Each one exactly where he intended.
Water burned where fuel caught.
One man made it close enough to shout.
“You belong to him!”the man screamed, firing blindly.“You were paid for, bit-!”
Kol ended him mid-syllable.
“No,” he said coldly.“She was stolen.”
Silence fell abruptly.
Then the retreat came.
Fast.Disorderly.
Mateo confirmed it seconds later.“They’re pulling out.Drones are burning out their own circuits.Clean exit.”
Kol stayed where he was until the last heat signature vanished from the perimeter.
Only then did he lower his weapon.
He turned back to Eliza.
She was still standing.
Hands clenched at her sides.Breathing shallow but controlled.Alive in a way that mattered.
He crossed the distance between them slowly, deliberately, making sure she saw every step.
“It’s over,” he said.
She swallowed.“For now.”
A ghost of a smile touched his mouth.
“Yes,” he agreed.“For now.”
He reached out, stopped himself, then settled for standing close enough that she could lean into him if she chose.
She didn’t.
But she stayed.
And that was enough.
Outside, the smoke drifted low over the water, carrying the unmistakable message of what would happen to anyone who came for her again.
Kol stared out at the wreckage and made a vow he did not speak aloud.
They had brought violence to his door.
He would take the war to theirs.
****
He did not raise hisvoice.
