That Marcus Sinclair wanted to destroy them, and everyone around them.
That wasn’t information to be shared. It was need-to-know.
The door opened behind him. Zach didn’t greet him. He’d already identified the footstep pattern—and the lack of urgency.
“You’re wearing a groove in the floor,” Nick said, eyes following the invisible path Zach paced between desk and walls.
Zach grunted.
Nick closed the door before crossing the room and leaning against the desk, glancing at the monitors. His posture was relaxed, arms folded across his chest. He wore a faded gray t-shirt and jeans—off-duty, but never off. They never were.
“Still nothing?” Nick asked.
“The fucker knows what he’s doing.”
Nick studied the screens for a moment, a frown creasing his brow. “Blind spots?”
“Eleven,” Zach pulled up a schematic overlay. Red zones criss-crossed the map—areas without full camera coverage. “Most are back areas. Service corridors. Back entrances. Places guests don’t go.” He tapped one zone. “Places no one’s supposed to need eyes on.”
“And staff do.”
“Yeah. Thing is, we don’t run our security protocols that way. We cover every inch. So why these gaps?” Zach shook his head.“The plans called for full coverage. I’ll have to follow up with David and the vendor as to what happened.”
Nick tilted his head, absorbing the implications. “So, it’s someone familiar with the property.”
“Or someone who’s been watching long enough to map a path through the blind spots.”
“You think it’s Marcus?”
Zach considered that. It had been his first thought. Marcus had the resources, the motive, and the patience. But this felt smaller. More personal. Or he had another semi-competent sub-contractor that got off on scaring women.
“Don’t know yet,” Zach rubbed his hands over his jaw. “It’s a logical assumption—he’s been quiet for months now—but I don’t want to focus on what could be a wrong direction.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “If it is him, this isn't a warning. It's an opening move.”
Silence settled for a minute, then Nick asked, “How’d Emma take it?”
Zach’s expression didn’t change. He made sure of it. “She thinks it’s nothing.”
“And you don’t.”
“Someone strolled up to her fucking door in the middle of the night.” His heart rate increased at the thought, a sharp spike he couldn’t quite suppress.
“You told her that?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Zach’s fingers drummed once against the armrest. “She refused relocation.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “You want to move her?” His voice sounded curious.
“Yes.”
“She refused.”
“Yes.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Nick’s mouth, his tone amused. “Huh.”
