Chapter 59

FIFTY-NINE

XERO

Just as we were making a breakthrough, we’re interrupted by an alert. Pulling back from my little ghost, I step out of the pool of Proctor’s blood and activate my Bluetooth headset.

“Report.”

“A convoy of unmarked vehicles just passed Rectory Lane,” says a voice I recognize from Tyler’s team. “95% chance they’ll take the turnoff to safe house Theta B.”

“Fuck.”

I whirl around and place a hand on Amethyst’s shoulder. Her eyes are still glazed from the slow, sensual retribution she unleashed on that worthless bastard, and her lips are still parted, begging for that kiss. I hate to bring her back to reality, but there’s no time to reconnect.

“What’s happening?” she asks, her voice still breathy.

“We have to move out now. Intruders are approximately five minutes from breaching the grounds.”

She nods, her jaw set with determination. She looks nothing like the broken woman who struggled to face her tormentor. “What are we going to do?”

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.” As we exit the room, I patch into the connection I share with my sister. “Isabel. Report.”

“Already halfway down tunnel E. Do you have Amethyst?” she asks through panting breaths.

“Affirmative. We’re heading toward the east bunker.”

Amethyst hovers at the door, staring up at me through wide eyes. “Are we going back to the house?”

“We’re going further underground, but first, I need to find out how the hell they located this safe house.”

I stride down the line of cells, pausing at the last one occupied by Deputy Chief Carl Hunter. The old bastard glares up at me through the bars, his posture rigid with defiance.

It was him.

Rage ignites in my veins. I unlock the biometric security and stride inside. “Want to confess anything, Hunter?”

He raises his chin. “I knew Delta would come through. We’re comrades, something an ungrateful backstabber like you could never understand.”

“How did you do it?”

Hunter smirks. “I’ll explain it all when you’re the one sitting in the electric chair.”

I search his bruised face for clues. We stripped every captive naked, scanned their bodies for devices, secured their limbs so they couldn’t reach our communications networks, yet somehow this bastard managed to breach our security.

“One way or another, you’re going to tell me how you did it.”

When the smirk widens to a grin, I see it. A missing tooth.

“Let me guess,” I snarl. “Your prosthetic tooth contains a mini faraday cage concealing a communications device?”

He chuckles. “Your father would be proud.”

“Xero?” Amethyst says from the hallway.

Hunter’s gaze snaps toward the door, his eyes widening. “Is that Amy? I’ll look forward to taking my turn with you. Delta said your cunt was even sweeter than your sister’s.”

His taunt ignites a fury that consumes every fiber of my being. The world narrows down to a single point: this bastard who dares to lay claim to my little ghost. Before I know it, my gun is out. My vision is a haze of red. I fire a shot into his throat.

Hunter jerks backward, his smug triumph replaced by shocked gurgling. Blood sprays from the wound and pours from the sides of his mouth in rivulets. His eyes bulge wide with fear and confusion, only intensifying my wrath. I wanted to languish in his slow, agonizing death.

Amethyst grabs my arm. “You said they were five minutes away. Let’s go.”

Pocketing the gun, I let her lead me out of his cell. Hunter’s words ring through my ears, and the question rises to my throat.

“I have to know,” I rasp, my throat raw, “Did my father really touch you?”

Amethyst glances away, her chest rising. “I was drugged and didn’t know what was happening until afterward.”

Rage burns through my veins, hot and pulsing. I want to charge outside and meet the convoy of bastards if there’s any chance of facing Father.

Amethyst cups my cheek, forcing our gazes to meet. “Xero. Where are we going?”

Her touch snaps me back to the present, and I swallow back a wave of all-consuming guilt. Vengeance can wait. My priority should be keeping my little ghost out of his hands.

Our eyes meet, and I see the fear in her green depths and a vulnerability that makes my heart ache. “No one will ever hurt you again, not while I draw breath. And if I’m dead, then I’ll still watch over you like an avenging spirit.”

She swallows, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Thank you,” she whispers, her voice choked with emotion. “I believe you.”

The words hit like a punch to the chest, making my steps falter. Relief, guilt, and gratitude twist to tighten my throat. After everything, she trusts me. I swallow hard, forcing down the surge of emotion.

I lead her out of the cell and down the hallway in the opposite direction of the house. We pass another heavy door, leading to a lockout chamber. It’s a large closet with a hatch on the floor that opens into a deeper tunnel.

As Amethyst climbs down into the darkness, I secure the airtight door and descend after her before sealing the hatch. Her feet hit the ground, triggering the tunnel’s automatic lighting system. LED bulbs flicker to life, casting long shadows along the curved walls.

