Ethan:
I didn't say anything while Kai spoke.
I just listened.
Every word. Every detail. Every possibility he laid out.
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The screens in front of me flickered with movement—routes, timestamps, vehicle traces, structural layouts of the warehouse Kai had identified. But I wasn't just looking at them.
I was breaking them apart.
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"Replay Viktor's extraction," I said.
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The footage rolled again.
The moment he fell.
The moment Yuna shot him.
The moment everything shifted.
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I slowed it down.
Frame by frame.
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"There," I muttered.
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Kai stepped closer.
"What did you see?"
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"The reaction," I said.
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I pointed at the screen.
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"Not Viktor. Alejandro."
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The frame froze—Alejandro stepping forward, gun raised, eyes scanning not in panic… but calculation.
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"He wasn't surprised," I continued.
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Luca frowned slightly.
"By what?"
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"By resistance," I replied.
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I straightened, crossing my arms.
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"He expected us."
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Silence.
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Kai's eyes narrowed slightly.
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"That's why the retreat was clean," I added. "That's why the backup was already positioned. This wasn't just a deal…"
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A pause.
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"It was a setup."
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Luca cursed under his breath.
"So we walked into it."
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"No," I corrected.
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My gaze hardened.
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"We survived it."
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There was a difference.
A big one.
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I turned back to the data, scanning the warehouse layout Kai had pulled up.
Entrances.
Exits.
Blind spots.
Elevation points.
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"They'll fortify this place now," I said. "More guards. More surveillance. Possibly snipers."
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Kai nodded.
"Agreed."
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"They'll also assume we're coming back," I continued.
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Luca leaned against the table.
"So we don't?"
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I looked at him.
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"Oh, we do."
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A pause.
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"But not the way they expect."
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My finger tapped lightly against the map.
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"They think they have time to recover."
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A faint, cold smile touched my lips.
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"They don't."
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Kai watched me carefully.
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"You're planning a second strike," he said.
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"Not a strike," I replied.
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My eyes darkened slightly.
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"An end."
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The room fell silent again.
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Because they all understood what that meant.
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No mistakes.
No retreat.
No survivors on the enemy side.
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I exhaled slowly, stepping back from the table.
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"Prepare everything," I said. "We move before they stabilize."
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Kai nodded immediately.
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Luca straightened.
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But before anything else could be said—
Movement near the door caught my attention.
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Elena.
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She was heading toward the corridor.
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Toward Yuna.
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"Stop."
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My voice cut through the room instantly.
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She froze.
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Then turned slowly.
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"What?" she asked.
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"Come here."
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My tone wasn't loud.
But it wasn't a request.
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She hesitated for a second—
Then walked back.
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I looked at all of them now.
Not just her.
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"From now on," I said, my voice calm but firm, "no one talks to her."
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Elena blinked.
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"What?"
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"If anyone wants to speak to Yuna," I continued, "you get my permission first."
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The words landed hard.
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Elena stepped forward immediately.
"That's too much, Ethan," she said. "You can't be this strict with her."
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I didn't respond.
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"She just came to help you," Elena continued. "She didn't do anything wrong."
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That—
Triggered something again.
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I turned my head slowly toward her.
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"Help me?" I repeated.
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A short, humorless laugh escaped me.
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"That was her biggest mistake."
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The room went quiet again.
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"Elena," I said, my tone dropping colder now, "don't take her side in this."
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She stiffened slightly.
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"Because you know exactly what I'll do if you push me on this."
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The warning was clear.
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And real.
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Elena didn't speak again.
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Her lips pressed together as she looked away.
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Luca stepped in then, his voice calmer.
"She's not wrong, Ethan."
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I looked at him.
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"She's not a threat," he continued. "She's just—"
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"—in the way," I cut him off.
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Silence.
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Luca frowned.
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I stepped closer, my voice low but sharp.
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"This is not about emotions," I said. "This is about survival."
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A pause.
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"And right now—she's a liability."
