KEIFER POV
We were halfway to the docks when my phone—the one I kept only for emergencies—let out a piercing, high-pitched chirp. It was a sound I'd only heard once during testing.
"STAY THE CAR!" I roared at Jare, who was driving.
He slammed on the brakes, sending the tires screeching. "What?! What is it?!"
I pulled the phone from my pocket. A red dot was pulsing on a map, vibrating with a steady, rhythmic beat. It wasn't the harbor. It wasn't the fish-packing plant.
It was an old, abandoned subway terminal beneath the city center.
"She did it," I breathed, a feral grin spreading across my face. "Jay triggered the necklace."
Jare looked at the screen, his face turning from pale to lethal in a split second. He grabbed the radio. "Aries! Percy! Change of plans! Follow my lead!"
I checked my weapon, the cold steel a comfort in my hand. "Vex thought he was hiding," I growled, looking at the blinking red dot. "He has no idea he just turned on a beacon for his own execution."
"Let's go get our girls," Jare said, flooring the accelerator.
We went to the subway
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JAY JAY POV
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Vex roared, the heavy door slamming against the concrete wall with a bang that made the other girls jump. He marched over to me, his face twisted in a snarl.
"Nothing," I said, tilting my head back to look him in the eye.
He grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking my head back until my neck felt like it was going to snap. "You bitch! You sent something to your husband, didn't you? I saw it on the monitor—the frequency spike!"
I gritted my teeth against the pain, a cold, dangerous smile spreading across my face. "Good that you know, Vex. Now get out. Run while you still can. Because by the time my husband and brothers get here, it's not going to be a negotiation. It's going to be your funeral."
"You think they can find this hellhole in time?" he sneered, leaning in close.
That was his mistake. He thought I was still tied up. He didn't know that Section E had spent weeks teaching us how to dislocate a thumb and slip high-tensile rope. I had been free for the last five minutes, just waiting for him to get close enough.
I snapped my hands forward, grabbing his throat, and drove my forehead directly into his nose. CRACK.
"OWW!" he screamed, stumbling back and clutching his face as blood sprayed between his fingers.
"Asshole," I spat. I didn't give him a second to recover. I grabbed a heavy metal pipe leaning against the wall and swung it with everything I had. It connected with the side of his head with a sickening thud, and he crumpled to the floor, dead to the world.
"Such a badass, Jay!" Mia cheered, eyes wide as she watched me stand over him.
"Now please, take these ropes off me! It feels icky!" Honey whined, still wiggling in her chair.
I chuckled, my adrenaline pumping. I made quick work of Honey's ropes first—mostly to stop the complaining—and then Honey helped Amy while I untied Mia.
"Let's get out of here," Mia said, her voice dropping into 'Officer Mode' as she grabbed a discarded pistol from Vex's waistband.
We slipped out into the hallway, but we weren't alone. Three massive bodyguards were rounding the corner, their hands going for their holsters the moment they saw us.
"Fucking shit," I hissed.
Mia didn't hesitate. She lunged at the one on the left, a flying knee to his chest, while I took the center one. I ducked under a punch that would have taken my head off and delivered a rib-shattering kick, followed by a palm strike to his chin.
"Damn! Where did you learn to punch like that?" Amy asked, breathless as she watched us drop the third guy together.
"Practice. A lot of it," Mia panted, checking the hallway.
"We practiced on Jare mostly," I joked, wiping a smudge of blood off my knuckle. "He makes a great punching bag."
We started moving toward what looked like an exit sign, our feet light on the concrete. We were almost to the stairs when the sound hit us—high-pitched, desperate, and terrifying.
"LET US GO! PLEASE!" a young girl's voice screamed from behind a set of heavy, padlocked double doors.
I froze. My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked at Mia, and I saw the same realization on her face.
"What was that?" Honey asked, her voice trembling as the screams echoed again.
Mia stopped in her tracks, looking at us with a grim expression. "Didn't Aries, Keifer, or Percy tell you guys what they've actually been doing?"
We all shook our heads. I thought they were just handling Section E territory disputes
"They save kids and girls from getting human trafficked," Mia said, her voice dropping as she moved toward the padlocked doors. She peered through a small reinforced glass slit. "Shit... looks like they're getting moved right now."
I felt like the floor had been pulled out from under me. "Wait, so you're telling me they save people from getting trafficked? That's the 'meetings'?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I just said," Mia snapped, though her eyes were soft with worry.
Those absolute assholes. My heart twisted. That's why Keifer comes home with bruises on his knuckles and cuts on his face. That's why Jare looks so exhausted every time I see him. They weren't just playing heroes; they were actually doing it.
They're dead when I see them, I thought, a mix of fury and intense pride swelling in my chest. All four of them are getting an earful.
"I don't think Kuya Angelo knows," I whispered, thinking of my eldest brother's strict rules. "If he knew they were doing something this dangerous without the army, he'd lock them in a basement until they were fifty."
"Percy didn't tell me this," Honey murmured, her usual sass replaced by shock.
"Aries didn't either," Amy added, her jaw tightening.
