“No, see the tongue and groove knotty pine walls?” He indicated with the spatula, the walls of the cabin. At her nod, he smiled.
“When I first purchased this place, I built in sheets of steel reinforced walls, along with the bulletproof windows. Then I covered the walls with the knotty pine. Even if they burn this place down, the walls and structure stays. A box within a box. That goes for the basement as well.” He laughed at her face, which held admiring surprise.
“Basement? I didn’t see a door to the basement,” she said as she reached for the plate of eggs and bacon. She reached over to the loaf of bread and pulled out a couple of slices.
“I can toast that for you. The basement is hidden under the rug where the couch is,” he said and grinned, his eyes crinkling at the sides.
“I don’t care for toast and that is so cool. Can I see after breakfast?”
“Sure.”
“I know I’m an unwanted guest, but next time I’m on downtime, can I come and stay here? I meant it when I said I really like this place. I think it’s the first place I’ve actually felt safe and peaceful. I think it’s the pond,” she said around a mouth full of eggs. He looked at her for a long moment. He knew what she meant. Their lives were lived on the ragged edge, a bullet waiting to end them at every turn. He realized that he too felt the same way. He’d come to love this home and guarded it with covetous zeal. But he saw in those green depths, a need for a safe place. He found himself nodding and was surprised.
“Yeah, just try not to burn it down. I’ll give you the entrance code.”
“Already know it.” She snickered and wagged her head from side to side, a large grin on her face.
“Why am I not surprised?” he grunted, looking at her, then shook his head in defeat, a smile on his lips.
An hour later, they descended the basement steps. He flipped a switch and several LED lights came on. He smiled when he heard Zahara’s exclamation of awe.
“Dude, this is so freaking crazy! Wow, you’re set for World War III. Man, how much food and gear do you have down here?” she said excitedly. The walls were lined with shelving and containers neatly labeled with foodstuffs. There was a large gun safe and Xander walked over and punched in the code, not bothering to try and hide it. He knew if she wanted to, she could break in. When he opened it, he heard her gasp.
“Dayum, boy! You been holdin’ out. That’s some nice hardware you got locked up down here. You plannin’ on takin’ out the world?” Zahara laughed and he saw her hand go out to touch the weapons within. He knew like himself, she appreciated weapons.
“No, I just like having them here and when I see a nice piece, I pick it up.” He shrugged. He didn’t know if all assassins were like him, gun nuts, but he suspected that most picked up a fine weapon from time to time. How could you not?
“You home build that Remington? I like the suppressor. You use that thing on site?” she said, touching the barrel of the Remington Modified.
“Yep, have to have a suppressor, don’t want to draw attention to myself. I’ve a clearing back in the woods, for target practice. Next time you visit, we can go out and do some shooting. Most of my rifles are modified. I like the hands-on approach. All my weapons have suppressors.”
“Same here. I had to build mine out, they don’t make many sniper rifles for women, especially as small as me.” She grinned up at him and he noticed that her eyes were just the nicest shade of emerald. He made himself look away. He wasn’t used to interacting with people on a personal level. The last time he and Zahara had worked together, it had been all business. It had been odd having her here this week and getting to know her on a more personal level. He knew she was weird, but he liked her brand of weird. He really enjoyed having someone to share his cabin and his life, even if only for a short while.
“What are you carrying on you now?” he asked, curious.
“Only a few, I carry my Glock 19 in my pack with plenty of ammo. Got my Ruger 1911 on my back,” she said turning and lifted up the jean jacket to reveal a holster tucked into the waist of her jeans. She bent at the waist and lifted her pant leg to reveal an ankle holster with a Ruger SP101.
“That’s just for fun.” She grinned, then shrugged. She then lifted the front of her shirt and he saw a Sig Sauer P226. He stared at her and then started laughing. He bent at the waist and stomped his foot. He wasn’t sure why it hit him so funny, but this tiny woman had more hardware on her and it probably outweighed her. He finally stood and wiped at his eyes. She was smiling at him, a tolerant look in her eyes.
“I swear, I thought I was bad about being loaded down, but I think you’ve got me beat.” He shook his head and the hilarity threatened to bubble up. He pushed it down.
“Sure, and that’s not even counting the darts,” she said and laughed. Xander felt his face heat up.
“I take it you don’t fly much.”
“No, I won’t travel without my gear. So, I hitchhike when I want to stay off-the-grid.”
“You don’t happen to have your phone?” Xander asked, suddenly nervous.
“Yeah, but the chip’s out
