Chapter 31 Talon
THIRTY-ONE
TALON
CJ comes into the house, setting down his duffel bag that clanks when 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—our building 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.”
“What about after? Won’t there be an investigation?”
“Absolutely. But by then, you four will be long gone, and all physical evidence will be ash. I’ll make sure the accelerant burns clean—nothing traceable. This will work, but you need to stick to the timeline exactly. Any deviation and the whole thing falls apart.”
My phone buzzes.
Kade:
On my way with confirmation from Sable.
“Speaking of timeline,” I say. “Kade’s incoming with the DSN piece.”
“Good. We need to coordinate this down to the minute.” CJ pulls out his own phone, opening what looks like a detailed timeline app.
Five minutes later, Kade walks into the library. He looks tense, which is fair, considering we’re planning coordinated arson and murder.
“Well?” Dredyn asks.
“Calling her,” Kade says, pulling out his phone and dialing. He puts it on speaker.
Three rings, then, “Kade. This better be important. I’m in the middle of convincing Dayton that no, we cannot adopt a dog.”
“It’s important. I’m at OCK with some friends—you’re on speaker.”
A pause. “OCK? The fuck are you doing at—wait. Is this about what I think it’s about?”
“Depends what you think it’s about,” Kade says carefully.
“I think it’s about the fact that OCK’s planning some insane party tonight.”
“We’re taking down the Syndicate leadership… tonight. But we need a diversion—something big enough to pull security away from the actual target,” Kade says.
“And you want DSN to provide that diversion.”
“We’re throwing a massive OCK party. We need DSN brothers to crash it, start a fight, create some chaos—the kind that draws every emergency responder and security guard on campus.”
“Why would DSN help OCK?”
“Because they’ve been using this college as a recruiting ground for their trafficking operation. Because they see your boyfriends as assets to be controlled instead of people to be valued.
“And because we’re offering you a chance for payback. We’re going after the three seats—James Steele, Edmund Mercer, and someone with DSN lineage. If we succeed, the Syndicate leadership dies tonight. If we fail, we die, and the status quo continues.”
There’s a long pause.
Sable says, finally, “They don’t participate. They’ve been through enough Syndicate shit. They sit this one out.”
“Agreed,” Kade says immediately. “Levi, Kai, Silas, Dayton—they’re not involved. But the other brothers—”
“Okay, here’s what I can do. There are about fifteen DSN guys who’ve been chomping at the bit to cause problems. I can convince them that crashing an OCK party and starting shit is exactly the kind of problem-causing they need.”
“Can you control the timing? We need them there at eight thirty exactly,” CJ asks.
“Who’s that?”
“CJ. I’m handling the technical side.”
“And the fight needs to be real—convincing enough that when a fire breaks out, it looks like an accident caused by the chaos,” Dredyn says.
“My boys can handle real. What’s in it for DSN? Besides the satisfaction of kicking OCK’s ass and taking down the Syndicate?”
“The Syndicate used the catacombs for trafficking. Girls were auctioned off in your catacombs. If we succeed tonight, that ends. Forever.”
A sharp intake of breath. “Fuck. I didn’t—we didn’t know it was that bad.”
“Now you do. Help us end it,” Mara says.
“Okay. Yeah. Okay. Eight thirty. Fifteen angry DSN brothers looking for a fight. You’ll get your chaos.”
“Thank you,” Kade says.
“Don’t thank me yet. If this goes wrong, we’re all fucked.” A pause. “Kade? Be careful. Please.”
“Always am.”
“Liar.” But there’s affection in her voice. “Good luck. Burn it all down.”
She hangs up.
CJ immediately updates his timeline. “Okay, so we have confirmation. DSN arrives at eight thirty, fight starts, I trigger the first ignition at eight thirty-three. Fire spreads, evacuation happens, emergency services arrive by eight forty. Syndicate security splits. You four move on the actual target at nine.”
“While everyone’s focused on the fire,” I say.
“Exactly.”
Jasper signs, “What about after? When people start asking questions?”
“You’ll be gone—out of state, new identities, untraceable. I’ll handle the investigation misdirection, make sure the fire marshal’s report says ‘accidental.’ Make sure any security footage from tonight mysteriously corrupts. You four just need to execute the plan and get out,” CJ says simply.
“No pressure,” Mara mutters.
“Literally all the pressure. But hey, if it makes you feel better, I’ve run the probability matrices. You have a sixty-three percent chance of success,” CJ corrects cheerfully.
“Sixty-three?” Dredyn asks.
“That’s actually pretty good for amateur assassins committing arson during a college party. Could be worse. Could be fifty-fifty.” CJ shrugs.
“You’re a real optimist,” I say dryly.
“I’m a realist. But I’m also very good at my job, which improves your odds considerably.
” He zips up the duffel bag. “I’m going to place the accelerants now.
While I do that, you four should probably finalize your actual infiltration plan.
I can handle making the building burn. You need to handle making your fathers die. ”
“Wow. You really have a way with words,” Mara says.
“It’s a gift.” CJ heads for the door, then pauses. “For what it’s worth? I think you’re doing the right thing. The Syndicate is a cancer, and sometimes the only cure is cutting it out.”
He leaves, and the four of us sit in silence for a moment, staring at the schematic still spread across the table.
“So, this is really happening… tonight,” Mara says quietly.
“Tonight,” Dredyn confirms.