Page 195 of The Sins of Noelle

“We’ve talked about this. We go in and out. If you really don’t feel comfortable coming with me I won’t begrudge you if you stay outside.”

Lucero bit her lip in apprehension before shaking her head.

“You know I’m coming with you,” she added.

“Good,” Noelle nodded. “I promise you this will work. I know it in my gut.”

Lucero didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. Her doubts were written all over her face.

Even so, she dressed in the clothes Noelle had laid out for her and prepared to follow her.

“You’re a good friend, Lucero,” Noelle suddenly said, a moment before they were about to go. “You’ve risked more for me than anyone I’ve ever known. And I want you to know how much I appreciate that,” she gave her a smile, taking her hands in hers and squeezing lightly.

“I trust you,” Lucero said. “One way or another, we’ll make it out of here alive.”

With one last lingering gaze full of emotion, Noelle opened the door and they both went out into the night.

The factory was a good ten minute walk from the hacienda, and luckily for them, they didn’t encounter anyone on their way there.

It was when they arrived that they faced the most obstacles.

The factory building stuck out like a sore thumb among the temples and the local architecture. A metal building that looked like an alien technological center, it was also the most impenetrable place at the hacienda.

Where they had entered the temple easily enough due to Lucero’s knowledge, the factory was foreign territory. The only thing Noelle had been able to gather about it was the shift of the guards. And that was supposed to take place in exactly…one minute.

A loud noise erupted in the air and they both fitted themselves flat against the building, watching the door open. A man exited, looking around with a sleepy expression on his face as the door closed behind him.

He frowned when he saw that no one was coming to replace him, but Noelle and Lucero had made sure that his replacement had fallen asleep after a hearty dose of valerian mixed with opium—something Lucero had managed to obtain from one of the healers at the hacienda.

The man’s lips flattened together as he debated whether he should leave his station before his change of shift arrived, but after looking at his watch a few times, he sighed and left.

Noelle and Lucero waited a few more minutes until he was out of sight before they went to the main door.

“The code,” Lucero frowned. “We don’t have the security code.”

Noelle smiled furtively as she clicked on a succession of numbers on the security pad, a snapping sound indicating the door had opened.

“I told you I thought of everything.”

“But how…” Lucero blinked in surprise.

“With how much Sergio loves himself, and has made sure that everyone else loves him too, it stands to reason that the codes would have some type of significance for him. I compiled a list of all the dates I could figure out, but to be honest, it was just luck that I got it from the first,” Noelle chuckled

“So what was it?”

“The day of hiscoronation,” Noelle said, imbuing the last word with irony.

Both girls laughed as they made their way inside.

The first thing they saw was an empty desk for the main guard. Noelle hurried towards it, taking a seat on the chair and opening the computer.

“Do you see anything?”

Noelle pursed her lips as she went through all the documents. There were too many for her to sift through so expediently, but as she suddenly clicked on something, she jumped back images from the surveillance feed took over the entire screen.

“What…” Lucero frowned, but as she saw the screen, she barely held back a gasp.

“I thought this was only to produce the drugs,” Noelle muttered.

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