By the time I jump down, she’s already sitting in the emergency cart. The four-wheeler’s motor is just about fast enough to outrun the shitstorm I’m about to unleash if the chamber’s seal fails.

“Where does this lead?” she asks, her voice echoing.

“Another bunker where we can launch our defense.”

I unplug the cart, slide into the driver’s seat, and fire up the engine. It hums to life, and we lurch forward at top speed.

Amethyst grasps onto the sides of the cart, her knuckles white. She breathes hard, her body leaning into mine for comfort. I wrap an arm around her shoulder, tucking her close. Her heart pounds against my side, its rhythm synching with my racing pulse.

“We’re going to be okay,” I say, my voice steady. “He’ll die before he touches you again.”

The tunnel’s lights whizz past in a blur as we pick up speed through the darkness. Amethyst grips my thigh as if it’s the only thing keeping her tethered to the present.

“Is Isabel safe?” she asks.

I grunt. “She escaped through another tunnel.”

“Good.”

“The crew members and investors we captured won’t live to pose a threat.” I pause, waiting for her to acknowledge my promise with a nod and then push down on the headset and order, “We’re clear. Flood the Alpha bunker.”

Tyler’s voice sounds in my ear. “Acknowledged. Initiating septic tank sequence.”

The tunnel vibrates beneath the cart, a low rumble that permeates our bones. It’s the sound of gallons of waste flooding the bunker and drowning those bastards in shit. I glance over my shoulder for signs of sewage, but there’s only the fading glow of the tunnel lights.

“Sequence complete,” Tyler says.

I give Amethyst a gentle squeeze. “It’s done.”

She exhales, her grip on my thigh loosening. As we continue to speed down the tunnel, Jynxson updates me with the status of the approaching vehicles. They’ve passed the decoy gates leading to a long driveway that takes them around the woodlands and into the ruin that was the original house.

They’re advancing toward a trap, but I’m not about to give them an easy ride.

“Detonate the road,” I order.

“Those vehicles are armored,” Tyler replies. “They won’t go down easily.”

I smirk. “Do it anyway.”

“Acknowledged.”

The explosion’s rumble echoes through the tunnel, making the ground shake. Amethyst flinches, her fingers tightening around my thigh.

“Negative impact,” Tyler says. “They’re still advancing.”

I lean back in my seat and place a kiss on Amethyst’s temple. It’s all going to plan. By now, Father or whoever Deputy Chief Hunter called to rescue him will advance toward the trap, thinking they’ve overcome our last line of defense.

We reach another part of the tunnel where the lights are red, indicating the entrance to the secondary bunker. It’s located in a patch of forest land two miles away from the safe house.

I help Amethyst out of the cart and guide her toward the bunker’s entrance. It’s a nondescript steel door, tucked into the tunnel’s side, secured by a biometric lock. I press a palm against it, and the seal breaks.

With a creak and a groan of hydraulics, it swings open to reveal a secure vestibule. I glance down at Amethyst, who stares up at me with so much gratitude that my breath catches.

It’s bittersweet. She’s appreciative because she’s witnessed first-hand what could happen without my protection. But I would give anything to restore her to the resistant brat who threw cereal in my face. Regardless, I would never repeat the mistakes of her mother.

Red light floods the chamber before the final door clicks open, revealing a spacious, well-lit living area with leather sofas, a king size bed, and a large kitchenette with stainless steel appliances. At the very end of the room is a corner cubicle equipped with multiple screens already displaying live feeds from the perimeter cameras.

Amethyst glances around, her eyes widening, her blood-stained hands rising to her mouth.

I place a hand on the small of her back and guide her to the left. “Make yourself comfortable. There’s a bathroom over there to clean up all traces of that bastard.”

As she disappears to get washed up, I stride over to the surveillance cubicle. Drone footage displays men in armor piling out of a truck, advancing under the cover of trees toward the decoy house.

“Want to lure them all into the ruin?” Tyler asks.

I lower myself into a gaming chair. “Let’s see how many we can take out along the way.”

This part of the land is seeded with mines, snares, pit traps, and speakers to play the sounds of people trying to escape. It’s a precaution we set up to protect the safe house. All maps and satellite images direct intruders into a danger zone to keep them busy while we evacuate.

I sit back, watching our drones either gun down the men or direct them into the trap zone.

“Xero. Are you there?” Camila’s insistent voice cuts through the chatter.

“Go ahead,” I reply, taking my eyes from the screens.

“Is Amethyst live on social media right now?”

I glance toward the bathroom door, hearing running water. “Why do you ask?”

“Then it’s Dolly. She’s cloned Amethyst’s profile and is live streaming a murder confession.”