by Lorna TedderBook 3 of The Payback Archives · Secret Lives of Librarians Universe

Think La Femme Nikita–style covert ops collide with the dark academia spell‑slinging of The Magicians and the snark‑sleuth vibes of Veronica Mars in a surveillance mission about learning to trust again after your ex-boyfriend chooses the international book thief over you.

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About the Book

Empathic agent Lilah Burns learned the hard way that trust is a luxury she can’t afford—especially after her ex chose an international book thief over her. When Professor Drusilla St. Augustine assigns her a routine surveillance mission at a historic Florida lodge, Lilah expects to watch a simple trap catch book thieves.

She’s dead wrong.

The mission is actually bait to expose a mole in their own organization—someone’s been leaking classified intel, and Dru’s elaborate setup is designed to flush them out. All Lilah and her partner Raven Darbyshire have to do is observe and report back. But when the stakes turn deadly and betrayal hits closer to home than expected, Lilah realizes the most dangerous part of the mission isn’t the surveillance.

It’s letting Raven matter enough to break down the walls she’s spent years building around her heart.

Read It Free — All Chapters

The complete novel, free to read right here.

1. Still Waters Run Deep“Professor Drusilla St. Augustine had a thermometer for danger, and I’d learned to read it like scripture.”
2. Unseen Currents“The trouble with water isn’t that it hides what’s beneath the surface—it’s that it shows you everything.”
3. Undertow“I stared at the empty shelf, willing the book to reappear.”
4. Beneath the Surface“We need to take the book,” I said, still staring at the fake Liber Umbrae Nominium in my hands.
5. Ripples“It was nearly eleven when I pried open my eyes, sunlight streaming through the curtains like an accusation.”

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