Page 22

Xavier

T he Wayne National Forest swallowed sound. Every crunch of our boots on fallen leaves, every whispered command through the comm units—all of it seemed to disappear into the vast darkness between ancient oaks. Moonlight filtered through the canopy in broken shards, creating more shadows than illumination, which suited our purposes perfectly.

We had abandoned the vehicles three miles back, approaching the Burns Innovations compound on foot to minimize detection. Algerone moved ahead of me with disturbing silence, his tactical gear blending seamlessly with the night. For a man who spent most of his time in bespoke suits giving orders from behind mahogany desks, he navigated the rough terrain with the ease of someone who had done this many times before.

That shouldn't have surprised me. Algerone hadn't built his empire by delegating every dangerous task. Still, watching him move through the forest sent uncomfortable ripples of recognition through me. Like looking in a mirror and seeing your own movements reflected back with decades of refinement.

"Alpha team in position," Commander Reid's voice murmured through the comm. "Perimeter appears as expected. Standard motion sensors, infrared tripwires. Nothing we haven't bypassed before."

"Satellite shows minimal heat signatures," Leo reported, his voice a welcome anchor in my ear. "Just two guards at the north entrance, one at the south. Consistent with a skeleton crew for a server facility."

Algerone paused, lifting a gloved hand to signal me to stop. He scanned the tree line ahead, eyes narrowing as he consulted the topographical map on his tactical pad.

"Too easy," he muttered, so quietly I almost missed it.

"What?" I moved closer, keeping my voice equally low.

"Burns is military-trained with extensive cyber expertise," Algerone replied. "This level of protection is... inadequate for his profile."

I frowned, reviewing the intel. Standard perimeter sensors. Minimal personnel. No visible backup generators or redundant systems. None of the paranoid overkill I'd expect from someone who had spent years planning his revenge against me.

"Could be overconfidence," I suggested. "He doesn't know we connected him to Walsh yet."

Algerone's eyes met mine, skepticism evident even in the darkness. "People like Burns don't build successful operations on overconfidence."

"Xavier," Leo's voice came through the comm again, tension evident in his tone. "Something's weird with the data feed. The thermal imaging keeps... glitching. Just for microseconds, but it's there."

"Define 'glitching,'" I demanded, alarm bells ringing in my head.

"Like a video loop. Almost imperceptible unless you're specifically looking for it. But the pattern repeats every 13.4 seconds exactly."

I exchanged glances with Algerone, who had clearly heard the same report. "A looped feed," he said quietly. "Prerecorded thermal data being fed back into the satellite."

"Which means..."

"The entire security setup is a facade. Reid, full stop. Do not approach further."

"Copy that," Reid responded immediately. "Team holding position at the perimeter."

I activated my tactical display, running a frequency scan of the surrounding area. "Multiple signals. All encrypted. Far more than you'd need for a standard security system."

"Phase shift the scan," Algerone suggested, moving to my side to view the readings. "Try the military bandwidths."

I recalibrated as instructed. The display immediately lit up with dozens of additional signals, all pulsing beneath the standard frequencies we'd initially detected.

"Jesus," I muttered. "It's a goddamn Christmas tree out here."

"Leo," Algerone said, taking command with such natural authority I didn't even think to object. "Get me a deep scan of the ground between our position and the compound. Look for anything that doesn't match natural terrain patterns."

"Already on it," Leo replied, his tone shifting to the clipped precision of his Army analyst days. "I've got the drone footage and... wait. Something's off. The satellite's picking up unusual vehicle tracks leading into the forest that aren't on any maps. And there are weird gaps in the thermal imaging around the perimeter. Like someone's deliberately creating blind spots."

I scanned the trees around us, seeing them with new eyes. Any one of them could conceal a camera, a motion sensor, a trap. "We need to pull back. Regroup and—"

Algerone held up his hand, stopping me mid-sentence. His head tilted slightly, listening.

"Something's not right," he murmured, reaching down to pick up a fist-sized rock from the forest floor. He hurled it a few meters ahead into the clearing we'd been about to enter.

