Page 99 of Playing with Fire

"Haven't you?" Felix leaned forward, eyes suddenly intense. "How many have you killed, Xavier? How many homes have you burned? How many lives have you destroyed in your quest for 'balance'?"

I didn't answer. Couldn't answer. The number was higher than I cared to admit, even to myself.

"We're more alike than you want to acknowledge," Felix continued, satisfaction evident in his tone. "Both of us shaped by fire. Both of us willing to burn away what we consider corruption. The only real difference is who we've chosen to target."

"I target people who harm the innocent. People who escape conventional justice through money or connections or legal technicalities."

"And I'm targeting the man who murdered my father." Felix spread his hands, the gesture encompassing the entire mill. "Symmetry, don't you think? Poetry, even."

Something about his confidence, his casual stance despite the obvious danger of our confrontation, sent warning signals flaring through my mind. Felix Burns, with his genius IQ and military training, wouldn't risk face-to-face contact without overwhelming advantages. Wouldn't expose himself unless he was absolutely certain of his control over the situation.

"Where are your guards?" I asked, deliberately changing the subject. "The ones you strategically positioned around the building?"

Surprise flickered briefly across his face before his mask of control returned. "Ensuring our privacy. Making sure your backup respects the terms of our agreement."

A lie. Something was wrong. I tapped my earpiece, making it look like I was adjusting it while actually activating the secondary channel to Leo.

"Status check," I murmured, keeping my eyes on Felix.

Nothing. Dead air where Leo's voice should have been.

"Problems with your communications?" Felix asked, smirk returning. "That's unfortunate. But predictable."

Ice spread through my veins. "What did you do?"

"Signal jammers," he replied with a casual shrug. "Standard equipment for a meeting like this. You didn't think I'd allow you to maintain contact with your team, did you? I'm disappointed, Xavier. I expected more foresight from you."

My mind raced, calculating new variables, adjusting plans. Without comms, Leo wouldn't know what was happening inside. Wouldn't be able to warn me of approaching threats or coordinate with Reid's team if extraction became necessary.

"Now, let's talk about your father," Felix continued, pacing slowly along the catwalk. "Algerone Caisse-Etremont. A fascinating man. Did you know he spoke to me for hours while I was treating his injuries? Told me so many interesting things about you. About your childhood. About your mother."

The mention of my mother sent a jolt through me, sharp and unexpected. "You're lying. What's your endgame here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Felix spread his hands. "The same thing you wanted when you walked into my father's house that night. To restore balance. To mete out justice. To make you feel the same helplessness, the same terror he felt in his final moments."

He reached into his pocket, removing what looked like a small remote control. My muscles tensed, preparing to dodge whatever attack might come next. But Felix merely held the device, thumb hovering over its single button.

"Do you realize how thoroughly I've played you at every turn?" he asked, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Every step you've taken has been exactly what I anticipated. Breaking into Leo's trailer? Child's play. I even smiled directly at your hidden camera. I found it within minutes of entering. Did you catch that moment, Xavier? When I looked right at you through your own surveillance?"

My jaw tightened, anger flaring at his smug confidence.

"The funeral home fire was particularly satisfying," Felix continued, clearly enjoying my reaction. "Setting those incendiary devices in the one location your family considered safe. And the car bomb that put your father in the hospital? Timed to the second. The evidence planted in the bunker that lured you right into my trap? You picked up that paperweight explosive exactly as I knew you would—predictable to the end."

"You've been lucky," I countered, fighting to maintain control.

Felix laughed, the sound echoing through the cavernous space. "Luck? Is that what you tell yourself? I've been watching you for years, Xavier. Learning how you think. How you hunt. I know you better than you know yourself." His smile sharpened. "You think you're so clever with your vigilante justice, but you're nothing more than a blunt instrument. No finesse. No true vision."

I took another step forward. "Says the man hiding behind remote detonators and car bombs. At least I face my targets directly."

"Oh, I'm facing you directly now," Felix countered, gesturing to the empty space between us. "And I've orchestrated every second of this encounter. Your desperate plan to access the mill? The hidden weapons you think I don't know about? Your team waiting outside with their extraction protocols?" His smile widened at my carefully controlled expression. "Yes, I know all of it. Every contingency you've prepared has already been neutralized."

The realization hit with sickening clarity. The chemical scent I'd noticed earlier. The guards Leo had detected, but I couldn't locate. The confidence with which Felix faced me despite being physically outmatched.

"The entire building," I said, feeling sick. "You've rigged the entire mill."

Felix's smile widened. "Impressive deduction. Yes, from foundation to rafters. Every support beam. Every exit. Every possible escape route." He gestured to the remote in his hand. "One button, Xavier. That's all it takes. No elaborate game. No complex trap. Just fire. Pure, elemental, inescapable."

I glanced toward the door I'd entered through, calculating the distance, the time needed to reach it. Too far. Felix would trigger the system before I made it halfway.

---