"And that's not the point right now," Mia interrupted, pointing toward the back of the warehouse where a truck engine was revving. "The point is we have to save these kids because it looks like they're shipping them out now. We don't have time to wait for the boys to breach the front."
"We can't just leave them like this," Amy said, looking at the heavy padlock.
Honey and I nodded in unison.
"What's the plan?" Honey asked, looking at me.
"I have one," I said, gripping my metal pipe and nodding toward a stack of gas canisters and a nearby forklift.
Mia smirked, recognizing that look in my eyes. "Is it poco?"
I grinned, kicking a stray lighter over to her. "It's poco loco."
(poco loco= a bit crazy)
"Good," Mia said, checking the chamber of the gun she took from Vex. "I'm tired of being the damsel. Let's cause a distraction they'll see from the moon."
I turned back to the locked door. "Honey, Amy, grab those bars. We're going to use the forklift to ram the lock. Mia, you provide cover. If anyone comes through that back door, you drop them."
"On it," they said in unison.
Just then, a massive explosion rocked the front of the building. The walls vibrated, and the sound of gunfire began to pour in.
"That's the boys," I said, my heart soaring. "They're at the front door. We're the back door. Let's finish this."
I hopped onto the forklift, hot-wiring it the way Jare taught me when we were ten. The engine roared to life. "Everyone get back!"
I slammed the machine into gear, aiming straight for the shackles holding the innocent girls captive.
The heavy doors finally gave way under the force of the forklift, screeching as they swung open. The sight inside made my blood run cold. There were dozens of them—mostly teenagers, but some were tiny, definitely under ten years old, huddled together on thin mats.
"Please… let us go," one little girl sobbed, her big eyes red from crying.
I dropped the metal pipe and knelt in front of her, using my thumb to gently wipe away her tears. "Hey, don't cry. We're here to take you home. I promise."
"Follow us!" Mia commanded, waving the girls toward the exit.
The girls nodded, moving in a terrified but hopeful line. We started leadng them toward the back exit, the sounds of the battle at the front of the warehouse growing louder—shouts, crashing wood, and the distinct crack of gunfire.
Just as we reached the final corridor leading to the docking bay, a voice tore through the chaos. A voice I knew better than my own.
"JAY! JAY, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Mia, it's Keifer," I said, stopping in my tracks. My heart did a painful somersault. He sounded desperate, like a man who was losing his mind.
I looked at the long line of frightened children. "Take the girls out. Guide them toward the sirens. I'm going back for Keifer."
Honey grabbed my hand, her grip tight and shaking. "What if you get caught? Vex's men are everywhere!"
"I won't," I said, looking her in the eye.
"No," Amy said, stepping up and blocking my path. "As much as I hate to agree with Honey, she's right. It's dangerous for you. You were the main target! If Vex wakes up and sees you wandering alone..."
"He's not alone," I countered, checking the hallway behind me. "My husband is in there, probably about to burn this place down because he thinks I'm still tied to a chair. If I don't find him, he's going to do something reckless. I have to let him know I'm safe so he can focus on finishing Vex."
"She's right," Mia said, though she looked torn. "Keifer is a loose cannon right now. He'll level the whole block if he doesn't see her face." She looked at me. "Three minutes, Jay. If you aren't at the extraction point in three minutes, I'm coming back in with the boys."
"Deal," I said.
I gave Honey's hand a reassuring squeeze and turned back toward the smoke-filled center of the warehouse. I ran, my footsteps echoing against the concrete, following the sound of Keifer's voice.
I rounded the corner into the main loading bay and saw him. He was covered in soot and blood, his tactical vest torn. He was throwing a heavy crate aside like it weighed nothing, his face a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. Jare was right behind him, tackling a bodyguard to the ground.
"KEIFER!" I screamed.
He froze. His head snapped in my direction, and for a second, time stopped
His eyes widened, his chest heaving, and he dropped his weapon as he saw me standing there—bruised, messy, but very much alive.
The moment of relief shattered like glass. I was only three steps away from Keifer's arms when a hand clamped onto my jacket and yanked me backward with a violent surge of strength.
"Ahhh!" I yelled, my heels skidding on the concrete as I was pulled into a hard, sweating chest.
"JAY!" Keifer's roar echoed through the rafters, his face going from relief to a terrifying, murderous pale. He instinctively raised his gun, but stopped dead when he saw the glint of steel against my skin.
Vex was panting, a dark bruise swelling on the side of his head where I'd clocked him earlier, and blood was still dripping from his broken nose. He looked like a man with nothing left to lose.
"Your wife is one hell of a bitch, Keifer," Vex spat, his voice raspy and trembling with adrenaline.
"Vex, let go of her!" Jare shouted, stepping up beside Keifer, his own weapon leveled at Vex's head. Jare's eyes were cold, that deadly Mariano instinct taking over.
"She cost me everything!" Vex screamed, his grip on my hair tightening until tears pricked my eyes. "First my brothers... now this? This was the biggest shipment deal I ever had, and she toasted it! She made me lose everything!"