The unmistakable metallic click of a pressure plate engaging sounded, followed by a moment of terrible silence.

"Down!" Algerone shouted, already diving for cover.

The forest erupted in a blast that shook the ground beneath us. Dirt and fragments rained down as the explosion triggered secondary devices in a chain reaction.

"Shit!" I hissed, pressing myself against the forest floor as shrapnel whistled overhead.

"Stay low," Algerone ordered, still somehow calm. "They'll be coming."

The explosions echoed between ancient trunks, making it impossible to pinpoint exactly where they'd originated. Every shadow could conceal an enemy. Every sound could be a threat.

"Xavier, what's happening?" Leo's voice cut through my comms, tense but controlled. "I've got multiple heat signatures mobilizing from the compound. They're spreading in a search pattern around the explosion site."

"Burns' security just went hot," I answered, keeping my weapon ready as I scanned the tree line.

The comms crackled before Reid's voice came through, steady despite the circumstances. "Laskin, Etremont, status? We heard the explosion."

"Alive," I confirmed tersely. "Burns had the whole approach rigged. We triggered one of his toys."

"Understood," Reid responded. "We've got visual on security teams deploying from the compound. At least twenty armed personnel. Moving in standard search grid pattern."

Algerone consulted his tactical pad, expression grim in the blue glow of the screen. "They'll reach our position in approximately three minutes. Options?"

"They're moving toward you," Reid confirmed. "But the path to the compound appears minimally defended now. Most forces are deploying to your location."

I shared a look with Algerone, the same realization dawning on both of us simultaneously. "Burns doesn't know exactly where we are. Just that we're in the forest somewhere."

"And he's sending forces to search," Algerone finished my thought. "Leaving the compound vulnerable."

"This might be our only chance to get inside," I said, tactical calculations running through my mind. "Find Burns. End this before he can regroup. He's here. I know he is. I know because it's exactly where I'd be. You don't spring an elaborate trap like that without having a front-row seat.”

"Sir," Reid's voice returned. "My team can provide a compelling distraction if required. Draw their attention. Give you a clear path to the compound."

"That's suicide, Reid," Algerone replied, though there was no rebuke in his voice—just factual assessment.

"With respect, sir, suicide missions are my specialty. I can give you the opening if you want it."

Algerone looked at me. I nodded.

"Do it," Algerone ordered. "And Reid…don't make me write your mother."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir."

The silence shattered as gunfire erupted from the northeast, followed immediately by shouts and the revving of vehicle engines. Through the trees, I could see searchlights swinging in that direction, the beams cutting through the darkness as Burns' security forces responded to the new threat.

"They're moving," Leo confirmed. "Security forces redirecting to Reid's position. You've got a clear path to the northwest fence line."

"Now," Algerone ordered, already moving through the underbrush.

I followed, matching his pace as we navigated through the dark forest. Years of hunting had taught me how to move without sound, how to blend with the shadows, how to become nearly invisible even in minimal cover. Algerone, I noted with grudging respect, moved with the same predatory instinct, despite being decades older.

The sound of battle grew behind us as Reid's team engaged Burns' forces, drawing them deeper into the forest and away from our approach. Through my comm, I could hear Reid directing his people with cool professionalism, calling out targets and positioning his team for maximum effectiveness despite being outnumbered.

"At the fence line," Algerone reported as we reached the compound perimeter. "Standard electrified barrier with motion sensors at ten-meter intervals."

"The sensors are on a closed circuit," Leo informed us, the sound of his typing audible over the comm. "But there's a junction box thirty meters to your right. I should be able to loop the signal if you can access it."

Algerone moved immediately, locating the junction box. He removed a small tool kit from his tactical vest and had the box open within seconds.

"Ready, Leo," he reported, holding his tactical pad up to the exposed circuitry.

"Connecting now," Leo confirmed. "I need ten seconds to splice into the system."

Those ten seconds felt like an eternity as we crouched exposed at the perimeter fence, the sounds of the firefight with Reid's team echoing through the forest behind us. Finally, Leo's voice returned.

