Chapter 1
The Madden family had two lives, and the strange thing was that neither one of them felt particularly unusual to Wren anymore.During the day, they were one of the most recognizable families in the country, with their name attached to skyscrapers, technology companies, charitable foundations, expensive cars, and enough money that people sometimes joked the Maddens could probably buy an entire city if they ever got bored enough to try. Their father, Eryx Madden, was the heir to a massive fortune and the current owner of Madden Industries, a company so enormous that its headquarters rose above the surrounding buildings like a monument to the family name.At night, however, the Madden name meant something entirely different.They were vigilantes.
Wren sat at the far end of the underground command room with a half-finished cup of coffee beside his laptop, his sandy-blond hair falling messily over his forehead as his eyes moved across several screens at once. Maps, police reports, security footage, financial records, and names were scattered across the monitors, but to anyone who did not understand what they were looking at, it would have seemed like an incomprehensible wall of information.To Wren, it was a puzzle.And Wren loved puzzles.He leaned closer to one of the screens, resting his chin against his hand while he compared two reports that had been filed nearly three months apart. Something about them bothered him, although he could not yet explain what it was.Behind him, a chair scraped across the floor."You've been staring at that screen for twenty minutes," Kaleth said.Wren didn't look away."Seventeen."Kaleth paused."That's somehow worse."Wren finally glanced over his shoulder.Kaleth was leaning against the back of a chair, dressed casually as usual, his black hair slightly messy and his blue eyes fixed on his younger brother with the amused expression he seemed to wear almost permanently."Do you need something?" Wren asked."Yes."
"What?"
"Your attention."
"You have it."
"No, I have your back."
Wren looked at him blankly.Kaleth grinned."See? That face right there. That's exactly why I bother you."From across the room came an irritated voice."Because you're annoying?"Arden stood near the weapons table, checking his equipment with the same serious concentration he brought to almost everything. His black comma-cut hair fell slightly toward his bluish eyes, and the sleeves of his leather jacket were pushed back just enough to reveal the scars along his arms.Kaleth looked toward him."Nobody asked you."
"You were bothering Wren."
"That's what brothers do."
"Not constantly."
"That's exactly what constantly means."
Wren turned back toward his computer."Can both of you stop?"The room went quiet for approximately three seconds.Then Kaleth said, "No."Wren sighed.This was normal.The underground headquarters was hidden beneath the Madden Industries headquarters, separated from the public parts of the building by layers of security that Wren had personally helped improve. The room itself was enormous, filled with screens, computers, equipment, maps, weapons, and workstations, but despite all the technology surrounding them, it was the people inside it who made the place feel like home.Kaleth was the loud one.Arden was the angry one.Wren was the quiet one.And their father was usually the reason all three were there.Eryx Madden stood at the opposite end of the room, dressed in a perfectly fitted dark suit as he studied the large digital display in front of him. At six foot three, with tan skin, blue eyes, and an athletic build, he had a presence that made people instinctively straighten when he entered a room.To the outside world, Eryx was cold, controlled, and nearly impossible to read.To his sons, he was still intimidating.He was simply less intimidating when he remembered to be their father."Wren."Wren looked up."Yes?"
"Come here."
Wren closed his laptop and walked toward him.Eryx gestured toward the display.A map of the city appeared across the screen, followed by a collection of photographs and reports."There have been six incidents over the last two months that appear unrelated," Eryx said.Arden walked over.Kaleth followed.Wren studied the photographs."Appear?"Eryx looked at him."That's what I thought too."Wren's eyes narrowed.The incidents were different on the surface. One involved stolen technology. Another involved a break-in at a private research facility. A third involved missing financial records. There were no obvious connections between the locations, the victims, or the crimes.But Wren noticed something.He pointed toward one of the reports."This company had a security system upgraded two weeks before the break-in."Eryx nodded."Yes."
"This one had the same contractor."Another nod.Wren moved to the next report."And this facility uses the same encrypted network provider."Arden looked at him."You're saying they're connected?"
"I'm saying someone wanted them to look disconnected."Kaleth's smile disappeared.Eryx folded his arms."That's what I believe."Wren stared at the screen, already searching through the information in his head."Who?"Eryx tapped the screen.A symbol appeared.None of the brothers recognized it."This is the first time we've seen it."Wren leaned closer."That's not a company logo."
"No."
"It's a signature."
Eryx looked at him."Exactly."For the first time that evening, nobody joked.Wren studied the symbol carefully, memorizing every line and angle."Whoever did this wanted you to know they were responsible."
"Perhaps," Eryx said.Arden's expression hardened."So what's the mission?"Eryx didn't answer immediately.Instead, another image appeared.An enormous school surrounded by stone walls and carefully maintained grounds filled the screen.Wren recognized it immediately."Bellgrave Institute."Kaleth frowned."An all-girls school?"
"Elite all-girls institute," Eryx corrected. "Founded in 1978. Grades nine through twelve. Approximately three hundred students. Extremely wealthy families. Politicians, business owners, influential families."Wren stared at the photograph.Bellgrave looked less like a school and more like a private estate."It's connected to the symbol?" he asked."Not directly."Eryx changed the screen.A photograph of a teacher appeared."One of Bellgrave's teachers has been communicating with someone connected to our investigation."Arden's expression darkened."So we have a mole."
"Possibly."
"Can we get into the school's network?" Wren asked.Eryx shook his head."Not remotely."That caught Wren's attention."Why?"
"Bellgrave maintains a completely isolated internal system for sensitive student and administrative information. Their security is unusually sophisticated."Wren's fingers tapped against his arm."Then we'd need someone inside."Silence filled the room.Wren slowly looked around.Kaleth, Arden, and Eryx was looking at him.Wren stared back."No."Kaleth raised both hands."We didn't say anything."
"You didn't have to."Arden's mouth twitched.Wren pointed at all three of them."No."Kaleth finally laughed."I think you're going to be great at this."
"I hate you."
"You love me."
"Unfortunately."Eryx turned back toward the screen."That's why we're going to discuss the operation carefully before anyone does anything."Wren looked back at Bellgrave.The enormous school stood silently on the screen, its dark stone walls and tall windows looking almost untouched by the modern city surrounding it.Somewhere inside that school was information connected to a dangerous criminal.Somewhere inside was a teacher who might be helping them.And somehow, Wren already had a feeling that getting inside Bellgrave was going to be much harder than getting the information out.He picked up his coffee.It had gone cold.He frowned at it.Kaleth noticed."Bad?"
"Cold."
"Want another?"
Wren looked at him."Yes."Kaleth smiled."See? You do need me."Wren rolled his eyes, but a small smile appeared despite himself.For a few seconds, everything felt normal again.Three brothers.Their father.A quiet headquarters beneath a billionaire's company.And another mission waiting for them.None of them knew yet that Bellgrave Institute would become the beginning of something much bigger than a simple investigation.Because this time, the Madden family wasn't just going undercover.They were walking directly into someone else's game.
