Chapter 26 #2
But Dresner had resources. Contingencies. And men like him didn’t fall easily.
“Instead, he’s out there. Planning his next move. Regrouping. And you want me to show up like a good dog and take orders?”
Hellhound stood slowly. Calm. Steady. “I’m not asking you to come back. I’m going alone.”
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe. But there are operatives under his control. If I don’t report in, my cover is blown. And they’re as good as dead.”
Havoc’s expression twisted. Torn between fury and something darker. Grief, maybe. For the men trapped.
“He needs to believe I’m his most loyal weapon. It’s the only way to get close enough to pull them out from the inside.”
I observed them. Two men who’d spent years fighting Oblivion from different angles. Both exhausted. Both running on fumes and rage.
“You’re going back as a double agent.”
Hellhound held my gaze. “Once I can free those from the inside, then I’m done with Oblivion forever.”
The burden of that promise hung between us.
Havoc turned away. His fingers gripped the counter’s edge. Knuckles white.
“Fine. You go undercover. Play the loyal operative one more time.”
He turned back. Expression cold. Determined.
“But I’m done playing the game. No more rules. No more masters.” His smile was all teeth. Sharp. Vicious. “I’m going rogue. Full scorched earth.”
Hellhound’s features didn’t change. But something shifted in his gaze. Understanding, maybe. Or approval.
“I’m going to dig up that rat. Destroy his hole. Burn every financial thread holding his empire together.”
“Dresner’s money is his power. So, I’m going to bleed him dry. Strip him of resources. Leave him with nothing but ash and empty accounts, and expose all of those who dared fill his pockets.”
He studied Hellhound. Then me.
“No more half-measures. No more playing both sides. Full commitment to destroying Oblivion financially.”
I studied him. The determination carved into every line of his features. A man who’d spent years pretending to be Dresner’s weapon while plotting his downfall.
Now the mask was off. And what remained was pure, focused rage.
“You’ll hunt him.”
Havoc’s smile widened. Icy. Predatory. “Until there’s nothing left to find.”
They both turned to me. Waiting.
“And you?” Hellhound asked. “What are you doing?”
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
What was I doing?
Part of me wanted revenge. Wanted to hunt Dresner down and finish this. Wanted to make him pay for every life he’d stolen, every identity he’d erased.
Part of me wanted peace. Wanted Clare. Wanted to find Maeve and rebuild what Oblivion had destroyed. Wanted something resembling a normal life.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing yet.”
“You’ve earned the right to figure it out.”
Hellhound nodded. “Find peace, Xavier. You’ve survived. That matters.”
But then his features shifted. Serious. Almost grim.
“Even with Dresner exposed as the mastermind, he remains extremely dangerous. Deep resources. Hidden assets. Loyalists who’ll follow his orders regardless of public exposure.”
He leaned forward. “You need to lay low. Stay off the grid. Disappear completely, the way Maeve and Ronan did after their escape.”
“Understand?”
“Yeah. I understand.”
Quiet fell again. The kind that came before goodbyes.
Hellhound stood first. “We should go. Long drive ahead.”
Havoc gathered his equipment.
They moved toward the door. I followed, not quite ready to let them leave but not knowing how to ask them to stay.
At the threshold, Hellhound turned. “You did good, Xavier. You survived. That matters more than you think.”
“Take care of her,” Havoc added. “And yourself.”
“You too. Both of you.”
Hellhound’s palm landed on my shoulder. “Find peace, Blackout. You’ve earned it.”
“It’s Xavier. Just Xavier.”
Hellhound’s lips quirked. Almost a smile. “I know. I just wanted to say it one last time.”
They left.
The door closed behind them. The engine started. Gravel crunched under tires as they pulled away.
I stood in the doorway, observing until the vehicle disappeared into the trees. Until the sound faded into quiet.
Then I was alone.
I returned to the kitchen. Poured fresh caffeine. Stared out the window at snow-covered pines and endless white.
First moment to actually process what they’d revealed.
Maeve. The post. The chip removal. Colombia. The future.
My sister had been fighting for me while I’d been killing for Dresner. Building a case to destroy him while I’d been his perfect weapon.
And now I had a choice. Maybe the first real choice I’d had in eighteen months.
Hunt Dresner. Or find peace.
Revenge. Or healing.
The weapon. Or the man.
I didn’t know yet. Didn’t know who I was beyond the conditioning, beyond the kills, beyond all Dresner had made me.
But I knew one thing absolutely.
I wanted to see my sister. I wanted this thing out of my neck. I wanted to solidify what was between Clare and me. Something that was ours.
After that... I’d decide.
Soft footsteps on the stairs pulled me from the spiral.
I turned.
Clare stood in the doorway, wrapped in clothes too big for her frame. Her hair was damp from the shower, copper catching the pale morning light. Clean for the first time since Dresner’s facility.
Bruises marked her skin in shades of purple and yellow, gifts from the guard’s calculated slaps. Her split lip was healing, proof of what she’d endured.
My breath caught.
She was the most beautiful woman on earth.
Even bruised. Even exhausted. Even standing there hesitant like she wasn’t sure she belonged.
“They left?”
“Yeah. Just now.”
Quiet settled between us. Not uncomfortable. Just... weighted. We’d survived Dresner’s trap, escaped Geneva, deactivated the implant. No more secrets. No more dying.
Just us.
Neither of us quite knew how to be now that the world had changed.
Clare moved into the kitchen slowly, bare feet silent on cold tiles. She pulled out the chair across from me. Hesitated. Like she needed permission to sit at her own table.
I stood immediately. “Sit. I’ll pour you coffee.”
