“I’m aware.”

“Then feed the baby.”

“I will — right after I make eggs for the men protecting him.”

Hannah did not ask permission. She scrambled two dozen eggs, roasted potatoes with onions, fried thick slices of bacon, and carried everything to the staff table.

At first, the guards stared as if she’d set explosives in front of them. Then one picked up a fork. Within ten minutes, every plate was empty.

By the end of the week, Hannah had reorganized the pantry, built meal schedules around the security shifts, and convinced Theresa to keep a daily inventory.