Henri Beck & the Hidden Library | 📖

20

Henri should've known it was a trap.

After all, what were the odds his sister got in contact with an ex-Arkangel employee who also had information on the kidnapping of their parents? It was too large of a coincidence, and he couldn't believe he let Thea talk him into meeting some stranger all the way in London.

They were supposed to be smarter than this.

"What do we do?" Malik whispered.

"I...don't know," Henri said through gritted teeth. He glanced at his sister, whose pale stare hadn't left Monet Delacroix's since the moment they locked eyes. "Uh, Thea?"

"We're already here, right? We might as well talk to her."

"I don't think that's a good—"

She turned to him with her face tensed with determination. "Look, you were right. This whole thing was a sham. But that doesn't mean we can't still get our parents back." She stole a glance at the silver-haired woman across the way. "She's here for a reason. And, seeing as how we haven't been stuffed into the back of a van yet, I've got a feeling she wants to talk."

Henri wrung his hands as if they were wet rags. "I dunno, Thea—"

She wasn't listening. In fact, she'd already begun to head over to the CEO of Arkangel Industries. Henri turned to Malik, who could only shrug helplessly. Sighing, he jogged after his sister. His tall companion trotted alongside him.

The trio stood before Monet Delacroix. Museumgoers passed them on every side, unaware of the magnitude of the meeting that was taking place in their presence.

Monet was dressed in a pantsuit the color of a midnight sky. Golden bracelets and bangles decorated her wrists. She stood on clear heels that elevated her already tall frame. Her dark, cunning eyes watched the three teens as they waited for her to speak.

"I apologize for the deception," she finally said. Her voice was sugary and sultry like a jazz singer's, "but it was the only way I could be sure we'd meet amicably."

Henri snorted. "Amicably? You kidnapped our parents."

Monet's jaw flexed. "That...wasn't my intention. I never ordered my men to take your parents. Their orders were to retrieve the map. Mercenaries can often be...unpredictable."

Thea crossed her arms. "Okay, well, give them back."

A tiny smile sprouted on her cherry blossom pink lips. "I'm afraid I can't do that. While I didn't call for my men to bring your parents to me, it was brought to my attention that I can't achieve my goals without the help of your father."

Henri resisted the urge to scowl. He fought to keep his expression neutral, but the task grew more difficult with each passing second. Merely looking at the face of the woman before him turned his blood to molten lava.

"If you just needed our parents, why have your goons been chasing us ever since we left the Smithsonian?" Thea demanded. "They burned down our fucking house, mind you."

"Again, my apologies," Monet said. "Like I said, mercenaries can be very unpredictable."

"Maybe you should hire some better ones then," Malik mumbled.

Monet lifted a thin brow at the boy. "And who are you?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Right."

Thea inched forward a bit with her eyes narrowed. "What do you want from us?"

Monet sighed. "There are two answers to that question. Firstly, your parents have proven to be rather...resilient, to say the least. They won't cooperate until they know that you are safe. So, I figured I'd just bring you to them."