The phone in his pocket vibrated hard.
Zach froze.
“Sorry,” he said quietly, pulling back and reaching for his phone.
Emma nodded, settling back into her chair. Something in her expression shuttered, and the loss of the moment stung like a physical thing.
Nick’s name appeared on the display. Zach answered on the second ring. “Talk to me.”
“We’ve got something. I had Clay reviewing security footage from the new camera installations. Got a better angle on our unknown groundskeeper.”
Zach’s entire body shifted into operational mode, muscles tensing, awareness expanding back out to full tactical readiness. “Details.”
“Male, approximately five-ten, athletic build. Moving near the maintenance access points on the north side of the main building. Behavior pattern suggests reconnaissance—he’s checking sight lines, camera coverage, access routes.”
“Time stamp?”
“Earlier today, around fourteen hundred. Here’s the interesting part—his movement pattern appears deliberate. Professional. This isn’t some random maintenance worker.”
Zach’s mind was already running through scenarios, threat assessments, security protocols. “Is he the assassin, or a second hostile?”
“Unknown.” Nick's tone was grim. “Either way, we’ve got a problem. I’m sending you the footage now.” Zach’s phone pinged.
“Received. I'll review it and we’ll adjust patrol patterns accordingly.” Zach glanced at Emma, who was watching him with quiet understanding. “Anything else?”
“Stay sharp. This guy knows what he’s doing.”
“Copy that.”
He ended the call and pulled up the video file Nick sent. Despite the small display, the footage was sharp enough. A man in maintenance coveralls moved with a controlled efficiency that marked him as something more than what his uniform suggested. He paused at three different points to survey his surroundings, each stop giving him clear sightlines to critical infrastructure.
“Professional,” he muttered.
“Let me see.” Emma moved closer, leaning over to look at his phone screen.
Her proximity spiked his awareness.Focus. This was the job. This was what mattered.
He tilted the phone so she could see better, running the footage back and playing it again.
“Pretty sure that’s the guy I saw on the trail. He’s checking the cameras,” Emma observed. “Looking at where they can and can’t see.”
“Yes.” She was observant. Most civilians wouldn’t notice such subtle behavior. “He’s mapping our security coverage.”
“For the assassin?” He noted her shiver as she spoke.
“Possibly. Or he could be the assassin.” Zach watched the figure pause at the third location. “Either way, he’s hostile, and he’s inside our perimeter.”
Emma straightened, wrapping her arms around herself. The earlier warmth between them evaporated, replaced by the cold reality of the threat they were facing.
He stood, already running through enhanced security protocols in his mind. He needed to brief the guard rotation, adjust patrol patterns, review the rest of the footage for additional sightings.
“I should—” he started.
“I know.” Emma’s voice was quiet. “Go do what you need to do.”
He looked at her, this woman who’d somehow slipped past his defenses without him realizing it was happening. Who sat with him in the dark and shared her vulnerabilities, who listened to his own without judgment, who leaned close and made him forget for a time he was a weapon first and a man second.
“We’ll continue this conversation,” he said. “Later.”
