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The basement of my home has a small underground garage we never use, a pretty spacious panic room—one of three panic rooms in total—but I’m going to hang out in my games room.

It was designed in such a way that you wouldn’t think there’s anything but the games room down there unless you know which bookcase to pull, and it also doesn’t have great reception.

I don’t have any video games down there, only a poker table, a regulation pool table, a dart board, a puzzle table, a board-game table, and about a thousand different board games.

I had the idea for a place like this after I learned how addictive screens can be for kids and I wanted a place where Mace and Mads could play without restrictions.

It’s pretty kickass and I love spending time down there where nothing in the world can reach me, but it’s also simply useful for clandestine meetings—which I knew I’d be having when I had the house remodeled and redesigned.

All of this to say that the monitor I have for the boys doesn’t really work down here. All I have is an intercom, which connects to the boys’ room, my room, and the kitchen.

It’s Eli’s dream and nightmare at the same time, because he contains multitudes and wishes to be away from his computers, as much as he wishes he could be surgically attached to them.

But he approved of it enthusiastically anyway the first time I showed him the plans for it a few months back.

This is the first time he’ll be here, though . . . if he is actually coming.

It could also be that Beatrice was talking something over with Michael, who is in the city as far as I know.

If that’s the case, then maybe half the damn Turris is coming in here, and that sounds beyond exhausting.

The thought that I probably should’ve had Liv come over only occurs to me when I’m standing by the door to the garage and the hidden door opens.

But then I see who’s driving and relax.

Iris, as I thought she would be, is driving with Beatrice next to her, and when only one back passenger door opens, I relax even further.

It’s only the three of them.

I wave them in once the garage door to the street closes, and lead them right to the games room.

I’m not going to deal with the hassle of opening the panic room for this.

They all look antsy, which just puts me on edge—right where I never want to be and where I’ve been living for the past few weeks.

“What’s going on?” I ask straight off. No beating around the bush now that we’re all face to face.

“Wait.” Eli holds up one finger then gets one of the bug sweepers out of his hoodie and starts scanning the big room.

I roll my eyes.

“Nothing is even connected here,” I protest.

“It doesn’t matter,” Iris says with all the authority of her last name powering her voice. She never sounds like that out in the real world, it’s an impressive talent.

I stop myself from rolling my eyes again and head over to the bar to get water for everyone, then sit on one of the board-game table armchairs.

It takes around ten minutes until Eli’s satisfied, then they each take a seat.

“Okay, shoot.” I nod at Iris.

“We’ve decided to trust you.”

I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t.

“Thanks?”

That’s obviously not what she’s here to say, what they’re all here to say, but dammit if I don’t want to snap at them to just get the fuck on with it. I want to check how the fans are taking the news of the hires before the boys wake up from their naps.