The Real Enemy

Judge Harold Brennan's POV

Judge Brennan slammed his hand on the steering wheel as he watched the hospital burn in his rearview mirror. Orange sparks were shooting into the night sky, but he wasn't smiling anymore.

Jake Morrison and that nosy reporter had escaped.

Again.

"Frank!" he barked into his radio. "Tell me you found them!"

"No sir," Frank's voice crackled back. "We searched every cave, every room. They're gone."

Brennan's face turned red with anger. For twenty years, he'd controlled everything in Millbrook. Every case, every judgment, every person who dared to challenge him. But three stubborn kids were making him look like a fool.

"What about the treehouse evidence?" "Destroyed, sir. Nothing left but ashes. " That was something, at least. Thomas Morrison's proof collection was gone forever. But it wasn't enough.

"Sir, we have another problem," Frank continued. "The hospital blast was bigger than we planned. People in town are asking questions. The fire department is calling it suspicious."

Brennan rubbed his tired eyes. He was getting too old for this. When he'd first started taking money from criminals twenty years ago, it was meant to be simple. A few thousand here and there to look the other way. Easy money for an easy life.

But it had grown into something much bigger and much more dangerous.

"Meet me at the courthouse in one hour," Brennan said. "Call the others. We need an emergency Circle meeting."

The Circle. That's what they called their secret group of crooked officials who ran Millbrook like their own private kingdom. Judge Brennan, Sheriff Morrison, Mayor Whitfield, and three business owners who helped hide the dirty money.

But even they didn't know the whole truth about who was really in charge.

Brennan drove through the quiet streets toward the courts, thinking about how this mess had started. It was meant to be a simple job. Frame two kids for crimes they didn't commit. Keep them quiet about what they'd seen. Collect the cash and move on.

Instead, it had turned into a war.

As he parked behind the building, Brennan's phone buzzed with a text message that made his blood run cold.

"We're not happy with your growth. Fix this tonight, or we'll find someone who can."

The message was from a banned number, but Brennan knew exactly who had sent it.

His real bosses. The people who had been pulling his strings for years.

People so powerful and so dangerous that even thinking their names made him nervous.

Brennan climbed the courthouse steps, using his key to open the back door. The building was dark and empty, which was perfect for what they needed to talk.

He made his way to the judge's rooms and turned on a small lamp. Then he opened his safe and pulled out a special phone that he only used for the most secret talks.

One by one, he called the other Circle members.

"Emergency meeting. Now. Come alone."

Twenty minutes later, they were all gathering around Brennan's desk. Sheriff Morrison looked worried. Mayor Whitfield was sweating despite the cool night. The three business owners kept looking around uncomfortably, like they expected FBI agents to burst through the door.

"Gentlemen," Brennan began, "we have a serious problem."

"You think?" Sheriff Morrison snapped. "Half the town just watched the hospital burst! People are starting to connect dots we don't want connected!"

"Keep your voice down, Dale," Brennan warned. "The walls have ears."

Mayor Whitfield leaned forward. "Harold, maybe it's time we cut our losses. Take the money we've saved and leave. Start new lives somewhere else."

"We can't disappear," Brennan said quietly. "They won't let us."

"Who won't let us?" asked Jim Carter, one of the business owners.

Brennan looked around the room at these men who thought they were the real power in Millbrook. They had no idea how small and useless they really were.

"The people who pay us," Brennan said. "The people who tell us which cases to fix and which witnesses to silence."

"What are you talking about?" Sheriff Morrison asked. "We're in charge here. This is our work."

Brennan almost laughed. "Dale, you fool. Did you really think a small-town judge and sheriff could build an operation this big by ourselves? Did you think we were smart enough to evade government investigators for twenty years without help?"

The room went quiet.

"We're not the leaders," Brennan continued. "We're just the workers. Well-paid employees, but employees all the same."

"Employees of who?" Mayor Whitfield asked, his voice shaking.

Before Brennan could answer, his special phone rang.

The caller ID showed only a series of numbers that made everyone in the room freeze with fear.

"I have to take this," Brennan said, his own voice shaking now.

He answered the phone and put it on speaker so the others could hear.

"Judge Brennan." The voice on the phone was cold and lifeless. "We're disappointed in your recent performance."

"Sir, we've had some unexpected complications, but—"

"Complications?" the voice interrupted. "A small-town lawyer and two teens are complications? What does that say about your competence?"

Brennan felt sweat dripping down his back. "We'll fix this tonight. I promise."

"You will fix it. But not the way you think."

"What do you mean?"

"We're sending someone to take over your business. Someone more skilled than your current team."

Brennan's heart started beating faster. "That's not necessary. We can handle—"

"You had your chance. Now it's time for professionals to clean up your mess."

"Who are you sending?" Brennan asked, though he was afraid to hear the answer.

"Someone who doesn't fail. Someone who specializes in making problems disappear permanently."

The line went quiet for a moment, and Brennan could hear typing in the background.

"Judge Brennan, do you know what happens to employees who become liabilities?"

Brennan's mouth went dry. "No, sir."

"They stop being workers. Permanently."

Sheriff Morrison started to stand up, but Brennan waved him back down.

"Sir, please. Give us one more chance. We know this town better than any stranger could."

"That's exactly the trouble. You've become too attached to this place. Too worried about keeping up looks. Too soft."

"We're not soft! We killed the Martinez girl! We framed those boys!"

"And yet they're still alive to tell their story. And now half the town is asking questions about exploding hospitals."

Brennan realized he was stuck. If he succeeded in killing Jake and the others, his bosses might let him live. But if he failed again, they would kill him along with all the witnesses.

"What do you want us to do?" he asked.

"Nothing. Stay out of the way. Our specialist will arrive in Millbrook within the hour."

"What specialist?"

"Someone who's been cleaning up messes like this for thirty years. Someone who's never failed a job."

The typing stopped, and the voice got even colder.

"Judge Brennan, your new boss goes by the name Phoenix. When Phoenix calls you, you do exactly what you're told. No questions, no ideas, no excuses."

"I understand."

"Good. Because Phoenix has a perfect record of success. One hundred percent clearance rate. Zero survivors. Zero witnesses. Zero evidence left behind."

Brennan felt like he was going to be sick. "How long do we have?"

"Phoenix is already in town. In fact, Phoenix has been watching your work for weeks, preparing for this moment."

The room felt like it was spinning. "Watching us? From where?"

"Phoenix has been hiding in plain sight, Judge Brennan. Someone you trust. Someone who knows all your secrets."

"Who?" Brennan whispered.

"You'll find out soon enough. Phoenix will call you when it's time to begin the final cleanup."

"Final cleanup of what?"

"Everything, Judge Brennan. Every witness, every piece of evidence, every person who knows about the Circle's presence."

Brennan's hands were shaking now. "You mean..."

"I mean everyone dies tonight. Jake Morrison, Maya Chen, Thomas Morrison, Danny Santos and his family, Tommy Whitfield, and..."

The voice paused, and Brennan could hear what sounded like laughing.

"And every member of the Circle who might talk to save themselves."

The phone line went dead.

The six men sat in total silence, staring at each other with growing terror.

They had thought they were the hunters, but now they understood the truth.

They were the prey.

And somewhere in Millbrook, a killer called Phoenix was getting ready to eliminate them all.