The Meeting In The Swap-Meet Maze

Wrench demanded cash, a ridiculous amount, and he chose a place crowded enough to hide in—an infamous weekend swap meet tucked into the Fashion District, a maze of narrow aisles and shouting vendors.

Grant wanted guards.

Serena stopped him. “Too obvious. We go small. We go smart.”

So they went: Grant and Serena dressed like normal shoppers, Addie in simple clothes with a bag that looked heavy.

Wrench appeared with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Well, look who turned into royalty,” he said. “Thought you forgot your old neighborhood.”

Addie stood straight even though her hands trembled.

Grant stepped forward. “Take what you asked for and never come near her again.”

Wrench laughed. “Money doesn’t make you untouchable out here.”

His man grabbed Addie’s bag and opened it.

No cash.

Just copies of paperwork and articles—evidence, names, dates.

Serena’s voice stayed calm. “That’s your problem,” she said. “We know what you’ve been doing. And that information didn’t go to local people you can pressure. It went where you can’t reach.”

Wrench’s smile collapsed.

He hissed something to his men, and panic rippled through nearby shoppers.

But then something unexpected happened.

Vendors—regular people—stepped in.

A woman with a heavy apron raised her hand and shouted, “Not here!”

A man with a stack of boxes shoved one of Wrench’s guys back.

It wasn’t police.

It was the market itself.

Serena had done quiet work beforehand, helping the vendor association, paying for security cameras, making sure people knew they didn’t have to bow forever.

In the chaos, Grant grabbed Addie’s hand, Serena stayed close, and Kade—blended in nearby—guided them out.

They reached the SUV with their hearts pounding.

Addie looked back once, eyes hard. “He’s not as big as he pretends.”

Serena nodded. “That’s how power works,” she said. “It survives on everyone believing it.”