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“Yep, get used to it,” she says, covering her mouth with wide eyes. There’s no one near us, and I bark out a laugh.

“In case I haven’t told you today, I adore you,” I tell her, my heart flip-flopping at the admission. It’s the closest I can come to saying that I love her right now.

“Isaac,” she whispers, but I shake my head.

“Forget I said anything,” I mumble, opening the door to the courtyard.

Silla breathes deeply as she walks outside. I think it’s the hardest thing about being here: not being able to leave whenever she wants.

“What do you need help with?” she asks, her voice breathy.

Jutting my chin to a corner, I say, “Let’s go to the table and I’ll explain.”

It’s two in the afternoon, and the days are getting colder. Grayson used money that he made from the asylum’s flower business to buy sweaters for the inmates. Patricia said more of them were coming in with colds, and in a space like this that can run rampant. FRC doesn’t need all of their assets to get sick.

Silla shivers, but the sun is shining into the courtyard, so I’m hoping she’ll be okay.

“Is it too cold out here for you?” I ask, not wanting to be presumptuous.

“No, no,” she smiles. “I can’t believe the Autumn Equinox has already come and gone. I want to enjoy the weather before it’s too cold. The air feels so crisp and refreshing.”

While I’ve been working on getting Silla to let me back in, I also reached out to a few contacts outside of the camp that I trust. I’m waiting for them to confirm my fears that the Queen has a vendetta out for her step-sister.

Sitting, I stare at Silla as she throws out her hands to the weak sunlight streaming into the yard. With her head tilted back, she looks as if she’s worshiping the sun as one of her Gods.

Firing up the computers, I wish so much was different. Sighing, she sits next to me, a wistful smile on her lips.

“So tell me what your plans are,” Silla says. “Though the brownie points for being outside means I’ll say yes to just about anything.”

Chuckling, the back of my neck heats. “I wish I could say I’m buttering you up, but this job is for two people,” I explain. “It pisses me off that you’re better than every one of these hacking recruits, so I’m hoping you’ll help.”

“Why are you mad?” she asks, confused.

“This place works on a superficial level in some aspect,” I sigh. “A pretty face and willing to fuck for money usually will put you in Section B, so the placement board did exactly that, instead of looking at your assessments as a whole.”

“So why bother then?” Silla huffs, and I have to agree with her.

“Because the Warden is a fair man,” I explain gently instead. “Even when the system isn’t, he still follows the same rules for everyone. It also allowed me to see how damn good you are at this.”

She shrugs as if it doesn’t matter, and I frown, deciding to fight this battle another time.

“Anyway, I was commissioned to work for a prince in Corsica. There’s a mercenary group called Enigma Industries who is killing his sons. I have a list of places they tend to frequent, and need to pinpoint where they currently are. They have a number to call to hire them, but I need a female who can call while also working with me to find their location.”

“Why wouldn’t they just use burner phones?” Silla asks curiously, leaning forward.

“The prince has made a law that in order to buy a phone in his kingdom, it has to be tied to a real number. Therefore, crippling the burner phone industry. He is down to three sons, and is distraught. I need someone who can multitask, which I know you can,” I explain with a smirk.

Silla blushes as she remembers the night she hacked into a CEO’s company while warming my cock.

“Alright then, so I’m assuming I’m allowed to use a phone for this?” she asks instead, stretching her neck as she gets ready to work.

I love her playful side, but this is sexy as hell.

Handing over my phone with the number programmed in it, I nod for her to call. “Just keep them on the phone, pretend you have a job for them.”

Silla waits as the phone rings, her face smoothing out so there’s no trace of nerves.

“Hello, is this Enigma Industries?” she asks in a bored tone.