“I don’t know how she does it.” Yael dragged her hair out of the ponytail and then tied it back up again. “I mean she runs background checks but it’s so easy to manipulate information online…”

Shane made himself stare at the road rather than her. Hoped his silence would encourage her to talk.

She laughed self-consciously. “It seems scarier using a dating app down here compared to up in DC. I mean if you don’t like someone in DC you can walk out the door and catch the Metro home.”

“It’s just as easy to walk out on a date around here. If you get a bad feeling you should leave, wherever you are. As long as you don’t skip out on the bill or are stuck for transportation.” He gave her a slow grin.

What was her friend thinking? Laura Bay had been in the Command Center in Houston. She knew that Evi1Geni-us had seen Yael’s face. But she also knew Shane was with HRT. Was she playing matchmaker? If so, why? Did Yael have trouble finding dates? He found that hard to believe.

Laura could also be the leak, along with the young guy who’d acted as her shadow in Texas. But Yael was the one who’d missed the fact the feed was delayed until it had effectively been too late. She was the computer expert who Evi1Geni-us had hacked.

By befriending Yael, he would hopefully keep abreast of the cyber aspect of the investigation and, in the meantime, he could help keep an eye on her safety because he was concerned that if she was an innocent, she was in danger. There was really no downside to his plan.

He glanced at her again. The woman had a mass of glossy midnight hair that she kept pulled back in a sensible ponytail and intelligent eyes the color of coffee beans. Except for the tiredness pulling at her mouth and the shadows beneath her eyes, she was a knockout.

The thought of that psychopath targeting her made Shane’s fingers curl tighter around the steering wheel.

“Do you use dating apps?” Yael’s expression was curious.

He grimaced. “I used them in the past. When I was in the Army. I stopped when I joined Special Forces.”

A smile tugged her lips. “I guess it’s easy to find a date when you’re Special Forces.”

He flashed her a tight smile. “The rules about Fight Club…”