Chapter 4 Orchid
FOUR
ORCHID
The first gray light of morning sneaks through the narrow slit in the blackout curtains, painting the concrete room in dull shades.
I wake before the alarm in my head even needs to go off.
Years of training have turned me into someone who never sleeps deeply, especially not when there’s a dangerous man sharing my bed.
I stay perfectly still on my side of the mattress, eyes half-open, and watch Poe.
He’s out cold. His chest rises and falls in slow, even breaths.
The hard lines of his face have softened in sleep, the constant tension gone for once.
Dark hair falls across his forehead. One arm is flung above his head, the other resting near his ribs where the borrowed black t-shirt has ridden up just enough to show a strip of toned skin and the edge of that technical-looking tattoo.
He looks almost peaceful.
Almost human.
It’s annoying how beautiful he is when he’s not glaring at me or trying to calculate his next move.
The kind of beautiful that could make a weaker woman forget he’s the enemy.
I let my gaze trace the sharp cut of his jaw, the faint stubble coming in, the way his lashes cast tiny shadows on his cheeks.
For a moment I let myself imagine what it would feel like to reach over and brush that hair back.
Just to see if he would wake up swinging or pull me closer.
Stupid thought. Dangerous thought.
I push it away and sit up slowly, careful not to jostle the bed. My gun is still holstered against my ribs. The room feels colder now that the adrenaline from last night has faded into this quiet morning limbo. Arthur’s monitor beeps softly from the corner, a constant reminder that we’re not alone.
I swing my legs over the edge and stand, rolling my shoulders to work out the stiffness. Poe doesn’t stir. Good. Let him sleep a little longer. Exhausted men make more mistakes.
The lock on the door clicks softly. I tense, hand drifting toward my weapon out of habit. The door opens without a knock.
Serafina steps in first, moving like she owns every inch of air in the room.
Two men follow close behind her. They wear plain dark scrubs that are meant to look medical but do not fool me for a second.
Their builds are too solid, their eyes too alert.
Doctors, my ass. More like enforcers with a basic first-aid kit and a talent for making problems disappear.
Serafina’s gaze lands on me immediately. She’s dressed in a tailored black coat that probably costs more than most people make in a month. Her hair is perfect, her makeup flawless even at this hour. She looks like she has already won whatever game she’s playing today.
“Orchid,” she says, voice smooth and low so she doesn’t wake Poe. “You’re doing well. Keep him close. Keep him compliant. My plan is moving into the next phase and I need him focused on the task I’ll give him. No mistakes.”
I nod once, sharp and obedient. I have learned never to speak out of turn with her. Never to question. Never to let even a flicker of the hatred I feel show on my face. Serafina collects weaknesses like other people collect shoes. One wrong word and I become the next problem she needs solved.
She glances at Poe, still dead to the world, then at Arthur on the cot. A small smile curves her lips. “Wheel him out. Carefully. He’s needed for the next part.”
The two men move efficiently. One checks Arthur’s IV while the other unlocks the wheels on the cot. They work in silence, professional and quick. Within moments they’re guiding the unconscious man toward the door, monitor still beeping its steady rhythm.
Serafina watches them for a second, then turns back to me. “Don’t worry about Arthur. He’s simply a tool for the next phase. You focus on Poe. Keep him leashed.”
I nod again, keeping my expression neutral even though something ugly twists in my gut.
I hate her. I hate the way she talks about people like they’re chess pieces.
I hate that I’m one of those pieces right now.
But showing it would be suicide. So I swallow the hate down deep where it can simmer without burning me alive.
She steps closer, voice dropping even lower.
“I’ve arranged somewhere nicer for you to keep him.
A proper safehouse. He will have everything he needs.
Computers. Secure lines. Food. Clothes. Whatever it takes to make him useful.
He’s going to hack a system for me. A big one.
The kind that will shift the balance permanently. Make sure he’s motivated.”
I nod one more time. “Understood.”
Serafina studies my face for a long beat, searching for any crack. She won’t find one. I have spent years building this mask. “Good girl. Bide your time, Orchid. Play the part. When this is over, you’ll get what you want. I always keep my promises to those who earn them.”
She turns on her heel and follows the men out, the door clicking shut behind her with a finality that makes my shoulders relax only slightly. The room feels smaller without her in it, but the weight of her orders still presses down on me.
I hate this. I hate being her pretty little enforcer.
I hate pretending obedience while I wait for my own opening.
But I have no choice right now. Not until I get what I came for.
Not until the leverage I need is finally in my hands.
So I bide my time. I smile when I’m supposed to.
I nod when she speaks. And I keep Poe on the shortest leash possible.
Behind me, the bed creaks. Poe stirs.
I turn to face him just as his eyes open. He blinks slowly, confusion flickering across his face before the reality of where he is slams back in. His gaze darts to the empty corner where Arthur’s cot had been, then to me.
“They took him,” I say before he can ask. I keep my voice calm, almost casual. “Serafina needed him for the next phase. Don’t worry. He’s still breathing. For now.”
Poe sits up slowly, muscles tense under that thin t-shirt. His hair is messy from sleep and it makes him look younger. More human. More dangerous to my focus. He rubs a hand over his face, jaw tight.
