Chapter 74 Playing the Part
Three days passed of them performing.
Three days of Elena playing the broken and desperate niece for the cameras Alfred thought were still recording.
She'd gotten good at it. The trembling hands when she thought no one was watching. The quiet conversations with Pierce where she suggested maybe giving Alfred what he wanted. The moments staring out windows looking defeated.
All carefully staged. All designed to make Alfred believe she was cracking.
The real planning happened elsewhere.
In Marcus's truck, parked two miles from the cabin, coded phones passing information.
In the woods during Elena's "walks," where Derek would brief her on team positions.
In whispered conversations in the bathroom,the one room they'd confirmed had no working cameras after Marcus installed the dummy feeds.
Pierce planned everything from his bed, his strategic mind compensating for him being unable to move. He'd mapped out every detail, prepared for every wrong move.
Now it was time for the final act.
Elena stood in the kitchen, camera visible in the overhead light, and let her hands shake as she poured coffee. Let tears gather in her eyes. Let her shoulders slump with defeat.
Pierce watched from the medical room doorway, leaning heavily on the frame. He'd insisted on getting up for this, despite Elena's protests. Marcus stood beside him, ready to catch him if he fell.
"I can't do this anymore," Elena said, her voice breaking perfectly. Loud enough for the audio to catch. "I can't keep running. I can't keep fighting."
"Elena.." Pierce made his voice gentle, concerned. "Don't make any rash decisions."
"He's going to kill me, Pierce." Elena turned to face him, real tears streaming now. Easy to call up when she thought about everything Alfred had done. "He's already tried once. He won't stop until I'm dead or he has the company."
"Then we give him the company." Pierce moved slowly into the kitchen, his movements stiff with pain. "Your life is worth more than any business."
Elena shook her head. "My father built that company. It's all I have left of him."
"Your father would want you alive."
Elena was quiet for a long moment, staring at her coffee,then she pulled out her phone.
"What are you doing?" Pierce asked, right on script.
"I'm calling him." Elena's voice was hollow. "I'm ending this. Today."
She dialed the number Alfred had called from three days ago.
He answered on the second ring. "Elena. I was beginning to think you'd be stubborn about this."
"I want to meet." Elena's voice trembled. "To discuss the terms."
"Terms?" Alfred's voice sounded smug. "There are no terms, dear niece. You sign over the company. I'll have full control or you die."
"I understand." Elena closed her eyes. "But I need guarantees. That once you have the company, you'll leave me alone. That you won't come after me again."
Alfred was quiet for a moment. "You want assurances."
"Yes."
"Very well." He said. "We'll meet and you'll sign the transfer documents and then we part ways. You get to keep your life. I get what's mine."
"Where?" Elena asked.
"The Northside Hotel at the presidential suite. Tomorrow at noon." Alfred's voice hardened. "You come alone, Elena. If I see any of your boyfriend's men, if I suspect any kind of trap, the deal is off and I disappear. Next time you see me will be when my bullet finds you."
"I understand." Elena said. "I'll come alone. Tomorrow at noon."
"And Elena? Don't try anything clever." His voice was sharp. "I've been watching you for months. I know every move you make. Every person you talk to. If you're planning something, I'll know."
The line went dead.
Elena set down the phone with shaking hands, real this time.
Pierce moved to her side, his arm around her shoulders. "You did good," he whispered, too low for any camera to pick up.
Elena leaned into him, both of them aware they were still performing. But needing the contact anyway.
"Get some rest," Pierce said aloud. "Tomorrow's going to be difficult."
Elena nodded and left the kitchen, heading upstairs.
Once in the bathroom, which was their safe room, she found Marcus waiting with his laptop.
"He took the bait," Marcus said, pulling up a map. "Here's the Northside Hotel, presidential suite."
"That's his territory," Elena said, studying the screen. "He picked it because he knows the building. Probably has his own security."
"Which is why we're not going in blind." Marcus zoomed in on the hotel layout. "I've got blueprints, security footage access and staff schedules."
Pierce appeared in the doorway, Derek supporting his weight. He shouldn't be walking this much but Elena knew better than to argue when he had that look in his eyes.
