Chapter 27 Poe
TWENTY-SEVEN
POE
The warmth of Orchid’s body is still wrapped around me as we lie tangled in the sheets, breathing each other in.
Her head rests on my chest, one leg thrown over mine, and her fingers trace lazy patterns across my stomach.
The room smells like sweat and sex and her, and for a few perfect minutes the rest of the world doesn’t exist. No Serafina.
No hack. No Enley waiting somewhere in the dark. Just us.
I press a kiss to the top of her head and run my hand slowly up and down her back. “You okay?” I murmur.
She nods against my chest, voice soft. “Better than okay.”
We stay like that until the sweat starts to cool on our skin. Eventually she shifts and sits up, hair messy and beautiful. “We should clean up.”
I follow her into the bathroom. The shower is warm when I turn it on, steam filling the small space.
We step in together under the spray. I take my time washing her, soaping her shoulders, her back, the curve of her hips.
My hands are gentle, reverent. She does the same for me, fingers sliding over my chest and abs, tracing the lines of my tattoos like she is memorizing them.
We kiss under the water, slow and deep, no rush, just the simple comfort of touching each other.
After the shower we dry off and get dressed.
She pulls on one of my t-shirts again, the hem hitting mid-thigh, and it does dangerous things to my heart.
She slips on her black leggings and I slip into sweatpants and a clean shirt.
We move around each other in the bedroom, stealing small touches, soft kisses on the shoulder or the back of the neck.
It feels domestic in a way that should terrify me but instead makes something warm settle deep in my chest.
Orchid turns to me as she finishes pulling her hair into a loose ponytail. Her expression is serious now, the playful softness from a moment ago fading. “Poe, I have something I need to tell you.”
My pulse kicks up. I wonder if this is it. If she’s finally going to come clean about the FBI burner phone I traced last night. Part of me hopes she does. Part of me is terrified of what it will mean. I step closer, reaching for her hand.
Before she can say anything more, the bedroom door explodes open with a loud crack.
Tammy and Mark burst in, but they’re not alone. Two large men in dark clothes follow right behind them, guns drawn, faces hard and professional. The sudden intrusion is so jarring it takes my brain a second to catch up.
“What the fu—”
Tammy’s usual bubbly smile is gone. In its place is a cold, calculated expression I’ve never seen on her before. Mark is holding a zip-tie in one hand and a gun in the other. The two henchmen move fast, one grabbing Orchid’s arm, the other lunging toward me.
I react on instinct. I shove Orchid behind me and swing at the closest guy, my fist connecting with his jaw. He staggers but doesn’t go down. The second man grabs me from behind, arm locking around my throat. I elbow him hard in the ribs and twist, trying to break free.
“Poe!” Orchid shouts. She fights against the man holding her, elbowing him in the stomach, but he’s bigger and stronger.
Tammy laughs, the sound sharp and ugly. “Oh, honey, don’t make this harder than it has to be. We’ve been watching you two lovebirds for days.”
I manage to land another punch, but the guy behind me tightens his grip on my throat. Black spots dance in my vision. “Who the hell are you?” I rasp, still struggling. “Do you work for Serafina?”
Tammy’s laugh turns colder. “Serafina? Please. We work for someone much worse.”
The words send ice down my spine. I keep fighting, kicking out at the man in front of me, but they’re too coordinated, too prepared. One of the henchmen yanks Orchid’s arms behind her back and zip-ties her wrists. She curses and twists, but it’s no use.
“Get your hands off her!” I shout. I lunge toward her, but the guy behind me slams me face-first into the wall. Pain explodes in my cheek. I taste blood.
They zip-tie my wrists too, tight enough to bite into my skin. Then they drag us both downstairs. I keep trying to twist toward Orchid, trying to stay close to her. “I’m right here,” I tell her, voice low and urgent. “Stay with me.”
She meets my eyes for a split second, fear and fury mixed together, but she nods once.
Outside, the unmarked black van is already waiting in the driveway, engine running.
The neighbors’ yard is eerily quiet now, the party long over.
No one’s around to see what’s happening.
They shove us into the back of the van. I manage to maneuver so I land beside Orchid, our shoulders pressed together.
The zip-ties dig deeper as I strain to stay close to her.
The doors slam shut. The van peels out fast, tires squealing on the pavement.
I lean my head toward hers, keeping my voice low. “You okay? They hurt you?”
She shakes her head, breathing fast. “I’m fine. You?”
“Fine.” It’s a lie. My face throbs where it hit the wall, and my wrists burn from the plastic ties. But none of that matters right now. All that matters is her.
The van bounces as it speeds away from the house. I can hear Tammy and Mark talking in the front seats, their voices casual and cheerful again, like they didn’t just kidnap us at gunpoint. The henchmen sit across from us, guns resting on their laps, eyes cold and alert.
I keep my shoulder pressed to Orchid’s, trying to give her whatever comfort I can. My mind races. Who the hell are these people? If they’re not Serafina’s, then who do they work for? And how long have they been watching us?
The van turns sharply, throwing us against each other. I use the momentum to lean in closer, whispering against her ear. “Whatever happens, stay close to me. I’ve got you.”
She nods, her temple brushing mine. Her breathing’s still fast, but she’s holding it together. Strong. Always so strong. “Actually, you stay close to me. I’ve got you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Shh, I’ll tell you everything later. Promise.” I can tell she wants to say more, but the two goons give us a harsh stare, basically telling us to shut the fuck up.
The ride feels endless. Every bump in the road jolts through me. I keep scanning the interior of the van, looking for anything I can use, any weakness. There’s nothing. The doors are solid, the windows blacked out. We’re trapped.
My thoughts keep circling back to Enley. Is Render there yet? Is she safe? And now this. Orchid and I taken together. If these people know about us, do they know about the team closing in? Do they know about the FBI phone I found?
I glance at her. She’s staring straight ahead, jaw set, but her fingers brush mine where our hands are bound behind us. The small touch grounds me.
I don’t know what’s coming next. I don’t know who these people really are or what they want. But I know one thing for certain.
I will do whatever it takes to keep Orchid safe.
Even if it means burning everything down around us.
The van keeps speeding into the unknown, and all I can do is hold on to her and hope that Ozzy and the team are still out there, still coming for us.
Because right now, in the back of this black van with our wrists tied and the world closing in, she’s the only thing that feels real.
And I’m not letting her go.