Zach moved to where the man had emerged. The backup generator control panel sat open, cover plates removed and stacked beside the console. Inside, the wiring looked wrong.
He crouched, studying the modifications.
Manual reroutes bypassed safety protocols. Failsafes disabled. Someone rewired the system so that when the storm hit and power demand spiked, the backups wouldn’t engage.
Or worse—they’d overload. Fire risk. System failure. Total blackout during a major hurricane.
Zach’s jaw tightened.
This wasn’t just sabotage. This was attempted murder. If that storm hit at full force with these systems compromised, people would die.
He pulled his phone.
Nick answered on the first ring. “Talk to me.”
“Found our ghost,” Zach said.
“Alive?”
“For the moment. No promises.”
A pause. Then: “Condition?”
“Unconscious. Control room. He’s not the assassin. Different build. Different training profile. This one’s a saboteur.”
“Sabotage?” Nick’s voice sharpened. “What kind?”
“Power systems. Backup generators. Someone wants the resort dark when the storm hits.” Zach stood, scanning the rest of the room for signs of additional tampering. “I need David to sweep the systems. See what else was touched. Fix this.”
“On it.” Nick’s tone shifted to pure business. “Secure the hostile. I’m sending James to your location.”
Another pause. Longer. Nick understood what wasn’t being said. “You good?”
“I’m fine.”
“Liar. I can hear it in your voice.” Nick didn’t push. “Take care of yourself first. Storm’s tracking faster than predicted. We’re moving the timeline up.”
“Island lockdown?”
“Initiated. Nobody in or out until we sweep every inch.”
“Good.” Zach glanced at the unconscious saboteur. “I’m heading to the storm center to check on Emma. Keep me posted.”
“You too.”
Zach ended the call.
Something changed.
Like the moment before contact—when every instinct screamsthreatbut the brain hasn’t processed why.
Zach's breath caught.
Pressure built in his chest. Wrong. Impossible. Not pain—something older. Vast. Pressing against his consciousness like a hand against glass.
He grabbed his phone to call Emma.
Then ithit.
