Istumbleback.Howdoes this person know me? Who are they?
Sawyer steps closer. He looks at the note. His jaw stays tight, the muscles in his neck bulging as he stares at the ink.
“Did you see the person, Miss Zora?” His voice fills the room. I shake my head.
My heart hammers against my ribs as I try to stop myself from hyperventilating. “I woke up to the smell. I saw a shadow move past the door and I know I closed it. I hit the button and the room locked. I didn’t see a face.”
Sawyer turns his gaze toward the foyer. He reaches for his radio and presses the button with a sharp click.
“In Unit 1301. We have a physical breach. I want the elevator logs and a full search of the service stairs and the maintenance shafts. Now.”
He sounds like an Alpha commanding a pack, not a Beta security guard. The authority in his tone makes me feel even smaller. He turns back to the counter and pulls a pair of latex gloves from his pant's pocket. The sound of the plastic snapping echoes in the room. He picks up the ceramic bowl and the note, placing them into a plastic evidence bag.
“The doors was locked, Sawyer." I look at him. “I checked them myself before I went to bed. How did someone get in?”
Sawyer doesn’t look at me. He focuses on sealing the bag. “That’s what we intend to find out. Every sensor in this building should have caught a presence. If someone bypassed the biometrics, they know our systems.”
I look at Urie, his thumb moving across the tablet. “The system sent the alert the second you hit the button. We reach this floor in under two minutes. If someone stood here, they had a very small window to leave without someone running into them.”
I look at the foyer door. Then I look back at Sawyer. “Under two minutes? Were you already in the elevator?”
Sawyer finally looks at me. His green eyes hold a lethal intensity. “I've been manning the 12th floor lately so I can be close by after the other night, I want to make sure you feel.”
The explanation sounds too perfect. I think about the last time he arrived so fast. He always seems to stay right outside the door. It makes me wonder what he really does out there.
Sawyer turns toward the door. “I’ll take these downstairs, we're building a case for the cops. Urie, stay with her. I’m going to check the service stairs myself. I want a manual sweep of every inch of this floor.”
Sawyer heads for the door. He leaves a gap in the room. I let out a long breath and sit down on one of the kitchen stools. My legs feel like they won’t hold me up.
Urie stays by my side as he sits on the stool next to mine. He puts his tablet on the marble. He looks at my biometric data, his brow furrowed behind his glasses.
“Your heart rate is still high, Zora. The adrenaline is still there. I want you to focus on my voice. We’re going to do a breathing exercise.”
I look at him. His blonde hair looks bright in the white lights of the kitchen. He feels safe to me, but then my gaze goes to the robot on the tablet's case. The past keeps appearing in the eyes of these men.
“Urie? How did they get in?”
Urie taps the screen of his tablet, shutting it off. “That’s what we want to find out.”
I look at the empty spot on the counter where the note was. “They called me Sunflower. Nobody knows that name. It means someone from my past found me.”
He looks at me. “We’ll find them, Zora. I promise. You’re not alone.”
The promise should make me feel better, but it only reminds me of how much I need them. I live in a house built by strangers.I have men who watch my pulse while I sleep. The thought makes my heart race again. Urie notices the spike on his tablet. He puts a hand on the counter near mine. He doesn’t touch me, but I feel the warmth of his presence.
“Focus, Zora. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Just like this.”
I follow his lead. I try to push the image of the fire out of my head. I try to forget the note. But the smell of the cedar still hangs in the air. It reminds me that someone knows my secret. Someone wants me to feel afraid. I look at Urie and hope he can really keep the ghosts away.
My fingers dig into the edge of the marble island. The air system hums with a low sound. It slowly clears the scent of the campfire from the room. The words scrawled on that card keep looping in my mind.Left someone behind to burn.The accusation cuts through me. It suggests I possessed a choice I don’t remember having. “I don’t want to be alone tonight." My voice sounds small in the quiet room.
Urie nods. “I understand. I'm sure Sawyer will—"
"No!" I bring my hand up to cover my mouth. I didn't mean to shout.
He leans back from me with wide eyes. "Do you have an issue with Sawyer?"
I swallow hard. "I just… can you stay instead?" I look at the big grey sofa in the living area. Usually, I find it stylish and modern. Right now, it looks too far away. A sudden need for physical contact hits me. I don’t understand it. Usually, I keep people at a distance. I value my space. But tonight, the air feels thin and the shadows are tall.
