The library queen

Chapter 11 Viper’s Nest

A sharp, heavy knock interrupted the music. Three loud hits against the wood.

Moreau pulled away from Lucia, pointing a stiff finger at the bedroom. "Get inside. Shut your mouth."

Lucia ran into the adjoining room, clicking the door shut. Moreau threw the deadbolt open, pulling the massive entrance wide.

Oscar Holmes stepped into the purple neon glare, wearing a sharp maroon suit, a nasty fresh scar cutting clean across his jawline. Sophie Laurent followed him in, her black trench coat buttoned tight, holding a heavy silver briefcase.

Oscar walked straight to the bar without asking, picked up Moreau's half-empty glass, and downed the whiskey in one shot. "Loud ass place to talk treason, Moreau."

"The noise keeps people from listening, old man," Moreau shot back, leaning his shoulder against the wood with a lazy, mocking smirk. "Nobody snitches in my club. Talk."

Sophie slammed the silver briefcase onto the glass table, snapping the metal latches open with a loud clack. "Let's get to it. Give us the leaks."

Moreau reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded, crumpled paper, and tossed it straight into her face. "The codes for the offshore cash. And the exact times the guards change shift down at the harbor gates. Renn is blind."

Oscar picked up the paper, a jagged laugh rattling out of his throat. "Renn is f*****g dead. He won't even see it coming."

Sophie didn't smile. She pulled a glossy surveillance photo out of her coat and dropped it right next to the briefcase. It was Maya Finn.

"The new wife is a problem, Moreau," Sophie said, her eyes turning into pure fire. "She’s already digging into the Zurich accounts. She found your internal leak in less than a day. She's too smart."

Moreau glanced at the photo, scoffing. "She’s just a girl with a library card, Sophie. She doesn't know the streets. Calm down."

"She’s fixing his books, you i***t!" Sophie snapped, leaning over the table. "She’s telling Renn where the money’s going. If we’re gonna take him down, we gotta cut off his money brain. She needs a bullet, Moreau. First."

Oscar tapped his thick, calloused finger against Maya's face in the photo, a cruel smirk touching his lips. "I'll have my boys crush her."

"Focus on Renn," Moreau barked, his face darkening into a lethal rhythm. "I'll deal with the girl myself."

"Don't lose your nerve now," Sophie sneered, matching his icy look. "She’s got Renn's ear. You leave her alive, she’ll rebuild his empire in a week. We kill the king, we kill the girl. Period. Choose."

Moreau crossed his arms, letting out a rough breath. "Fine. What's the play?"

Sophie dragged her finger across the glass table, mapping out a route. "The commerce banquet is Friday night. Renn’s taking the standard route down 5th Avenue. You’re running his lead car, right?"

"Yeah. I'm leading the convoy through the financial district."

"Change it," Sophie ordered, her voice freezing cold. "Steer the whole line into the garment district instead. The streets are super narrow down there. They won't be able to turn those armored cars around. It's a cage."

Oscar grinned, showing off a shiny gold tooth in the neon light. "My guys will be waiting on the roofs. We’ll rain lead down on them. Turn his fancy cars into a steel coffin."

"I'll cut the radio jammers in the lead car," Moreau added, a cold, venomous smirk touching his lips. "You guys will get a clean signal the second we hit the block. Nobody escapes."

"It's gonna be a f*****g bloodbath," Oscar laughed, clapping his hands together. "And you get to clean up the ashes, Moreau."

Sophie snapped her briefcase shut, her jaw tight. "Make sure the girl is in Renn's car on Friday night. I want her in the hot zone."

"The elders already want her out of the castle anyway," Moreau said. "They think she’s a curse. I'll convince them to make Renn bring her along to look legitimate. She’ll walk straight into the trap."

"Friday night then," Oscar said, walking toward the exit. He paused at the threshold, a twisted grin touching his lips. "Don't choke, kid. You're buying that crown with your brother's blood."

Sophie slipped out right behind him, the heavy door slamming shut. Moreau stood entirely alone in the purple glare.

Moreau just picked up the bottle, poured another drink and downed the liquor.

Down in the damp, freezing archive room, Maya sat under the yellow glare of a single desk lamp. Her fingers flew across the hidden terminal keys, pulling up the internal security logs. Her face was a perfect blank.

Heavy boots crunched on the stone floor outside.

Maya slammed the terminal lid shut, shoving the notepad deep under a stack of rotting ledgers just as Renn walked in.

"You're up late," Renn said, his voice flat.

"Just checking your dock logs, Savier," Maya lied, keeping her voice dead even. "Your accountants are a joke."

"The elders want you at the banquet on Friday," Renn said, walking closer. "It’s a mandate."

"I saw the memo. I'll be ready."

Renn stopped two paces away, staring down at her. "Moreau’s running the lead car. He’s putting thirty of his best men on the perimeter. You’ll be safe."

"You wear the bulletproof vest," Renn ordered, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Under the gown. Don't argue with me on this."

"Understood. I don't plan on dying for your family, boss."

Renn looked down at her gray graphite smudges, a tiny, dangerous flash of approval crossing his eyes.

"Get some sleep." Renn turned on his heel and marched out.

The heavy door slammed shut. The second he was gone.

Don sat in his parked truck, the windshield wipers hitting the glass furiously.

The passenger door flew open. Chloe Thomson scrambled into the seat, water dripping from her yellow raincoat, and slammed the door shut with a heavy bang.

Don didn't even look at her. He slammed his fist straight onto the steering wheel, his eyes turning into pure fire. "I have nothing, Chloe! f*****g nothing! The feds scrubbed her network nodes, Addison locked my badge, and Maya is just gone!"

Chloe didn't flinch. She grabbed his arm. "Calm down, Joseph. Getting arrested for a public meltdown isn't gonna bring her back. Stop twitching."

"They erased her on paper, Chloe!" Don roared, spinning around to face her, his voice dropping into a lethal. "The rental contracts, the bank files... they turned her into a ghost right under my nose!"

"Maya isn't a ghost, you i***t," Chloe shot back, "She’s smarter than the whole damn precinct combined, she’s gonna show up, Don."

"The Savier family godfather, Renn. The bastard just got secretly married. No announcements, no reception, nothing."

Don scoffed, "Who's the girl?"

"The records are sealed tight under a federal judge's master key, but the rumor on the street says she’s making her first public appearance this Friday," Chloe sneered, leaning in closer. "At the grand commerce banquet. Downtown."

Don stared at her for a long second, his face settling into a terrifyingly calm expression. The puzzle pieces just smashed together in his brain. A secret bride, a locked-down network, and Maya disappearing.

"That's our backdoor," Don growled, slamming the truck into gear. The engine roared, and the truck merged fast into the flooded street.