Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 60768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Before I can demand more answers, the sharp click of heels on concrete echoes from the far end of the warehouse. A figure steps out of the shadows near a rusted support pillar, moving with calm, measured grace that I’d recognize anywhere.
Marlo.
My stomach drops like a stone.
She’s dressed in a sharp black suit that fits her like armor, her hair pulled back into a tight, severe bun, the same cool, professional expression she always wears when we speak on the phone. But seeing her here, in person, walking toward the cage like she owns every inch of this decaying hellhole, makes my blood run ice cold.
Poe’s head snaps toward her, eyes narrowing, then back to me. His voice is low and urgent, cutting through the tension. “Do you know her? Who is she?”
Marlo stops just outside the cage, her lips curving into a slow, amused smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. She looks straight at me, tilting her head slightly. “Yes, Orchid. Tell Poe who I am. Go on. I think it’s time for some honesty, don’t you? After all, you’ve been keeping so many secrets lately.”
The warehouse suddenly feels much smaller. The air grows thicker, heavier, pressing in from all sides. Poe’s watching me intently now, confusion and something sharper—betrayal? fear?—flickering across his face. Tammy and Mark stand back with matching smirks, clearly enjoying the show. The henchmen remain stationed at the edges of the space like silent, armed statues.
I swallow hard, my mouth painfully dry. My heart’s hammering so loudly I’m sure everyone in the room can hear it. My palms are sweating, my pulse racing, and a cold, sinking dread settles deep in my gut.
Because Marlo isn’t rushing to explain herself. She isn’t apologizing or offering reassurance. She’s looking at me like I’m a puzzle she’s finally solved to her satisfaction.
And I have no idea what that means for Poe.
Or for me.
The only thing I know for certain is that the game has changed completely.
And I’m no longer sure whose side anyone is really on.
TWENTY-NINE
POE
The warehouse air is thick with dust and the metallic tang of rust, and every breath I take feels like it’s coated in it. My wrists are raw under the fresh zip-ties, the plastic biting deeper every time I shift my weight. The chain on my ankle rattles against the bolted ring in the concrete floor, a constant reminder that we’re not going anywhere. Orchid’s on the opposite side of the cage, close enough that I can see the rapid rise and fall of her chest and the way her jaw’s clenched tight, but too far to reach out and touch her. The distance feels intentional, like whoever set this up wanted to make sure we could see each other suffer without being able to do anything about it.
Marlo stands just outside the chain-link, calm as ever in her sharp black suit, hair pulled back so tight it looks severe. She doesn’t look FBI. She looks like she belongs in a boardroom or a federal briefing room, not in the middle of this decaying hellhole. Tammy and Mark are hanging back a few feet, arms crossed, wearing those same smug smiles they had when they burst into our bedroom. The henchmen are stationed at the edges of the open space like silent sentries, guns loose but ready.
Marlo tilts her head slightly, studying me with cool, calculating eyes before turning her gaze to Orchid. “You really thought you could keep this hidden forever? Come on, Orchid. Tell him. Tell Poe who I am and why you had Enley kidnapped.”
My stomach drops. I look at Orchid, searching her face for answers. “Orchid? What is she talking about?”
Orchid swallows hard. Her hands tremble slightly where they’re bound in front of her, but she lifts her chin and meets my eyes. Her voice is steady, but I can hear the strain underneath it. “I was picked up last year. Hacking internal systems. High-level corporate espionage that crossed into federal territory. The FBI gave me a choice: help them infiltrate Serafina’s Goldenbell operation from the inside or spend the next twenty years in prison. I chose to work for them. Obviously. Marlo is my handler. I’ve been feeding her information for months. Trying to bring Serafina down from within. That’s why I had Enley captured. That’s why I’ve been playing this role the entire time.”
I’m not fucking surprised. FBI. Undercover. The burner phone I traced last night. Everything clicks into place in a rush that leaves my head spinning. She’s not Serafina’s loyal enforcer. She’s playing both sides. She’s trying to take Goldenbell down from the inside. The hesitation I saw when I refused the Maddox hack, the softness when she talked about her grandmother, the way she took control last night like she was desperate for something real, it all makes sense now.