The door clicked shut behind him.
The cottage felt smaller now that it was her and Zach.
She thought about him giving up his bedroom without hesitation, pacing the perimeter, already planning who knows what for her. The absolute certainty in his voice when he said nothing would happen to her. Her mind bounced back to her new reality.
Emma had moved into Zach Steele’s bedroom.
Chapter 12
Necessary Deterrent
The cottage was secure.Zach checked it again anyway.
He moved through the open space methodically: tested window locks, assessed sightlines, examined the exterior lights visible through each pane of glass. It sat on the southern edge of the island—good visibility, limited approach vectors, sufficient distance from everything else. Nick had chosen well.
That didn’t stop Zach from running his third perimeter sweep of the evening.
Behind him, he heard the soft shuffle of fabric, the muted sounds of Emma moving about. She was doing something domestic in the bedroom—folding clothes, maybe, or organizing her belongings. The sounds were too ordinary for the situation.
Zach returned to the great room and retrieved his knife kit from his gear bag.
He settled into the armchair that offered the best view of both the front door and the bedroom hallway, pulled his survival knife from its sheath, and began the familiar ritual of maintenance.
The blade made a steady, rhythmic scrape against the whetstone.
Emma emerged a few minutes later in yoga pants and an oversized, stretched-out T-shirt. Her dark hair was in a loose knot at her nape. She moved to the kitchen, filled the electric kettle, and retrieved her mug.
“Tea?”
“No, thanks.”
The soft rustle of her movements contrasted with the steady scrape of steel on stone.
“Do you sharpen that every night?” Emma asked, her voice casual.
“Yes.”
She was quiet for a moment. “How… comforting.”
The corner of Zach’s mouth twitched from her dry tone before he could stop it. He adjusted the angle of the blade and continued the rhythmic motion. Twelve strokes on one side, twelve strokes on the other. This knife saved his life more than once. It would again. Maintenance wasn’t optional.
The kettle clicked off. She poured water over what smelled like chamomile tea and leaned against the counter, mug cradled in both hands.
Like she was settling in for the evening rather than hiding from a threat.
“So, what are Nick and David up to tonight?” she asked.
“David recruited Nick to help him install some new system he’s toying with up at the main building. He’s always dreaming up something new.”
“Right.” She took a sip of tea. “I saw you drilling the security team today. Did they seem solid?”
“They’ll do.”
“That’s… good?”
Zach glanced up. Emma regarded him with an expression he now recognized as considering whether to push the conversation forward. Most people would have given up by now, retreatedinto uncomfortable silence or their bedrooms. Emma just looked thoughtful.
“They know their jobs,” Zach said, which was more than he usually offered. “I’ll run them through scenarios this week. See who has actual instincts versus who just looks good on paper.”