“We’re leaving,” I continue. “There’s a better safehouse prepared. More comfortable. You’ll have computers, secure access, everything you need to do the work Serafina requires.”
He stares at me for a long moment, eyes narrowing. The exhaustion from last night is still there, but the fight is already creeping back in. “And if I say no?”
I tilt my head, letting a small smile touch my lips. The kind that doesn’t reach my eyes. “Then you don’t get to call your sister later. Maybe if you’re a good boy today, I can arrange a short conversation. Hear her voice. Make sure she’s still in one piece.”
His hands fist in the sheets. Anger flashes hot and bright across his face. “You enjoy this, don’t you? Playing warden. Dangling her like a treat.”
I step closer to the bed, arms crossed over my chest. “I enjoy results. And right now the result I need is you cooperating. You hate me. I get it. I’m not particularly fond of you either.
But we’re stuck together until Serafina says otherwise.
So you can keep snarling at me like a cornered dog, or you can start acting like someone who wants his sister to survive this. ”
Poe swings his legs over the side of the bed and stands, putting us almost eye to eye. He is taller than me by a few inches. The air between us crackles with something ugly and electric. Enemies forced into the same cage. He smells like sleep and faint hospital soap and barely contained rage.
“You think a nicer cage makes any of this better?” he asks, voice low and rough. “You think giving me a computer and a pat on the head is going to make me forget that you people kidnapped my sister? That you’re using me to tear apart my friends?”
I hold his gaze, refusing to step back even though every instinct screams that getting this close to him is reckless.
“Your friends are probably already tearing themselves apart wondering if you sold them out. That was always the plan. You can blame me if it makes you feel better, but the clock is ticking on Enley. Every minute you waste fighting me is another minute she spends in whatever hole they have her in.”
His jaw clenches so hard I can see the muscle jump. For a second I think he might lunge. Part of me almost wants him to. At least then I would have an excuse to put him on the floor and remind him who’s in control here.
Instead he exhales sharply through his nose. “Fine. We go to your fancy safehouse. But I want that call. Today. Not later. Not when you feel like it. Today.”
I study him, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make him uncomfortable. “You’re not in a position to make demands, Poe. But if you behave on the drive over, if you don’t try anything stupid like grabbing the wheel or signaling for help, I’ll see what I can do about that call.”
He laughs, short and bitter. “Behave. Like a dog. Is that what you tell all your prisoners?”
“Only the ones who look like they might bite.” I turn away from him and grab the clean clothes I had set out earlier.
A simple black long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans.
Nothing fancy, but better than the plain black tee he slept in, or the hoodie he came with.
I push them at his chest. “Get dressed. We leave in ten minutes. Try not to look so much like you want to murder me in my sleep. It’s bad for team morale. ”
His fingers brush mine for the briefest second. The contact sends an unwelcome spark up my arm. I ignore it.
Poe doesn’t move right away. He just stands there holding the bundle, staring at me with those dark eyes full of exhaustion and suspicion and something else I can’t quite name. Something that feels too much like heat.
“You really think you can keep me on this leash forever?” he asks quietly.
I meet his gaze head-on. “I think I can keep you on it long enough for Serafina to get what she wants. After that? We’ll see who’s still standing.”
The tension between us thickens until it feels like the air itself is charged. Enemies. That’s all we are. Two people thrown together by circumstance and orders from above. He wants to destroy everything I’m guarding. I want to keep him compliant long enough to earn my own freedom from this life.
He finally turns and heads toward the small attached bathroom to change, shoulders rigid with barely leashed anger. I watch him go, letting out a slow breath once the door clicks shut.
This’s going to be harder than I thought.
Not because he’s difficult. I’ve handled difficult men before.
It’s because when he looks at me like that, part of me wonders what it would feel like to stop pretending. To stop playing the perfect enforcer and see what happens when two predators stop circling and finally collide.
I shove the thought down deep with all the other dangerous ideas.
Serafina is counting on me.
Enley’s life is the leverage.
And Poe Cameron is the key I have to turn without breaking.
I check my gun, slide it back into the holster, and wait for him to emerge. When he does, dressed in the fresh clothes, hair still messy and eyes burning with defiance, the enemies vibe between us is stronger than ever.
“Ready?” I ask, voice cool.
He gives me a look that could cut glass. “As I’ll ever be.”
I open the door and gesture for him to go first. “Good boy. Let’s see how long that attitude lasts at the new place.”
He walks past me, close enough that our shoulders almost brush. Close enough that I catch the faint scent of him again and feel that unwelcome spark low in my stomach.
This safehouse is going to feel very small very fast. And I’m not sure which one of us is going to break first. But I know one thing for certain.
I can’t afford to lose.
I follow him out into the hallway, already planning the next ten moves while pretending I have everything under control. Because that’s what I do.
I obey on the surface.
I survive underneath.
And somewhere in the middle, I wait for my moment to turn the tables on everyone.
Including the tired, angry, far-too-attractive man walking ahead of me like he’s already plotting how to make me regret every order I give him.
The game is just beginning.
And I intend to win it.
Even if winning means dragging Poe Cameron through hell right beside me.