Lund and Izzy meet the Bookseller in the lobby bar of the Ace Hotel in Manhattan. Lund approaches a poised, well-dressed bald Black woman sitting alone, and Izzy insists on staying with him.

Lund tells the Bookseller that Azaki is gone and identifies himself as Azaki’s bodyguard, producing Azaki’s phone as proof. He explains that a bald man shot Azaki and tried to shoot Lund as well, and Izzy identifies the killer as Hugo Barbary.

The Bookseller confirms she knows who Izzy is and says she has promised someone that she will keep Izzy safe, refusing to say who made the request. Lund then reveals the real purpose of the meeting by sliding a book across the table: the Book of Pain.

The Bookseller recognizes the book’s significance and agrees to sell it, but refuses to buy it outright; instead, she will act as their agent and sell it at auction. She schedules the auction for midnight that night, estimating it could bring in twenty to twenty-five million, and sets her fee at forty percent due to the danger Barbary brings.

To protect the “merchandise” and ensure the auction’s integrity, the Bookseller requires Lund and Izzy to stay with her for the next twenty-four hours with no outside contact. Izzy agrees, trusting the Bookseller more than Barbary, and the three of them leave the hotel together and get into a waiting car.