Kirill lifts an eyebrow. "But it's the right thing to do."
Sean crosses his arms. "We have to hit the infrastructure at the same time with simultaneous detonations at every point where the leadership or membership can meet. Nothing stays. Not the arena, chambers, or ritual spots. The fortress wing Kirill found beneath the archives goes with it. Every secret space gets buried."
The room drops cooler.
Kirill grinds his molars, then says, "That requires timing and precision. We'd need a demolition team that's willing to die for us."
Brax glances at Sean.
Sean meets his eye, nods once, then looks at Kirill. "We know exactly who can do it."
Fiona stiffens, suspicious. "Who?"
Brax finally declares, "The O'Connors."
The room jolts into stunned silence.
Fiona blinks. "What do you need our uncles for?"
Brax doesn't answer. He looks to Sean again.
Kirill interjects, "Because no one knows bombs better than them."
A chill races through me.
Sean grunts, then his lips twist. "That's right. Uncle Brody built explosives for fun when he was twelve."
Zara mutters, "They also built a smoke grenade that blinded a SWAT team for eighteen minutes."
Sean lifts a finger. "Allegedly."
Kirill grunts. "Allegedly, my ass."
Brax lifts his chin. "We need them."
I burst out before I can rein it in. "No. You can't blow up the membership. There are innocent people inside those walls. People with families."
Zara's voice softens. "She's right."
River shifts uneasily in my arms.
"I didn't say we'd blow it up with them inside. I just said it has to go off at the same time as when we take the Omni out," Sean states.
Kirill adds, "If there's nowhere to convene, it silences everything."
My blood thickens.
Brax insists, "They'll still come after us. If we're the only ones still standing, it's inevitable. The ones who believe the Omni protects them from the outside world will demand our blood."
The silence that follows is suffocating.
Fiona shakes her head. "They won't. Not if we show them what they wanted to do to Valentina."
The hairs on my neck rise again.
Zara adds, "Then we control the narrative. Kirill, those who want peace will look to you for answers. You can send communication electronically and tell them to stand down. Only those who are evil will try to rise up against us."
"Then we take them out," Brax says.
