JAY JAY POV
He was holding me like I was made of glass that had almost shattered. I've seen Keifer angry, and I've seen him cold, but this... this was raw.
He didn't let go of me at all once we got to the bed. He pulled me down with him, laying on top of me but careful not to crush me, his heavy weight a strange comfort. My baby bump created a small, firm space between our chests, a physical reminder of exactly what we had almost lost today. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his breathing ragged and uneven.
"Keifer," I whispered, hugging him back even tighter. I ran my fingers through his hair, trying to soothe the tremors I could feel in his shoulders. "I'm here. We're safe. Everyone is back."
He didn't move. He just tightened his grip, his arms like iron bands around my waist.
"I shouldn't have left you," he groaned into my skin, his voice muffled and thick with guilt. "Three minutes, Jay. I left you for three minutes to get some stupid sugar, and I almost let them take you."
"You didn't let them do anything," I argued softly, pulling back just enough to make him look at me. His eyes were bloodshot, the mask of a dangerous man completely gone, leaving only the man who loved me.
"You found me. You always find me. And look," I took his hand and pressed it against the side of my belly.
Almost instantly, the baby gave a solid kick right against his palm.
"See? He's telling you to stop being so dramatic," I teased, though my eyes were stinging with tears.
Keifer let out a shaky, broken laugh, his hand staying glued to my bump. He leaned down and pressed a long, soft kiss to the skin of my forehead, then another to my nose, before finally resting his forehead against mine.
"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he vowed, his voice low and steady now. "If you want ice cream, I'll build a factory in the backyard. If you want the park, I'll buy the park and fence it in. No more risks, Jay-Jay. I mean it."
I smiled, knowing he was probably 90% serious about the factory. "How about we start with just staying in tonight? I think Mia and Amy are downstairs. We should probably check on them... eventually."
"Later," Keifer murmured, closing his eyes and simply holding me. "Just stay like this for a while. I need to remember that you're actually here."
I closed my eyes too, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
I leaned back slightly, looking into those dark eyes that were usually so calculating, but right now were just filled with me.
"What happened with Yuri and Ella?" I asked, my voice a quiet murmur. I needed to know if I had to keep looking over my shoulder every time I saw a black SUV.
"We gave him one more chance," Keifer said, his jaw tightening for a brief second before he forced himself to relax for my sake. "They're probably at the border of Japan right now. I made it clear—if they so much as breathe toward our territory again, they don't get a trial. They don't get a conversation. They just disappear."
I nodded slowly. In our world, "one more chance" was a massive mercy—one I knew he only gave because he wanted to get back to me as fast as possible. He chose coming home over shedding more blood, and that meant more to me than any revenge ever could.
I leaned up and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead. "Thank you for coming back for me," I whispered.
Keifer moved his hand from my belly to the back of my neck, pulling me into a deeper kiss. It wasn't like his usual hungry or demanding kisses; it was slow, grounded, and filled with a silent promise.
"Always," he breathed when he pulled away. "I'm always going to come for you, Jay-Jay. You and the little one are the only thing keeping me sane."
A soft knock came at the door, and Jare's muffled voice drifted through. "Keifer? Sorry to interrupt, but Amy and Mia are downstairs under heavy guard. They're asking for Jay. And... Aries is currently trying to figure out how to cook a three-course meal to 'make up' for the stress. We might need to intervene before he burns the kitchen down."
I laughed, the sound bright and clear in the quiet room. Keifer rolled his eyes, but a small, genuine smirk finally touched his lips.
"See?" I said, poking his chest. "Life goes on. Or at least, Aries' attempt at cooking goes on. We should go down. I want to make sure Amy is really okay."
Keifer sighed, but he rolled off me and stood up, reaching down to pull me up with him. He didn't let go of my hand as we walked toward the door.
"Fine," he grumbled. "But if the kitchen catches fire, I'm putting it out with your cotton candy."
"Don't you dare!" I joked, leaning into his side as we headed down to join the rest of our crazy, dangerous, beautiful family
"Jay Jay thank god you finally decided to show up I thought you husband was gonna keep you in there forever" Amy said giving me a hug
"Jay-Jay! Thank God you finally decided to show up. I thought your husband was going to keep you in there forever," Amy said, pulling me into a tight, relieved hug.
I hugged her back just as fiercely, feeling the familiar comfort of our friendship. We both smelled a bit like the stress of the day, but we were both standing. That was all that mattered.
"That was definitely on his to-do list," I said, leaning back to look at her. I gave her a playful wink, though I could feel Keifer's hand still possessively resting on the small of my back. "He was five seconds away from ordering the windows to be bricked up."
"I heard that," Keifer grumbled from behind me, though he didn't deny it. He nodded at Amy, his gaze softening with respect. "Glad you're okay, Amy."
"Took more than a warehouse to break me, Keifer" Amy teased, though she leaned back into Aries' side. Aries looked like he hadn't blinked in three hours; he was hovering over her with a plate of crackers and cheese as if she'd faint if she didn't eat every thirty seconds.
Mia was sitting on the sofa, her legs propped up, looking like the only calm one in the room. "The house is officially a fortress," she announced, gesturing to the dozen monitors in the corner showing the perimeter. "Jare even has drones up. If a squirrel enters the gardens without an ID card, it's getting tackled."
We all laughed, the tension finally breaking for real.
"I'm serious about the food, though," Aries said, waving a spatula he had somehow acquired. "I'm making carbonara. No one is allowed to leave this room until everyone's blood sugar is back to normal. Especially the moms-to-be."
I looked around the room—at Keifer's protective scowl, Amy's resilient smile, Mia's calm strength, and the guys' fierce loyalty. We were a mess, and our lives were a constant target, but standing here in this living room, I realized Yuri and Ella never stood a chance.
They had power, sure. But we had each other.
"Okay, Chef Aries," I said, sliding into a chair next to Mia. "But if you overcook the pasta, I'm calling Jare to handle the 'punishment' for the chef."
"Deal!" Aries shouted, disappearing back into the kitchen.
Keifer sat on the arm of my chair, his hand moving to my shoulder. For the first time in twenty-four hours, the air felt light. We were safe
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