Ramsey seems to internally argue with himself before relenting. “Okay. This way.” He leads her in the opposite direction, holding his gun fully in front of him. She walks carefully so her bare feet don’t make any sound on the wood floors.

They reach a door Ramsey unlocks with a key on his belt. Before going through, he turns to Lynell and holds his finger to his lips, gesturing to the wall next to the door with his eyes. She nods and presses her back against the wall as Ramsey sheathes his gun and knocks on the door.

“Williams. Martin,” Ramsey says. The door opens toward them, covering Lynell from view. She turns her face to the side, holding her breath.

“Davenport. What are you doing?” a man says. His voice is so close it sends shivers down Lynell’s spine.

“Been sent here.”

“Really? You haven’t been stationed at the boss’s room in a few months.”

“Volunteered. The girl was annoying,” Ramsey says. “You two can head out, I’ve got Powell joining me. He’s taking a piss but will be here soon.”

“I thought we were supposed to leave at noon.”

“You going to turn down an early relief?” Ramsey’s voice is carefree, yet full of boldness. Lynell wonders if he has a higher ranking than most of the guards.

A moment of silence passes before one of the guys says, “Works for me.”

The door stays open, and Lynell listens as two men walk away. Another door opens and closes, but she stays with her back pressed to the wall until Ramsey waves her forward. She lets out her breath and moves away from the wall.

He’s smirking. “Gullible idiots,” he says.

Lynell scoffs. “Annoying?”

Ramsey shrugs and gestures for her to follow. They step into what looks like a small foyer with two doors, one straight ahead and one to the left. There’s another staircase on the right. The walls are deep red, darker than the rest of the house. In the free corner sits a brown armchair with an ornate mirror hanging on the wall above it. Ramsey stops and whispers, so quietly that Lynell has to lean close to hear him.

“His study is through there.” He points to the left door. “He’ll have a guard inside. I’m not sure who.”

Lynell is in over her head and should just turn and escape. Find Anna and start a new life somewhere else. Then Ramsey interrupts her thoughts.

“I’ll draw him out. Hide,” he says, pointing to the armchair. Lynell obeys, squatting behind the armchair. “Ready?”

She gives him a thumbs up and pulls her hand back in, trying to make herself as small as possible.

Ramsey knocks rhythmically and there’s a pause before a high male voice whispers, “Davenport?”

“Lucas,” Ramsey says. “Where’s the boss?”

Her willpower quickly breaks, and she peers around the corner. Ramsey is facing another, shorter man and the door is shut behind them.

“Study, on a call,” Lucas says. He opens his mouth to say something else, but it turns into a muffled yelp when Ramsey pulls Lucas forward by the back of his neck. Ramsey covers Lucas’s mouth with a hand and steps further from the door, dragging the struggling man along with him. Lynell sees the guard’s eyes widen as they land on her, and he stops moving, as if stunned by her appearance. Before Lucas can make another sound or struggle more, Ramsey hits the back of his head with the handle of the knife. Lucas instantly goes limp, and Ramsey lowers him to the floor before turning to Lynell.