Chapter 32 - Orchid
THIRTY-TWO
ORCHID
The interrogation room feels smaller with every passing second, the gray concrete walls pressing in like they’re slowly squeezing the air out of my lungs.
The single overhead light is harsh and unforgiving, casting sharp shadows that make the metal table look even colder and more clinical.
My wrists are still raw from the zip-ties, faint red lines circling my skin like accusations I can’t escape.
I sit with my back straight and my chin lifted, clinging to the last fragments of the enforcer mask I’ve worn for so long.
But inside, I’m unraveling thread by thread.
Marlo’s betrayal sits like a stone in my stomach, heavy and sharp.
All those months of careful trust, the late-night calls where she sounded like an ally, the shared secrets, the promises that we were doing the right thing by taking Serafina down.
I had believed her. I had risked everything for her.
And now I’m the one in cuffs while she spins whatever story keeps her looking clean.
The humiliation burns hot behind my eyes.
The anger simmers just beneath my skin. But underneath it all is a deeper fear: what happens to Poe now? What happens to us?
The door opens with a soft electronic beep.
Dean Maddox steps in first, tall and composed in his dark suit, his presence filling the small space without effort.
Behind him is Poe. My heart stutters at the sight of him.
He looks tired, a bruise forming on his cheek from the fight at the warehouse, but his eyes find mine immediately, warm and steady and full of something that makes my chest ache.
He’s okay. He’s here. The relief I feel is almost overwhelming.
Dean closes the door and sits across from me. Poe remains standing for a moment, then takes the chair beside him. The two men exchange a quick glance before Dean speaks, his voice calm and measured.
“Orchid,” he says. “Poe told us everything. We believe you. And Marlo’s about to endure her own personal hell.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My shoulders sag slightly, the tension easing just a fraction. Poe’s eyes are still on me, soft with something that looks a lot like care. It makes my chest tighten in the best and worst ways.
Dean continues, laying out the plan in clear, strategic detail.
Serafina doesn’t know we’ve been taken. As far as she’s concerned, both Poe and I are still missing.
That gives us an opening. We will return to the safehouse tonight.
I’ll call Serafina and tell her Poe is almost finished with the hack but needs a few more specialized supplies to complete the final layer.
She’ll send them. When the delivery arrives, we’ll use the opportunity to feed her exactly what we want her to hear.
Misinformation. Traps. Enough to draw her out into the open where Maddox can finish this once and for all.
I listen carefully, nodding at the right moments.
The plan is solid. It gives us control again.
It gives us a chance to end this nightmare.
But there’s a secret, selfish part of me that lights up at the idea of going back to that safehouse with Poe.
Just the two of us. No neighbors. No immediate threat hanging over our heads for a little while.
The thought of being alone with him again, of touching him without an audience, of letting myself feel something real in the middle of all this chaos, sends a warm flutter through my chest that I try to ignore but can’t quite suppress.
“It’s a good plan,” I say when Dean finishes. My voice is steady and professional. “I can make the call. Serafina trusts me enough to believe it. We can make this work.”
Dean nods, satisfied. “We’ll get you both back to the safehouse tonight before she suspects anything’s wrong. Stay close. Play the part. We’ll handle the rest from here.”
He stands and heads for the door, giving us a moment alone.
Poe waits until the door clicks shut before he moves.
He rounds the table and pulls me up into his arms, holding me tight against his chest. I bury my face in his shirt, breathing him in, letting myself feel safe for just a second.
His hands slide up and down my back, gentle and grounding.
“You okay?” he whispers against my hair.
I nod, tightening my arms around him. “I am now.”
We stay like that until Dean returns with two agents to escort us out.
The drive back to the safehouse is quiet but charged.
Poe sits beside me in the back of the unmarked SUV, his hand resting on my thigh under the cover of darkness.
Every mile that brings us closer to the house feels like a step back into our private world.
I secretly love it. The idea of being alone with him again, of shutting the door on the rest of the world for a little while, makes my pulse quicken in ways I shouldn’t allow right now. But I do.
When we finally pull up to the familiar house tucked in quiet suburbia, the agents drop us off and disappear into the night.
The house is dark and quiet when we step inside.
Poe locks the door behind us, the click sounding final and intimate.
We stand in the entryway for a moment, just looking at each other.
The air feels thick with everything we’ve been through and everything we still haven’t said.
I pull out my encrypted phone, the one connected to Serafina, and dial her number. My hand is steady, but my heart is anything but. Poe stands close, his hand resting lightly on my lower back, offering silent support.
Serafina answers on the second ring. “Orchid. Report.”
“Poe’s almost finished with the hack,” I say, keeping my voice cool and professional. “But he needs a few more specialized components to complete the final layer. High-end encryption breakers and a specific server relay. Can you have them delivered tomorrow?”
There’s a pause on her end. I can almost hear her calculating. “I’ll have them sent first thing in the morning. Do not disappoint me, Orchid. I’m counting on you.”
“I won’t,” I reply. “You’ll have everything you need soon.”
The line goes dead. I lower the phone and let out a long breath. Poe’s hand slides around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. His lips brush the side of my neck.
“We’re alone,” he murmurs, voice low and warm. “For now, at least.”
I turn in his arms and look up at him. The house is quiet around us. No neighbors. No immediate threats. Just the two of us and the weight of everything we’ve been through. I rise onto my toes and kiss him softly, tasting the relief and the want on his lips.
We’re back in our safehouse.
We’re alone.
And for the first time in what feels like forever, I let myself believe we might actually have a chance to make it through this together.