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Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Harris

They watched the footage of the fire on the morning news, confirming there were no injuries or extensive damage to other existing buildings, as they’d designed the explosion to be. The damage could be repaired easily. The fire marshal blamed a gas leak for the explosion at the urging of the military powers. Brick had some serious contacts when needed.

As expected, the rats were abandoning a sinking ship, and the MPs were rounding each of them up, thanks to the team’s trackers making the job fairly easy. As for Soloman and his little helper, they hadn’t been targeted yet. The team would be handling that job personally and with great satisfaction.

Spencer, Brick, and Apollo were reviewing the files they could recover from inside the building. Still, Harris was more interested in the papers Woodley found about Robin and a person named Xavier.

“ You don’t have a Xavier in your group, do you, Apollo?” Harris asked.

The team gathered around the dining table to review information and prepare for the next step.

“ No, never heard of him,” Apollo said. “Why?”

“ This was found in the back room of the bar,” Harris said as he lifted the piece of paper. He looked over at Damon before continuing. “It refers to Robin and how a person named Xavier attempted to stop them from torturing him. They drugged the guy to stop him.”

It stated that Robin had refused to cooperate, which was likely why they got rid of him, but it also mentioned that Xavier’s powers attempted to obstruct their questioning of the subject. At one point, it stated that Xavier was heavily sedated to prevent him from interfering. It specified the amount and drug used on him along with frequency for future reference. It appeared that they intended to drug him regularly.

Damon held out his hand, and Harris didn’t hesitate to hand over the information. Without emotion, Damon reviewed it and turned to Apollo. It was plain to see the guy buried his pain deep.

“ We need to find this Xavier and free him. He tried to save Robin,” Damon said.

“ We’ll try to track him down, my friend, I promise,” Apollo said.

“ He might be stashed in a secondary location. We have eyes on Soloman, and if he takes off, we’ll follow him,” Brick said.

“ Let’s hope he isn’t already dead as well,” Griffin said from his position beside Darren. The raw pain in his voice was unmistakable; they missed their friend.

Darren sat quietly as he typically did, taking everything in. He had been working hard to control his ability to camouflage himself or, as he liked to call it, go ghost, and could now master his change for up to five minutes at a time.

Harris had the crap scared out of him when he walked into the kitchen, thinking he was alone, only to have Darren appear from part of the wall. Jennifer had run in and yelled, “Found you.” Apparently the two had been playing a modified type of hide-and-seek as she helped him hone his skill.

That incident had him checking every room thoroughly and sometimes asking outright if Darren was in there with him. The dude was cool. He’d never intentionally tricked anyone and always outed himself when someone walked in on him while he was practicing. After a while, having Darren pop up unexpectedly became more common and less terrifying.

Brick’s cell phone rang, and he answered it.

“ Got it, thanks. Hendrix reported Soloman is on the move and alone this time. Fletcher, Shaw, Gunner, Harris, and Apollo meet up with Hendrix and look in the house for any reference on this Xavier. Woodley, Griffin, Damon, Stryker, and I will follow Soloman’s tracker and see where he’s headed. Gator, be ready to move if we find ourselves in need of your talents. The rest of you remain here and watch the comms. With luck, we end this today. Darren, do you feel ready for a little action?”

“ Hell yes,” Darren said. “I’ve been practicing.”

“ Good.”

“ On it, boss,” Spencer said while pulling up the tracker on his screen. “I’ll send you the coordinates.”

“ Move out.”

***

They arrived at Soloman’s house as the sun was setting, and Hendrix met them a few blocks over. They were going in with the same plan as the last time they were at the house but with slightly different players. No one wanted Damon to have to come back to the place where Robin had been killed and his body found, so he’d been sent with the team to follow Soloman.

When they entered the house, the stench was gone, likely meaning they had removed Robin’s body. They’d still have to check down in the basement to ensure they didn’t miss anything in this second round of searching.

Harris, Apollo, and Hendrix took the upstairs bedroom, while Shaw and Fletcher took the basement, and Gunner kept watch. Harris had no desire to go back down there again either. Silently, they made their way through the kitchen, down the hallway, and up the stairs to the second level.

