The high-pitched whine of the alarm was a physical blow, vibrating in Xavier's chest. Above them, on the galvanized steel catwalk, Leo Vane looked down with the twisted expression of a man who had finally trapped a predator. In his hand, the small black detonator looked like a toy, but the red light blinking on its face was very real.
"You really thought you could just walk into a Vane facility and take what you wanted?" Leo sneered, his voice amplified by the warehouse's acoustics. "This place is a tomb, Xavier. My father might be in a cell, but his legacy is built on fire. If he can't have the empire, no one can."
Xavier pushed Seraphina behind the thick steel of a chemical vat. His eyes scanned the room with a cold, calculated speed. There were three exits: the main bay where the mercenaries were likely gathering, the side door they had entered through, and a high ventilation shaft fifty feet above.
"Leo, think about what you're doing," Seraphina shouted, her voice echoing with a command that made the younger man flinch. "If this place blows, the entire industrial district goes with it. Thousands of innocent people. Is that the legacy you want? Being a mass murderer for a father who never even loved you?"
"Shut up!" Leo screamed, his thumb hovering over the button. "He loved me enough to give me the codes to this place! He loved me enough to show me how weak you really are!"
Xavier leaned into Seraphina's ear, his voice a barely audible breath. "When I move, you run for the side door. Don't look back. There's a forklift near the entrance—use it for cover."
"I'm not leaving you," she hissed back, her fingers digging into the fabric of his tactical vest.
"You're the CEO, Seraphina. You have the evidence on that phone. If I stay behind to handle Leo, you have to be the one to get that data to the police. It's the only way to win."
Before she could argue, Xavier moved. He didn't run away; he ran toward the ladder leading to the catwalk.
"Hey, Leo!" Xavier roared, drawing the man's attention. "You want to talk about strength? You're holding a button because you're too afraid to face me like a man! You're just a shadow of Silas, and even shadows disappear when the light comes on!"
Leo's face turned a deep, angry purple. He turned the detonator toward Xavier, his finger trembling. "You think you're so smart? Let's see how smart you are when you're in pieces!"
As Leo pressed the button, Xavier didn't stop. He dived over a row of crates just as a small explosion rocked the far corner of the warehouse. It wasn't the main charge—it was a warning, a breach in one of the chemical lines. A cloud of thick, blue gas began to hiss into the room.
"Seraphina, GO!" Xavier yelled.
He saw her hesitate for a heartbeat, her eyes filled with an agonizing choice, before she turned and sprinted toward the exit. Xavier turned his focus back to Leo. He began climbing the ladder with a speed that defied gravity, the metal rungs hot under his hands.
Leo panicked. He began frantically pressing buttons on the remote, but the blue gas was already interfering with the signal. "No! It's supposed to go off! All of it!"
Xavier reached the top of the catwalk. He didn't wait for Leo to recover. He launched himself forward, tackling the younger Vane just as the remote skittered across the metal grating and fell into the blue mist below.
They crashed into the railing, the sound of bone hitting steel ringing out. Xavier pinned Leo down, his forearm pressed against the boy's throat.
"The game is over, Leo," Xavier hissed, his eyes inches from his opponent's. "The police are five minutes away. Your father's shadow can't protect you anymore."
Below them, the blue gas was rising, turning the warehouse into a ghostly, underwater nightmare. Xavier looked toward the exit. He saw the silhouette of Seraphina at the door, her silhouette framed by the moonlight. She hadn't left. She was waiting for him.
"Let's get out of here," Xavier muttered, dragging a sobbing Leo toward the emergency stairs. "We have a kingdom to run."