JAY JAY POV
The moment the car pulled up to the house, I saw a familiar figure pacing on the porch. It was Jare. He didn't even wait for Keifer to kill the engine before he was down the steps.
"Jare!" I called out, jumping out of the car. My legs felt okay enough to run now, and I threw myself into my twin's arms.
He caught me, squeezing me so tight I could barely breathe, and pressed a lingering, protective kiss to my forehead. "I missed you for two weeks, Jay," Jare said, his voice actually sounding a bit thick with emotion. I guess even the most annoying twin in the world gets lonely when his other half is on a private island.
But as soon as Keifer stepped out of the driver's side, Jare's sentimental mood vanished. He pointed a finger at Keifer, his eyes narrowed.
"Asshole! You didn't pick up my calls for the last two weeks! I called you like fifty times!"
Keifer didn't even look guilty. He leaned against the car door, looking tanned, relaxed, and incredibly smug. He let out a slow, deliberate yawn.
"Sorry, brother-in-law," Keifer said, his voice dripping with shamelessness. "I was a little too busy exploring my wife. My hands were occupied."
Jare froze. He looked at Keifer, then looked at me, then looked back at Keifer. His face went through about five different shades of red before settling on a ghostly pale. It looked like he wanted to pour bleach directly into his ears to scrub out the mental image.
"Please... for the love of everything holy... don't ever say that again," Jare choked out, looking genuinely traumatized.
I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, leaning against the porch railing. "He's not kidding, Jare. He was a menace."
"Jay! Not you too!" Jare groaned, covering his face with his hands. "I don't want to know! I want to go back to three minutes ago when I was just a happy brother waiting for his sister! My innocence is gone!"
"Your innocence died back in Section E, Jare," Keifer teased, slinging a possessive arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him.
After spending a few hours catching up with Jare—and watching him slowly recover from Keifer's "exploring" comment—it was time for us to head to our own place.
"Come back often! Don't let this jerk keep you all to himself!" Jare shouted from the porch as we pulled away. I waved until he was just a small figure in the distance, feeling that familiar warmth of being home.
When we pulled into our driveway, two familiar figures were already waiting by the front door.
"Kuya! Ate Jay!" Keiran shouted, sprinting toward us the moment the car stopped. He threw his arms around Keifer first, then nearly tackled me with a hug. "I missed you guys!"
"How was the honeymoon?" Keigan asked, leaning against the doorframe with a knowing, teasing smirk that looked far too much like Keifer's for my comfort.
"It was good enough," Keifer replied, ruffling Keiran's hair before looking at his younger brothers seriously. "Were you two good at Angelo's house? No one ended up in the emergency room, I hope?"
Keigan nodded, though he rolled his eyes. "We were fine. But Keiran ate way too many cookies at Tita's house. I think he's at least 40% sugar right now."
I laughed, feeling a rush of affection for this crazy family. "Hey, can you blame him? Tita makes the best cookies in the world."
After a lively dinner full of stories (the PG-rated ones, anyway) and Keiran showing us everything he'd done while we were gone, we finally headed upstairs. I was exhausted, but as Keifer opened the door to our master bedroom, I froze in the doorway.
The room looked different. It wasn't just the neatness—it felt warmer, more personal. On the walls and the vanity were beautifully framed photos from our wedding. There were snapshots of us laughing at the altar, the group photo with Section E, and a stunning candid of us dancing under the sunset.
"Keifer... when did you rearrange all this?" I asked, walking over to trace the frame of a photo where he was lifting me up after the ceremony.
Keifer stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.
"I had Angelo and the boys come over two days ago while we were still on the island," he murmured, his voice low and full of pride. "I wanted you to come back to a room that didn't just feel like mine, but ours. I wanted the first thing you saw every morning to be proof that I finally got his girl."
He turned me around in his arms, his eyes scanning my face. "Do you like it, Mrs. Watson?"
"I love it," I whispered, feeling that familiar sting of happy tears. "It feels like... home."
"Good," he said, kissing my forehead before moving toward the bed. "Because we have exactly one week of peace before graduation, and I plan on spending every second of it making sure those photos aren't the only memories we make in this room."
I laughed, shaking my head. "You really are a jerk."
"Yeah," he smirked, pulling me toward him. "But I'm your jerk. Ready for the next chapter?"
I looked at our wedding photos, then back at the man who had changed my life. "Ready as I'll ever be."
**************2 WEEKS LATER*****************************
JAY JAY POV
Everything feels like it's moving in fast-forward again. One moment we were walking across the stage in our graduation gowns—Section E causing a literal riot in the stands—and the next, we're in that weird limbo of "free time" before college starts.
But right now? I don't care about the future. I'm hungry. My stomach is actually growling at me, but when I checked the kitchen? Nothing. Not even a stray cracker.
Keifer hasn't been home much lately. He, Jare, Percy, and Aries have been having these "meetings" constantly. Honestly, sometimes it feels like my brothers married Keifer instead of me.