There were four doors; if the schematics were correct, three were bedrooms, and one was the bathroom. Methodically, they made their way from one bedroom to the next. The first room on the right was empty, followed by a sparse bathroom on the left with only the basics. Soap, comb, towel, and an electric razor, no blades.

They reached the third door and the first one that was closed; all the others had been open. When he went to turn the knob, it was locked, and he realized that this was the only door that had a keyed lock, meaning it was locked from the outside.

“ Anyone know how to pick a lock?” Harris asked. “Woodley usually does this.”

“ Yes,” Apollo said just before lifting his foot and slamming his boot into the door, crashing it open.

“ Effective but definitely noticeable,” Hendrix said.

“ I don’t care anymore,” Apollo said. “I’m done sneaking around. That bastard has been fucking with us long enough.”

The big guy was past his limit and Harris understood that feeling all too well. Harris led the way into the room, Glock at the ready. The room was dark, and wood planks covered the lone window. Hendrix flicked on his pocket flashlight and swept it across the room. There was a single bed with blankets balled up in a pile at its center. At first, Harris thought the room was empty until he noticed a slight movement under the blankets.

“ Come out,” Apollo ordered.

Nothing.

Harris moved forward, and Hendrix mirrored him on the opposite side of the bed. With a nod, Hendrix tore the blankets off the mattress, and Harris immediately lowered his gun. Lying under the blankets was the man they’d seen with Soloman, the traitor, but he was unconscious and chained by one of his hands to a large eyebolt screwed into the floor.

Apollo reached down to check the mystery man’s pulse, and when he moved the shirt out of the way, Hendrix gasped.

“ What the fuck is that?” Hendrix asked.

“ A shock collar,” Apollo answered with a growl. “I get the feeling this guy wasn’t so much of a follower of Soloman than a prisoner.”

“ Fuck,” Harris growled as he noticed the burn marks around the guy’s throat.

“ He’s Soloman’s son,” Hendrix said. “I can see the line.”

“ Let’s get him out of here,” Harris said as he holstered his gun. “The cuff is locked with a padlock. We need a key.”

“ No, we don’t,” Apollo stated before he reached down and grabbed the chain.

Within seconds, the links touching his palm disintegrated into dust. Then he reached up and did the same thing with the metal collar. That was a handy ability to have.

“ I can also disrupt the molecules that make up any object and break it down to its base elements,” Apollo explained.

“ Cool. Hendrix and I will check out the last room,” Harris said. “Can you stay here with this guy?”

“ Yes,” Apollo said.

Harris returned to the hallway with Hendrix on his six. It didn’t take long to clear the last room, considering it was as empty as the first one. When he returned to Apollo, he had the stranger in his arms, still unconscious.

“ Let’s get the hell out of here,” Apollo said.

“ Agreed.”

By the time they made it back downstairs, Shaw and Fletcher were waiting for them.

“ Is that the guy working with Soloman?” Shaw asked.

“ More accurately, prisoner,” Harris said while holding up what was left of the chain.

“ Fucking asshole,” Fletcher said. “He had the guy chained?”

“ And wearing a shock collar,” Apollo said, turning so they could see the burns on the guy’s throat.

Harris now understood why the guy always wore high-collared shirts and jackets. It was to hide the shock collar used by Soloman to control him.

“ Let’s go. Brick and the other team are on Soloman’s trail,” Shaw said. “They’ve cleaned everything out of the basement. There’s nothing left.”

“ Was Soloman planning on leaving his son here chained to the floor to die?” Hendrix asked. “That’s messed up.”

“ We better get Spencer to check his blood to determine what drug was used on him, just in case,” Harris said.

“ Agreed. Let’s go.”

***

Woodley

They’d tracked Soloman to a warehouse outside the city close to the port. It was only minutes before midnight, and the way the guy had been driving around the city aimlessly led him to believe he was wary of having a tail or perhaps waiting for a call with directions. Since they had a tracker on his car, it was unnecessary to come within visual range and risk spooking the guy.

Brick, Stryker, Damon, Darren, Griffin, and he had done a couple hours of surveillance. They’d split up into two teams to make their way inside the warehouse and have a look around as silently as possible before taking Soloman down.

He, Stryker, and Damon would take the east side of the building, while Brick, Darren, and Griffin took the north. Woodley couldn’t help but hope Harris’s mission was a success. The area around the warehouse was littered with derelict shipping containers and forklifts. It was a graveyard of rusted metal with broken glass sprinkled in like confetti.

