Chapter 71

SEVENTY-ONE

XERO

Thirty minutes after Charlotte’s intel, I’m pressed against the side of the truck, the cold metal seeping through my jacket. The hum of the engine vibrates through my bones as I coordinate the teams for our assault on Three Fates.

Jynxson is in the front seat, also buried in his phone. He’s confirming satellite and surveillance images with Tyler. Our tracker team sent out drones to the coordinates, in search of thermal activity.

Their latest update buzzes in my earpiece, confirming multiple heat signatures. Every operative within fifty miles is on their way, and it’s all thanks to my little ghost.

My chest swells with pride at the thought of Amethyst’s contribution. We wouldn’t have advanced this far without her. She’s tackled Charlotte’s emotional manipulations with a strength that has me on my knees. I knew she was special when I received her first letter, but I never guessed she would make my every dream come true.

She continues working on Charlotte, extracting every scrap of intel she can about Father’s organ trafficking operations. We’re recording the interrogation with a view to sending out operatives after surgeons, hospital administrators, brokers, social workers—anyone enabling Father to exploit children.

With confirmation from the last team, I issue the command. Charlotte guides us through a narrow gap in the hedges. The truck jolts over uneven terrain, its wheels bouncing rhythmically. Dense foliage encroaches on the windshield, transforming the world outside into a shadowy blur.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Jynxson asks from the driver’s seat.

“It wouldn’t be a secret entrance otherwise,” Charlotte replies through pained whimpers.

“How do you get in supplies?” he asks.

“Underground passageways.”

I glance at Amethyst. “Is this familiar?”

She nods. Charlotte’s comment about bringing in supplies underground also makes sense. In the four years Jynxson and I lived in the facility, they never let us out for anything other than missions. When they did, we traveled mostly through tunnels.

Eventually, the road evens. Amethyst moves to my side, and we look out through the windshield into a clearing. Beyond the stretch of lawn, the headlights illuminate snatches of a gray building hidden within the trees.

Trucks park on either side of us, and a swarm of drones hover around the building. Charlotte assures us that most instructors don’t live among the child assassins, but we’re monitoring heat signals in case her information is out of date.

I turn to Amethyst. “Stay here with Charlotte. Make sure she doesn’t slither out and escape.”

Her pretty features harden. “She doesn’t need a babysitter, and I don’t need coddling.”

“Amethyst,” I snarl.

“I need this last chance to face my past.” Her voice breaks, and my heart splinters at the sound of her pain.

A lump forms in my throat. I swore to protect this woman with my life, but facing her pain is something even my promises can’t prevent.

I cup her cheek. “What if coming here triggers another flashback?”

“Then I’ll handle it,” she says through clenched teeth.

I study her features for any signs of hesitation. The past few days have been tumultuous. Less than an hour ago, she almost got blown to pieces. Amethyst is strong, but everyone has limits.

Her jaw tightens, and her eyes blaze with an intensity that cuts through the tension. “Let me get this closure.”

I take a deep breath, and what’s left of my resolve crumbles under the weight of her gaze. “Fine, but at the first sign of trouble, I’m sending you back. Understood?”

She nods.

“All units in place,” Jynxson says. “An EMP blast already took out their electronics. Ready whenever you are.”

I hand Amethyst a sedative strong enough to knock out an elephant. She turns to Charlotte, who whimpers and trembles in her seat. Without a word, Amethyst injects her former abuser and places the syringe back on the table.

Exiting the truck with Amethyst at my side, I step into the cool night air. Team leaders, clad in body armor, gather by the front doors. I signal them to spread out and find entry points.

My protective instincts rear up to shield Amethyst, but I shove them down, needing to trust her skills. The lives of those children depend on my ability to lead this mission, but it’s hard when all I want to do is keep her safe.

The Spring brothers remain by the front doors, awaiting instructions. I direct them to the nearest window. One rushes forward with a crowbar to pry at its edges, while the other cuts through the metal grating with a portable electric saw.

“Any movement inside?” I ask into my Bluetooth.

“Negative,” Tyler replies from wherever he’s stationed. “Heat tracking detects twelve motionless bodies in the rear.”

“And the basement?”

“The drones are showing it’s heavily shielded or insulated—could be the concrete or some other materials. I’m picking up something, but it’s faint and inconsistent.”

“Does it matter?” Amethyst asks. “Charlotte already confirmed that’s where they keep the boys.”

The Spring brothers open the window, and we climb into a small gymnasium. I rattle off instructions for them to follow our lead. Nodding, they slip into position.

With Tyler guiding us by tracking heat signatures, Amethyst and I navigate through the dimly lit facility, encountering locked doors at every turn.

Her steps falter, and she stops to point toward the far end of the hallway. “That was Delta’s office. Our dormitories were on the left and right.”

Her voice is strained, as though she’s holding back a torrent of painful memories. I squeeze her hand in silent support, then motion for our team to split up and approach the room on the right.

We step into the darkened dormitory on the left. Bunk beds line one wall, and young girls huddle in the corner, their faces contorted with terror. I step back, letting Amethyst approach the children.

