An image of Grace hugging her fatherless children flashed through his mind. It killed the desire that had started to sneak between the cracks of his armor.

Yael pulled out her phone and opened the security app she used. Handed it to him and then walked him across the living room through a sliding door onto the deck. The deck had steps down to ground level with no other entrance out back. She pointed upward to two cameras mounted on either side of the house. Yael was clearly visible on both and there were no blind spots that he could see.

Her teeth chattered from cold as he led the way back inside. He checked the front of the house. There was one camera inside the garage and another mounted on the front door with a view of anyone approaching the house.

“And these are live 24-7?”

She nodded, then took her hair out of the elastic that held it. It fell over her shoulders in a glossy wave.

He wanted to take another step toward her and touch it but knew he’d be crossing a line that would be hard to come back from. He’d already pushed the boundaries enough for one day.

“Monitored?”

“I get a notification whenever anything cuts through one of the beams close to the house. It records constantly and data wipes over itself every seven days. Alex installed a silent alarm that triggers if anyone besides a few named individuals—basically me and him at this point—even attempt to interfere with the system. And a screenshot of whoever is disarming the panel is taken and sent whenever the alarm is disarmed. Obviously, I’ll remove Alex as soon as EG is caught but right now, I appreciate the backup.”

Shane nodded. The security system could be circumvented but not easily and not without setting off a warning. This was sophisticated stuff.

He opened her contacts app on her cell and pulled up his number and dialed it. His phone rang.

“And now I have your number if I need you for anything.” He handed her phone back to her, once again caught off guard by an errant spark that jolted between them. Maybe it was actual static? Or maybe it was because she was off limits? Or actively resisting whatever this thing was between them.

She rolled her eyes. “I can always block or delete you, you know.”

“Why would you do that?” He headed for the front door. “Think of me as the backup plan.”

He opened the front door and noted Kevin Karvo bringing out more trash across the street. The guy stopped and raised a hand.

Shane nodded in return then turned back to Yael who leaned against the doorframe.

“Yael.”

“What is it?” Her brows pinched together.

“Brace yourself.”

“For what?”