They had to be careful not to step on or run into random pieces of metal scraps that would give their location away and ruin the elements of surprise. The building was in the same condition as the shipping containers, with gaping holes everywhere from disrepair or previous visitors.

Accessing the building wouldn’t be too difficult, but doing it without making a sound would be more challenging. They approached the first opening large enough to fit through and Stryker took a quick look inside.

With a nod, Stryker went through as he and Damon stood guard. They waited a few seconds, and then Woodley and Damon followed. Once inside, they used their night vision goggles and moved farther into the building. The interior appeared to be the shell of some old processing plant. Considering their vicinity to the port, Woodley assumed it was for fish.

“ We’re in,” Stryker said through the comms to the other team. “Looks deserted, but the guy’s got to be here somewhere.”

“ Roger, still making our way across the side of the building,” Brick responded. “Reports in that the other team found Soloman’s son unconscious and chained to the floor.”

That wasn’t what Woodley had expected. Maybe the guy wasn’t working for the psycho.

Stryker motioned for them to move forward. Woodley pressed his back against the wall as they approached an opening with the door lying a couple feet away. In one synchronized move, Woodley turned the corner, and Stryker followed him in while Damon remained in the hallway as a lookout. Hard and fast was the name of the game with these smaller rooms. They had to keep the element of surprise on their side.

The room was empty, covered in dust and cobwebs. No one had entered in a long time. They continued down the hall, repeating the process at every door they came to, but still came up empty.

“ In,” Brick announced. “Working our way east.”

“ Roger.”

Woodley looked back at Damon, who shrugged, wondering the same thing. Where the hell was Soloman? They passed large machines with old conveyors running almost the length of the building, and just when he was about to suggest turning in another direction, a faint glow spread out from behind a large stamping press.

He didn’t like it. There wasn’t a sound. Were they being set up?

In the next second, he had his answer.

“ You might as well come out. I know you’re there,” Soloman’s voice broke through the silence. “I’ve been waiting for you and don’t get any ideas; I’m rigged to blow this entire building to bits. Make me wait too long, and I might do it for the hell of it. There’s enough explosives to take you freaks along with me just like you did my bar. There’s no way in hell I’m being taken in.”

They couldn’t see him just yet, but Woodley imagined the fucker standing on the other side of this machine, holding a detonator and grinning wide. God, he’d never wanted to put a bullet into someone more in his life.

Stryker moved forward, rifle up and at the ready. If anyone had a chance of taking out the asshole before he hit the button, it was Stryker. The man never missed. Woodley followed him out but motioned for Damon to stay behind, out of sight, in case Soloman didn’t know how many people were on the team.

When they rounded the machine, they found Soloman sitting on a folding chair like he didn’t have a care in the world. Under the chair sat a package no bigger than a shoebox with wires running up and under the seat. That’s when he realized Soloman wasn’t holding the detonator. The fucker was sitting on it. If he stood up, it would blow. If someone shot him and he fell off, it would blow. Stryker’s talent was neutralized, and they were well and truly screwed.

“ Welcome,” Soloman said. “Come on over.”

Gator’s voice came through the comms with absolute calm. “You need to pull the wires free from the box under his chair before he has a chance to stand.”

That was when Woodley remembered they were wearing cameras with a live feed leading back to the rental, where the rest of the team was waiting. Sure, remove the wires. The next question was, how did they get close enough to do that?

“ Right about now, you’re wondering if there’s really enough explosives in the box to do what I claim,” Soloman said before leaning down and tipping it in their direction.

“ Shit, C-4,” Gator said. “Enough to take out the entire block.”

Soloman set the box back down, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms.

“ Do I have to ask the rest of you again to come out? You’re trying my patience. If you think you can outrun the explosion, I assure you, you’re wrong.”

There was a slight movement to Woodley’s and Stryker’s right, as Brick and Griffin walked out, followed by Damon at their back, all guns pointed at Soloman. Darren was nowhere to be seen.

“ Your guns are useless. You might as well put them down. You know if you shoot me, I’ll fall off this chair and boom. There’ll be nothing left for the coroner to identify.”

