The breeze fluttered the hair around her face, and he caught the faintest scent—vanilla, warm and soft, with something deeper beneath it.
Not perfume. Something softer.
When she turned back, her expression had changed. Firmed.
“This threat is to me,” Emma said. “I have terms, too. You don’t get to investigate without me.”
“That’s how this works.”
“No.” She stepped closer. “That’s how youwantit to work. But I won't hide in a bunker while you handle everything.”
Zach felt his jaw tighten. “You don’t have security training. You don’t have tactical experience. You’d be a liability.”
“I have something you don’t,” Emma’s voice was calm, certain. “I know these people. The staff, the contractors, the vendors. I know their relationships. Who’s struggling. Who’s holding grudges.”
“That’s not?—”
“You’re looking for patterns in systems.” She met his gaze. “I’m looking for motive.”
She took a step closer. “You understand security systems. I understandpeople. Whoever did this is a person. Someone here is the culprit or working with him. You won’t find them on camera feeds, or you would have already. You’ll find them by understanding motivation.”
Zach wanted to shut her down. End the discussion. Remove her from the equation.
That was the safe call. The professional call.
It wasn’t the only one.
Because she wasn’t wrong. And that made this worse.
The thought of Emma anywhere near the investigation twisted something in his chest. She was already at risk. Allowing her to be more involved, to get close to the danger?—
But she had a point.
He'd planned to cross-reference security access logs, track digital footprints, monitor communications. Standard protocol. It would work—eventually.
Emma was suggesting a different approach. One that might work faster.
He recognized the look in her eyes. She wouldn't back down. If he refused her outright, she’d find her own way to investigate. Without him.
That was significantly more dangerous.
“My answer is no.” Zach scrutinized her reaction as he said it—measuring attitude, looking for hesitation, doubt.
There was none.
Emma didn’t flinch. “Then I’ll investigate on my own.”
“That’s reckless.”
“That’s me taking an active role in my own safety.” She held his gaze. “I’m not helpless, Zach, nor am I stupid. I know I need security. I realize these protocols make sense. But I also believe I can help.”
He considered her reaction. Most people couldn’t hold eye contact with him for more than a few seconds. They looked away, uncomfortable with whatever they saw in his face.
Emma didn’t look away, didn’t flinch, didn’t soften. She held the line.
The silence stretched between them as he ran through scenarios, mapping outcomes the way other people did math. Emma's help meant she’d be visible, exposed. But it also meant he could control the situation, maintain oversight.
Emma investigating without him meant chaos. Unknown variables.
