“Then I’m in too.”
THIRTY-ONE
TALON
CJ comes into the house, setting down his duffel bag thatclankswhen it hits the table.
“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is,” I say, eyeing the bag.
“Depends. What do you think it is?” CJ unzips it, revealing an array of equipment that looks like it came from a demolition expert’s wet dream. “Because if you’re thinking ‘enough accelerant and remote ignition devices to turn this historical landmark into a very expensive bonfire,’ then yes, that’s exactly what it is.”
“Jesus Christ,” Dredyn mutters, peering into the bag. “Where did you even get this stuff?”
“You don’t want to know.” CJ starts laying out components on the table—bottles of clear liquid, electronic triggers, what looks suspiciously like thermite. “Plausible deniability and all that.”
“Is this legal?”Jasper signs.
“Define legal… Actually, don’t. I prefer my felonies to remain hypothetical until they’re actively happening.”
Mara appears in the doorway with coffee, takes one look at the table, and stops. “That’s… a lot of fire-starting materials.”
“You should see what I left in the car,” CJ says, accepting the coffee she offers. “Thanks, Your Highness. How’s it feel to be the most viral woman in America?”
“Exhausting. Terrifying. Weirdly empowering.” She settles into the chair next to me, and I automatically put my arm around her shoulders. “Are we really burning down this entire house?”
“Just most of it. I’m aiming for ‘catastrophic but not immediately fatal.’ The idea is to create enough chaos that every emergency responder within ten miles shows up, but give everyone time to evacuate first.”
“How generous of you,” Dredyn says dryly.
“I’m a humanitarian.” CJ pulls out what looks like a building schematic—ourbuilding schematic. “Okay, so here’s the plan. We have three primary ignition points: basement storage room, first-floor common area near the kitchen, and the second-floor hallway. The accelerants are positioned to spread the fire quickly but follow a predictable path—away from the main exits.”
“Which our brothers will know to use,” I say, following his logic.
“Exactly. You evacuate everyone through the front and side exits. By the time the fire reaches those areas, the house should be empty.” He points to red X’s marked on the schematic. “The fire will spread upward and inward, making it look like it started accidentally—probably electrical. Maybe someone’s phone charger or a faulty outlet in the basement.”
“Will anyone believe that?”Jasper signs.
CJ grins. “They’ll believe whatever the fire marshal’s report says, and I have a friend who owes me a favor in that department. The beauty of this plan is that it doesn’t have to withstand intense scrutiny. A massive frat party, underage drinking, overcrowded old building … accidents happen.”
“Especially when they’re meticulously planned,” Dredyn observes.
“Exactly.”
I lean forward, studying the schematic. “Walk me through the timing.”
“Party starts at seven. You let it build—get it loud and packed. At eight-thirty, DSN shows up to crash it. They start shit, a fight breaks out. In the chaos”—he taps one of the ignition points—“I trigger the first accelerant remotely—small explosion in the basement, enough to start a real fire but not enough to hurt anyone if they’re upstairs partying.”
“People will panic,” Mara says.
“People will absolutely panic. That’s the point. Panic means evacuation. We start herding everyone out—front door, side exits, everyone accounted for. Meanwhile, the fire spreads. By eight forty-five, this place is fully engulfed and every emergency service in the area is responding.”
“And the Syndicate’s security detail splits to respond to the crisis,” I finish.
CJ starts packing up the equipment. “Leaving your actual targets vulnerable.” He pauses. “I’ll be positioned off-campus with the remote triggers. Once I see DSN arrive and the fight start, I’ll wait exactly three minutes, then light this candle.”
“Three minutes. That’s not a lot of time,” Dredyn repeats.
“It’s enough. Trust me, I’ve done the math. Three minutes gives the fight time to escalate, puts everyone in the right chaotic headspace, and ensures maximum confusion when the fire starts.”
