Page 54 of Hide And Seek

I blinked. “Something like that. Why?”

“You’re pretty small,” he said, peering around the dark, empty office in front of us. “Very easy to overpower.”

I froze for half a second. Something cold was slithering down my spine.

Rhys glanced back at me immediately, like he felt the shift.

“I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just pointing out the obvious,” he said, lifting his free hand slightly. “Think about it. Some crazy guy twice your size comes at you… he could close the distance and overpower you before you even have a chance to stick him with that knife.”

“Oh. Right. I didn’t think of that.”

“Even if youdoget the chance to land a hit, I’ve heard it’s much harder than you think it is to actually stab a person. And if you miss any vital spots…” He shrugged. “He’s still standing. And you’re probably not.”

A hollow feeling opened up in my chest.

“I guess I didn’t think of that either,” I muttered.

He stopped in front of the next door, then looked at me again.

“What you need is distance,” he said. “That’s your best shot. Don’t let anyone get close enough to touch you.”

The way he said it made my skin prickle, because he was close enough to touch me right now.

I swallowed hard. “So… the knife is useless.”

“Not useless. Just not ideal. Unless you’re an expert knife thrower.”

I let out a small, mirthless laugh. “I’m definitely not an expert.”

His gaze dropped briefly to my hand, then back up. “I can help you.”

“Oh yeah?” I tried for light, but it came out a little thin.

“I’ll give you ax throwing lessons tomorrow after breakfast. I’m a fully qualified instructor. Got my cert two years ago.”

“Thanks, but I’d probably suck at that. I’ve never been good at hitting targets,” I said. “I mean, you saw me at paintball the other day, right?”

“I saw you improve with practice,” he said, stepping a little closer. “And it’s not about being good. It’s about giving yourself a chance to survive.”

He was too close now. Close enough that I had to tilt my head back slightly to meet his eyes. Close enough that I could see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw.

My pulse picked up again, even faster this time.

“Like I said before, I’m not trying to scare you,” he went on. “It’s just… this could be life or death.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I murmured.

“Your friends are welcome to join the lesson too. Think they’d be interested?”

“Oh, um… I don’t know. I’ll ask them later.”

“Cool.” He leaned into the last office at the end of the hall, scanning it quickly. Then he pulled back with a heavy exhale. “No one’s here. Should we head upstairs?”

I nodded and turned back down the hall, moving toward the staircase.

The wooden steps creaked under our weight as we climbed, echoing up through the stairwell. I kept glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting something to appear at the bottom of the stairs, but there was never anything there. Just the empty hallway below.

At the top, a narrow landing opened into another corridor, and Rhys flicked the nearest switch on the wall. The lighting was softer up here. Warmer. It made it feel more lived-in.