“Did you check with the subcontractor?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“No response.”
Emma exhaled to a count of three, forcing herself to stay measured as her mind began connecting dots she really didn't want to connect.
“Someone else is missing. Javier Ramos. He was due on the 3 pm boat yesterday. His duffle arrived without him.” She rubbed her temples as she spoke. “Javier dropped his bag off, said he’d forgotten something, and ran home to get it. He never returned.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward. “What department?”
“Housekeeping.”
His jaw clenched enough for her to catch. Enough to tell her he didn’t like what he was hearing.
“We’ll investigate Navarro,” she said. “Quietly. You check on Javier.”
“If someone is using false identification inside this site?—”
“I understand the risk,” Emma interrupted gently but firmly. She leaned in, closing some of the space between them, making sure he heard her. “What I’m asking is we handle it in a way that doesn’t destabilize the entire staff before we even confirm there’s an issue. Remember, this is the Caribbean, not the US. Things work a little differently here.”
For a moment, neither of them moved.
He stood close enough now that she had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. Emma caught a faint trace of soap and coffee from him, and something else underneath—woodsy.
Close enough that she registered, with uncomfortable clarity, how solid he was. Howwarm. How totally, frustratingly certain of himself.
And—damn it—how his certainty was… not altogether unappealing.
“Well,” Nick's smooth baritone interrupted their stalemate. “I see you all are starting early.”
Emma glanced over, expression neutral, unexpectedly grateful for the interruption.
Nick leaned against the doorframe, tablet tucked under his arm, taking in the scene with the calm assessment of someone accustomed to situations precisely like this one.
“I came to give you the updated vendor schedule,” he held up the tablet. “But clearly I’ve interrupted something important.”
“Security discrepancies,” Zach said flatly.
“Background verification question.” Emma corrected, shooting him a pointed look.
Nick stepped into the room, accepting the report Zach handed him and skimming it rapidly, his expression shifting from casual to focused in seconds. “Emma?”
“Morgan has already started re-running Navarro’s verification.”
“Zach, hold off on escalating until they confirm the discrepancy.”
Zach’s eyes flicked to Emma—a look she couldn’t quite read, but landed somewhere between acknowledgement and challenge—then back to Nick. A single, curt nod.
Nick handed Emma the tablet. “Also, the province inspection meeting moved to Thursday. I’ll need you there.”
“Of course.”
Nick's eyes flicked once more between them, a hint of amusement gleaming in his eyes—the look of a man who’d seen this dynamic play out before and found it entertaining. “Carry on.”
Zach turned to the door, movements as controlled and economical as when he’d entered.
