The townhouse had never felt so much like home as it did in that moment, when Zachary finally pushed open the front door and stepped across the threshold. The familiar scent of the place, clean wood and the faint hint of whatever candle the cleaning staff had left burning, wrapped around him like a blanket, and he felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders. His body was still screaming at him, every wound and bruise and half-healed cut sending little spikes of protest with each movement, but he was here. He was safe. Finally.Seraphina had not stopped hovering since they left the compound. She had driven behind him the entire way, her headlights a steady presence in his rearview mirror, and when they had finally pulled into the garage, she had been at his door before he could even unbuckle his seatbelt. Her hands had found his arms, his shoulders, his face, checking and rechecking, as if she expected him to disappear if she looked away for too long."You need a hospital,"

The name hung in the air between them, and Zachary saw Seraphina's expression shift. The exasperation faded, replaced by something sharper, more focused."You want me to talk to miss Ashford," she repeated. "Am I hearing this correctly sir?.""Yes." Zachary lowered himself back onto the couch, his legs suddenly unwilling to hold his weight any longer. "I have suspicions about her and how she found me so quickly when no one else could."Seraphina moved to stand in front of him, her arms crossed, her pale eyes fixed on his face. "You think she is compromised.""I think she knows more than she is telling us. And I think she has access to systems and information that no one else does. It was too convenient that she was the one who tracked me down after I was taken." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I need you to confront her. Not aggressively though! Just to find out what she knows and if she is hiding something from us."Seraphina was quiet for a long moment. Her fingers tapped