Page 81 of Playing with Fire

"Leo," Algerone said, taking command with such natural authority I didn't even think to object. "Get me a deep scan of the ground between our position and the compound. Look for anything that doesn't match natural terrain patterns."

"Already on it," Leo replied, his tone shifting to the clipped precision of his Army analyst days. "I've got the drone footage and... wait. Something's off. The satellite's picking up unusual vehicle tracks leading into the forest that aren't on any maps. And there are weird gaps in the thermal imaging around the perimeter. Like someone's deliberately creating blind spots."

I scanned the trees around us, seeing them with new eyes. Any one of them could conceal a camera, a motion sensor, a trap. "We need to pull back. Regroup and—"

Algerone held up his hand, stopping me mid-sentence. His head tilted slightly, listening.

"Something's not right," he murmured, reaching down to pick up a fist-sized rock from the forest floor. He hurled it a few meters ahead into the clearing we'd been about to enter.

The unmistakable metallic click of a pressure plate engaging sounded, followed by a moment of terrible silence.

"Down!" Algerone shouted, already diving for cover.

The forest erupted in a blast that shook the ground beneath us. Dirt and fragments rained down as the explosion triggered secondary devices in a chain reaction.

"Shit!" I hissed, pressing myself against the forest floor as shrapnel whistled overhead.

"Stay low," Algerone ordered, still somehow calm. "They'll be coming."

The explosions echoed between ancient trunks, making it impossible to pinpoint exactly where they'd originated. Every shadow could conceal an enemy. Every sound could be a threat.

"Xavier, what's happening?" Leo's voice cut through my comms, tense but controlled. "I've got multiple heat signatures mobilizing from the compound. They're spreading in a search pattern around the explosion site."

"Burns' security just went hot," I answered, keeping my weapon ready as I scanned the tree line.

The comms crackled before Reid's voice came through, steady despite the circumstances. "Laskin, Etremont, status? We heard the explosion."

"Alive," I confirmed tersely. "Burns had the whole approach rigged. We triggered one of his toys."

"Understood," Reid responded. "We've got visual on security teams deploying from the compound. At least twenty armed personnel. Moving in standard search grid pattern."

Algerone consulted his tactical pad, expression grim in the blue glow of the screen. "They'll reach our position in approximately three minutes. Options?"

"They're moving toward you," Reid confirmed. "But the path to the compound appears minimally defended now. Most forces are deploying to your location."

I shared a look with Algerone, the same realization dawning on both of us simultaneously. "Burns doesn't know exactly where we are. Just that we're in the forest somewhere."

"And he's sending forces to search," Algerone finished my thought. "Leaving the compound vulnerable."

"This might be our only chance to get inside," I said, tactical calculations running through my mind. "Find Burns. End this before he can regroup. He's here. I know he is. I know because it's exactly where I'd be. You don't spring an elaborate trap like that without having a front-row seat.”

"Sir," Reid's voice returned. "My team can provide a compelling distraction if required. Draw their attention. Give you a clear path to the compound."

"That's suicide, Reid," Algerone replied, though there was no rebuke in his voice—just factual assessment.

"With respect, sir, suicide missions are my specialty. I can give you the opening if you want it."

Algerone looked at me. I nodded.

"Do it," Algerone ordered. "And Reid…don't make me write your mother."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir."

The silence shattered as gunfire erupted from the northeast, followed immediately by shouts and the revving of vehicle engines. Through the trees, I could see searchlights swinging in that direction, the beams cutting through the darkness as Burns' security forces responded to the new threat.

"They're moving," Leo confirmed. "Security forces redirecting to Reid's position. You've got a clear path to the northwest fence line."

"Now," Algerone ordered, already moving through the underbrush.

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