Harrington stared at the map glowing on his central monitor, his fingers steepled under his chin. Red markers dotted the screen, each one representing an asset, a node in the vast network he had spent decades building. And now, one by one, they were going dark.

The call from Logan Daniels had confirmed what Harrington already feared: the Horsemen weren’t just targeting Marcus’s captors. They were dismantling the entire operation, piece by calculated piece.

The door to his office opened, and a younger man stepped in—a tech specialist with a thin frame and nervous energy. He held a tablet close to his chest, his expression tense.

“Sir,” the tech began, his voice trembling slightly. “We’ve detected multiple freezes on our offshore accounts. Daniels has gone dark, and our communications hub in Dehloran is under increased surveillance.”

Harrington’s gaze didn’t shift from the screen. “How long before we’re completely exposed?”

The tech hesitated. “If this pace continues… seventy-two hours.”

Harrington turned his chair slightly, his cold eyes locking onto the man. “And if I authorize full burn protocols?”

The tech swallowed. “We could mitigate most of the damage. But the cost would be… significant.”

Harrington leaned back, his mind already calculating. The Horsemen were cutting through his defenses with precision, forcing his hand. If he waited, they would unravel everything. If he burned his assets, he’d survive—but his empire would be a shadow of its former self.

He waved the tech away. “Begin preparations. I’ll give the order when I decide.”

The tech nodded quickly and left, leaving Harrington alone with his thoughts. He stared at the map, his jaw tightening.

“They think they’ve cornered me,” he murmured to himself. “But they’ve forgotten that the most dangerous animal is the one with nothing to lose.”

He reached for a secure phone, dialing a line that only a handful of people knew existed. When the call connected, he spoke in a low, deadly voice. “Activate all countermeasures. I want the Horsemen located and neutralized before they reach Dehloran.”

The voice on the other end replied, “And if they can’t be?”

Harrington’s lips curled into a faint sneer. “Then we’ll burn Dehloran to the ground with them in it.”

---

The Four Horsemen stood in a dimly lit room, gathered around a weathered table strewn with maps, blueprints, and notes scrawled in Marcus’s tight, methodical handwriting. The air was heavy with tension, each man focused, their individual expertise seamlessly weaving into the larger plan.

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War leaned over the table, his finger tracing a route through the rugged terrain surrounding Dehloran. “This isn’t just a communications hub. If Harrington’s operating true to form, he’s got contingencies here—redundant systems, data caches. He’ll burn everything if we push too hard.”

“That’s why we can’t just hit it head-on,” Famine said, his tone sharp. “We need to take out the burn protocols before they’re triggered. Disable his ability to wipe data. Otherwise, this is all for nothing.”

Conquest tapped the map with the barrel of his rifle. “And we can’t underestimate his people. Harrington’s not just going to have guards. He’ll have his best waiting for us.”

Marcus stood silently, his eyes scanning the room. His mind wasn’t just on the mission—it was on Harrington himself. The name haunted him like a ghost, a shadow that loomed over everything. Harrington had orchestrated the attack on his family, but Marcus didn’t yet know why. And until he did, there would be no satisfaction.

“Harrington won’t expect us to move this fast,” Marcus said finally, his voice cold and steady. “He’ll be shoring up defenses, buying time to cut his losses. We use that against him. Hit the hub, extract what we need, and leave nothing standing.”

Famine raised an eyebrow. “Extraction’s the priority. You really want to leave this place standing?”

Marcus met his gaze, his expression hard. “Only until we’ve gutted it. Then we burn it.”

War nodded, his voice a quiet growl. “We’ll need a distraction to split his forces. Something big enough to pull their attention while we breach the hub.”

“I’ll handle that,” Famine said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “They’ll think the entire border’s under siege.”

Conquest folded his arms, his gaze shifting to Marcus. “And Harrington?”

Marcus’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening. “If he’s not here, he’ll be watching. We make sure he knows what’s coming.”

The room fell silent, the weight of their mission settling over them. The Horsemen had faced impossible odds before, but this wasn’t just about a mission. This was personal. And for Marcus, it was justice.

---

Kessler sat in a brightly lit conference room, a tablet glowing in front of him as his team worked tirelessly to coordinate the next phase of their operation. The names and locations Amir had given the Horsemen were now part of a larger strategy, one designed to cut Harrington’s reach piece by piece.

“Dehloran,” Kessler muttered, tapping the map displayed on his tablet. “That’s where it all converges.”

One of his analysts looked up. “Harrington’s accounts have been partially frozen. We’ve blocked his ability to move funds out of four key hubs. But his redundancies are still active.”

“How long before he realizes we’ve boxed him in?” Kessler asked.

The analyst hesitated. “He might already know. He’s shifted traffic from his usual channels to secondary nodes. It’s subtle, but we’re tracking it.”

Kessler leaned back, his mind racing. The Horsemen’s strike on Dehloran would hit Harrington hard, but if the man had time to react, he could recover. They needed to take away his ability to respond.

“Redirect resources to his secondary nodes,” Kessler ordered. “Shut down every escape route he has. And start leaking false intelligence—make him think his allies are turning on him.”

Another analyst looked up, her expression skeptical. “That could drive him underground.”

“Exactly,” Kessler said. “If we can’t catch him in the open, we force him into the shadows where he’s weaker. And when he has nowhere left to run, the Horsemen will finish the job.”

The room fell silent as his team processed the plan. Kessler stared at the map, his finger tracing the connection between Dehloran and Harrington’s wider network.

“This ends here,” Kessler said quietly. “One way or another.”