Page 27 of Fearless

Chapter Thirteen

Serena’s night had been miserable. Not that she had expected anything less. After she’d been put in her room, she had assumed Kingsley would eventually send for her to continue his ultimatum. Instead, she had been served lunch and dinner in her room. The meals had been brought to her by a silent, expressionless older woman who had refused to speak or even make eye contact.

The meal deliveries had been the only interruptions. She had eventually forced herself to stop anticipating his summons and concentrated on what she needed to do.

It had been well after midnight when she’d finally gone to bed. Her mind hadn’t wanted to cooperate, but she had eventually drifted off and dreamed wild and fanciful dreams of rescuing all the prisoners here and taking Kingsley and his minions down. She’d actually woken with a smile because she had defeated the bad guys and saved everyone.

Knowing she had a long way to go before anything like that happened, she sprang from the bed to start her day. Going through her regular morning routine to get ready, she reviewed her plan. She did have one, and though she’d considered multiple options, the one she’d chosen—that she thought would work best for the outcome she needed—was also the most dangerous.

Dressed in khakis, a bright red blouse, and comfortable brown leather loafers, Serena applied a light smattering of makeup and brushed her teeth. She imagined Smith or another of Kingsley’s minions would be arriving soon to lead her to breakfast like yesterday.

Kingsley had only seen her cooperate with him, and she needed to keep that appearance up for as long as she could. On the other hand, she couldn’t look too compliant. The man was a sociopath, seemingly lacking any empathy, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t recognize deceit.

She took in a deep breath and faced herself in the mirror. She had done all she could. She had considered every option, and she had chosen the best solution. After he discovered what she had done, she would face the consequences with as much courage and grace as she could.

As a woman of deep faith, she believed she had been brought here for a purpose. She didn’t believe in coincidence or happenstance. There was a grand design for everything. She’d always known she had a calling.

This was her moment. This was her time. She could not fail.

A knock on the door told her that the time had come. She called out, “Come in.”

The door opened, and there was Smith with that too pleasant smile on his face. “Good morning, Serena. I trust you slept well.”

Giving him the idea that she had accepted her captivity this early would not be a good idea, so she stayed quiet and waited for his instructions.

Unbothered by her silence, he waved toward the door, and she went through it.

“It’s such a sunny day, Mr. Kingsley thought everyone would enjoy eating breakfast in the conservatory this morning.”

“This place is massive,” she said.

“Yes.” His smile went wider.

“Is everyone’s room as nice as mine?”

“They’re all quite pleasant, but you do have one of the nicest.”

“It’s like I’m staying in a five-star hotel.”

Pandering was one of her least favorite things, and she honestly wasn’t very good at it. As an OZ operative, she’d had more than one opportunity to go undercover, but she had never been able to make that transition. Sean had often teased her that she was too good of a person to tell a lie. She knew that wasn’t true, but she did struggle with the concept. Being upfront and honest was as much a natural part of her as her hair and eye color, but she was going to do her very best to deceive these people for as long as possible. Because if there was one thing she knew for sure, lives were at stake if she didn’t succeed.

Smith nodded. “That’s the intent. Everyone’s job is stressful, so a nice place to go back to at night to rest and relax is of utmost importance.”

“So you live here, too?”

“Oh, no, but I have a nice apartment. It’s in the wooded area, just an acre or so behind the mansion. That’s where most of the employees live. The main house is for our guests. And Mr. Kingsley, of course.”

Either she was getting better at pretense, or Smith had been given the go-ahead to share some information with her. Whatever the reason, she wanted to take advantage and learn as much as she could about her location.

“The place seems more like a resort than a residence.”

Smith made another one of his arm waves for her to precede him down the stairs. As he followed her, he continued talking about the house.

“It has every amenity anyone could want. Later, once your full-time residency is approved, I’ll show you around. I’m sure you’ve seen the swimming pool and tennis courts from your window, as well as the putting green. But we also have a bowling alley, a small ice rink, and a theater.”

Sounding dutifully impressed, which honestly she was, she said, “That’s amazing. Do your guests have time to enjoy all these amenities?”

“Oh yes. They rarely work on weekends, and depending upon what they’re working on, their workdays often end at midday or early afternoon.”