”

Yael’s eyes smarted. “He must have set a trap and I fell right into it.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Laura protested.

“Some of it was.”

“Hey, it could have happened to any one of us. We were all so focused on stopping him from hurting that girl…” Laura crossed her arms tightly against her chest, as if warding off the memories of what he’d done.

If only it was that easy.

Laura stared at the floor. “Alex wants us all to help check the systems.”

Yael nodded. It would take time and concentration and she already felt wiped. “I need some coffee first.”

She turned the faucet back on and washed her hands again, using too much soap and too hot water. No matter how hard she scrubbed she couldn’t get the image of blood and gore out of her mind.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Laura came to stand beside her and put a hand on her back.

Yael turned away as she dried her hands. She didn’t like to be touched.

“No.” She glanced at Laura in the mirror, ignoring her own gaunt features. “I’m pissed and upset, but I’ll survive.” Unlike poor Anya Baker.

Yael pushed out of the washroom with Laura on her heels. More HRT guys were streaming down the hallway, presumably heading to the crime scene or the hospital to be with their injured colleagues. FBI agents milled around. She went to her workstation and slumped heavily in the chair.

Alex came over and sat on the table, watching her.