Page 77 of Playing with Fire

I looked up at him. "The man who knows I need to be pushed when I get anxious. Who tracked down rare anime figures to replace the ones I lost. Who lets me ramble about EVA Unit-01 for hours without complaint." I pressed my palm against his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath my fingers. "The man who fights his own nature to give me whatever I need, even when it goes against every instinct he has."

Something complicated flickered across Xavier's face, too quick to identify before his usual calculated mask slipped back into place. But his hand covered mine against his chest, pressing it more firmly to his skin.

"You see more than you should," he murmured, voice rougher than usual. "Always have."

"Is that a problem?" I asked, suddenly uncertain.

"No." His voice dropped even lower, almost vulnerable in its honesty. "I—" He stopped, struggling visibly with whatever he wanted to say. "I don't know what the fuck I'd do without you, Leo. That's what really fucking terrifies me."

"You don't have to do without me," I promised, kissing him gently. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't promise that," he argued, but his arms tightened around me. "Not with someone like Felix out there."

"Watch me," I challenged, pressing closer. "I'm more stubborn than any threat could ever be."

He smiled and pulled me closer, his lips finding mine. "Sleep," he ordered, his arm a comforting weight across my waist. "I'll be right here."

And for the first time since Felix had appeared in our lives, I believed that without reservation. Whatever came next, whatever Phoenix planned, Xavier would be there. Not because he couldn't be defeated, but because he would fight with everything he had to come back to me.

Theprojectionroombuzzed,transformed into a war room of unprecedented power. Every screen glowed with data streams, property records, satellite imagery, and Phoenix's digital footprint. Three days since Walsh's interrogation, and we were finally closing in.

I stood at the center of it all, directing the hunt while ignoring the low throb in my temple where Felix's baton had connected. The bandage was gone now, replaced by a thin line of stitches War had insisted on. His concerned gaze tracked me as I moved around the command center, but he knew better than to suggest I rest. Not while Phoenix still breathed.

"Burns Innovations owns seventeen properties across southeast Ohio," Leo announced, his fingers dancing across his keyboard as he pulled up a detailed map on the main screen. Red pins marked each location, clustering primarily in rural areas. "Most are registered as server farms or data centers, but three are listed under various shell companies I've traced back to him."

I studied the pattern. "Each location has multiple escape routes, natural barriers, and isolation. Strategic placement."

Algerone stood at the periphery, hands clasped behind his back as he studied our work. His presence still unsettled me, but I'd come to appreciate the resources he'd made available. For all my resistance to his involvement in my life, there was no denying that having the Etremont dynasty's backing made hunting Phoenix considerably more efficient.

"He's applying his military training," Algerone noted. "Those positions follow special forces protocol. Maximum defense with guaranteed escape routes."

Leo nodded, pulling up Burns' military record on a secondary screen. "Cyber operations division, but with additional certifications in tactical planning and field operations. Far more combat training than your typical tech specialist."

I felt a flicker of grudging admiration for Phoenix's methodical approach. He'd built his entire business as both cover and infrastructure for his vendetta. Patient. Calculating. Traits I recognized all too well.

"Pull up the activity logs from Walsh's phone," I instructed, moving to stand behind Leo. The proximity was deliberate, my chest nearly touching his back as I reached around him to point at the screen. "There should be communication timestamps we can cross-reference with location data."

Leo's fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up the encrypted messaging app Walsh had used to communicate with Phoenix. Fragments of conversations appeared, most deliberately vague, but the timestamps were intact.

"Look at this pattern," Leo said, highlighting a sequence of dates. "Burns contacted Walsh consistently at three-day intervals, always between 2:00 and 4:00 AM. But the pattern shows gaps here, here, and here." His finger traced the empty spaces in the timeline. "And if we overlay these with the location data from the cell tower pings..."

The map shifted as Leo synchronized the data, triangulating the locations from which Phoenix had sent his messages. Three distinct clusters appeared, all centered around Burns Innovation properties.

"He's rotating," I realized, the pattern suddenly crystallizing. "Moving between these three locations on a fixed schedule. Military protocol—never stay in one place too long."

Algerone moved closer, eyes narrowed as he studied the pattern. "Which means he'll be at this location next," he said, tapping the easternmost cluster. "Based on the rotation cycle."

A property in Vinton County, nestled against the edge of the Wayne National Forest. Isolated. Defensible. Perfect for someone who wanted to remain hidden while maintaining operational capacity.

"We need to move now," I said, already calculating the resources required for a strike. "If we hit him before he expects us, we have the element of surprise."

"Not so fast," Algerone cautioned. "Consider what we know about Burns. He's methodical. Paranoid. His entire vendetta is based on meticulous planning and observation."

"What are you suggesting?" I asked, irritation flaring at the delay.

"That we verify before committing resources," Algerone replied, unfazed by my tone. "A reconnaissance mission. Confirm his presence, assess defenses, then develop a targeted approach."

"And if he detects the recon team? If Felix gets even a hint we're onto him, he'll vanish. Change his pattern. We'll be back at square one with nothing but empty buildings."

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