Chapter 11 Poe
ELEVEN
POE
The office chair creaks under me as I sit down in front of the triple monitors. The setup is slick, high-end, the kind of gear that could crack almost anything if pointed in the right direction. But right now all I can think about is the promise Orchid made yesterday.
I swivel the chair to face her where she stands in the doorway, arms crossed, already in full handler mode. “Before I touch a single key, I want to talk to Enley. That’s non-negotiable.”
She studies me for a long beat, dark eyes narrowing like she’s weighing how much trouble I’ll cause if she says no. Finally she pulls out the encrypted phone and dials.
“John,” she says when it connects. “He wants to speak to the girl. Put her on.”
There’s a pause, some muffled voices on the other end, then the line shifts.
“Poe?” Enley’s voice comes through, small and shaky but alive. Relief crashes through me so hard my eyes sting.
“Hey, En,” I say, keeping my tone steady even though my throat feels tight. “You okay?”
“I’m… I’m scared. But they haven’t hurt me again. Not really. They just keep saying if you do what they want I get to go home.” Her voice cracks on the last word. “Are you okay? They won’t tell me anything.”
“I’m fine. Hanging in there. Just keep doing exactly what they say, okay? Stay quiet, stay smart. I’m working on getting you out. I promise.”
She makes a soft sound, half sob, half laugh. “You always say that. Like you can fix everything.”
“Because I can. I will. Just hold on for me.”
We talk for another minute, nothing important, just enough to hear each other breathe. Then John cuts back in and the line goes dead.
I set the phone down and stare at the blank screens for a second, letting the sound of her voice settle in my chest. She’s still alive. Still fighting. That’s enough to keep me moving.
I crack my knuckles and turn back to the keyboard. “All right. Let’s do this.”
Orchid watches silently as I log in, navigate the isolated network, and start probing the target system Serafina’s people prepped for me.
The code flows easy at first, muscle memory taking over.
I slip past the outer firewalls, find the backdoor they left cracked open for me, and start mapping the internal architecture.
Then the realization hits like a punch to the gut.
I know this system.
The encryption signatures, the packet structure, the way the access logs are layered.
This is Maddox Security’s core network. The one that protects every client they’ve ever taken on.
Medical records, financials, private security feeds for people who paid them to keep them safe.
If I keep going, I’ll be handing Serafina the keys to burn it all down.
My fingers freeze on the keys. I shove the chair back and stand up fast. “I can’t fucking do this.”
Orchid’s eyebrows shoot up. “What?”
“I said I can’t do it.” I gesture at the screen where lines of code still scroll.
“This is Maddox Security. Their entire system. If I crack it, every client they protect gets exposed. Medical data, locations, safe houses, everything. I’m not handing that over to Serafina so she can sell it or burn it or whatever the fuck she plans to do with it. ”
Orchid steps closer, voice dropping. “You don’t have a choice, Poe. Your sister—”
“I know what’s at stake,” I cut in, anger rising hot and fast. “But I’m not destroying everything Maddox built. Not like this. What the hell does Serafina even want with this info? You’re her little pitbull enforcer. You’ve got to know something.”
She crosses her arms tighter, jaw tight. “I… I don’t know. And even if I did, it wouldn’t change anything. My job is to make sure you deliver.”
“Bullshit.” I move around the desk until we’re face to face, close enough that I can see the faint flush creeping up her neck.
“You stand there pretending to be the good little soldier, but you don’t even know what your boss is really into.
You just follow orders and look the other way while people get hurt. Really fucking nice.”
Her eyes flash. “Everybody does things for a reason, Poe. You of all people should understand that.”
“Yeah?” I take another step, backing her up until her hips hit the edge of the desk. “Then what is yours? Why are you really here? Why are you keeping me locked up like this when you look at me like you want something completely different?”
The air between us thickens. Her breathing quickens, chest rising and falling inches from mine. I can smell her soap again, that clean floral scent mixed with the heat coming off her skin. Her gaze drops to my mouth for half a second before snapping back up.
We’re so close now. Close enough that one small movement would close the gap. Close enough that I can feel the warmth of her breath against my lips.
God, I want to kiss her. I want to lift her onto the desk, slide my hands under that tank top, and find out if she tastes as good as she looks. I want to hear her say my name like she means it instead of like an order.
Orchid’s tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip. Her hands come up, hovering like she can’t decide whether to push me away or pull me closer.
For one charged second, the whole world narrows to the space between us.
Then she exhales shakily and turns her face slightly away. “We can’t do this.”
But she doesn’t move.
I stay right where I am, heart hammering, every inch of me aware of her. “Tell me your reason, Orchid. Tell me why you’re really doing this and maybe I’ll sit back down and finish what Serafina wants.”
She looks back at me, eyes dark and conflicted. Our mouths are so close I can almost taste her.
The tension stretches tight enough to snap.
And for the first time since this whole nightmare started, I’m not sure which one of us is going to break first.