The Killer Queen ( Noella Briony ) novel Chapter 170

Beneath Lockhart Prison, a dozen of snipers took aim at the helicopter circling above!

Noella set down her binoculars and turned to Palmer, who was standing beside her.

"Think we can dodge a hail of bullets if they all fire at once?"

"It's gonna be tough."

Lockhart Prison was a fortress with checkpoints at every turn. They'd only managed to slip inside because someone up top had greased the wheels, allowing them to take a secret passage.

Noella spun around and pulled a metal case from behind her, slipping on a pair of jet-black gloves.

"I need five minutes to assemble the sniper rifle. You're on watch until then."

Palmer nodded, his gaze icy as he surveyed the dark expanse of the prison below.

"Five minutes is doable, but they've got the numbers. Dodging bullets might get a little hairy."

Noella's voice was cool as she responded, "I'm not looking to go toe-to-toe with them. I've got a different fish to fry."

Quickly, she pieced together the sniper rifle, expertly calculating the trajectory as she aimed at a distant flickering window.

Atop the highest tower stood a dark spire, and from within, it seemed as if a pair of watching eyes lurked.

As Noella zeroed in on the window, she noticed the number of snipers targeting them from below was multiplying rapidly!

Palmer took out his phone and made a call, "Xavier, long time no see."

The reply was a sardonic chuckle, the voice deep and raspy, as if scarred by a blade, "Your little lady's got some nerve, aiming at me. Does she even know who I am? Marcel's granddaughter has some guts, huh?"

Noella's voice was indifferent, "What my granddad's like is none of your business. If you're brave enough for us to send you to meet your maker, then I'm afraid that precious bracelet of yours will be shattered to bits."

She waved a hand in front of the sniper rifle, revealing a clear jade bracelet, flawless and imbued with streaks of purple amid the green - a rare gem among the common stones.

"The bracelet's with you? How come it's in your hands?"

Noella scoffed, "My grandma gave it to me, so naturally, it's with me. You tried to deal with Vincent, that fool, but you got the wrong person."

The buyer of the jade bracelet had vanished within Lockhart Prison, and in this hellish place, few had the privilege of internet access. The man in the tower was clearly the top dog of the dark spire.

Noella had suspected as much when Marcel had her bring along a video her grandmother had recorded, hinting at some connection between her and Lockhart Prison.

"Your grandma? What's her name?"

The man on the other end of the line stood abruptly, his aged voice quivering uncontrollably.

Calmly, Noella released the safety on her sniper rifle and replied coolly, "Harriet."

Upon hearing that name, Xavier flung open the window and bellowed, "The lot of you, back off! Let them through! Anyone fires a shot, and they're shark bait!"

Noella set down the rifle, a tinge of regret in her voice, "Pity, I was looking forward to blowing your head off."

Xavier remained silent, his gaze locked onto the figures in the helicopter. A single shot from Noella, and not even walls of steel would keep the target alive.

Hearing her tone, Palmer chuckled softly, affectionately ruffling her hair, "It's a damn shame I won't get to see you take the shot. Maybe next time we can have a little competition."

The leader of the Obelisk Organization was renowned for the marksmanship, never missing the mark, one shot one kill.

As the chief of the rival Abyssal Organization, he too was curious to see his girl at her most dazzling.

Noella raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Sure."

The helicopter landed at the foot of the dark spire, where a couple of towering shirtless brutes with muscles like boulders and fierce, intimidating faces stood guard.

An old man, well into his seventies, sat behind them.

Xavier's face was marred by a scar running from his eyelid to his jawline, and his eyes were as cold and ruthless as a lone wolf on the desert plains, a single glance enough to send chills down one’s spine. He watched the two young intruders approach.

Noella, carrying a heavy sniper rifle, was clad in a sleek black jumpsuit with stiletto boots. She met Xavier's gaze without fear, her eyes brimming with disdain and contempt.

For the first time in his life, Xavier felt a pang of helplessness staring back at the young woman.

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

Noella let out a derisive laugh, her gaze piercing as she faced the menacing figure before her.

"Should I care? If you were a friend of Grandma's, I never saw you around during the years we lived together. If you mattered to her, why didn't you ever reach out? And if you didn't, why should I bother showing you anything of hers?"

Why hadn't he looked for Harriet? That question struck a nerve in Xavier.

"I...I didn't know Harriet was still alive. I thought she had passed away!"

Noella crossed her arms and snatched her phone back with chilling indifference, "I'm her only kin, and here you are, bullying me in front of her very picture!"

A sly grin flickered in Palmer's eyes.

Xavier, the man was all about bluster but crumbled with pushback. In his heyday as a borderlands kingpin, it was raw power that got him there.

Palmer had braced himself to step in between them, expecting a fight. But Noella, sharp as a tack, had already sensed a peculiar connection between Xavier and Harriet. His girl, always one step ahead.

Xavier was visibly rattled, "No...I didn't mean it like that! Harriet, I wasn't harassing her! I was just, you know, joking around, yeah, just a joke!"

Noella's suspicion that he knew her grandmother only grew with his reaction.

"Where's the man I'm looking for? Take me to him."

Xavier rubbed his hands together nervously and motioned for his sidekick, Magee, whispering instructions. Magee dashed off immediately.

"I'll take you to him, but don't expect the truth. Tandy's cunning is something else; even I was taken aback."

Noella nodded. She had her ways of making Tandy talk.

Five minutes later, Magee burst back in, breathless, "Boss, Tandy's taken ill; he's on death's door!"