He pressed the edge of the knife harder against my windpipe. I could feel the cold bite of the blade. I forced myself to stay still, my breath coming in shallow hitches. Don't panic, Jay. Focus.
"Vex, let her go, damn it!" Keifer's voice was lower now, that dangerous, vibrating tone that meant he was seconds away from snapped. "What do you want? Name it. Money? A way out? Just move the knife."
Vex let out a jagged, hysterical laugh. "A way out? There is no way out now! The girls are gone, the warehouse is surrounded... I'm a dead man either way."
He looked at Keifer, his eyes bloodshot. "Drop your weapons. Both of you. Now! Or I take her to hell with me!
Keifer's gaze met mine. I saw the agony in his eyes—the struggle between the man who never backs down and the husband who couldn't bear to see a single drop of my blood spilled.
"Keifer, don't..." I whispered, but Vex jerked the knife, drawing a tiny crimson line on my neck.
"SHUT UP!" Vex barked.
"Okay! Okay!" Keifer shouted, his hands shaking as he slowly began to lower his gun. "Look, I'm dropping it. See? Just stay calm."
"Jare, you too," Vex hissed.
Jare looked at me, then at the knife. With a cursed mutter, he uncocked his sidearm and let it clatter to the floor. Keifer followed suit, his pistol hitting the concrete with a heavy thud.
"Both of them. Kick them away," Vex ordered.
As Keifer kicked the gun toward the shadows, his eyes never left mine. He was looking for a signal. He was waiting for the smallest opening.
Three... two... I counted in my head, feeling Vex's grip loosen just a fraction as he looked toward the exit, thinking he had the upper hand.
Now.
I didn't wait for Keifer. I slammed my heel down onto Vex's instep and threw my head back, slamming my skull into his already broken nose.
The impact of my skull hitting Vex's face sent a jolt of pain through my own head, but the sound—the wet crunch of his nose breaking for the second time—was worth it. Vex let out a choked, gurgling scream, the knife slipping just enough for me to wrench my neck away.
Everything happened in a heartbeat.
Keifer didn't hesitate. He didn't even look like he was breathing. In one blur of motion, he dived for his gun, rolled, and fired.
BANG.
The sound echoed off the high warehouse ceilings like a thunderclap. Vex didn't even have time to finish his scream. His head snapped back, his eyes rolling into his head as he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. He was dead before he hit the floor.
"JAY!"
I didn't look back at the body. I ran. I ran faster than I ever had in Section E, faster than I had on the beach during our honeymoon. I practically flew into Keifer's arms just as he scrambled to his feet.
He caught me so hard we both stumbled back, his gun clattering to the floor again as he ignored it to wrap both arms around me. He was shaking—the Great Keifer Watson, the Legend, was trembling like a leaf.
"I've got you, I've got you," he choked out, his voice thick and broken. He pulled back for a split second, his large hands cupping my face, his thumbs frantically wiping the tiny streak of blood from the knife cut on my neck. "God, Jay... don't ever do that to me again. I thought I was going to watch you die."
"I'm okay," I gasped, clutching the front of his torn tactical vest. "I'm okay, Keifer. I promise."
Jare was there a second later, his face a mess of relief and lingering fury. He didn't say anything—he just draped his arm over both of our shoulders, pulling us into a tight, suffocating huddle
"You're a brat, Jay-Jay," Jare whispered, his voice cracking. "A total, reckless, terrifying brat."
"I learned from the best," I muttered into Keifer's chest.
I pulled back slightly, looking up at Keifer. His eyes were dark with a mix of leftover adrenaline and the deepest love I'd ever seen. Behind us, we could hear the sirens of the authorities finally arriving, and the shouts of Percy and Aries as they cleared the rest of the building.
"We need to go," Keifer said, kissing my forehead lingeringly. "Before the cops get here and start asking questions we don't want to answer."
"Wait," I said, grabbing his hand. "The girls... we got them out, Keifer. All of them. They're safe."
Keifer looked at me, a proud, tired smile finally touching his lips. "I know. Mia signaled us. You did good, Jay. You were the Legend tonight."
He picked me up, bridal style, even as I protested that I could walk.
"Nope," he said, his grip tightening. "You're not touching the ground until we're back in our room. And then? Then we are having a very long talk about you leaving the house for a chicken bento."
I leaned my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes as he carried me toward the exit. "Fine. But you're still in trouble for the secret superhero business."
"Deal," he whispered.
As we stepped out into the cool night air, away from the smoke and the blood, I knew one thing for sure: graduation might be over, but our life as the most dangerous couple in the city was just beginning. And honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Hey everyone!! 💙✨
I just want to take a moment to THANK all of you who wished me luck — because I passed my geometry test 😭💙
I was so sure I was cooked, like actually DONE 😭✨
But I passed with only 3 questions wrong on a 60‑point test. I was terrified my grade would drop, but it didn't… and I'm honestly so happy I can't even put it into words 💙🌙✨
That's why I'm posting another chapter today with NO target 💙
Thank you again to everyone who wished me luck and prayed for me — if I didn't pass, I was literally going to stop writing this whole week and focus on geometry… but I DID pass 😭💙✨
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