Brick lowered his rifle. “What the fuck do you want?”

“ To talk. I’m curious about the team that thinks it’s capable of taking down the far superior Noah Group.”

Check your ego, asshole.

“ The Noah Group will be taken down. If not by us, others know of their existence and will take up the cause after our deaths,” Brick said. “You accomplish nothing by doing this.”

“ That’s where you’re wrong. I get the satisfaction of killing all of you as a warning to the others that if they fight us, their lives will end in the same fate.”

“ You’ll never win,” Griffin growled.

“ I already have. Did you like the gift I sent to your home, Brick?” Soloman asked.

“ Figured you were responsible for that bomb, but again you failed. I guess we hit a nerve when we took down the cult,” Brick said with a confident grin.

Soloman’s face twisted in anger. “It took me over two decades to set that operation up, to control the entire town.”

“ Yeah, that had to sting,” Stryker chuckled.

Woodley had to wonder what the hell they were doing, antagonizing the guy, but figured if they were going to die, why not go out in style?

“ Then we come here and blow up your bar,” Stryker continued along the same theme.

Perhaps they were all crazy.

“ The freaks you’re trying to save are a dime a dozen and are easily disposed of like your friend Robin,” Soloman cackled. Yep, insane.

“ You fucker,” Damon hissed before taking a couple steps forward.

Woodley blocked his way, stopping him from charging Soloman and blowing them all to bits of fish food.

“ That’s what he wants,” he said. “Soloman thrives on causing pain.”

“ Ah, I touched a nerve there. Was he more than a friend? Hmm, maybe your lover,” Soloman chuckled. “Ultimately, his ability was no match for some fishing wire and a sewing needle. Stitched that mouth up before he could utter a word. I must admit it wasn’t as satisfying not being able to hear his screams, but it was necessary.”

Woodley could see Damon’s eyes changing color and the tips of his fingers turning red. Shit was close to going nuclear.

“ We have your son,” Brick said, effectively changing the topic. “He’s free now.”

Soloman’s face went white, but he didn’t say a word.

“ Yes, we’ve been to your house. The chains you had tying him down were easily removed, and his shock collar is long gone. You fucked with your own son’s DNA. Were you going to leave him there to die?” Brick asked.

“ He could’ve been my greatest achievement. He had unimaginable power but refused to use it no matter what I tried, and he became as useless to me as the rest of you. Why wouldn’t I leave him to die? He’s nothing,” Soloman roared. “And neither are any of you. My legacy will live on in infamy, and my name will be talked about in circles of power as the facilitator of a new world order.”

“ Yeah, your name will be talked about in medical journals alongside the terms insane egomaniac with delusions of glory,” Brick chuckled.

Woodley thought he’d caught movement behind Soloman, but when he looked harder, he saw nothing.

“ I’ve had enough of you,” Soloman said as he uncrossed his arms and pulled his legs back from his lounging position, as if preparing to stand. “Rot in hell.”

Soloman stood, and time stopped. Woodley braced out of habit, but knew none of them would survive the blast. Even with his healing ability, he was as dead as everyone in the building, and likely several buildings on either side of them. He waited as the rest of them did, but nothing happened. Had Soloman been lying?

Suddenly, out of thin air, Darren appeared behind Soloman, holding the wires that had been connected to the box of explosives in his hand. He had stripped naked and used his chameleon-like ability to go ghost and blend in with his surroundings, enabling him to sneak up behind Soloman and pull out the wires as Gator had instructed.

Holy shit. Woodley would have passed out in relief if Soloman hadn’t spun around to attack Darren. Woodley wasn’t certain what happened after that, but one moment, Griffin stood beside Brick, and the next, something flashed across the room, and Soloman and Griffin were gone.

“ What the fuck just happened?” Stryker asked while scanning the area.

“ It’s okay,” Damon said. “Griffin took care of the bastard. He won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.” He walked over to Darren and held out his jacket. “Best cover yourself up,” he said with a smile. “You deserve a lot more for saving our lives like that.”

Darren pulled on the jacket, which didn’t cover everything but gave him some privacy. “Happy to be of service,” he joked. “Soloman has gone.”

Woodley stared round at the others. Where exactly the man had disappeared to was a mystery.

He supposed some things were unexplainable and should remain that way.

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