“What details do we have?” Shane asked. He appeared stern today, focused, and closed off, not at all the easy-going guy she’d grown used to. She had to wonder if the change in demeanor had anything to do with that urgent meeting that had everyone buzzing yesterday at the HRT compound. Or maybe she’d mistaken attraction for genuine concern about her security. Maybe she was the only one who had been thoroughly disconcerted by that stupid kiss.

“Lloyd Zenko was an infantry soldier who trained with the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit, but he was kicked out of the program and dishonorably discharged after turning up for duty while drunk sixteen months ago.”

“Drinking on the job is not a great quality in a bomb disposal guy,” Shane stated bitterly.

Yael yawned again and he shot her a look.

She covered her mouth. Damn. She hadn’t gone to bed last night. After she’d left Cramer, Parker & Gray’s new Quantico offices at five a.m. she’d decided to shower and then head straight here. She’d arrived even earlier than she had on Monday but Shane had still beaten her in. She’d given him a brief nod and set up in the same spot as last time per Ashley Chen’s instructions.

The guy had then once again casually parked himself beside her as soon as she’d settled in. She’d be lying if she said it hadn’t given her an unwanted little buzz.

And maybe the seating arrangement was Ashley’s doing? The female agent seemed to coordinate everything and everyone. Yael was probably reading too much into things like who sat next to whom. Perhaps Ashley had told him to keep an eye on her. Did the FBI agents suspect her of something? That thought was an unexpected shot to the heart. Or perhaps Shane simply hoped to get her into bed.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about the latter, but better than people doubting her integrity. It had been a while since she’d had sex and that kiss had certainly fried her circuits. It had reminded her of all the things she was missing with her self-imposed exile from the world. Loneliness was a given, but she didn’t usually notice the lack of physical intimacy quite so acutely. He’d made it obvious he wasn’t looking for anything long-term or for any deep emotional connection. But, even so, getting involved with someone she worked with seemed like an unnecessary risk.

She pushed the errant thoughts out of her mind. She needed to listen to Sloan talk about the case, not moon about a hot FBI operator who handled assault rifles with the same ease as she wrote code.

She yawned again and Shane eyed her narrowly this time as if she was deliberately hiding secrets from him.