Power and Poison

Chapter 4

Ivy pushed the glass door open, the scent of roasted coffee beans wafting over her. She scanned the small cafe, her eyes searching for Max's familiar face. He had promised to meet her here, but she couldn't see him anywhere. feeling a twinge of disappointment, Ivy walked past the customers chatting and tapping away on their laptops. She found an empty booth in the far corner and slid into it, pulling her jacket tight around her to ward off the chilly air. She sighed and took out her notebook, going over her notes. A young waitress with a curly ponytail approached her table and smiled. "What can i get you?" "A latte, please," Ivy replied, still looking over the notes. She looked up to see the waitress nod and jot down her order. I'll bring it over to you when it's ready." the waitress said before hurrying off to the counter. Ivy leaned back in her seat, her eyes scanning the cafe once more. She wondered what was keeping Max and hoped he wasn't running late. As she waited, she sipped on her hot coffee, she tried to push the nagging feeling of disappointment aside. Hopefully, he would arrive soon. Ivy sat alone at the corner booth, her latte steaming in front of her, her eyes darting to the entrance door every now and then. Max still hadn't arrived, and the more time passed, the more restless and frustrated she became. As she took another sip of her coffee, she noticed an older man approaching her table, his eyes gleaming mischievously. Ivy tried to ignore him at first, but he sat down right in front of her. "Hello, beautiful," he said with a smirk. "What are you doing here all alone?" "Just waiting for someone," Ivy replied curtly, hoping he would take the hint and leave. But the man didn't seem to mind her tone, instead leaning in closer, invading her personal space. "I couldn't help but notice how stunning you are. Can I buy you another coffee?" Ivy frowned, now getting annoyed. "No thank you. I'm not interested." The man didn't seem to take no for an answer, however. He persisted, his eyes trailing her body suggestively. "Come on, don't be like that. I could show you a good time." Ivy's patience was wearing thin. "I said no! So, I suggest you leave me alone before I punch you so hard in the face you choke on your own teeth." She spat at him angerly. The man's face fell for a moment, he quickly retorted "Whatever babe suit yourself." Just as the older man left, Ivy's eyes meet Max's at the entrance. She waved him over, feeling grateful that he had finally arrived. "Hey, sorry I'm late," Max said sliding into the booth next to her. "Traffic was a nightmare." Ivy shrugged, trying to hide her irritation. "No worries. You're here now." Max grinned, ordering his own coffee before turning his attention to the business at hand. "Alright, first things first. We need to get you into the precinct without rising suspicion. I already have a plan for that." Ivy quirked an eyebrow. "And that plan is?" Max leaned in closer, his voice low. "I work in the IT Department now, So I can easily get you a visitors pass." Ivy nodded in agreement. Out of the corner of her eye Ivy noticed the same older man who had bothered her earlier, now hitting on the young waitress who had served them. Ivy felt a pang of sympathy for the girl, but she was angrier towards the man. She turned to Max, "Excuse me a moment." She said then walked over to the table where the man was seated. "Hey!" She screamed not caring that the whole cafe just heard her. "I couldn't help but overhear. Why can't you just take no for answer?" The man looked up at her. a smug grin on his face. "Who are you, sweet checks? My jealous girlfriend?" That was the last straw for Ivy she leaned in real close "I highly suggest you get your ass up apologize to this young lady and never come back here and I would do it quickly." Ivy sneered. "And what are you going to do about it?" the man said standing to size Ivy up. There was quite the height difference between them. That was it for Ivy she had enough of this sleazeball, without another word Ivy quickly through a direct hit to his nose colliding with a loud crack. "You bitch." The man screamed "you broke my nose." He said grabbing his face with blood gushing down it. "A Bitch is dog, dogs bark, bark grows on tress, and trees are a part of nature, and nature is beautiful so thanks for the complement." Ivy retorted walking back to her seat just in time to watch the man running out the door. "Where were we." Ivy said sitting back down with Max as if nothing had happened. "Well after we get you in will just need to wait for the right time so I can let you make your move." Ivy nodded, intrigued "And then, what?" "Once You have you pass, we'll slip into the records room unnoticed," Max said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You'll do the digging while I keep watch." Ivy smiled, glad to have Max on her side. "Alright. And what about the guards?" Max shrugged. "They're usually pretty laid back, but we can't take any chances. I'll distract them and create a diversion, giving you the chance to slip out." Ivy felt a sense of determination wash over her. "Okay. Let's do this.:" They both finished the coffee and left the cafe, hatching their plan as they walked towards the precinct. After Ivy and Max arrive at the precinct, they put their plan into action. Max leads the way, flashing their access passes and keeping a low profile as they make their way through the building. The precinct is busting with activity, with officers coming and going, radios crackling with chatter. Ivy can feel her heart racing as they approach the records room. She can her the hum of computer servers and the quite of paper files. Max looks around then opens the door with a quick beep of his key card and let's Ivy into the room. "Okay." Max says in a quick hush "you have got 15 minutes exactly before someone comes to scan the room." "Okay." Ivy says as she begins to search through the file cabinets, scanning for any evidence or misconduct anything she can find that will give her insight information on the Nordick Mafia gang. Ivy feels a mix of anticipation and fear as she rifles through the documents, hoping to find something concreate. It takes a while, but Ivy finally found what she was looking for. Scrawled notes in the margins of various reports. Ivy begins to quickly copy the documents with her spy camera. Suddenly Ivy hears the beeping for the door signaling that someone was going to enter. She quickly shoves the notes back into the file cabinet, lucky for her there was a piece of vine hanging from the celling she sticks her hand out and up and was able to secure herself to the celling with her vines just as the officer was walking through the door. Ivy held her breath as the officer grabbed a file from the drawer and left the room. Ivy released the breath she was holding and lowered herself to the ground. She looks at her phone getting the all-clear text from Max. She walks out of the door with her access pass and quickly was able to slip out the back door of the precinct. Ivy took a deep breath she got what she came for. She quickly sent a Thank you text to Max and headed for the airport to return to home.