MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Fifty-Six: The Reckoning
---
The weeks after Keizer's death were quiet.
Too quiet.
Yuri was still out there. The money was still gone. The house felt empty without him in his corner, but no one said his name anymore. He had become a ghost. A shadow. A name they whispered in the dark.
Ella was home now. She was sitting on the sofa, a blanket over her legs, a book in her hands. Aries was beside her, their hand in hers. She was healing. She was getting stronger. But her eyes were hollow. He had drugged her. He had taken her. He had left her on a cold floor like she was nothing.
Care was healing too. Her back was bandaged. Her steps were slow. Cole was beside her. She was alive. She was safe. But the scar would always be there. A reminder of the bullet meant for Jay.
Jay was in the study with Keifer. The map was still on the wall. Yuri's face was still at the center. The pins and strings spread out like a web, connecting him to Keizer, to the money, to the war. To every wound. Every scar. Every nightmare.
Mica's voice came through the speakers. "I found him."
Jay stood up. Keifer was beside her.
"Where?" Jay asked.
"Batangas. The same warehouse. He's been there for days. Waiting."
Keifer's hand tightened on hers. "Waiting for what?"
Mica was quiet for a moment. "For you. He wants to finish what he started. He wants to kill you, Keifer. He's been planning this his whole life."
---
The warehouse in Batangas was dark when they arrived.
The sun was setting. The sky was red. The trees were black. The building rose before them, rusted and silent, the same warehouse where Ella had been taken, where Care had been shot, where the war had almost ended.
Jay stood at the edge of the trees. Keifer was beside her. Freya was behind her. Lyra was in the shadows. Percy was on the roof with Aries. Rakki was at the front, her face cold, her hands ready. Ci N was with her, his phone in his pocket, his face pale. 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. Alone. 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 a single light.
It hung from the ceiling, white and harsh, casting long shadows across the floor. Yuri was standing in the center. His hands were empty. His face was calm. His red hair was dark in the light. He looked like he had been waiting for this moment his whole life.
He looked at Keifer. His eyes were cold. Empty. Dead.
"You came," Yuri said.
Keifer walked toward him. His hands were empty. His face was calm. "I came."
Yuri smiled. It was not a smile. It was a blade. "I've been waiting for this. For years. Since the day you married her. Since the day you took her. Since the day she chose you over me."
Jay stepped forward. "Yuri. This is over. The money is gone. Keizer is dead. There's nothing left to fight for."
Yuri looked at her. His face softened. Just for a moment. Just enough to see what he had been. What he could have been.
"You," he said. "You were the only thing I ever wanted. And you never saw me. You never looked at me. You never—" His voice cracked. Then it hardened. "You chose him. You chose the man who had everything. The man who was born with everything. While I—" He stopped.
Keifer stepped closer. "Yuri. This isn't you. You saved Ella. You saved Care. You saved me. You're not—"
"Don't." Yuri's voice was ice. "Don't pretend to know me. You never knew me. You never saw me. None of you did. I was a weapon. A tool. Something your father made. And when I finally became something else—something more—you threw me away."
Percy walked into the light. His face was pale. His hands were empty. "We didn't throw you away. You left. You took the money. You took Ella. You—"
"I took what was mine." Yuri's voice was rising. "I took what I deserved. Years of watching. Years of waiting. Years of being nothing. I took what your father promised me. And when I had it, I still had nothing. Because she didn't see me. She never saw me."
He looked at Jay. His eyes were burning. "I loved you. I loved you from the first day. And you never looked at me. You never once looked at me."
Jay's face was calm. Her voice was steady. "Yuri. I didn't know."
He laughed. It was a broken sound. "You didn't know because you never wanted to know. You saw him. You only saw him. And I was nothing. I was always nothing."
He pulled out a gun.
The room went still. Everyone moved. Freya's hand went to her knife. Lyra stepped out of the shadows. Percy stepped in front of Aries. Rakki moved to the side, her hand in her jacket. Ci N stepped forward, his face pale, his hands empty, but he was beside Rakki. He was always beside Rakki.
Yuri's gun was pointed at Keifer. His hands were steady. His face was calm.
"I should have killed you the day you married her," Yuri said. "I should have killed you when you took her. I should have killed you when she chose you. When she loved you. When she gave you everything I wanted."
Keifer didn't move. His hands were empty. His face was calm. "Then do it."
Yuri's finger was on the trigger. His eyes were on Keifer. His hand was steady.