“It’s okay, we’re here to help you,” she says, her palms raised.

Camila pushes past me to join Amethyst. I leave the room, directing the female operatives to extract the girls. If their experiences are anything like the memories my little ghost shared, the last thing they’ll need is the presence of a man.

“Xero!” Jynxson yells from down the hallway. “We’ve found an entrance to the basement.”

Movement in my periphery catches my attention. I turn just in time to see a door open and a man in full body armor emerge, with an automatic weapon aimed at Jynxson. He fires, bullets hitting Jynxson square in the chest.

Fury powers my steps. I charge at the shooter, tackling him to the ground. The machine gun skitters across the floor, the clatter drowned by the roar in my ears. We grapple, his fists pounding at my ribs, but my vest absorbs the impact.

I tear the helmet off his head, exposing a face I nearly recognize—sharp features, dark hair, and a distinctive tattoo near his right eye.

My fist lands into his face, breaking his nose with a satisfying crunch.

“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” I snarl, my hands tightening around his throat.

“Xero, right?” he chokes out through clenched teeth. “Kill me, and all the information you’re looking for dies with me.”

I press harder on his windpipe, savoring his gasps for air. “You should have thought about that before you shot my friend.”

Another figure rushes out from down the hall, but disappears under a pile of my operatives. I strip off this asshole’s armored jacket and shove him aside.

“Get him up,” I snarl.

As I stand, two of my operatives haul him to his feet. “Show me where the other instructors are hiding from our sensors.”

Jynxson stumbles toward us, clutching his chest but waving off help. “I’m fine. Just a bruised rib.”

I clap him on the shoulder. “This asshole is yours. Make him pay.”

Jynxson and the others drag the captured man to another room, and the rest of us move toward a stairwell. It’s narrow and unlit, clearly meant only for the instructors. When I lived here, I had no idea Father kept the Lolitas upstairs.

We reach a heavy door, and I motion for an operative to drill through its lock. The girls might have been receptive to Amethyst, but things will be different with the boys. I was happy here, and so were the others. For me, this facility was a haven from an abusive stepfamily. For Jynxson, it was a home away from the streets.

“Be ready for anything,” I say over the whirr.

The drilling stops, and the operative opens the door with a swift kick. We pile into another hallway. Adrenaline surges through my veins. It’s so familiar, I could navigate it in my dreams.

This is it—I’m seconds away from saving the boys.

My heart pounds. My thoughts oscillate between the state we’ll find the children in and how Amethyst is coping with confronting her past.

We continue to the dormitory I once shared with Jynxson and the others and signal for my team to prepare. “Remember,” I say, my voice low. “Half the kids here don’t even know they’re assassins.”

I force the lock and push the door open. The dorm is clean, orderly, and lit with flashlights. Twelve boys, aged between ten and fourteen, stand in a defensive formation with their backs to the wall. Though they look scared, they’re prepared to fight.

“Stand down, operatives,” I order, using language they should find familiar.

“Identify yourself,” demands one of the taller boys. He’s dark-haired, already six feet tall, though his features are still a child’s. He can’t be more than fourteen.

I step forward. “Xero Greaves. Former graduate of this facility. I’m here to move you to an above-ground home where you’ll be safe and free.”

The boys exchange skeptical glances, their defensiveness palpable.

The older boy clenches his fists. “How do we know this isn’t a trap?”

“Your instructors are dead. Delta has gone into hiding. If you want to survive, come with me to my safe house.”

They remain in place, and I can’t fault their suspicion. These boys have been conditioned to trust no one except their instructors. I take a step closer, wishing I’d brought Amethyst or another female operative to add credibility.

“I know what you’ve been through,” I say, pointing to my former bunk. “I lived in this dorm for four years before Delta moved me to another facility. Children shouldn’t do the work of adults. They also shouldn’t be held prisoner underground. I’m here to set you free.”

Silence stretches out across the dorm as the boys process my words. Their leader glances at his companions before turning back to me. “What do you want us to do?”

“Go to school with children your age. Play games outside. Make friends. Read books not related to combat strategies.” I shrug. “Meet girls.”

Some of the boys snicker. Others’ expressions are longing, telling me I’ve struck a nerve.

“Will we have a dorm like this?” asks a smaller boy.

I shake my head. “No bunks. No more dickheads kicking your mattress while you’re trying to sleep. No more waking up in a cloud of some asshole’s farts.”

They laugh.

The leader bites his lip and glances at his friends again, who shrug. “Okay,” he finally says. “We’ll come with you. But if this is a trick…”

“It isn’t.” I raise my palms. “You have my word.”

When the boys break formation, I motion for my operatives to start moving them out. Jynxson and Camila will scan the children for trackers before taking them to a safe house.

As the last of the boys file out of the room, I take one final look at the facility that was once my prison. The happiness I experienced here is tainted by the manipulative tactics Father used to keep me compliant.

I’m so close to retribution that it simmers beneath my skin, a buzzing anticipation to face him after all these years. I’ll make him bleed for what he did to us all, but he’ll lose body parts for touching my Amethyst.