Page 40 of His Stolen Bride

Lira is the only place to start. Instead of rushing her, I let conversations wander and ask about ordinary things while she works, about linen schedules, how often rooms are turned over, whether the kitchen ever falls behind. She answers easily enough, which tells me I haven’t crossed a line yet. A few afternoons later, while she folds towels, I say, “Mikhail travels more than I expected.”

She nods quietly. “He always has.”

I gulp a lungful of air and keep my gaze fixed on her. “What happens here when he’s gone?”

She looks my way for just a breath and then away. “The house keeps running.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She sets the towels into neat little stacks. “Security shifts. There are fewer men inside, and more on the perimeter.”

“Why?”

“So no one thinks absence means opportunity.”

I let that sit and don’t ask anything else that day.

Later, I bring it up from a different angle. “The cars,” I say while she straightens the side table. “Do the same people always drive?”

“No,” she replies. “Drivers rotate.”

“And the routes?”

“Always changing.”

“How often?”

“Daily.”

That’s enough for me to stop.

It takes another few days before I ask the question that matters. It’s late, the door is locked, and the guards outside are familiar enough that Lira doesn’t tense when she notices them. She sets down a tray and doesn’t leave right away. “Lira,” I say quietly, “if someone needed to leave this place without drawing attention, could they?”

She looks at the door, then at the camera, then back at me. “Guests can’t.”

“And staff?”

She exhales. “Staff don’t move the same way.”

I wait.

“There are supply runs,” she says after a moment. “Laundry. Produce. Maintenance.”

“How often?”

“Every day.”

“Who handles them?”

“The logistics office.”

“And the drivers?”

She hesitates. “Drivers have leeway. As long as paperwork matches, no one looks twice.”

My pulse picks up, but I keep my voice level. “When Mikhail’s away?”

“That’s when it’s easiest,” she replies. “Everyone wants things quiet.”