JAY JAY POV
The four walls of the mansion were starting to feel like they were closing in on me again. Even with the freedom Keifer had finally given me to see the files and be part of the plan, my body just needed... fresh air. Real air. Not the filtered stuff from the AC.
"Keifer, can I go to the park?" I asked, looking at him with my best 'please-don't-say-no' eyes.
I expected him to pull out a map, check the satellite feed, and call for a five-car convoy. But he just looked at me, saw the desperation in my face, and softened.
"I will come with you. Let's go," he said simply.
I nodded, feeling a surge of excitement as I grabbed a light cardigan to hide my bump. But as he reached for his car keys on the counter, I stopped him.
"Let's walk. No car or anything," I said, looking at him pointedly.
Walking like a normal couple. No tinted windows, no armored plating between us and the world. Just us and the afternoon sun. I knew it was a big ask for him
Keifer paused, his fingers hovering over the keys. I could practically see the gears in his head turning, calculating the risks of every street corner between here and the park. But then he sighed, dropped the keys back on the marble, and nodded.
"Okay. Just a walk," he agreed.
We stepped out of the house. He didn't call the guards to follow us, though I noticed him tap his earpiece once, probably signaling Jare or Angelo to keep a remote eye on our GPS. I didn't mind that. It was progress.
The air outside was crisp, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like a high-profile target. I felt like a woman taking a walk with her husband.
"You're walking too fast," Keifer grumbled after a few minutes, slowing his stride and reaching for my hand. He interlaced our fingers, his grip firm and protective.
"I'm just excited!" I laughed, breathing in the scent of cut grass and car exhaust—weirdly, I even missed the smell of the city.
"You're a pregnant penguin, Jay. Slow down before you trip," he teased, but he pulled me closer to his side, his arm shielding me from a group of teenagers skating past us.
As we reached the park, the sight of kids playing and dogs running made me feel almost normal. We found a shaded bench near the pond. I sat down with a heavy sigh of relief, my feet finally protesting the walk.
Keifer stood in front of me, his eyes constantly scanning the perimeter, but he kept his hand on my shoulder.
"Happy now?" he asked, looking down at me.
"Very," I smiled, patting the spot on the bench next to me. "Now sit. Stop being a gargoyle for five minutes and just enjoy the view."
He sat, but his posture was still stiff. Still, he let me lean my head on his shoulder.
"Keifer," I said, starting to laugh at how serious he looked while sitting on a pink park bench.
"What? What happened? Are you okay? Is it a contraction?" He turned to me instantly, his eyes wide with that panicked 'first-time-dad' look.
I didn't answer with words. Instead, I grabbed his large, callous-hardened hand and placed it firmly on the center of my belly. Right on cue, the little one gave a powerful thump, like he was trying to high-five his dad through my skin.
"I think our kid wants something to eat," I said, grinning at him.
Keifer's entire face transformed. The hardness in his jaw vanished, replaced by a genuine, deep laugh that vibrated in his chest.
"Is it the mother or the child?" Keifer asked, though he didn't remove his hand. In fact, he started moving his thumb in small, gentle circles over my bump, his eyes softening as he felt another kick.
"Both," I said shamelessly, leaning into him. "The mother wants cotton candy, and the baby specifically requested ice cream. With sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles."
Keifer looked toward the colorful carts lining the park path, then back at me, shaking his head. "Cotton candy and ice cream? You're going to have a sugar crash before we even get back to the house, Jay-Jay."
"I'm eating for two, Watson! That's double the sugar requirements!" I argued, poking his arm.
"Fine, fine," he said, standing up and pulling me to my feet with him. He didn't let go of my hand, keeping me anchored to his side. "Let's go find your sugar fix. But if you start running around the house at 2 AM because of a sugar rush, I'm calling Jare and telling him it's his turn to baby-sit."
"Deal, but I'm staying right here," I said, plopping back down on the bench with a heavy thud. My feet were starting to feel like they belonged to someone else—someone much heavier. "You go get it. My legs have officially retired for the day."
Keifer stopped and looked at me, his expression shifting from amusement to that familiar "safety-first" frown. He looked at the bench, then at the crowd, then back at me.
"You want me to leave you here? Alone? In the middle of the park?" he asked, his voice lowering. I could see the 'King' side of him warring with the 'Husband' side. To him, leaving me alone for five minutes was like leaving a treasure chest in the middle of a pirate ship.
"Keifer, I am literally ten feet away from a group of grandmas doing Tai Chi," I said, gesturing to the elderly ladies nearby. "I'll be fine. Just go get the cotton candy. And don't forget the ice cream. Mint chocolate chip!"
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He scanned the area one more time, probably memorizing the face of every single person within a fifty-yard radius.
"Fine. Stay put. Don't move an inch," he commanded, pointing a finger at me like I was one of his subordinates. "If anyone even looks at you funny, you call me. My phone is in my hand."
"Yes, sir! Understood, sir!" I teased, giving him a little salute.
He gave me one last lingering look before finally turning and jogging toward the snack carts. I watched him go, marveling at how a man so intimidating could be so whipped by a craving for blue sugar.
I leaned back, closing my eyes and enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face. The park was noisy, but it was a good kind of noise. Nature, families, life.
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KEIFER POV
I was gone for less than three minutes. Three damn minutes.
I had the mint chocolate chip in one hand and the blue cotton candy in the other. I was actually smiling, thinking about how Jay-Jay's eyes would light up when she saw the extra sprinkles I made the vendor put on.
But when I turned the corner back toward our bench, the smile died instantly.
The bench was empty.
"Jay-Jay?" I called out, my voice hitching. I scanned the immediate area, thinking maybe she'd just moved to the shade or gone to find a bathroom. But the park felt different now. The sunlight felt cold. "Jay! Where the hell are you!?"
I dropped the snacks. The ice cream splattered on the pavement, melting into a green puddle, but I didn't care. My heart was thumping against my ribs like a sledgehammer.
My instincts were screaming at me—red alert, danger, failure.
I sprinted toward the group of grandmas I'd seen earlier. My face must have looked terrifying because they all recoiled as I approached.
"Did you see a pregnant woman?" I barked at one old lady who was holding a Tai Chi fan. "She was sitting right there! Long hair, wearing a grey cardigan! Where did she go?!"
The woman looked startled, pointing a trembling finger toward the north exit of the park, near the dense line of trees. "A... a woman in a hat spoke to her. They walked that way. She looked... she looked like she didn't want to go, young man."
My blood turned to ice. A woman in a hat.
I didn't even say thank you. I reached into my pocket and slammed my finger onto the emergency SOS button on my phone, broadcasting my location to the entire Section E network.
"Percy! Aries! Lock down the north perimeter of Sector 4!" I yelled into my earpiece as I began to sprint toward the trees
If anything happened to her—if a single hair on her head was touched, or if our baby was put in danger—I wouldn't just be the Mark Keifer Watson. I would be the monster everyone feared I could be.
"JAY-JAY!" I roared, my lungs burning as I crashed through the brush. "JAY, ANSWER ME!"
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