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He led her through the foyer until they reached what appeared to be a dining room. She peered in and right away saw the woman from the night before, sitting at a long dining room table while eating from a small plate of food.
The boy cleared his throat uncomfortably, and the woman glanced up at them.
She studied Saff as she chewed her bite, then looked down at her plate and stabbed a piece of egg.
After a moment, she nodded her head forward toward the empty seat across the table.
“Sit. Please.”
Saff looked at the spot, noticing an untouched plate of food on the table in front of it.
She stepped forward and pulled out the chair, sitting down, then looked back up at the woman, raising an eyebrow in question.
The woman continued eating for a moment without looking at her, then when she did, she nodded forward at the plate. “Yes, that’s for you. I hope this isn’t too early for you to eat breakfast.”
Yes, Saff thought. It was definitely too early for solid food. But there was something else she could go for at this hour.
“Do you have coffee?” she asked.
The woman stopped mid-bite, glancing up at her, and Saff swore she could see a slight edge of amusement in her eyes.
She stared at her for a moment, before her eyes finally flicked to the boy still standing in the corner of the room. “Can you grab more coffee, please?”
“Oh—uh—yeah,” he stuttered. “Yeah, sure.”
Saff leaned back in the chair, resting her hands on the cushioned arms as he hurried out of the room.
“So,” the woman began, “I had a very interesting encounter with a young woman last night.” She stabbed another bite of scrambled eggs and put it in her mouth, chewing for a moment before continuing. “And although it was brash and inappropriate timing, it was also helpful.”
She swallowed, setting the fork down on the table.
“Maddie appears to have quite the high opinion of you.”
Saff stared hard into the woman’s eyes.
“And lucky for you, she had more to share.”
The boy suddenly reappeared, quickly placing a mug of coffee in front of her. But she didn’t move an inch. Every muscle was frozen, waiting to hear what she would say next, what Maddie had told her.
“You’re a doctor, is that right?”
Saff watched her carefully. “Not anymore.”
The woman smiled slightly. “Saff,” she said, slow and deliberate, as if scolding a child. “I’m not interested in playing games.”
“You’re just interested in locking people in cages?” Saff challenged, reaching for the mug.
The woman shrugged lightly. “It’s part of keeping everyone safe. You seem like the type of person who would understand that.”
Saff took a sip of the lukewarm coffee.
“I’ll be candid with you,” the woman said, placing her own mug back on the table. “Nothing comes for free here. If you want to stay—if weallowyou to stay—you’ll need to provide value.”
“I don’t want to stay,” Saff replied flatly.
The woman tilted her head slightly, squinting her eyes. “Then why did you come here?”
“Like I said, medication. If you have that, then I’ll trade you something for it, and I’ll be back on my way out.”
