She rolled her eyes. She was definitely not sassy. She headed off after her boss, wishing she wasn’t so excited by the prospect of seeing the HRT operator again. And soon.

It was a mistake to get more involved, but then again, they were going to be working together until they caught this bastard or Shane’s arm healed. Yael really hoped it was the former. The idea that this freak was out there somewhere, hunting his next victim, probably hunting her, made her queasy.

But she wasn’t about to stand still and let this predator catch her. She was the one doing the hunting now. She was done with being a victim.

8

It was dark by the time Shane drove up to Yael’s townhouse even though it was only a little after five.

Yael had called down to the guardhouse for security to let him in. The gated community backed onto a forest and a small creek which probably gave the people who lived here a false sense of safety. While most petty thieves would avoid a complex like this and look for easier pickings, this UNSUB was not a simple burglar. He liked playing games and he liked messing with law enforcement.

Shane reversed his truck into Yael’s driveway and jumped out, letting down the tailgate as she opened the double garage door from the inside. She wore the same tight jeans from earlier but had lost the hoodie and boots, her feet bare now. A pale blue, long-sleeved henley hugged her figure and made his mouth go dry in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

He lifted Myrtle one-handed and Yael was there to help him lower the electric scooter gently to the ground.

“If you’re trying to show off your manly strength it won’t work on me.” She caressed the handlebars like the Vespa was a pet.

Like most of the operators on the Hostage Rescue Team, Shane found anyone throwing down a challenge, no matter how flippantly, hard to resist.

“If you’re not impressed by ‘manly strength,’ what are you impressed by?” he asked, closing the back of the truck.

“People who can go for long periods without speaking.” She gave him a fat, fake smile.

“Oh, definitely sassy.” He suppressed a grin because he could tell she hated being called that.

She wheeled the oversized bicycle into the garage beside a large black SUV with tinted windows he suspected were probably bullet-resistant. Cramer, Parker & Gray protected some important celebs and politicians. That Alex Parker considered the safety of his employee to be equally as valuable made him go up another notch in Shane’s estimation. Not to mention the fact he was dedicating his own time and company resources to tracking down this motherfucker alongside the FBI.