"Done. You've got a fifteen-meter dead zone in the fence directly in front of you. No electricity, no sensors. But I can only hold it for two minutes before the system auto-resets."

"More than enough time," Algerone said, already cutting through the chain link with a specialized tool from his vest.

We slipped through the opening and onto the compound grounds, staying low and moving quickly toward the main building. The server facility looked different now, its unassuming exterior transformed by the chaos of the night. Emergency lights cast harsh shadows across the concrete walls, and what had appeared to be a simple corporate logo now revealed itself as a stylized phoenix in illuminated red.

"Main entrance is on the east side," Leo directed us. "But there's a service door on the north wall that should have minimal security."

We approached the indicated door cautiously, watching for any sign of remaining guards or automated defenses. The service entrance was exactly where Leo had described, a simple metal door with a keypad lock.

"Can you get us in?" I asked Leo, keeping my voice low despite the unlikelihood of being heard over the distant battle.

"Working on it," he replied. "The system architecture is... unusual. Highly customized. Burns knew what he was doing with this setup."

Algerone examined the keypad with narrowed eyes. "Military grade," he observed. "Double encrypted with biometric backup." He glanced at me. "Your hacking friend is good, but this will take time we don't have."

"Then we create our own entrance," I decided, reaching into my tactical vest for a small breaching charge. "Stand back."

The charge was designed for minimal noise but maximum effectiveness—a shaped explosion that would destroy the lock mechanism without alerting anyone more than a few meters away. I placed it carefully, making sure the directional force would be properly contained.

"Ready," I reported, moving back to a safe distance. "Three, two, one..."

The charge detonated with a muffled thump, the sound barely louder than a handclap. The door's locking mechanism disintegrated, leaving the entrance unsecured.

"We're in," I reported to Leo. "Any movement inside the building?"

"Minimal heat signatures," Leo confirmed. "Most security is still engaged with Reid's team. But... Xavier, there's something strange about the interior layout. The blueprints don't match what I'm seeing on the thermal. There are spaces that should be there but aren't showing up."

"Hidden rooms," Algerone concluded, drawing his weapon as we moved through the doorway. "Burns has built more than just a server farm here."

The interior of the facility was eerily quiet after the chaos outside. Emergency lighting cast everything in a dim red glow, creating more shadows than illumination. The corridors were sterile and industrial, with exposed ductwork and concrete floors that reminded me of a military installation rather than a tech company.

"Server room should be straight ahead," Leo directed us. "But be careful."

We moved carefully through the corridor, checking each intersection before proceeding. The facility seemed deserted, with no sign of the technical staff that should have been maintaining a server operation of this size.

"This isn't right," I murmured to Algerone. "Where is everyone?"

"Evacuated when the perimeter was breached," Algerone suggested, though his tone indicated he wasn't convinced by his own explanation. "Or it was never staffed to begin with."

The server room door stood open ahead of us, the space beyond filled with the familiar hum of high-end computer equipment. Racks of servers lined the walls, their status lights blinking in rhythmic patterns that cast shifting blue and green lights across the otherwise red-tinted room.

"This looks like what we expected," I said, moving toward one of the server racks to examine it more closely. "But something feels off."

Algerone was already moving around the perimeter of the room, his attention focused not on the servers but on the walls themselves. "The dimensions are wrong. This room is smaller than it should be based on the exterior walls."

I joined him at the wall he was examining, running my hands along the surface. "False wall," I agreed. "But how do we—"

My words cut off as my fingers encountered a slight depression in the seemingly solid surface. Not obvious enough to be noticed without deliberate searching, but distinct once found. I pressed it experimentally, feeling something give beneath my touch.

A seam appeared in the wall, widening into a doorway as a hidden panel slid silently aside. Beyond lay another room, this one dimly lit with the same emergency lighting as the rest of the facility.

"Leo," I called quietly. "We've found a hidden section of the building. Checking it now."

"Be careful," Leo replied, his voice tight with tension. "Reid's team is still engaged but holding. Burns' forces seem more focused on containment than elimination."

