The Pawn’s Warning

The Mayflower Hotel had the kind of elegance that felt manufactured. Its history polished into sterility, scandal washed clean with luxury. The chandeliers glowed softly in the lobby, reflecting off gold-trimmed mirrors. The marble floors had been walked by presidents, spies, and men who thought themselves gods.

Jessica had never liked hotels. They were too transient, too impersonal. Too easy to disappear in.

She stepped inside, Olivia at her side, Leanna a few paces behind. The air smelled of expensive cologne and fresh-cut flowers, the kind of place where old money made quiet deals behind heavy doors.

Jessica adjusted her coat, taking in the space with a practiced eye. The bar was tucked into a quiet corner, dimly lit, half-filled with government staffers, lobbyists, and men in suits who carried themselves like they mattered.

Edward Cross had been here the night he disappeared.

Now, she had to find out why.

* * *

Jessica slid onto a stool, resting her arms lightly on the polished wood. The bartender was in his fifties, the kind of man who had seen too much and forgotten even more. His sleeves were rolled up neatly, his expression unreadable.

She offered a small, easy smile. “Scotch. Neat.”

He nodded, pouring the drink smoothly. As he set the glass down, Jessica slid the receipt across the bar.

“This was from three weeks ago,” she said. “Do you remember him?”

The bartender glanced at the paper. His eyes flicked to hers, guarded. Too guarded.

Jessica lifted her glass, taking a slow sip. “I’m not a cop.”

He exhaled through his nose, considering. “Lots of people come through here.”

Jessica smirked faintly. “Yeah. But not a lot of them disappear after.”

The bartender hesitated. Then, quietly, “He was meeting someone.”

Jessica felt her pulse tick up a fraction.

She kept her tone even. “Who?”

The bartender shook his head. “Didn’t catch a name. But I remember the way Cross looked that night. Like he was seeing a ghost.”

Jessica set her glass down, her fingers curling around the rim.

“Did they leave together?”

The bartender nodded. “Out the back.”

Leanna, listening from a few seats down, barely shifted. “Cameras?”

The bartender smirked, shaking his head. “They were out that night. Power failure.”

Jessica’s jaw tightened. Too perfect.

She reached into her pocket, slipping a fifty across the bar. “If you remember anything else…”

The bartender took the bill without looking at it. “I won’t.”

Jessica exhaled slowly, glancing at Olivia. “He was taken. No doubt about it.”

Olivia nodded, already scanning the room. “If Dominion wanted to erase him, they wouldn’t be this careful. Which means he knew something important.”

Leanna’s gaze flicked toward the back hallway. “Let’s check outside.”

Jessica finished her drink in one swallow and stood.

She could feel it now.

That quiet hum of something shifting beneath the surface.

* * *

The alley behind the Mayflower was cold, narrow, the kind of place where things went unnoticed. A single security light buzzed above the back entrance, casting long shadows across damp pavement.

Jessica scanned the space, her boots crunching against loose gravel. No cameras. No sign of struggle. Just the empty hush of a place where someone had vanished.

Then she saw it.

A small envelope, half-tucked beneath the edge of a rusted dumpster.

Her stomach turned cold.

Jessica crouched, slipping on a glove before retrieving it. The paper was smooth, expensive. Like something meant to be found.

She flipped it open.

Inside, resting against the crease of the envelope, was a single white chess pawn.

Her blood went still.

Leanna’s voice was sharp. “Jess?”

Jessica barely heard her. She pulled out the small slip of folded paper inside, her fingers careful, controlled. The handwriting was clean, precise, almost elegant.

It read:

“You are too late. Walk away. Before you lose more than you already have.”

No signature. No indication of who had left it. But Jessica already knew it was Mr. Black.

* * *

Olivia exhaled. “You think he’s dead?”

Jessica stared at the note, at the pawn in her hand.

“No,” she murmured. “Not yet.”

Because if Cross had been erased, this message wouldn’t exist. This wasn’t about warning her away. It was about control.

Leanna folded her arms. “So what do we do?”

Jessica exhaled slowly, letting the pawn roll between her fingers before slipping it into her pocket.

“We find out where they took him.”

She looked down the alley, into the quiet depths of the city beyond. Because Dominion wanted her to walk away. Which meant she was going to do the opposite