Decoding a Criminal - Barb Han (HI #2014 - Aug 2021)

Series: Behavioral Analysis Unit (Book 2)

He needs her to solve a crime.
He wants her for so much more.
 
Dashiell West's sister is in trouble. Big trouble. And recruiting computer whiz Raina Andress to work with him in cybercrimes at the Behavioral Analysis Unit is his only hope. Raina knows her friend would never embezzle millions. But join forces with the sexy agent from her past and risk her heart again? Dangerous. Tracking a deadly mastermind willing to sacrifice them all for his nefarious plan? Deadly.
 
Good edge-of-the-seat story. Dash's sister Layla has been arrested for embezzling two million dollars from the company where she works. He knows she is innocent but lacks the proof. Luckily his team at the Behavioral Analysis Unit wants to help. Dash just needs one more person to assist - Layla's best friend, Raina. The problem is, he and Raina have a history, one he hasn't been able to forget.
 
Raina knows Layla would never steal that money and will do anything to help prove her friend's innocence. But working with Dash will take every ounce of self-control she has to keep from risking her heart again.
 
This book had a good mix of romance and suspense. Dash doesn't do relationships, but his one night with Raina stayed with him long past those with other women. He also knows that Raina has the skills to help him find the real criminal, so he'll try to put that history behind him. Raina has a more challenging time of it. I loved how when he showed up at her company, she hid rather than talk to him. Not that it stopped Dash, who knew right where to find her. Their conversation was borderline antagonistic as Dash worked to convince Raina to pool their resources and work with him. And underneath that antagonism, their continued attraction simmered. Raina agrees because she'll do anything to help her friend, even work with Dash.
 
I loved seeing how well Raina and Dash work together. Their methods mesh well, especially when they can ignore their attraction. But ignoring the sparks gets more difficult the more time they spend together. Both try to ignore their growing feelings for each other. Besides knowing that Dash doesn't do relationships, Raina must deal with her fears of loving someone with a dangerous job. Her military father died in action when she was a child, and seeing the effect on her mother influenced Raina's view of relationships. Both Raina and Dash also worry about Layla's reaction to them being together. After nearly losing Raina, Dash realizes that she is the one woman he can't walk away from and finally acknowledges his feelings for her. I loved his big moment at the end and the hint of vulnerability as he waited for her response. I enjoyed the surprise he had for her and the effect it had on her answer. The epilogue was good, too.
 
The suspense and action kept me reading late into the night. Dash is mostly confident that Layla is innocent of the embezzlement, though he feels a small amount of doubt. The BAU's involvement means that they have to proceed on the assumption that she may be guilty. The suspense picks up immediately when Dash interviews Layla's boss and learns some worrisome things about his sister. The tension increases when A motorcycle-riding gunman attacks Dash and Raina. The question is: is this related to the case, or was the attack personal to Dash? I enjoyed seeing the methods used by Dash and Raina as they tried to trace the embezzlement back to its source while at the same time looking into those who might have a grudge against Layla. The identification of several possible suspects made the search more complex. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, with an unexpected twist.