"Almost like they're buying time," Algerone observed grimly as we moved through the hidden doorway.

The space beyond was nothing like the sterile server room we'd just left. This was a personal domain, filled with evidence of long habitation. A desk dominated one wall, covered in multiple computer monitors and technical equipment I didn't immediately recognize. Bookshelves lined another wall, filled with technical manuals and what appeared to be journals.

But it was the third wall that immediately captured my attention. It was covered entirely in photographs, documents, and maps, all connected by red string in a complex web of relationships. At the center of this disturbing display was a large photo of me, taken without my knowledge as I worked at my computer. Around it were dozens of other images—Leo at the Junkyard Dogs compound, Annie and Yuri outside the funeral home, my brothers in various locations around town.

"He's been watching all of us," I breathed, a cold fury building in my chest. "For months. Maybe years."

"Not just watching," Algerone said, examining a different section of the display. "Planning. Look at these." He indicated a series of photos showing various properties around southeast Ohio. Each had dates and notes attached, detailing security systems, access points, and what appeared to be patrol schedules.

"Targets," I realized. "Future targets. The Laskin funeral home is here. And the Junkyard Dogs compound. Even the mental health clinic War's building."

The implications sent ice through my veins. It was one thing to theorize that Felix Burns had been methodically preparing to dismantle my entire life, piece by painful piece, and another to see the evidence of it firsthand. The fire at Leo's trailer, the attack on the funeral home... those had just been the opening moves in a much larger game.

"Burns isn't here," I concluded, scanning the room for any sign of recent occupation. "This was all staged. He wanted us to find this."

My eyes caught on a small object sitting on the desk amidst the chaos of papers and surveillance photos. A simple black cube, about the size of a paperweight, with a delicate silver phoenix etched into its surface. Innocuous at first glance, but something about it felt wrong.

I reached to pick it up, but frowned when I felt resistance. Not thinking, I yanked. Something metallic pulled free. Algerone's body suddenly slammed into mine with unexpected force. The cube fell back to the desk. Before I could process what was happening, the world exploded into blinding light and deafening sound.

The blast threw us across the room. My back hit the wall with bone-jarring force, head snapping back to connect with concrete. For one disorienting moment, all I could register was pressure and pain, my ears ringing so loudly I couldn't hear anything else.

When my vision finally cleared, dust filled the air, thick enough to choke on. Emergency lighting flickered erratically, casting the destruction in sporadic bursts of illumination. Where the desk had stood was now a crater, debris scattered across what remained of the room.

"Algerone?" I called, my voice sounding distant and wrong through the persistent ringing in my ears.

A hand emerged from beneath a fallen section of ceiling. I scrambled over, ignoring the sudden flare of pain in my ribs, and began clearing away chunks of concrete and twisted metal.

Algerone lay pinned beneath a support beam, blood trickling from a gash on his forehead. His legs were completely hidden beneath the rubble, but his eyes were alert, scanning the room even as he assessed his own injuries.

"It was rigged," he said, voice strained but calm.

"Shit." I tore off my tactical gloves and pressed them against the wound on his head. "Hold this. I'm going to get you out."

His hand caught my wrist with surprising strength. "No time. The explosion will bring them running."

"I'm not leaving you here," I growled, already testing the weight of the beam across his torso.

"Xavier," Leo's panicked voice cut through the static in my comm unit. "Reid's team is falling back. Burns' security forces have stopped pursuit and are returning to the compound. ETA three minutes, maybe less."

"Told you," Algerone said, a ghost of a smile touching his bloodied lips. "Always listen to the tactical analyst."

I ignored them both, wedging my shoulder under the beam and straining to lift it. The metal groaned but barely moved, too firmly settled into the debris that trapped Algerone's lower body.

"Even if you move it, I won't be walking out of here," Algerone said, his tone matter-of-fact. "There's a piece of rebar in my hip. I can feel it somewhere near my spine. My legs are completely numb."

