Henri Beck & the Hidden Library | 📖

8

After narrowly escaping a house fire and a surprise attack from armed mercenaries, no one seemed to be in a particularly chatty mood. Thea rested her head on the passenger's side window and let out a dejected sigh every now and then. Malik's fingers were curled tightly around the steering wheel as he drove them into the city. His frantic eyes check the car's mirrors for any sign of them being followed.

Luckily for them, it seemed as if they had lost the mercenaries back at the Beck Estate. What was left of it, at least.

Henri still couldn't believe it. Generations of history that lived in those walls had gone up in smoke. No amount of rebuilding or refurnishing would replace what they'd lost. His father's massive book collection, his mother's assortment of West African decorations, his sister's paintings. They all were gone.

Anger warmed his face as he felt a fire of his own spread throughout his body.

Those men had taken his parents and his home.

He wouldn't allow them to steal one more thing from him. He couldn't.

"Is it just me or does it seem like that SUV's been behind us for a while?" Malik asked, his voice wavering slightly.

Henri peered over his shoulder and through the rear window. A black SUV was behind them, but—unlike the mercenaries—their vehicle didn't possess tints. Upon closer examination, he realized the driver of the vehicle was an old man singing along to whatever song was playing on his radio.

"I think we're good, Malik."

"Just making sure." The boy exhaled loudly. "I can't believe we made it out of there."

"Yeah, no kidding," Thea said. Twisting in her seat, she glanced at the letters spread out across the leather cushions her brother sat on. "You really risked your life for those?"

He picked up one of the parchments penned by Dr. Collins before nodding. "These might be the key to us finally figuring out what the heck's going on." He tapped the paper. "Dr. Collins is going to help us—"

"Help us what?" Thea cocked a thin brow at him. "Even if he can tell us what's going on, do you really think some professor is going to help us rescue our parents from these people?"

Henri pursed his lips. He hadn't put much thought into the details of the rescue mission, as his brain was still preoccupied with the mystery surrounding the Library of Alexandria. He thought determining the circumstances of the entire ordeal would lead to coming up with a way to retrieve his parents. But Thea was right, and he knew it the entire time.

If an entity as powerful as Arkangel had truly kidnapped his parents so they could locate the library on their behalf, then what he could really do to stop them?

Nothing. The answer was nothing. He couldn't save them on his own. Maybe Thea was right about taking this to people who could actually do something about it.

Henri briefly considered going to the police or the FBI, but a multibillion-dollar conglomerate like Arkangel Industries likely had eyes and ears everywhere. Taking this to the authorities might also cause them to do something drastic—like murdering his parents. He definitely didn't want that to happen.

But what other option did he have?

If his parents successfully helped them find the library, would they be returned safely? Henri wasn't sure who the CEO of Arkangel was, but if they were willing to go to these kinds of lengths to achieve their ill-advised goals, there was no telling what they were capable of doing.

He still didn't know what hid in the remains of the Library of Alexandria—if it even still existed. That part of the equation remained up in the air. The existence of the map didn't necessarily mean the library did. It could've been an old map, one intended for explorers hundreds of years ago. Not modern-day archaeologists and historians like the Becks.