“Thank you, Nora,” Adrian said.

“Go see Lila.”

“I will stay here until she falls asleep.”

I nodded and left the room.

I walked down to the secure playroom in the basement of the north wing.

This was where Lila was hidden during the confrontation.

Daniel was sitting on a small wooden chair near the heavy steel door.

He had his submachine gun resting across his lap.

When he saw me, he stood up.

“Is it clear?” Daniel asked.

“It is clear,” I said.

“Caleb is gone.”

“The mercenaries left.”

Daniel nodded, his face showing a brief moment of relief.

“She has been asleep the whole time,” Daniel said.

He stepped aside.

I walked into the small safe room.

Lila was lying on the small sofa, wrapped in a pink woolen blanket.

Her dark curls were spread across the pillow.

She was breathing softly.

I knelt down next to her and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

Her skin was warm.

I felt a tear slip down my cheek.

For weeks, we had lived under the shadow of Caleb’s betrayal.