MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Forty-Seven: The Bullet
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The warehouse was dark when they arrived.
The sun was not yet up. The sky was gray. The water was black. The building rose before them, rusted and silent, the place where Jay had almost died, the place where Lyra had taken a knife in her side, the place where the war was supposed to have ended.
Jay stood at the entrance. Keifer was beside her. Freya was behind her. Lyra was in the shadows. Ci N was in the van with Felix, his phone in his hand, his face pale. Percy was on the roof with Aries and Yuri. Rakki was at the front. Mayo and Kit were at the back. Grace and Denzel were at the side entrance. Care was at the van, her medical bag open, her hands ready. Cole was beside her.
Mica's voice was in Jay's ear. "He's inside. Fifty men. Maybe more. He's waiting for you."
Jay's hand went to her knife. "Then let's not keep him waiting."
She walked through the door.
---
The warehouse was lit with torches.
The light was orange. The shadows were long. The crates were stacked high, the same crates that had held the weapons, the same crates that had held the war. At the center of it all, a man was standing. He was tall. His hair was dark. His face was sharp. He was smiling.
Jason.
He looked at Jay. His eyes were cold. "Jasper Jean Mariano. I've heard so much about you."
Jay walked toward him. Her knife was in her hand. Her face was calm. "You should have stayed hidden."
He laughed. It was a cold sound. "I've been hiding for years. Watching. Waiting. Your uncle was weak. The man in Singapore was old. They didn't have the stomach to finish what they started."
He stepped closer. His hands were empty. His eyes were bright. "But I do."
---
The fight began.
Men poured from the shadows. Freya was there, her knife moving, her face sharp. Rakki was at the front, her chaos banked into something cold. Mayo and Kit were at the back, fighting together, their voices low. Grace and Denzel were at the side, their fists bloody, their faces hard.
Percy was on the roof, his gun drawn, his voice loud. Aries was beside him, their hands steady. Yuri was behind them, his face cold, his eyes scanning.
Jay moved through the warehouse. Her knife was red. Her face was calm. Keifer was beside her, his gun drawn, his eyes sharp. They moved together, back to back, the way they had learned in the garden, the way they had learned in the war.
Jason was at the center, watching. His hands were empty. His face was smiling.
"You're strong," Jason said. "Stronger than your uncle. Stronger than your father. Stronger than any of them."
Jay walked toward him. Her knife was in her hand. "I'm stronger than you."
He laughed. "We'll see."
---
The shot came from the shadows.
Jay heard it before she saw it. The crack of glass. The whistle of air. The sound of something moving too fast, too close.
She turned. The gun was aimed at her chest. The man was hidden in the crates, his finger on the trigger, his eyes on her.
She didn't have time to move.
Lyra moved.
She was there before Jay could think. Her body was between Jay and the gun. Her arms were open. Her face was blank.
The bullet hit her chest.
She fell. Her body was light. Her face was pale. The blood was red on her white shirt, spreading fast, blooming like a flower.
Jay caught her. She was on the ground, Lyra in her arms, the blood warm on her hands.
"Lyra," Jay said. "Lyra."
Lyra's eyes were open. Her face was pale. Her lips were moving.
"Jay," she whispered. "Are you okay?"
Jay was crying. She didn't know when she had started crying. "I'm okay. I'm okay. You saved me."
Lyra smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "I always save you."
Her eyes closed. Her hand went limp.
"Lyra!" Jay screamed. "Lyra!"
---
Keifer was there. He was on his knees beside her. His hands were on Lyra's chest. His face was pale.
"Care!" he shouted. "CARE!"
Care was running. Her bag was open. Her hands were steady. She dropped beside Lyra. Her face was calm. Her voice was steady.
"She's breathing. She's breathing. I need pressure. I need light. I need—"
Cole was beside her. His hands were on the wound. His face was white. "She's losing too much blood."
Care looked at Jay. Jay was holding Lyra's hand. Her face was wet. Her hands were red.
"Jay," Care said. "Jay, look at me."
Jay looked at her. Her face was blank. Her eyes were not.
"She's going to be okay," Care said. "She's going to be okay. But I need you to stay with me. I need you to stay with her."
Jay nodded. Her hands tightened on Lyra's. "I'm here. I'm here."
---
Jason was standing at the center. His hands were empty. His face was calm.
"She's not going to make it," he said. "She took a bullet for you. She's going to die for you."
Jay stood up. Her knife was in her hand. Her face was blank.
"You're going to die for her," she said.
She moved. Jason moved. His knife was in his hand. His face was cold. They met in the center of the warehouse, the torches burning, the shadows long.
He was fast. She was faster. He was strong. She was stronger. She had been fighting her whole life. She had been trained by her father, by the war, by the blood. He had been hiding in the shadows, waiting, watching, planning.
He never had a chance.
Her knife found his chest. His eyes went wide. His mouth opened. His knife fell.
"You should have stayed hidden," she said.
He fell. The blood was black in the torchlight. His eyes were open. His hands were empty.
Jay stood over him. Her knife was red. Her face was blank.
---
The warehouse was quiet when she turned.
The men were down. The fight was over. The war was finished. Lyra was on the ground, Care beside her, Cole's hands on her chest. The blood was still spreading. The white shirt was red.
Jay walked to her. She knelt beside her. She took her hand.
"Lyra," she said. "Lyra, you're going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
The ambulance came at dawn.
Lyra was on a stretcher. Her face was pale. Her eyes were closed. Her hand was in Jay's. Alex was beside her, his face white, his hands shaking. He had been in the van. He had been waiting. He had heard the shot. He had run. He had seen her fall.