"Shut up," I snarled, searching for another angle, another approach. "I'm not leaving you for Burns."

"Yes, you are." Algerone's voice took on a tone of absolute command. "Because that's what you're trained to do. Complete the mission. Survive to hunt another day."

Leo's voice broke through again, more urgent this time. "Xavier, you have to move. Now. They've established a perimeter and they're closing in. If you don't get out in the next sixty seconds, you'll be trapped."

I met Algerone's gaze, fury and frustration burning through me. His expression held none of the fear or panic I might have expected. Just that calculating assessment I recognized from my own mirror.

"Listen carefully," he said. "RoyalFlush1947Ace. The master password to Lucky Losers Inc. Full access to everything I own. Resources. Personnel. Intelligence. All of it."

My breath caught. "Why would you—"

"Because I've been planning for this possibility since the day I found you," he cut me off. "Now go. Find Phoenix. End this." His eyes hardened. "And when you do, make him feel every second of pain he's caused our family."

"Xavier, please," Leo's voice cracked with desperation. "I can't lose you."

Those four words cut through my hesitation more effectively than anything else could have. Leo needed me. And I'd promised I would always come back to him.

"This doesn't make us even," I told Algerone, already backing toward the exit. "This doesn't change anything."

"I didn't expect it to," he replied, drawing his sidearm and checking the chamber.

I turned to go when his voice stopped me.

"Tell Maxime…" He paused, jaw working as if wrestling with unfamiliar words. For a moment, I thought he might actually say something human, something vulnerable. Instead, his expression shifted back to controlled precision. "Tell him to be happy."

"I'll tell him," I promised, understanding more than Algerone probably intended to reveal.

"Now run. I'll buy you time."

Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, growing louder by the second. I took one last look at my biological father, memorizing the sight of him pinned but defiant, weapon at the ready.

"Go," he ordered one final time.

I went.

The building had become a maze of debris and flashing emergency lights. I navigated through collapsed sections of hallway, following Leo's urgent directions in my ear. Behind me, gunfire erupted from the hidden room, Algerone's final stand buying precious seconds for my escape.

"Northwest exit," Leo directed. "Reid's team has regrouped and is providing cover from the tree line. Burns' forces are mostly concentrated on the east side where the explosion occurred."

I pushed through a service exit and into the cool night air, immediately dropping into a crouch to minimize my profile. Searchlights swept the compound perimeter, guards shouting to each other as they coordinated their search patterns.

The fence line seemed impossibly far away, open ground stretching between me and safety with minimal cover. But Reid's team was out there, waiting. Leo was waiting.

I sprinted from shadow to shadow, using every scrap of concealment available. A shout went up behind me. I'd been spotted. Bullets kicked up dirt at my heels as I zigzagged toward the fence.

"Cover fire incoming," Reid's voice announced through the comm. A heartbeat later, precisely targeted shots forced my pursuers to dive for cover.

I reached the fence and vaulted over it in one clean motion, rolling to absorb the impact on the other side. More gunfire followed, but I was already in the tree line, the darkness of the forest swallowing me whole.

"Move," Reid said, materializing from the shadows to pull me deeper into cover. His face was streaked with dirt and blood, but his eyes were clear and focused. "Where's Mr. Etremont?"

"Not coming," I said, and the words hurt to say for reasons I couldn't fully understand.

Reid processed the information with only a slight hesitation before falling into step beside me. "Package secure. Regroup at extraction site in two minutes."

I followed him through the forest, away from the chaos of the compound. My mind kept replaying the sight of Algerone pinned beneath the rubble, the calculating acceptance in his eyes as he made the decision to sacrifice himself.

Whatever Algerone had considered worth dying for was now mine, and I intended to use it. Not for him. For Leo. For my family.

For revenge.

Because Phoenix had taken his game to a new level tonight. He'd sacrificed a facility, resources, and personnel just to deliver a message. To prove he could predict our moves, anticipate our strategies, and still maintain the upper hand.

But he'd miscalculated on one crucial point. He'd left me alive. Again.

And I never made the same mistake twice when hunting.