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Other than the meals Kingsley insisted that everyone gather for, she’d had little interaction with him for the last couple of weeks. In a way, that was a blessing. The man oozed bad vibes. But in another way, she knew she needed to be around him as much as possible to gain as much intel as he was willing to share. In her earlier interactions with him, he had been more forthcoming. Lately, though, he seemed preoccupied and much less concerned with her daily activities.
Her only other access to information could be through Smith, but as pleasant as he was when they were together, he stuck with safe topics. If she asked a question, whether directly or using vague subterfuge, he would merely give her his pleasant smile and not answer.
She realized she could pull the plug at any moment and have her team come for her. Many times, the temptation was almost more than she could bear. She wanted to see Sean and assure herself he was truly all right. She wanted to see her family, both in Francine and OZ. But she wasn’t satisfied, not by a long shot. There was still intel here to gather, and she needed to figure out how to do it without getting herself in trouble. Though how to do that was becoming more and more remote, she wanted to wait a little longer before she made a push that might get her in hot water.
Standing back from the mirror, confirming that her pleasant, compliant attitude was fully in place, she gave her reflection a nod and headed out the door. The moment she stepped into the hallway, she noticed an unusual sound coming from somewhere downstairs.
Laughter.
More than a little intrigued, Serena hurried down the hallway and stood at the top of the stairway. What she saw was even more surprising. Two of the younger maids were standing in the middle of the entryway, whispering and laughing. The laughter was intriguing on its own, but the fact that they were talking to each other rather than working was even more surprising. The staff never interacted with one another other than to issue orders.
She took the stairs at a brisk pace, eager to discover what had caused this phenomenon. The minute her foot hit the main floor, Smith called out to her.
Turning, she encountered something else she’d never seen before. The young man had a genuine smile on his face. Though Smith often smiled, it never reached his eyes and had always struck her as a place card instead of a genuine emotion.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Mr. Kingsley left this morning for a week-long meeting. Everyone is feeling a little less stressed.”
Remarkably, she felt an easing of tension herself, just like everyone else was experiencing. The misery that Colton Kingsley brought to the entire household was a living entity. Having that disappear, if only for a short time, was definitely a reason to smile.
“Does he go to meetings often?”
“Once a quarter, but this one is the biggest for the year. At this one, they have training sessions and even a ball at the end.”
She cast a glance up at the camera directly overhead, recording every word, every action. In an instant, she saw the reason for his comfort in speaking. The camera light was off.
“Are all the cameras down?”
“No. That’s one of the things I wanted you to know. I have a twenty-four-hour loop that I put in place. All other cameras are still active and monitored. It’s only here that we’ll be able to talk openly.”
“Do you do that each time he leaves?”
“Yes. It gives everyone inside the house a breather.”
“What about outside?”
“Unfortunately, that remains the same. Many of the soldiers guarding the compound are loyal only to Kingsley or to the organization. I don’t trust any of them.”
“So you go to all this trouble for the benefit of your coworkers?”
He gave her another smile, this one more than a little sad. “It’s all I can do for them for right now. Kingsley’s absences are something we all look forward to, but having him still be able to hear and see everything is oppressive. I found a way to give them slightly more freedom. It’s not much, but—”
He broke off when Serena put her hand on his arm. “It’s a lot, Smith. You’re risking your life for them to have a few hours of freedom. I’m sure they appreciate it. I certainly do.”
“Thank you for saying that.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Everyone is in the dining room, waiting for you. The conversation is, of course, being recorded, but everyone still seems a little more relaxed.”
“I’ll go on in, then. Would you be open to talking with me here a little later?”
“Yes. I have several things I want to talk to you about.”
Feeling like a ton of worry had been removed from her shoulders, Serena headed into breakfast. If she could get the intel she needed from Smith, perhaps she could then call in her team. Freeing Smith and the rest of the inhabitants of this insane household was as important to her as her own escape.
Things were definitely looking up.
Her assignments were waiting for her when she arrived at her workroom. Even though the work was the same, her spirit was lighter than it had been since she had arrived. Breakfast had been about the same, but with one distinctive difference. The oppressive atmosphere that came with Kingsley’s presence had been absent. The conversations had been pleasant but brief. Everyone was aware that Kingsley was either watching them or would later review the tape. No one wanted to give any clue that anything was different.
After she’d finished eating, she’d gone to her room for a few minutes before going to her workroom. She noted that most everyone else from the table had gathered in the large foyer, taking advantage of being able to speak without being watched and judged. Even though she would have liked to stay and chat with them, she couldn’t afford to veer off her plan and trust the wrong people. Any of these people, no matter how innocent they seemed, could be a spy for Kingsley. She couldn’t take the risk of sharing anything with them.
