Their target, the one they used to call the ‘buyer,’ was waiting when they stepped into the room.They knew that there would be men standing against the wall waiting for them to walk in, and sure enough, there was one on each side of the door.When they slid in across the floor on their sides, guns raised, it was simple to double-tap both in the head.
Kol swung his weapon immediately at the only other man in the room and got quickly to his feet.
Their target stood behind a broad desk, jacket immaculate, hands resting calmly on polished wood as if this were a negotiation instead of an assault.His eyes were bright with fury—and something else.
Expectation.
“Well,” the man said, voice smooth despite the chaos outside.“This is inconvenient.”
Kol trained his weapon on him without hesitation, centering mass automatically.The man behind the desk didn’t even flinch.That, more than the bodyguards, told Kol exactly what kind of predator he was dealing with.
“Name,” Kol demanded.
The man smiled thinly.“Senator James Whitaker.”
The words carried weight.They were meant to.
“Confirmed,” Eliza’s voice came over the comms.“He’s on this list.”
“You’re trespassing,” Whitaker continued.“On federal property.”
Rafael barked a laugh.“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I assure you, I am not,” Whitaker said coolly.“You don’t touch me.I have immunity.I am the law.”
Kol felt something cold and violent coil in his chest.
“I make the rules,” Whitaker went on.“You don’t get to break into my home, and you sure as hell do not get to keep my property.”His gaze sharpened.“Return the woman.Now.”
Kol took a step forward before he could stop himself.
Property.
His finger tightened on the trigger.
Rafael shifted subtly, ready.
Whitaker’s smile widened.“Careful.Kill me, and things happen you can’t stop.”
He reached down and pressed a recessed panel on the desk.
Somewhere, systems woke up.
Kol’s comms crackled.“Kol,” Eliza’s voice cut in, sharp with urgency.“He’s triggered something—financial cascades tied to government funding, the Pentagon, and public infrastructure.If it completes—”
“I know,” Kol said grimly.
This wasn’t about guns anymore.
This was Eliza’s battlefield.
Another explosion tore through the building, closer now.The ceiling sagged, beams groaning under the strain.
“We’re done here,” Elias ordered over comms.“Withdraw.Now.”
Whitaker laughed.“You run, you lose.”
Kol leaned in close enough that Whitaker finally flinched.