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The word hung heavy in the air.
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Because it wasn't easy to say.
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But it was the truth.
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"At least until this is over," I added.
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Luca exhaled slowly.
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"…Fine."
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He didn't agree.
But he understood.
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And that was enough.
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I turned away from them, my gaze drifting for just a second—
Toward the hallway.
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Toward the room where she was.
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Locked.
Alone.
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My jaw tightened again.
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Because even after everything—
Even after the anger—
Even after the decisions—
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One thing didn't change.
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I knew she was in there.
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And I was the one who put her there.
For a moment after that, no one moved.
No one spoke.
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The room felt different now.
Heavier.
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Not because of the plans.
Not because of the enemies.
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But because of what I had just said.
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A liability.
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The word echoed in my own head longer than it should have.
Longer than I wanted it to.
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I walked away from them, slower this time, my steps less sharp than before, but still controlled. My hand brushed against the edge of the table as I passed, grounding myself in something physical—something steady.
Because inside—
Things weren't steady.
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"She's not a liability to you," Elena said quietly behind me.
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I stopped.
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Didn't turn immediately.
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"…Then what is she?" I asked, my voice low.
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Elena didn't hesitate this time.
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"She's someone you care about."
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That answer—
Was the problem.
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I let out a slow breath, finally turning to face her again.
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"And that," I said, "is exactly why she is one right now."
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Elena's brows furrowed slightly.
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Luca stayed silent, watching both of us carefully.
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I stepped closer again, my tone calmer now—but no less firm.
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"You think they won't use that?" I asked. "You think Viktor or Alejandro won't notice the one person I react differently to?"
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A pause.
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"You saw what happened today."
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Elena didn't answer.
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Because she had.
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"I hesitated," I continued. "Even for a second—that's enough."
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Kai, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"He's right."
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The room shifted again.
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Elena looked at him, surprised.
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Kai didn't soften it.
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"In our world," he said calmly, "attachments are leverage."
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Simple.
Direct.
True.
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I looked at Elena again.
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"You brought her into a place where leverage gets people killed."
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That time—
She didn't argue.
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Her shoulders dropped slightly, the weight of it settling in.
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"…I didn't think it would go this far," she admitted quietly.
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"No one ever does," I replied.
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Another silence followed.
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Then Luca spoke again, his tone quieter now.
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"So what happens after this?"
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I looked at him.
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"What do you mean?"
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"When this is over," he said. "When Viktor and Alejandro are gone… what then?"
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The question lingered.
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Because it wasn't about strategy.
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It was about her.
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I didn't answer immediately.
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Because I didn't have one.
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Because I hadn't allowed myself to think that far.
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Instead, I turned away again, walking toward the window, looking out into the darkened perimeter where guards moved like shadows.
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"…We deal with that later," I said finally.
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Luca exhaled slightly, like he expected that answer.
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But Elena didn't.
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"That's not fair," she said.
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I glanced at her.
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"What isn't?"
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"She's not something you deal with later," Elena replied.
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My jaw tightened again.
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"This isn't about fairness."
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"It is to her," she said.
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That hit.
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But I didn't show it.
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"Right now," I said firmly, "my priority is keeping her alive."
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A pause.
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"Even if she hates me for it."
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The room went quiet again.
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Because they all knew—
That wasn't just a possibility.
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It was already happening.
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I looked down briefly, my fingers tightening slightly before I relaxed them again.
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Because this—
This wasn't something I could afford to feel.
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Not now.
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Not when everything was still unstable.
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"Focus on the plan," I said, turning back to the table. "We don't get a second chance if we mess this up."
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Kai nodded.
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Luca straightened.
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Elena stayed quiet.
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And just like that—
The conversation shifted back to strategy.
To maps.
To timing.
To execution.
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But beneath all of it—
Under every word, every move—
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There was something unresolved.
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Something locked away—
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Just like her.
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And no matter how much I tried to ignore it—
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I could still feel it.
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Pulling at me.
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From behind that closed door.