Louisa entered the storage room and went a couple of feet, stopping in consternation when she didn't see any dresses or packing crates or anything.  The room contained a table and two chairs, and a cot with a rope coiled under it against the far wall.  On the table were a coffee pot and two cups, as well as a deck of cards.  some of the cards were spread out, face down, as if someone had been playing a game and been interrupted.  "What in the world?"  She heard the door shit.
  As Lou began to swivel, steely arms encircled her from behind, pinning her own.  for an instant she was too startled to do anything.  Then another man, a brute with a scar on his cheek, came from behind and lifted a strip of cloth toward her mouth to gag her.  Galvanized by fear, Lou kicked him, catching him in the groin.   The brute grunted and staggered backward.  she opened her mouth to scream but the man holding her pressed a hand over her mouth.
  "Please don't make a sound!"

  Zach wanted some time to himself, to think.  He grinned and waved to Lou as she flitted out with the other ladies, then he ambled to the rear of the mansion and stepped out into the muggy night.  Under a canopy of stars the estate lay quiet.  Restless, he walked to a tall weeping willow and leaned against the trunk.
   Off in the darkness something moved.  Zach spied a figure in the shadows and thought it might be a servant.  "Who's there?" he asked.
   The answer came in the form of dully glittering steel as a dagger flashed out of the gloom, streaking directly at Zach's heart.