Nico shot him an offended look. “Hey. You promised you’d help me get a good deal.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Levi said, waving a hand. “I’ll call my guy. He’ll sort you out.”
Then he glanced past Nico toward the doorway. “Is his room ready?”
Behind us, Gino leaned out of the truck window. “You all good here?”
Levi gave him a thumbs-up.
Gino nodded once and pulled away, the truck rumbling down the gravel drive and disappearing toward the main path.
Levi turned back to Nico. “So? Room ready?”
“Yeah,” Nico said, stepping aside and gesturing for me to come in. “C’mon. It’s not much. Probably could’ve used a little more cleaning.”
“That’s fine,” I said quickly.
The inside of the house was warm and lived-in. A couch with sagging cushions and frayed armrests sat against one wall, clearly well-used over the years.
On the other side of the room, wires were run neatly along the baseboards toward a complicated desk setup that looked more like a tech command centre than a living space.
Nico started up the stairs. I followed, hitching the duffel higher on my shoulder.
Behind me, I could still feel Levi’s presence.
Nico glanced over his shoulder and slowed when he noticed Levi following. “You’re coming too?”
“Of course,” Levi replied easily. “Need to make sure he’s settled.”
“You don’t have to. I’m sure you’ve got other things to do,” I said.
Nico’s brow lifted slowly, curious. “Yeah,” he said, looking between us. “Aren’t you supposed to report back to Cooper?”
“Later,” Levi said.
Then his gaze flicked to my bag. “Aren’t you going to get that?”
I felt it then, the faint vibration against my hip.
My stomach dropped.
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry,” I said quickly. “It’s probably just my friend. He doesn’t know I left my cabin.”
My fingers fumbled as I reached into the duffel. The phone nearly slipped from my grip. The bag tilted with the motion.
Levi stepped in and caught it before it hit the floor.
For a second, we both froze.
“Sorry,” I muttered, heat flooding my face.
“It’s fine,” he said, steady as ever.
Instead of setting it down, he slung the duffel over his own shoulder like it weighed nothing.
I cleared my throat. “Do you guys mind if I—?” I gestured vaguely toward the door, the phone still buzzing faintly in my hand.
“Sure,” Levi said without hesitation.