What makes it worse is that Keifer comes home late, sometimes sporting fresh bruises on his knuckles or a cut on his lip. It makes my blood boil. First, I worry myself sick, and then I get so angry that he gets extra hits from me for being so careless.
I grabbed my keys. I needed food, and I needed it now.
"Keiran, I'm going out. Stay here," I called out to Keiran, who was lounging on the sofa.
Keiran jumped up, looking panicked. "Ate! Don't go!"
I paused, one hand on the doorknob. "Why? I'm just going to the convenience store. We have zero food, Keiran. Unless you want to eat the napkins for dinner."
"Because... you just can't! Kuya Keifer told us specifically not to let you go anywhere today," Keiran said, blocking my path with a worried expression.
My eyes narrowed. Since when did Keifer start giving orders about my whereabouts to his brothers? "Since when am I a prisoner in my own house? . I can handle myself."
"Ate, please, he was really serious," Keiran pleaded.
I ruffled his hair, giving him a small, reassuring smile even though I was annoyed. "I'll be quick, kiddo. Tell Keigan the plan when he comes down from his bath, okay? I'm just going to the store at the corner. Ten minutes, tops."
"But Ate—"
"Ten minutes!" I shouted back, already stepping out the door.
The cool evening air hit my face, and for a second, I felt a twinge of guilt. Keifer usually isn't that paranoid unless something is actually happening. But my hunger outweighed my common sense. Besides, if anyone tried to mess with me, they'd have to deal with punches I give
I started walking down the street, the streetlights flickering to life. I didn't notice the black car idling at the end of the block, or the way the driver straightened up the moment I stepped onto the sidewalk.
I just wanted a chicken bento and some chips. Is that too much to ask for?
The neon sign of the convenience store was right there, glowing mockingly in the twilight. I could almost taste the spicy ramen and the soda. My hand was reaching for the handle when the world suddenly shifted.
A shadow loomed behind me—large, fast, and silent. Before I could even drop into a defensive stance or let out a yell, a heavy arm clamped around my throat, and a cloth smelling sharply of chemicals was pressed hard against my nose and mouth.
Chloride or ether, my brain flashed for a split second. Section E training... hold your breath... fight...
I slammed my elbow back, feeling it connect with something solid—a rib, maybe—but the grip didn't loosen. I tried to kick, to find a pressure point, to do anything but the fumes were too strong. My lungs betrayed me, drawing in a jagged breath of the sweet, sickly scent.
My vision began to fray at the edges, the bright neon light of the store bleeding into a dark, hazy blur. My strength drained out of my limbs like water.
Keifer... I thought, my heart thudding a slow, terrified rhythm.
The last thing I felt was the rough fabric of a jacket against my cheek and the sensation of being hoisted off the ground. Then, the world went black.
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KEIFER POV
The basement was thick with tension and the smell of old paper and cigarette smoke. Percy had maps spread out across the table, his eyes darting back and forth as he connected the dots that none of us wanted to see.
"According to the information I got, the ships are moving mostly teenage girls," Percy said, his voice dropping an octave. "They're getting shipped tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Aries hissed, slamming a fist onto the table. "We don't have that much time."
"We don't, but we have to hurry up and make a plan now," Jare added, his protective brother instincts already flaring up. He looked at me, expecting the 'Legend' to have an answer.
I leaned over the map, my jaw tight. "Any clues where it's happening?" I asked Percy. Even though he can be an annoying idiot, I had to give it to him—he was better at tracking this underground shit than I ever was. He knew things before they even happened.
"No exact location yet," Percy admitted, rubbing his tired eyes. "But I know the dealer. It's Vex. He's the one selling the girls. He's been quiet for years, but he's back."
Vex. The name felt like cold lead in my stomach. He was a snake, the kind of guy who didn't fight fair and always had a backup plan.
"Jay," Aries asked, looking at me cautiously. "How is she? Is she getting suspicious lately?"
I let out a short, dry breath. "No. She knows something is wrong—she's too smart not to—but she hasn't asked much. She did tell me to be more careful, though. Threatened to be the one giving me punches next if I come home with any more bruises."
Jare chuckled darkly. "That sounds like her. She thinks we're just out here handling typical Section E street brawls. She has no idea how deep this goes."
"And I want to keep it that way," I said, standing up to check my watch. "I need to get home. I told the boys to keep her inside, but you know Jay. If she gets bored, she's a hurricane."
Just as I reached for my jacket, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a text from her complaining that I was late for dinner.
It was Keiran. My heart stopped.
"Kuya… Keifer…" Keiran's voice was sobbing on the other end. "She's gone. Ate Jay… she went to the store and hasn't come back. We found her phone on the sidewalk."
The world turned into a blur of red. I didn't even realize I had crushed the plastic cup in my hand until the water dripped onto my boots.
"What happened?" Jare demanded, seeing the look on my face.
"Vex," I growled, my voice sounding like it came from the bottom of a grave. "He didn't just target the teenage girls. He took the Jay"
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