He was holding her other hand. His voice was low. "Lyra. Lyra, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
They put her in the ambulance. Care was beside her. Cole was driving. The doors closed. The sirens started.
Alex climbed in beside her. His hand was in hers. His face was wet.
"I love you," he said. "I love you, Lyra Kulkarni. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
The ambulance drove away. The lights were red. The sirens were loud. The sun was rising.
---
The hospital was white.
The lights were bright. The walls were clean. The air smelled like antiseptic and something else, something that made her stomach turn. Jay sat in the waiting room. Her dress was red. Her hands were red. Her face was blank.
Keifer was beside her. His arm was around her. His face was pale.
"She's going to be okay," he said. "She's going to be okay."
She didn't answer.
Percy was in the corner, his face white, his hands shaking. Aries was beside him, their hand in his. Yuri was behind them, his arms crossed, his face cold, but his eyes were on the door.
Ci N was on the floor, his phone in his hand, his face pale. Felix was beside him, his hand on Ci N's arm.
Freya was at the door, her arms crossed, her face sharp. Erdix was beside her. Rakki was on the floor, her head in Mayo's lap. Mica was at the table, her laptop open, her fingers still. Ella was in the chair by the window, her hands folded, her face soft. Care was in the hallway, her hands still red, her face pale. Cole was beside her.
Grace was at the back, her fists still bloody. Denzel was beside her. Kit was with Mayo, their voices low.
They were all waiting. They were all watching the door.
---
The doctor came out at noon.
He was old. His face was tired. His scrubs were wrinkled. He looked at the waiting room, at the people scattered across the chairs, the floor, the walls.
"Family of Lyra Kulkarni?" he asked.
Alex stood up. His face was white. His hands were shaking. "I'm her fiancé."
The doctor looked at him. At his hands. At his face. "She's out of surgery. The bullet missed her heart by an inch. She's lost a lot of blood. She's in a coma."
Alex's face went white. "A coma?"
The doctor nodded. "Her body needs time to heal. She's strong. She's fighting. We're hopeful. But we don't know when she'll wake up."
Alex's knees buckled. Cole caught him. Held him up.
"She's going to be okay," Cole said. "She's going to be okay."
Alex looked at the door. At the hallway where she was waiting. "Can I see her?"
The doctor nodded. "She's in room 304. You can sit with her. Talk to her. She might be able to hear you."
Alex walked to the door. His steps were slow. His hands were empty.
He didn't look back.
---
Jay stood at the window of Lyra's room.
The room was white. The machines were beeping. Lyra was on the bed, her face pale, her eyes closed, her hand in Alex's. He was sitting beside her, his head on the bed, his voice low.
"You're going to be okay," Alex was saying. "You're going to wake up. You're going to yell at me. You're going to stand in your corner. You're going to—"
His voice cracked. He stopped. He held her hand. He didn't let go.
Jay watched them. Her hands were still red. Her face was blank.
Keifer was behind her. His hand was on her shoulder.
"She saved me," Jay said. "She took a bullet for me. She almost died for me."
Keifer pulled her close. His arms were around her. His face was in her hair.
"She saved you," he said. "She saved all of us. She's strong. She's going to wake up."
Jay leaned against him. Her hands were shaking. "She has to wake up."
He held her. "She will."
---
The days passed.
Alex didn't leave. He sat beside her bed. He held her hand. He talked to her. He told her about the house. About the garden. About the corner that was waiting for her. He told her about the ring on her finger, the gold, the diamond, the promise he had made.
He told her he loved her. He told her he would wait. He told her she was not alone.
Jay came every day. She sat on the other side of the bed. She held Lyra's other hand. She told her about the warehouse. About the fight. About Jason. She told her the war was over. She told her she was safe. She told her she was sorry.
Care came every day. She checked the machines. She checked the bandages. She checked Lyra's pulse. Her face was calm. Her hands were steady. "She's healing," Care said. "She's strong. She's fighting."
Ci N came every day. He sat in the corner. He didn't record. He just sat there, his phone in his pocket, his face pale. Felix was beside him. His hand was in Ci N's.
Percy came every day. He brought flowers. He brought food. He brought noise. He talked to Lyra like she was awake. He told her about the garden. About the flowers. About the steps where she used to stand. He told her to come back.
Aries came with him. Their face was calm. Their eyes were soft. Yuri came too. He stood in the corner, his arms crossed, his face cold. But he was there. He was waiting.
Freya came. Erdix came. Rakki came. Mayo came. Kit came. Mica came. Calix came. Ella came. Grace came. Denzel came. They all came. They all waited.
---
The tenth day, Alex was alone.
Jay had gone to get coffee. Keifer was with her. The room was quiet. The machines were beeping. Lyra's face was pale. Her hand was in his.
He was talking to her. He was always talking to her.
"You're missing the garden," he said. "The flowers are blooming. The roses are red. The steps are waiting. Your corner is empty. It's not the same without you."
He kissed her hand. Her fingers were cold.
"I love you," he said. "I love you, Lyra Kulkarni. I love your corner. I love the way you watch the street. I love the way you protect the people you love. I love the way you held a knife to my throat and didn't cut."
He laughed. It was a small sound. Tired. Sad.
"You're going to wake up. You're going to yell at me. You're going to stand in your corner. And I'm going to be there. I'm always going to be there."
He put his head on the bed. He closed his eyes. He held her hand.
He didn't see her fingers move. He didn't see her eyes open.
He didn't hear her voice.
"Alex."
He looked up. Her eyes were open. Her face was pale. Her lips were moving.
"Lyra," he said. "Lyra."
She smiled. It was small. Tired. Real.
"I'm here," she said.
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. A kiss that promised everything.
She kissed him back.
---
END OF CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN