Chapter 21 Poe
TWENTY-ONE
POE
The morning light filters through the blinds, soft and golden, and for the first few seconds after I wake up I feel lighter than I have in weeks.
Happier than I should, considering everything.
My body is still warm from last night, muscles loose in that satisfied, well-used way.
The scent of Orchid is still on the sheets, on my skin, on my tongue.
I reach out instinctively, expecting to find her curled against me, but the bed is empty.
Reality slams back in fast.
She’s gone. Of course she is. The enforcer doesn’t linger in the prisoner’s bed after she lets herself be vulnerable.
I sit up, rubbing a hand over my face, and the weight of the situation crashes down again.
Enley is still out there. Serafina is waiting for that hack.
The team is closing in, but they’re not here yet.
And Orchid… I have no idea where we stand after last night.
I want to trust her. The way she took control, the way she looked at me when she called me her good boy, the way she fell apart in my arms, it felt real.
But she’s still the woman keeping me here.
Still the one with the power to hurt Enley if I step out of line.
I need to talk to Ozzy again. I need to know how close they are to finding my sister. And I need to figure out if I can trust Orchid with any of this, or if last night was just another layer of the game we’re both playing.
I pull on a pair of sweatpants and head downstairs.
The house smells like fresh coffee. When I step into the kitchen, Orchid’s already there, leaning against the counter in leggings and a loose tank top, hair still messy from sleep.
She looks beautiful in the morning light, but her expression is tight, guarded. The mask is back in place.
Outside, loud music and laughter drift through the open window. Another party. Tammy and Mark are at it again, voices carrying over the fence, kids screaming, grill already smoking. Orchid’s jaw clenches as she stares out the window.
“They cannot be serious,” she mutters. “It’s barely nine in the morning and they’re already throwing another cookout.”
I pour myself a cup of coffee, trying to keep my tone light. “Looks like the neighborhood never sleeps.”
She turns to me, eyes sharp. “We are not going. You need to work on the hack today. Serafina is expecting progress.”
I nod, taking a sip. “Yeah. I know. I’ll get on it after this.”
The coffee is strong and bitter, exactly what I need to clear my head. We stand in silence for a moment, the noise from next door growing louder. Then there’s a loud knock at the front door.
Orchid sighs like the weight of the world is on her shoulders and goes to answer it. I stay in the kitchen, listening.
Tammy’s bright voice rings out immediately. “Good morning, lovebirds! We saw your car in the driveway and figured you were up. We’re doing a big cookout today. Burgers, brats, corn on the cob, the works. You two have to come over. No excuses this time!”
Orchid’s reply is polite but firm. “Thank you, but we have a lot of work to do today. Maybe next time.”
There’s a pause, then the sound of footsteps.
Tammy has clearly barged right in. “Oh, come on, Orchid! You can’t hide in here all weekend.
Life’s too short. Mark’s already firing up the grill and the kids are asking about you two.
You’re the cool new couple on the block. We’re not taking no for an answer.”
I step into the living room just in time to see Tammy standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, grinning like she’s already won. Mark is hovering in the doorway, waving cheerfully. Orchid looks like she’s two seconds away from drawing her gun.
Before she can shut them down again, I speak up. “We’ll try to swing by for a bit later. Right, babe?”
Orchid shoots me a look that could cut glass, but she forces a smile. “We’ll see.”
Tammy claps her hands. “Perfect! We’ll save you plates. Don’t make us come drag you over!”
They finally leave, the door clicking shut behind them. The second they’re gone Orchid rounds on me, eyes flashing.
“What was that?” she hisses. “Why are they so annoying?”
I shrug, keeping my voice low. “They’re persistent. If we keep saying no every single time, it starts looking suspicious. We need to blend in.”
She crosses her arms, jaw tight. “You need to finish that hack. Serafina’s not going to wait forever.”
“I know,” I say. I step closer, lowering my voice even more. “But something about them feels… off. The way they keep pushing, the way they always show up right when things are tense. I’m starting to wonder if they’re more than just nosy neighbors.”
Orchid’s eyes narrow, but she doesn’t dismiss it. “Get to work. I’ll handle the neighbors if they come back.”
I nod and head into the office, coffee in hand.
I sit down at the triple monitors and dive back into the dummy hack, feeding Serafina’s people exactly what they expect to see.
My mind, however, is only half on the code.
The other half is upstairs with Orchid, replaying every moment from last night, and wondering how the hell I’m supposed to keep my head straight when the woman I can’t stop thinking about is the same one holding all the cards.
Outside, the party noise grows louder. Laughter. Music. The sizzle of meat on the grill. I keep working, but my eyes keep drifting toward the window, toward the fence that separates us from whatever Tammy and Mark really are.
Because the longer this goes on, the more I’m starting to suspect that the real danger might not only be coming from Serafina.
It might be coming from right next door.
And if I’m right, Orchid and I are going to have a lot more to worry about than just keeping our hands off each other.