Chapter 5 - The Snake at the Table
Three days later, Sarah was able to sit upright without screaming.
Dr. Zhang had removed the drainage tubes from her chest, and with the help of a heavy aluminum cane, Sarah could walk short distances across her suite. She was given clean, expensive clothes—tailored cashmere sweaters that hid the heavy bandages wrapping her shoulder and torso.
At 8:00 p.m. on Friday night, Enzo came to her room.
He wasn't alone. He was accompanied by two guards carrying a large, metallic briefcase.
"Tonight, I am holding a council meeting," Enzo announced, leaning against the mahogany bedpost. "My five captains are coming to this house. They believe we are meeting to discuss our territory response to the Moretti threat."
Sarah stood up slowly, relying on her cane. "You think one of them is the traitor?"
"I know one of them is," Enzo replied flatly. "And you are going to be in the room."
Sarah blinked. "Me? Mr. Caruso, I’m a hotel server from Queens! I don't know anything about your business!"
"You know what the shooter looked like," Enzo said, opening the metallic briefcase. Inside lay a small, high-definition pinhole camera concealed within the button of an elegant dark blue blazer, alongside a miniature earpiece. "More importantly, you saw the killer up close. You saw his mannerisms, his jewelry, his silver tie bar."
He pulled the blazer out and handed it to her.
"My captains believe you are dead," Enzo continued, his voice low and deliberate. "The press was told the hotel server died of her injuries at St. Jude’s Hospital on Wednesday morning. The traitor thinks his tracks are clean."
Sarah held the blazer, feeling the cool weight of the hidden camera beneath her fingers. "What do you want me to do?"
"I am going to bring you into the dining room during dinner to serve drinks," Enzo said, a ruthless smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "You will wear a server’s uniform. You will carry a tray. You will walk right past the five men who control my empire."
"They'll recognize me!" Sarah said, her voice rising slightly.
"They have never seen your face, Sarah," Enzo pointed out. "They saw a bloody girl being carried out of a ballroom by four guards. They were looking at my son, not you. And with this dark wig and makeup..."
Dr. Zhang stepped into the room holding a sleek black wig and a professional cosmetic kit.
"When you walk into that room," Enzo said, locking his eyes onto hers, "you will watch their reactions when I announce that the shooter left behind a piece of personal evidence—a silver tie bar shaped like a serpent."
Sarah swallowed hard. "You want to see who panics."
"I want to see who reaches for his pocket," Enzo corrected. "The man who supplied Julian Moretti with that tie bar is the man who signed my son's death warrant. Find him for me, Sarah."
An hour later, Sarah stood before the full-length mirror in her bathroom.
The girl from Queens was gone. In her place stood a striking, pale woman with jet-black hair pulled back into a sharp, low bun, wearing a flawless black server jacket and white gloves. The pinhole camera was mounted right over her heart.
Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird, but as she gripped her silver service tray, she thought of Leo’s small hands clutching his broken plastic robot. She thought of Toby sitting safely in the upstairs library.
She took a deep, shaky breath, pushed open the door, and stepped into the hallway where Marco was waiting.
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"You ready, kid?" Marco asked softly, his hand resting on the butt of his sidearm.
"No," Sarah said honestly. "Let's go."
