Yoongi explained that we needed to seize the time we had, that waiting would only increase our risk. I snuck back over to Shelby's room, giving her every detail of the plan and making sure she had it memorized. The unfortunate truth was that it didn't matter how much time we thought we had or how prepared we were. It was impossible for it to be executed without a hitch.

Abigail asked about the bags under my eyes when she greeted me with tea and breakfast the next morning. They were from staring up at the ceiling through the night and watching the sunrise from my window without a second of sleep. I blamed it on still getting adjusted to sleeping in an actual house and bed again.

Despite the lack of sleep I was tingling with energy, sucking down the piping tea too quickly while I ripped long slivers of fabric from the bottoms of three dresses. I tied loops around the handles of two shanks so that they easily pulled through the material before knotting one around my upper arm in a bow with the other around my thigh. With my dress the one strapped to my leg would be less accessible, but I needed backups just in case.

I carried the last so that it was hidden within the pleats of my skirt, pausing in front of Shelby's door when I heard a deep cackle from the other side. She squealed with laughter a moment after, my pulse quickening at realizing Gideon must have returned.

I glanced down at the two weapons in my hand, debating the consequence of barging in to kill him immediately. I'd just slipped the dull end of the shiv between my cleavage when the stairs creaked from behind.

Emmanuel appeared next to me, towering above with a satisfied grin on his thin lips. "When did you get back?" I asked. It felt more difficult to put on an act in front of him.

"We just did." He leaned against the wall next to the door casually while I held back the sigh building in my throat so that I could face him. "We managed to get a family of deer and made an exchange with a farmer for a hog. Tonight's cookout will be the best in a long time. Traveling further south for resources has been good for us."

Before he could continue, Gideon opened the door, his mouth pressed into a hard line before it turned up into a smile. "I thought I heard voices. I'm guessing Emmanuel here was sharing our good fortune. We should celebrate over breakfast!" He beamed. I could see Shelby over his shoulder, eyes wide with alarm for the second they met mine.

She easily transitioned into her usual calm demeanor, stepping closer to the door from the other side of the bed. "Lena and I have already had breakfast, plus we should get started on preparations for this evening." She placed a hand on Gideon's arm and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You should get some rest."

He looked to his friend and inferior, Emmanuel. "The plights of women!" He chortled. "Of course, plan the party. Don't work too hard. You need to delegate, my love." His patronizing tone wasn't negated by the pet name he cooed.

She giggled, running her hand down his arm in affection before moving through the doorway. Emmanuel gave us both a small nod, Shelby's footsteps a pace quicker than usual and letting me know she was panicking.

I followed behind her, returning the nods directed toward us by staff with a curt smile. Shelby didn't speak until we were a fair distance from the house, in the small lull of grassy areas before the town would become busier with residents.

Her voice was so low that I had to ask her to slow down, reaching her side when she decreased speed. She still spoke as quietly as a mouse. "The plan is ruined."

I grabbed her arm to stop her from walking, giving a cover from any watchful eyes as I stepped behind her, pretending to fix her dress. "Relax, we can figure this out. The ending is still the same. We get out." I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as I retook my position next to her to continue our walk to Franklin Street.

"If he finds out none of us will make it out." She expressed doubt.

"We will, I'm not going anywhere without you. We'll get out together." I replied while my brain raked through possibilities for a new plan. Either way, I needed to let the others know. "First, get me back to Jin."

Her hasty breath evened as we got closer to the strip of business, passing more people who acknowledged us. She kept the conversation on planning for the gathering set for sundown, moving into her normal cadence.

"Let's put in a lunch order for when we're finished." She said as we approached the same sandwich shop we ate at a few days earlier.

The familiar man greeted us with a smile, wagging an excited finger. "I was hoping you would stop by today. I had everything I needed to make your favorite chicken salad. I planned to send some to your room if I hadn't seen you." He grinned, walking to the kitchen behind the counter.

Shelby took a seat at the single table in the shop and I started becoming impatient, trying to convey that it wasn't the right time for leisure through my expression. She shot me a sharp look in return, gesturing to the chair across from her.

Just as the old man returned from the back, setting a basket with a container of food, a loaf of bread, and bagged greenery on the table, Shelby continued with her agenda. "I have to confess that I didn't eat breakfast this morning since I was so surprised by Gideon's return." She turned to address the man. "Maybe we can quickly go over some food plans for tonight's celebration and we'll have some of this beautiful spread."

"Of course, anything I can do." He nodded.

I took out a pen and small notepad to take notes while she talked, jotting down the foods she brainstormed to serve and searching for an opportunity to connect with Jin that wouldn't raise suspicion. Shelby was already a step ahead of me, reaching for the slip of paper I'd been writing on with a nod to the shop owner.

"Would you run a couple of errands on my behalf while we have lunch?" Shelby requested of him. He was eager to please her, smiling enthusiastically as he awaited her direction. "The kitchen will need plenty of vegetables. Speak to Janet and have her recruit a few of the younger guys to deliver food to the kitchen. We'll need lots of hands today to help grill and prepare food."

He left us to eat, Shelby pulling apart chunks of bread with her fingers to layer with the rest of the food. She stuffed the first bite into her mouth, her cheek filled as she spoke. "It'll be easier for us to get out during the cookout, when Gideon and the town are distracted." She'd crammed another bite in before swallowing the first and I easily recognized her stress eating.

"How do we get you out?" I asked the question that'd been burning in me, the one I couldn't find a solution to.

Her eyes glistened as she shrugged. "I haven't figured that out yet." She admitted. It felt beyond our ability to pull her away from Gideon's watchful eye without detection.

With the question unanswered I thought of burning the entire town down and the amount of us who may be caught in the crossfire if I simply killed Gideon. So many others parts of the plan started to form, Yoongi and Jimin taking over the armory and planting weapons in a few locations, Jin and I interrupting the post-fight transit of Jungkook and Taehyung to their cells, and Namjoon keeping watch in case a distraction was needed to avoid getting caught.

After lunch, I accompanied Shelby to the cafeteria kitchen where most of the community meals were prepared. There were people everywhere, the smell of grilled meat wafting through the air from the rigs set above blazing fires to cook. A few men carried baskets and boxes of food atop their heads and cradled in their arms, my eyes finding Jin easily. Shelby knew that he would be included in the younger, stronger farm hands that were gathered to assist.

He was already well aware that the plan had changed upon Gideon's return, eyeing me until I was able to pull him to the side. "The plan is the same. We'll use the cookout as a distraction to get out." I kept my voice low.

Shelby and I made sure everything for the celebration was running smoothly before returning home, my trust left in Jin's ability to get our message to the others. I washed and dressed in a casual gown before heading to Shelby's room to assist her. She stood on the small dressing platform outside of her closet, tugging at her fingers with nervousness. I pulled out the weapons I intended to equip her with that morning, fashioning them in a tight knot around her arm.

"Maybe I should stay. Getting me out is too much of a risk." She shook her head.

I helped her into her dress, making sure that there was a small space in her sleeve that would allow her to reach the shiv should she need it. "I'm not leaving you behind." I reiterated, pulling together the back enclosure of her gown just as the door opened, the  perfume scent of Gideon's aftershave filling the room.

"Looks like I'm right on time. People have started to gather on the quad." He held out a hand for Shelby, curling their hands and wrists together.

I was sure my chest moved up and down heavier with anticipation as we headed down the stairs. We had one shot and while it didn't have to be perfect, it had to work.