"Get him!"Stephen's men rushed at Jayce from all directions. Even without the shock collar threatening him, Jayce was outnumbered twenty to one. But he wasn't the same scared eighteen-year-old who had run from a burning building. He was a man trained by Master Chen, a warrior as well as a healer.The first man reached him. Jayce grabbed his arm, twisted it, and used the man's momentum to throw him into two other attackers. They all went down in a heap.The second man pulled out a gun. Jayce kicked it out of his hand, then swept his legs, dropping him to the floor. He grabbed the fallen gun and threw it across the warehouse, not wanting weapons in play. This needed to stay hand-to-hand."Shoot him!" Stephen screamed, holding his burned hand.But none of Stephen's men could get a clear shot. Jayce moved too fast, using his attackers as shields, staying in constant motion. Master Chen's training had taught him not just how to heal the body but how to hurt it too. Every pressure point th

"What do you mean, fifteen people dead?"Jayce grabbed Agent Santos by her shoulders. Behind him, Leonard was already on his phone, trying to get information from their security team at headquarters."I mean exactly that," Agent Santos pulled up a live news feed on her tablet. The screen showed Walker Global Technologies tower engulfed in flames. Fire trucks surrounded the building, but the fire was too big to control. "The attack happened twenty minutes ago. Multiple armed men stormed the building through the underground parking garage. They shot security guards, set off explosives, and started fires on every floor.""Oh my God," Hailey whispered, watching the screen in horror."Boss, I can't reach anyone inside," Leonard said, his face grim. "All our communication systems are down. Either destroyed or jammed.""Who would do this?" Jayce's mind raced. "Stephen is here. April is here. Jason is here. We caught all of them!""Obviously, they weren't working alone," Agent Santos started

"Everyone in position?"Agent Santos spoke into her radio as they surrounded Memorial Hospital. FBI agents hid on rooftops, in nearby buildings, and inside the hospital itself disguised as doctors and nurses. The real medical staff had been quietly evacuated through underground tunnels, but the lights stayed on to make everything look normal."Team Alpha in position," a voice responded through the radio."Team Beta ready.""Team Gamma standing by."Jayce stood in the hospital's main lobby with Hailey and Leonard. They wore bulletproof vests under their clothes, but Jayce knew that wouldn't be enough if things went wrong."You still don't trust me, do you?" Leonard asked quietly."I want to," Jayce said. "But Chloe's evidence looked real.""Boss, I've been with you for five years. Five years! When have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?""Never. Until today.""Then trust your instincts over some papers!" Leonard's voice rose with frustration. "You know me! You know who I am!""I th

"THEY'RE ATTACKING THE AMBULANCE!"Agent Santos was already running toward her car. Jayce, Hailey, and Leonard jumped in with her as she peeled out of the mansion driveway."All units respond to Elm Street! Ambulance under fire! Repeat, ambulance under fire!" Agent Santos shouted into her radio.They reached Elm Street in under two minutes. The ambulance was stopped in the middle of the road, its back doors open. Paramedics lay on the ground, not moving. And the stretcher carrying Old Master Barker was gone."No!" Hailey screamed, jumping out before the car fully stopped. "GRANDFATHER!""Hailey, wait!" Jayce chased after her, but she was too fast.Then they saw him. Old Master Barker was sitting up against a tree, his eyes open, looking surprisingly alert for a man who had just had a stroke."Grandfather! Thank God you're alive!" Hailey ran to hug him."Get away from him, Hailey." Leonard's voice was hard and cold. He had his gun pointed at the old man."What? Leonard, are you crazy?

Back at the safe house, Leonard had spread out maps of the Blackstone Mountains on the small kitchen table. Hailey stood beside him, pointing at different routes."This road is faster, but it goes through a tunnel that could be a chokepoint," Hailey said."Good eye. We'll take the longer route through the mountain pass. Safer." Leonard marked the map. "Boss should be back soon. Then we can finalize the plan.""Leonard, can I ask you something?""Sure.""Do you really think we can win this? The Collector has been doing this for forty years. He's always ten steps ahead. What chance do we have?"Leonard put down his marker and looked at her. "Honestly? I don't know. But I know we have to try. Because if we don't, people like The Collector win. They get to keep stealing and hurting and destroying lives. I won't accept that.""You're a good man, Leonard Warden. Jayce is lucky to have you as a friend.""I'm lucky to have him too. He saved my life once. Did he ever tell you that story?""No.