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Liam blew out a ragged breath. “If this Kingsley discovers what she’s doing…”

His heart in his throat, Sean finished the sentence. “He’ll kill her on the spot.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Kingsley’s Compound

Her first assignment had been completed. It had been relatively easy, and she had accomplished it without needing to ask questions or discuss anything with Kingsley. When he’d seen the whiteboards filled with the intel he’d asked for, there had been a gleam of appreciation in his eyes. It had made her feel filthy and used. She had taught herself how to hack, and she was very good at it, but she had always seen it as a way to get information to help people. She had never once hacked to get intel that could hurt anyone. Kingsley did not want this information for anything good. It was for the Wren Project, and beneath the facade of what was supposed to be a charitable foundation, vile, awful, vicious things took place. And she was now assisting in their endeavors.

Her only saving grace was the fact that while she had gotten the information, she had been able to mirror that intel for OZ so they would see exactly what she was doing. Not only that, but she had been able to send her first private message to them. Since this hadn’t been a very large job, the message she’d sent had been only a six-letter word, but they would know what it meant.

She tried not to worry that Sean might not have understood her message about her favorite Bible verse. They had discussed the Bible numerous times, and she had quoted her favorite verse more times than she could count. But Sean had been half conscious and in unspeakable pain. Had he been aware enough to comprehend what she was saying, much less able to interpret her meaning?

She also tried not to dwell on the fact that she wasn’t even sure Sean had been rescued. Kingsley could have done something to him and was using his disappearance from the hospital as a ruse to make her believe that Sean was alive and well.

All of those things and a thousand more whirled in her mind as she sat down for dinner with the rest of Kingsley’s “guests.” She examined each of their faces and thought she could read them fairly well by now. They were all resigned to being here and complying with whatever Kingsley requested of them. How long would it be before she had that same look of defeat?

She mentally shook her head. No, that would not happen. Sean was okay. He had understood her message. The fake rock on her desk, holding the flash drive with her program, had been found. Belle would download the program and would be able to read her messages. This was her one chance to be inside a Wren facility. She would get as much intel as she could, and then when she felt she’d done what she could, she would either find a way to escape or find out her location and communicate it to her team.

That was her mission. Those were her goals. She had relied on her faith her entire life, and being here, in the midst of evil, would not sway her.

She was here for a reason. A purpose. She would not be deterred.

“Isn’t that right, Serena?”

Her attention was abruptly jerked back to the here and now. Kingsley was smiling at her as if he knew every thought going through her head. She knew he didn’t, but this was a blunt reminder that she needed to be aware of her surroundings at all times. Letting her mind wander when she was inside the enemy’s camp was not a good idea.

Surprising her, Kingsley threw her a bone, saying, “I was just telling everyone that I watched you swim laps yesterday evening, and you looked like an Olympic competitor.”

After a full day of work, she had returned to her room, changed into her swimsuit, and spent an hour swimming out her worry and frustration in the giant pool. It had helped tremendously, exhausting her enough to have an almost completely nightmare-free sleep.

Knowing she had to play nice, she gave him a little smile at the compliment. “Not Olympic skills by any stretch, but I learned how to swim when I was just a toddler and took to it like a fish. It’s great exercise.”

“I believe I mentioned that Jenson is an excellent swimmer as well. We must have a competition.” He clapped his hands as if excited. “Yes, we must...” His hand swung out on a clap, hitting the middle-aged woman who had been refilling his coffee cup. Most of the liquid landed on the table, but a few drops splattered on his sleeve. The poor woman gasped, her expression one of abject horror.

Kingsley had cut off midsentence and, not for the first time, Serena saw the evil behind the smarmy smile. It was just a flicker, but it was enough to have everyone at the table, including Serena, holding their breath. What would he do? For a normal person, it would be no big deal. A server might apologize for spilling coffee on him, even though, in truth, it had been his fault. But Colton Kingsley was not a normal person, and this woman wasn’t an employee in a restaurant.

In a twist she didn’t expect, Kingsley took his napkin, dabbed at the few drops on his impeccable suit, and said in an obnoxiously magnanimous tone, “Be more careful next time, Maggie.”

“Yes, sir,” the woman whispered, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Kingsley. It won’t happen again.”

He gave her a curt nod, and she scurried out of the room at a fast pace.

Kingsley turned his attention back to the room and said, “I hope everyone has a wonderful evening. I need to attend to something. Excuse me.”

No one said anything as Kingsley stood and strode from the room. The instant the door closed behind him, the entire table let loose an audible breath of relief. True to form, no one talked about what had happened. Everyone was silent as they finished their meals, and one by one, they stood and left. There were no pleasantries exchanged. They barely looked at one another.

Serena found herself alone at the table. Though she’d taken only a few bites of her chicken and a couple of bites of potatoes, her stomach was in knots, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to swallow anything else. Something was hammering at her, and even though she knew she was likely to witness something she didn’t want to see, she stood and walked to the door where both Maggie and Kingsley had exited, which was not the door the others had gone through. She hadn’t yet been in this part of the mansion. She knew the kitchen was in this area, because she’d heard the clanking of plates and pans.

She opened the door to a hallway and let the noise lead her to a large, industrial-looking kitchen. People hustled around, their expressions serious, their attention focused on their tasks. One would almost think this was a bustling restaurant kitchen, with one glaring exception—no one said a word. And even though there was the occasional clang of a pot or a cabinet door being closed, the sound was muted and almost unnatural.

Her eyes roamed the large area until she spotted Maggie, who was wiping down a counter. Serena was close enough to see the paleness of her face and the trembling of her mouth. She wanted to go over and comfort her, but before she could make a move, a large hand grabbed her arm and held her back. “Don’t, Serena.”

She looked over her shoulder at Smith. “I was just going to make sure she’s okay.”

“It won’t help. You’ll bring attention to her, and she won’t appreciate that.”

“But—” She cut off when she saw Kingsley headed toward Maggie. She held her breath, waiting to see what the man might do.