"I loved her," Yuri said. "I loved her and she chose you. She always chose you."
Keifer stepped closer. His face was inches from the gun. "I know."
Jay moved. She was between Yuri and Keifer before the gun fired. Her body was in front of his. Her arms were open. Her face was calm.
The bullet hit her in the shoulder.
She fell. Keifer caught her. His arms were around her. His face was white. "Jay! Jay!"
She looked at him. Her face was pale. Her lips were moving. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
He pressed his hands against her shoulder. The blood was warm. It was everywhere. "Why? Why did you—"
She smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "Because I chose you. I always choose you."
---
Yuri stared at the gun in his hands. At the blood on the floor. At Jay in Keifer's arms. His face was white. His hands were steady.
"She chose you," Yuri said. "She chose you and she's going to die for you."
He raised the gun again. His face was calm. His eyes were empty.
"No one is going to save you now," Yuri said. "No one is going to stop me. I've waited too long. I've sacrificed too much. I've become something you can't even imagine. All for this moment. All to see you fall."
He smiled. It was cold. Cruel. The smile of a man who had nothing left to lose.
"You took everything from me, Keifer. Your father took my childhood. Your family made me a weapon. And then you took her. You took the only thing that ever made me feel like I was human. So now I'm going to take everything from you."
He aimed at Keifer's chest. His hand was steady. His eyes were dead.
"Goodbye," Yuri said.
---
Rakki moved.
She was fast. She was silent. She had been waiting. She had been watching. She had been ready since the day Yuri took Ella. Since the day he drugged her and left her on a cold floor. Since the day he shot Care. Since the day he broke Percy's heart. Since the day he made Jay bleed.
Ci N was beside her. His face was pale. His hands were empty. He didn't try to stop her. He knew. He always knew what she was capable of. He loved her anyway.
Her hand was in her jacket. Her face was calm. Her eyes were cold.
The knife was small. Thin. The kind of knife that could disappear in a sleeve, a pocket, the palm of a hand. Her side hustle. The thing she did when no one was watching. The thing she did when someone needed to die.
She moved behind Yuri. Her face was calm. Her eyes were steady.
"You shot her," Rakki said.
Yuri didn't turn. His gun was still aimed at Keifer. "She got in the way. She always got in the way."
Rakki's knife was at his throat. Her face was close to his. "You drugged Ella. You left her on the floor like she was nothing. You shot Care. You broke Percy. You took everything from us."
Yuri's face didn't change. "I took what was mine."
Rakki's hand was steady. Her voice was low. "You were never one of us. You were always a monster. We just didn't want to see it."
Yuri smiled. "Maybe. But I loved her. I loved her more than any of you ever could."
Rakki's eyes were cold. "You don't know what love is. You never did."
She pulled the knife across his throat.
---
Yuri fell.
His body was light. His face was pale. The blood was red on his white shirt, spreading fast, blooming like a flower. Percy was there. He caught him. His arms were around him. His face was white.
"Yuri," Percy said. "Yuri."
Yuri's eyes were open. His face was pale. His lips were moving. "Percy."
Percy's hands were on his neck. The blood was warm. It was everywhere. "Why? Why did you do this? Why?"
Yuri smiled. It was small. Cruel. Empty. "Because I wanted to. Because I hated him. Because I hated all of you."
Percy's face was wet. "You were my brother."
Yuri's eyes were closing. His hand was on Percy's face. "I was never your brother. I was never anyone's brother. I was a weapon. And now I'm nothing."
His hand fell. His eyes closed. His chest was still.
"Yuri!" Percy screamed. "Yuri!"
---
Care was there. She pushed Percy aside. Her hands were on Yuri's neck. Her face was calm. Her voice was steady. "He's gone. The artery is cut. There's too much blood."
Percy stared at her. His face was white. "No. No. He can't be gone. He can't—"
Care looked at him. Her face was soft. "He's gone, Percy. He's gone."
Percy fell. Aries caught him. Their arms were around him. Their face was wet. "I'm here. I'm here."
Percy held them. His hands were shaking. His face was in their hair. "He was my brother. He was my brother and he was gone and I didn't—I couldn't—"
Aries held him tighter. "I know. I know."
---
Rakki stood at the edge of the light. Her knife was red. Her hands were steady. Her face was calm.
Ci N walked to her. He stood beside her. His hand found hers. His fingers were warm. His face was pale. But he didn't pull away.
