Yael bit her lip. “It’s been a long time, sorry. I don’t remember the floor of my old school gym.” Even as she said the words, flashes of running screaming through the bloodstained cavernous space bombarded her.

Her mouth flooded with saliva and she swallowed repeatedly.

“You all right?” Shane’s warm hand splayed over her back.

Her heart pounded and she took in a deep breath and held it until her lungs felt as if they’d burst, then she released it slowly and gave him a quick nod.

She was barely hanging on, but the scent of Shane supplanted those older memories with images of the two of them together. Bittersweet, as she’d already lost him.

The warmth of him engulfed her as he peered closer at her screen. It made her want to sink into him and beg him for another chance but she knew it would only prolong the agony.

She held herself stiffly, not responding or allowing herself to be coaxed. The temptation of Shane Livingstone was addictive and seemingly never-ending.

Her mouth went dry as the enormity of the truth hit her. She was more than halfway in love with this man already. The pain of losing him would not be worth the short pleasure of a fling. Pushing him away was an act of self-preservation, not self-pity.

She shoved thoughts of the two of them out of her mind. Saving Laura and catching this bastard were all that mattered. Afterward she’d find a way to avoid Shane for the duration of this case.

She homed in on the signal data. “I think he’s there. I’m seeing a lot of internet activity coming out of the school.”

“Could be kids doing extracurricular activities or the janitor streaming porn so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Shane glanced out the window. “Weather conditions mean we have zero drone or satellite availability and zero backup until SWAT arrives.”

“What do we know about the gym?” Alex asked, concentrating on the road and driving so fast Yael wanted to close her eyes.

“Assuming it hasn’t changed, old media reports suggest there are two inside exits plus two exits via the locker room,” said Ashley, “and a double door that opens to the outside.”

“He’s not going to get far if he makes a run for it on foot in this storm.” Shane checked his handgun and Yael flinched. He caught her gaze and suddenly seemed to understand her hatred of firearms. “I’m leaving you with a weapon.”

Or maybe not.

She shook her head. He ignored her and placed a lethal-looking black handgun down the back of the seat pocket in front of her.

“I don’t want it.”

“It’s there anyway. No safety but the first shot requires a lot more force on the trigger than the rest. Point and shoot. That’s all you need to do. It’s for self-defense.”