She sank into the chair, relief crossing her features.
“Thanks.”
I moved around the kitchen and felt her gaze tracking my movements. Domestic routine that felt surreal after Geneva.
I handed her a mug and sat beside her.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I got hit by a truck.” Her fingers touched her swollen cheek gingerly. “But alive. So that’s something.”
“Hellhound left medical supplies.” I gestured toward the bags scattered on the counter. “Anti-inflammatories. Ice packs. Everything you need.”
“Later.” She waved it off. “I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine. But I recognized the deflection for what it was, she’d tend to everyone else’s injuries before acknowledging her own.
I forced my palms to stay relaxed. Fought the urge to reach for her.
But she was smiling. Small. Real. Observing me over the rim of her mug with something soft in her expression.
“You’re staring.”
“Yeah. I am.”
Heat crept up her neck despite everything. That flush I’d come to recognize, the one that meant I’d caught her off guard.
She took another sip. Changed the subject. “So, what happens now?”
Right. The future. The thing we’d been too busy surviving to discuss.
I told her about Dresner first, how he’d escaped before Hellhound could lock down the facility. The man always had contingencies.
Her features hardened. “Where is he now?”
“Unknown. He’ll go to ground. Regroup. But he’s exposed now.”
I explained about Maeve. How she’d been investigating Oblivion for months. How her post on the dark web had already gone viral, exposing the conditioning, the operatives, the entire operation. Governments launching investigations. Interpol getting involved.
“She’s been fighting for you this whole time.”
My windpipe constricted. “Yeah. She has.”
I told her about the Geneva data, how it would tie Dresner personally to CuraNova, destroy his legitimate facade. How my sister finally had the ammunition to shatter his public image and force him into hiding.
“The chip.” My palm went unconsciously to my neck. “Havoc knows a surgeon. No questions. Someone who specializes in staying under the radar. Three, maybe four days.”
Clare’s gaze tracked the movement. Her professional mask slipped into place for a heartbeat, nurse mode assessing, cataloging. Then it softened again.
“I’m not seeing Maeve while I’m carrying Dresner’s hardware. Won’t do it.”
“Good.” Her tone was absolute. “We get that thing out, send it for forensic analysis. Give your sister one more piece of evidence.”
Then I told her about Hellhound and Havoc.
Her expression shifted. Worry creeping in around the edges.
“Hellhound’s going back undercover. That’s dangerous.”
“He knows what he’s doing.”
“And Havoc? Hunting Dresner’s money alone?”
My jaw worked slightly.
“They’ll be fine.”
Quiet fell. Clare stared into her mug like she could find answers there.
“I hope they stay safe. They helped us so much.”
My fingers tightened on hers without conscious thought.
“You’re worried about them.”
Clare glanced up. Caught something in my tone. “Of course I am. They risked everything for us.”
I groaned. No polite response came to mind.
Clare’s soft laugh caught me off guard. “Are you jealous?”
I turned away. My jaw working.
“No. Maybe. I don’t know.”
The admission tasted like failure.
Clare was observing me. I could feel her attention even without meeting it.
“I just got you back. I don’t want to share you. Even with worry.”
The quiet stretched.
Then Clare moved.
She set her mug down with a soft clink. Stood slowly. Crossed the few feet between us.
Then she knelt beside my chair.
The reversal caught me completely off guard. I’d been expecting her to lean against the counter, maybe touch my shoulder. Not this.
Not her on her knees, studying me with those golden-brown depths full of tenderness.
Her palm came up to my jaw. Gentle pressure turning me to see her.
“I’m here. With you. Not them.”
I searched her expression. Looking for doubt. Finding none.
“I know. I just...”
“I know.” She did. I could see it in her features. The understanding that went bone-deep.
Something in my chest broke open.
I pulled her up. Not gently. Needing her closer, needing her in my space, needing to feel her warmth and weight and realness.
She came willingly. Let me guide her into my lap.
My arms locked around her waist. Holding her like I could keep the world at bay through will alone.
Her head found my shoulder. Perfect fit. Like her body knew exactly where it belonged.
We sat like that for a long moment. Just breathing. Just being.
“What do you want?” I asked quietly.
Clare shifted slightly. Her fingers finding mine, threading them together. “I want the chip out. I want you safe.”
“And then?”
“Then...” She paused. Considering. “I don’t know yet. What about you?”
“Colombia. Maeve. The surgery.”
“And after that?”
I pulled back enough to see her. Brought my forehead close to hers. So close I could feel her breath.
“I only want you.”
Clare’s breath caught. Her gaze wide. Searching mine for something, reassurance, maybe. Proof I meant it.
I cupped her jaw with one palm. Thumb brushing her cheekbone.
“I want to give you the world.”
“I just want you. The rest we’ll figure out.”
My forehead pressed against hers. Close enough to share breath. Close enough to feel her pulse flutter against my palm.
“I love you.” Clear. Certain.
“I love you too.”
The kiss was slow. Soft. Tender.
Not desperate like before. Not claiming or demanding or proving anything.
Just promise.
Clare’s palms slid into my hair. Gentle. Her fingers threading through the short strands.
I held her like she was precious. Like she was all I’d been fighting to survive for.
Morning light streamed through the windows. Pale and clean. The first light of our new life.
When we pulled apart, we were both smiling.
We stayed like that. Wrapped in each other. Light spilling across frost-covered windows. The world outside icy and dangerous and waiting.
But in here, in this moment, we were safe.
We were enough.
And for the first time since I woke up bleeding in that alley with no memory and no ability to speak, I believed we might actually survive this.
Not just survive.
Live.