Chapter 6 - The Night Nell Harper Became the Most Dangerous Woman in BostonThe plan was simple.
Expose Victor.
Force Adrian Cross into the open.
Release the records.
Collapse the network.
The problem was that simple plans rarely survive contact with powerful men.
Victor announced a peace summit.
Every major family received an invitation.
Every major player attended.
Lorenzo knew it was a trap.
Nell knew it too.
But they needed Victor to gather everyone in one place.
So they went.
This time, Nell did not wear a waitress uniform.
She wore a black dress.
Simple.
Elegant.
Sharp.
Lorenzo looked at her for a long moment.
She smiled.
“What?”
He wrote:
Nothing.
She laughed.
“You're terrible at compliments.”
He wrote:
You look dangerous.
“That'll do.”
The summit began.
Victor stood at the center of the room.
“We can end the conflict tonight.”
Nell watched him.
His voice was polished.
His posture relaxed.
His hands were clean.
He looked like an honest businessman.
Then he looked at Nell.
“You.”
She stepped forward.
“Me.”
“You've caused a great deal of trouble.”
“No.”
She smiled.
“I've uncovered a great deal of trouble.”
The room laughed.
Victor didn't.
He raised his hand.
The doors locked.
Security guards moved into position.
Lorenzo's men reached for weapons.
Victor smiled.
“No need for violence.”
Nell understood.
“Then why lock the doors?”
Victor looked at her.
“Because I want you to hear something.”
He pressed a button.
A projector turned on.
A video appeared.
It showed Nell's father.
Her knees weakened.
Victor smiled.
“Your father was a traitor.”
The video had been edited.
It showed him receiving money.
It showed him meeting criminals.
It showed him discussing the James family.
Nell stared.
For a moment, doubt entered her heart.
Then she noticed something.
The clock in the corner.
The date.
The video timestamp.
It was impossible.
The building shown in the background had not even existed on that date.
She smiled.
Victor's confidence faltered.
“This is fake.”
“Prove it.”
She pointed.
“The windows.”
Everyone looked.
She explained the architectural difference.
The room's lawyers examined the video.
One found another inconsistency.
Then another.
Victor's story began collapsing.
Nell stepped forward.
“You edited the video.”
Victor's jaw clenched.
“And you forged records.”
“No.”
She pointed toward the projector.
“You did.”
Lorenzo watched her.
Then he turned toward the locked doors.
His men moved.
The doors exploded open.
Chaos followed.
Gunfire.
Shouting.
Smoke.
Bodies running.
Nell grabbed the portable drive and fled with Lorenzo.
They reached the roof.
Victor followed.
He held a gun.
“Give me the drive.”
Lorenzo stepped forward.
Victor pointed at him.
“You always thought you were smarter than everyone.”
Lorenzo wrote something on his phone.
Then held it up.
No.
I just learned to stop trusting men who needed everyone else to be stupid.
Victor fired.
Lorenzo moved.
The bullet hit his shoulder.
Nell screamed.
She grabbed him.
Victor advanced.
Then Marcus appeared.
He tackled Victor.
The gun flew.
The two men fought near the edge.
Victor stabbed Marcus.
Marcus staggered.
But held on.
“Run!”
Lorenzo dragged Nell away.
They escaped.
Later, Marcus survived surgery.
Victor disappeared.
The drive contained enough evidence to destroy most of his organization.
But Victor himself was still free.
And Senator Adrian Cross had vanished.
Nell sat beside Lorenzo in the hospital.
His shoulder was bandaged.
She watched him sleep.
When he woke, she was still there.
He wrote:
You should rest.
She wrote:
So should you.
He smiled.
Then he wrote:
You saved my life.
She shook her head.
You saved mine first.
His fingers paused.
Then he wrote a sentence that made her heart stop.
I don't want you to be just my witness anymore.
She looked at him.
He added:
I want you beside me.
May you like
Nell reached for his hand.
“I already am.”
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