Ham had ordered everyone to stay put after the mission—just in case Colt was infected and they all needed shots. Which, in her mind, wasn’t a terrible idea. Especially since it seemed Colt had no side effects from the vaccination.

Maybe they’d done it—created the S-poxR vaccine.

They’d have to start trials, but second stage could be with an allotted group of volunteers, the Jones, Inc. guys, maybe. And then they’d progress to a larger sample and—

“You ready to come back to Jones, Inc.?”

The question floated up after her, as she ascended the stairs, and she didn’t want to hear the answer.

Especially didn’t want to hear him laugh, and slap hands with someone.

“We’ll see.”

We’ll see?

It wasn’t a yes, and even as she stood there, looking down, he looked up at her.

Winked.

Her entire body lit on fire. What?

She attributed her thickening throat to the last three days. She was just tired.

And maybe he was simply rattled. Sitting in isolation so long had probably gone to his head. Because he was rejoining the team.

But her words to Pete as she’d waited for Colt to come home ran through her as she got into the shower. “I don’t know how you guys do this. One mission after another, saving the world from disaster.”

No. She wasn’t a girl who could live like this.

If only Colt wasn’t so . . . so good at his job.

“People sleep peaceably in their beds . . .”

A half hour later, the great room was empty as she walked out of her bedroom. She wore a T-shirt and yoga pants, her wet hair braided. Tired. Ready to sit under the stars.

She walked out to the pool area where Dodge, Jake, Skeet, and North played basketball in the water. Lucas had joined them and was talking with Ham. Ranger and Noemi were missing, as was Pete. And Zoey and Roy, so that was interesting.

“Anyone seen Colt?” she asked as she stepped back from a spray of water.

“Beach,” Ham said, and grinned as he gestured with his head back to the house and the ocean beyond.

Beach.

She was turning to leave when Lucas’s voice lifted over the shouts of the pool.

“Did you guys track down that last canister?”

Last canister? She slowed, even as she walked to the door.

“No. Whoever took it is in the wind.” This, from Ham. “It’s not enough to threaten any of the theme parks in the area, but Roy is tracking it.”

Last canister.

Even a small amount, in the wrong environment, could be disastrous.

She took another step. And then . . . nope, she couldn’t let it sit. She turned and walked over to Ham. “You think there’s a canister missing?”