"Show me," Pierce said.
They crowded into the small bathroom, gathered around Marcus's laptop.
"Here's the presidential suite, at top floor." Marcus highlighted the room. "Two elevators provide access and one stairwell. Only three ways in or out."
"Which means three ways Alfred can escape," Pierce said.
"Or three chokepoints we control." Marcus pulled up more blueprints. "I can position teams here, here, and here. Cover all exits."
"Alfred said she comes alone," Derek pointed out. "If he sees our people..."
"He won't." Marcus switched screens. "We go in as hotel staff. Maintenance, housekeeping, room service to blend in. By the time Elena arrives, we'll have the entire floor covered."
Pierce studied the layout.
"What about inside the suite?" Pierce asked. "Elena will be alone with him."
"We'll wire her," Marcus said. "Audio and video, so that we'll see and hear everything."
"What if he searches me?" Elena asked. "Alfred's not stupid."
"Then we use backup." Marcus pulled out a device the size of a grain of rice. "This is a micro camera. Can be hidden in a button or earring. Nearly impossible to detect."
Pierce was quiet for a moment, his jaw tight. Elena knew what he was thinking. That sending her in alone, wired or not, went against every protective instinct he had.
"I can do this," Elena said quietly.
Pierce looked at her. "I know you can. Doesn't mean I like it."
"You'll be monitoring everything?" Elena asked.
"Every second." Marcus tapped the laptop. "We'll have a van two blocks away with full audio and video feed. The second something goes wrong, we're thirty seconds from that suite."
"What about the transfer documents?" Derek asked. "Alfred will expect her to sign."
"We'll have fakes prepared." Marcus pulled out a folder. "Look legitimate but meaningless. Even if he gets Elena to sign, they won't hold up legally."
Pierce ran through the plan again, checking for weaknesses, for gaps Alfred could exploit.
"What's your exit strategy?" he asked Elena.
"Sign the papers, get his guarantee in writing that he'll leave me alone, then leave." Elena met his eyes.
"What if he doesn't let you leave?"
"Then your team comes in." Elena's voice was steady. "But Pierce, Alfred wants the company more than he wants revenge. Once he thinks he has it, he'll let me walk."
"You're betting your life on that."
"I'm betting my life that you've prepared for every mishaps." Elena touched his face gently. "That even bedridden, you're still the smartest strategist I know."
Pierce pulled her close, careful of his ribs. "If anything happens, if he so much as threatens you..."
"I know." Elena held him tight. "But it won't. Because you've thought of everything."
They spent the next hour finalizing details. Marcus would position his team starting at 6 AM. Elena would arrive at the hotel at 11:45, fifteen minutes early. The wire would be tested and retested.
When they finally scattered, Elena helped Pierce back to bed. His face was gray with pain and exhaustion from standing so long.
"You overdid it," Elena said, checking his ribs.
"I had to." Pierce caught her hand. "Had to make sure the plan was solid."
"It is." Elena met his eyes. "You made sure of it."
Pierce pulled her down to sit beside him. "I hate that I can't be there tomorrow. That I'll be stuck here watching on a screen while you face him."
"You'll be exactly where you need to be. Planning and directing your team." Elena's voice was firm. "That's what I need from you."
Pierce was quiet for a long moment. "I trust them. It's Alfred I don't trust."
"Neither do I." Elena's voice went cold. "Which is why tomorrow, we end him."
"Capture or kill?" Pierce asked.
Elena met his eyes. "Whichever keeps us safest."
Pierce searched her face.
"You really have changed," he said quietly.
"You changed me." Elena's voice was honest. "Showed me your world and taught me how to survive in it."
"I never wanted this for you." His voice was rough.
"I know. But it's who I am now." Elena leaned closer. "And tomorrow, I'm going to show Alfred exactly what that means."
Pierce pulled her into a kiss, when they broke apart, Elena rested her forehead against his.
"Get some sleep," she whispered. "Tomorrow we finish this."
"Tomorrow we finish this," Pierce agreed.
Elena left him to rest and climbed the stairs to the bedroom. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, knowing the camera in the ceiling fan was recording her.