"You did what had to be done," Ci N said.
Rakki looked at her knife. At the blood. At Yuri on the floor. At the monster who had hurt them all.
"I know," she said.
Ci N squeezed her hand. "He was never going to stop. He was never going to change. He was always going to be what Keizer made him."
Rakki looked at Jay in Keifer's arms. At the blood on her shoulder. At the pale face. At the eyes that were open.
"He shot her," Rakki said. "He shot her and he was going to kill Keifer. He was going to kill all of us."
Ci N pulled her close. His arms were around her. His face was in her hair. "You saved them."
Rakki held him. Her hands were steady. Her heart was pounding. "I saved them."
Ci N pulled back. His hands were on her face. His eyes were steady. "I love you. You know that, right? I love you. Even when you do things like this. Even when you—"
She kissed him. Quick. Hard. A kiss that said everything she couldn't say. A kiss that said she was scared. She was tired. She was his.
He kissed her back. His hands were in her hair. His heart was pounding.
"I love you too," she said.
He smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "I know."
---
Jay opened her eyes.
Keifer was beside her. His face was white. His hands were red. His eyes were on her.
"You're awake," he said.
She looked at him. His face was close. His eyes were steady. "I'm awake."
He kissed her forehead. His lips were cold. "You scared me."
She smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "I scared myself."
He pulled her close. His arms were around her. His face was in her hair. "Don't do that again."
She held him. Her hands were weak. Her heart was full. "I won't."
He pulled back. His hands were on her face. His eyes were steady. "Yuri is dead. Rakki—"
"I know," Jay said. She looked at the floor. At Yuri's body. At the blood. At the monster who had loved her. Who had hated her. Who had tried to destroy them all.
"He's gone," she said.
Keifer held her. "He's gone."
---
Percy stood at the door of the warehouse.
The sun was rising. The sky was gold. The body was gone. The blood was washed away. But the memory would stay. It would always stay.
Aries was beside him. Their hand was in his.
"He was my brother," Percy said. "He was my brother and I didn't know him. I didn't know any of it."
Aries squeezed his hand. "None of us knew."
Percy looked at the sky. At the sun. At the light that was coming. "I should have seen it. I should have seen him. I should have—"
Aries pulled him close. Their arms were around him. "You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."
Percy held them. His face was in their hair. "I know."
---
Rakki stood at the edge of the water.
The port was quiet. The boats were still. The sun was rising. Ci N was beside her. Their hands were together.
"You're thinking," Ci N said.
Rakki looked at the water. At the light. At the place where the sun met the sea. "I'm always thinking."
Ci N squeezed her hand. "He would have killed them. He would have killed Keifer. He would have killed Jay. He would have killed all of us."
Rakki nodded. "I know."
Ci N pulled her close. His arms were around her. "You saved them."
Rakki held him. Her hands were steady. "I saved them."
He kissed her forehead. "I love you."
She looked at him. His face was close. His eyes were steady. "I love you too."
---
The sun was rising over Manila.
The city was waking up. The war was over. Yuri was gone. Keizer was gone. The money was still missing. But they were alive. They were together. They would rebuild.
Jay sat in the car, her shoulder bandaged, her hand in Keifer's. Percy was in the back, Aries beside him, their hand in his. Rakki was driving, Ci N beside her, their hands together. Care was in the van with Cole, her bag open, her hands ready. Lyra was with Alex, her face blank, her hand in his. Freya was with Erdix, her arms crossed, her eyes on the road.
Ella was in the car with them. She was looking out the window, at the city, at the light, at the sun.
"Are you okay?" Aries asked.
Ella looked at them. Her face was pale. Her eyes were tired. "He's gone."
Aries took her hand. "He's gone."
Ella looked at the window. At the light. "He was alone. He was always alone. And I couldn't save him. I couldn't—"
Aries pulled her close. "You tried. You tried to save him. You tried to make him choose. But he chose this. He chose this path a long time ago."
Ella held them. Her face was in their shoulder. "I know."
---
Jay looked at Keifer. His face was tired. His eyes were dark.
"It's over," she said.
He looked at her. "It's over."
She leaned against him. Her head was on his shoulder. "What happens now?"
He kissed her hair. "Now we live. Now we heal. Now we rebuild."
She looked at the window. At the city. At the home that was waiting.
"Together," she said.
"Together," he said.
---
END OF CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX