**Chapter Nine: The Trial of Fire**
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Jayden had seen danger before.
He'd lived in Kibera, dodged the drunkards in alleyways, walked through nights without streetlights, gone to sleep listening to gunshots like lullabies. But nothing compared to this—this kind of fear. This kind of calculated cruelty.
Because now the danger had a face.
Now it had names.
And it was no longer random.
It was personal.
He stood in his study, Leo across from him, both of them staring at the blood-smeared note. It was folded neatly, deliberately, with a single message written in sharp black ink:
**"Next time, we finish what you started."**
Leo's face was pale.
"They're testing your patience," he said. "Trying to bait you into a move."
Jayden didn't blink. "Then I'll give them one."
He stepped outside and placed a call on a secured line.
"Phase Two," he said. "Start it now."
Within the next forty-eight hours, Legacy Guard operatives infiltrated four different Serpent-owned businesses. They leaked documents showing tax evasion, bribery, and massive employee mistreatment. One Serpent company's CEO was arrested. Another had its bank accounts frozen pending investigation.
Jayden was making moves—but not for revenge.
For warning.
He could play the game too.
But just as he began to regain control, disaster struck.
Leo went missing.
It happened quietly. Too quietly.
He'd gone to meet with a university contact in Westlands—someone who had information about Gerald Macharia's new safe house. But he never came back.
By nightfall, Leo's phone was off.
By morning, the Guard confirmed it: he'd been kidnapped.
Jayden didn't panic.
Not outwardly.
He just locked himself in his study and stared at the wall for ten long minutes. Then he opened a private drawer and pulled out the envelope Richard had once told him to only open in an emergency.
Inside were two things:
A black USB drive.
And a single line written in his father's handwriting:
**"If they hurt someone you love, destroy everything."**
Jayden slid the USB into his laptop.
A detailed layout of an old colonial compound near Naivasha popped up—retrofitted with underground cells, electric fencing, motion sensors, and automated gates. A former Serpent stronghold, now allegedly abandoned.
But Jayden knew.
They were there.
Leo was there.
He called Brian.
"I'm going," Jayden said.
Brian didn't hesitate. "I'm coming."
Kevin showed up five minutes later with a steel crowbar.
"You don't leave your own behind," he said simply.
The three of them loaded into a black SUV and drove into the Rift Valley under darkness.
Jayden gave the orders. "No unnecessary bloodshed. We get Leo. We leave. If they attack, we respond."
By the time they reached the outskirts of the compound, the night was heavy with silence.
Jayden cut the engine and stared through the trees.
"I'm going in alone," he said.
Brian grabbed his arm. "Are you insane?"
"If they see more than one of us, Leo dies before I step through the gate. I've studied their patterns. Give me ten minutes."
Kevin and Brian hesitated.
Then nodded.
Jayden moved through the shadows like a ghost. Climbing over the fence, dodging motion lights, crawling beneath thorn bushes and ducking under camera arcs. His heartbeat slowed. His body moved on instinct. Every move was precise.
Inside, the compound smelled of sweat and iron.
Jayden found Leo in a cell with a bag over his head and his hands tied above him.
He pulled the bag off.
Leo's eyes widened, bruised and swollen. "You're a madman."
Jayden grinned. "You're welcome."
He cut the ropes and helped Leo to his feet just as alarms began to blare.
Too late.
They were already out the side gate before the compound's guards realized it had been breached.
Kevin floored the SUV down a dirt path, tires kicking up clouds of dust.
But they weren't alone.
Three black cars followed, headlights slicing through the night like swords.
"We've got company," Brian shouted.
Jayden turned to Leo. "Can you still shoot?"
Leo pulled a compact pistol from under the seat. "I never stopped."
The chase lasted ten minutes.
Gunshots echoed across the valley.
Jayden returned fire from the backseat while Brian tossed spikes onto the road behind them. One of the pursuers flipped into a ditch. Another skidded and exploded against a tree.
The third car disappeared into the darkness.
They escaped into the night, bloodied but alive.
Back at the estate, Jayden patched up Leo's shoulder.
"What did they want?" he asked quietly.
Leo winced. "They wanted names. Of the Guard. Of your inner circle. They want to dismantle you, Jay."
"Did you give them anything?"
Leo looked insulted. "They tried. They failed."
Jayden nodded, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You did good."
Later, Jayden walked into his father's empty office.
The room smelled like dust and old books.
He sat in Richard's chair and looked out the window.
The reflection in the glass was no longer a boy.
It was a weapon.
He pulled out his phone and recorded a message.
It was brief. Direct. Honest.
> "My name is Jayden Omari. Son of Richard Lexington. Son of a single mother who gave everything so I could be more. They took her. They tried to break me. They came for my friends. But I'm still standing. And I won't run. From today forward, I'm not hiding anymore. I'm not pretending.
>
> If they want a monster, I'll become one."
He posted the video.
Within an hour, it went viral.
Within a day, he had millions of views.
Half the world hated him.
Half crowned him king.
But everyone knew one thing for sure:
**Jayden Lexington was done playing defense.**
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**End of Chapter Nine**