The dishes were washed.
That alone unsettled Lilly.
No interrogation.
No follow-up questions.
No sudden move.
Just… normalcy.
Nana wiped her hands on a cloth and turned toward Noah.
"I'll be going out for a few days."
Lilly's head snapped up.
The control room exploded.
[CONTROL ROOM – EMERGENCY CHANNELS OPEN]
"Say that again."
"She's leaving the site?"
"For how long?"
"No destination logged!"
Red indicators began to bloom.
Another analyst spoke fast. "She mentioned 'new dogs' earlier. We assumed—"
"—We assumed nothing," a general snapped. "That's how you die."
A different screen activated.
GLOBAL THREAT MONITOR: FLUCTUATING
The President leaned forward.
"…She's moving," he said quietly.
At the House
"There are some new dogs I need to look at," Nana continued, completely casual.
"Can't ignore them."
Noah nodded. "Okay, Nana."
Lilly's mind raced.
Dogs.
New assets? New cells? New operatives?
Nana turned her gaze toward Lilly.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"If your girlfriend doesn't mind," Nana said, "she can stay here until I'm back."
The word hit Lilly like a physical blow.
Girlfriend.
Her breath caught.
The control room froze again.
[CONTROL ROOM]
"…She just authorized cohabitation."
"With the boy."
"With her."
A whisper moved through the room.
"Is that… permission?"
The President said nothing.
He was watching Lilly's face on-screen.
At the House
"You're new to the place," Nana went on.
"No parents around."
She tilted her head slightly.
"And you're staying at a hotel, aren't you?"
Lilly's blood ran cold.
How does she know that?
She hadn't told anyone.
Not the school.
Not her handlers.
Not even her shadow contact.
She didn't ask.
She stated it.
Nana smiled faintly.
"Hotels aren't good for young people," she said. "Too lonely."
Lilly felt something tighten in her chest.
This wasn't an offer.
It was an arrangement.
She looked at Noah.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Uh… only if you want to," he said. "You don't have to."
That made it worse.
Because now Lilly understood.
They're not forcing me.
They don't need to.
Her training screamed.
Refuse and become suspicious.
Accept and enter the lion's den.
Nana waited.
No pressure.
That terrified her more than threats ever could.
Lilly bowed her head slightly.
"…I don't mind," she said.
Her voice was steady.
Her thoughts were not.
I've been ordered without being ordered.
Nana nodded, satisfied.
"Good."
She turned away as if the matter were settled.
"Make her comfortable, Noah."
"Yes, Nana."
[CONTROL ROOM – TOTAL PANIC, SILENTLY]
A strategist whispered, "She didn't just approve it."
"She engineered it."
Another officer stared at the screen.
"The girl thinks she's being watched."
A pause.
"She is."
The President finally spoke.
"…No."
Everyone turned.
"She thinks she's surrounded by predators," he said.
The screen showed Nana pouring herself tea.
"She doesn't realize she's been invited inside the den."
No one disagreed.
At the House
Nana picked up her bag.
"I'll be back soon," she said.
Then she stopped at the door and added, almost offhandedly:
"Noah."
"Yes?"
"Take care of her."
Lilly felt the weight in those words.
They weren't kind.
They weren't cruel.
They were absolute.
The door closed behind Nana.
The house felt… quieter.
Noah looked at Lilly and smiled gently.
"So," he said, "do you want the spare room, or—"
Lilly's heart pounded.
This is worse than capture.
She nodded quickly.
"The spare room is fine."
Noah nodded. "Cool."
He turned and walked ahead.
Lilly followed.
Behind her, unseen cameras adjusted focus.
And somewhere far away, an entire nation held its breath.