"Why show me this?" I asked.
"Because I want you to understand what's at stake." Another command, another image, this one of the Banshee prototype, partially disassembled. "We have the hardware. We have your chief scientist. But we're missing the activation protocols. There are security protections Hardin can't bypass." He studied me closely. "These measures are sophisticated. Far beyond what a weapons scientist would implement. They bear the hallmarks of someone with extraordinary cybersecurity expertise."
Xavier must be behind this. Algerone's eldest son’s skills had become legendary in certain circles. No wonder Shaw couldn't bypass the security.
"I need those protocols, Maxime. And I'm prepared to offer substantially more than just a position at GidTech in exchange."
He opened a drawer and extracted a folder, placing it between us. Inside were photographs I'd never seen before, all of Xavier, Xander, and Xion Laskin.
"His sons," Shaw said softly. "The sons you kept hidden from him for twenty years."
"You seem remarkably well-informed about matters that don't concern GidTech."
"Knowledge is my business. Three boys, born to Imogen Duchaucis twenty-three years ago. Triplets." He tapped the paper. "Tell me, did you have the paternity test done before or after you chose not to tell Algerone about his progeny?"
My fingers tightened on the armrests. "Why do you have these?"
"Insurance." Shaw's smile never reached his eyes. "I also have extensive documentation of their vigilante activities across Ohio. Their methods. Their targets. Their body count." He paused. "And most interestingly, their connections to the Volkov crime family."
Cold dread pooled in my stomach.
"The FBI would find this fascinating," Shaw continued. "Three vigilantes executing their own brand of justice, sons of a powerful defense contractor, with ties to Russian organized crime. The federal prosecutors would have a field day." He leaned forward. "What I want is simple. The activation protocols for the Banshee. In exchange, this evidence never reaches federal authorities."
His voice dropped. "The Volkov connection alone would trigger a RICO investigation that could take down not just theLaskin boys, but potentially implicate Algerone himself. Imagine the headlines: 'Defense Contractor's Vigilante Sons Linked to Russian Mob.'"
The sons were dangerous, capable men, but even they couldn't escape federal prosecution with the evidence Shaw possessed. And Algerone, having only recently discovered his children, would be devastated to lose them to prison.
"You don't understand what you're playing with," I said quietly.
"I understand perfectly. The Laskin boys have carved out their own fiefdom in Ohio. With Algerone's resources behind them, they're virtually untouchable there. Unless the FBI gets involved." He smiled thinly. "Which makes them perfect leverage."
Shaw pushed the photographs toward me. "Strange how life works out. You still feel protective of them, don't you? These vigilantes you kept from their father."
The full weight of my sin pressed down. Years of justification crumbled. I had told myself I was protecting Algerone, protecting our empire. But the truth lay naked between us. I had feared losing him to these children, being replaced by blood connections that would supersede our chosen bond.
"You're playing a dangerous game," I said. "Those three young men are deadly enough on their own. With Algerone backing them? You'd be signing your own death warrant."
"Unless they're in federal custody. Even the Laskin boys can't escape a federal supermax." Shaw paused, something cruel flickering across his features. "Tell me, do you think he'll clutch that bullet-damaged card of his while he watches his sons get sentenced? Will he pray to his lucky ace then?"
The taunt landed hard. I'd watched Algerone hold that card during eighteen months of recovery, during surgeries andsetbacks and moments when the pain made him forget his own name. The card wasn't superstition. It was survival.
"No." The word came out low and definitive. "I won't help you target them."
Shaw's eyebrows rose. "No? After coming this far? After sitting in my private office and seeing precisely what information I possess?"
"Use me against Algerone if you must. But his sons are off limits."
Shaw studied me, then smiled slowly. "Remarkable. After everything, you still protect him. Not directly, perhaps, but through his children." He shook his head. "Thirty-two years of devotion doesn't simply evaporate, does it?"
The realization dawned too late. This entire evening had been a test, and I'd just failed it spectacularly.
"You never believed I would betray him," I said quietly.
"On the contrary. I hoped you might. It would have made things considerably easier." Shaw reached for his untouched drink, raising it in mockery of a toast. "But I suspected your loyalty ran deeper than any temporary grievance."
He moved around the desk until he stood directly before my chair, straightening my already perfect tie in that possessive gesture I'd come to loathe. Where Algerone's touch sent fire through my veins, Shaw's fingers made my skin crawl.
"What happens now?" I asked.
