MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Seventy-Two: The Search Begins
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The morning after Lyra disappeared, the house was silent.
No one had slept. No one had eaten. No one had moved from the places where they had been sitting since they returned from the street. Percy was in the corner. Lyra's corner. His hands were in his pockets. His face was blank. Aries was beside him, their hand on his back.
Care was in the medical room, checking supplies, organizing bandages, doing anything to keep her hands busy. Cole was beside her, watching, waiting. Grace was with Denzel at the window. Kit was with Mayo on the sofa. Freya was with Erdix at the door. Rakki was with Ci N at the table. Ella was with Mica at the laptop. Calix was beside them.
Alex was in the hospital. His leg was healing. He was asking for Lyra. He was always asking for Lyra.
Jay stood at the window of the study. Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers.
"We have to find her," Jay said.
Keifer looked at her. "She doesn't want to be found."
Jay turned to face him. "I don't care. She's alive. She's out there. And she's alone. She's been alone for months. She's been protecting us, saving us, watching us. And she's been alone."
Keifer pulled her close. "Then we find her. We bring her home."
Jay held him. "We bring her home."
---
The meeting was called for noon.
The living room was full. Percy was in the armchair, his face pale, his hands empty. Aries was beside him. Ci N was on the sofa, his phone in his hand, his face hard. Felix was beside him. Care was with Cole, her face calm, her hands steady. Grace was with Denzel. Kit was with Mayo. Freya was with Erdix. Rakki was with Ci N. Ella was with Mica.
Mica was at her laptop. Her fingers were moving. Her face was focused.
"I've been tracking her," Mica said. "Since the night she disappeared. She's been moving. Safe houses. Empty apartments. Abandoned buildings. She doesn't stay in one place for more than a day."
Jay stood at the center. Keifer was beside her. "Where is she now?"
Mica's fingers moved. "She was in Pasay last night. An abandoned warehouse near the port. She left this morning. Before dawn. She's gone again."
Percy stood up. His face was hard. "Then we go to Pasay. We find where she was. We find where she's going. We—"
Mica shook her head. "I've tried. She's too good. She leaves no trace. No cameras. No witnesses. No nothing. She's been doing this for months. She knows how to disappear."
Jay walked to the map. The pins and strings were back. Lyra's face was at the center. The woman who was alive. The woman who was hiding. The woman who was waiting.
"Then we make her come to us," Jay said.
---
Alex was discharged from the hospital three days later.
His leg was bandaged. His steps were slow. His face was pale. He walked through the doors of the house, his eyes on the corner, on the place where she used to stand. It was empty. It was always empty.
Jay was at the door. She took his arm. "You should be resting."
He looked at her. "I need to find her."
She walked with him to the living room. "We will. We're going to find her."
He sat on the sofa. His hands were empty. His eyes were on the corner. "She was right there. I saw her face. I touched her. She was right there and she left."
Jay sat beside him. "She left to protect you. She left to keep you safe."
He looked at her. His face was wet. "I don't want to be safe. I want her."
Jay took his hand. "We're going to find her. We're going to bring her home. And when we do, you're going to tell her that. You're going to tell her everything."
He held her hand. "I will."
---
The days passed. The search continued.
Mica tracked every camera. Freya tracked every street. Rakki tracked every shadow. Honey tracked every signal. There was nothing. Lyra had disappeared. She had become a ghost again.
Percy stood in the corner. Her corner. His hands were in his pockets. His face was blank.
"She's out there," Percy said. "She's out there and she's alone."
Aries stood beside him. "She's protecting us. She's always protecting us."
Percy looked at them. "She should be here. She should be home. She should—"
His voice cracked. He couldn't finish.
Aries pulled him close. "She will be. When it's safe. When it's over. She'll come home."
Percy held them. "I miss her."
Aries held him. "I know."
---
Care was in the garden. The flowers were dead. The grass was brown. The steps were gone. The place where Lyra had stood was empty.
Cole was beside her. "You're thinking."
She looked at him. "I'm always thinking."
He took her hand. "We're going to find her."
She looked at the corner. At the empty space. At the place where her friend used to stand. "She saved my life. She took a bullet for Jay. She saved Alex. She saved all of us. And she's been out there alone. For months."
Cole pulled her close. "She's strong. She's survived everything. She'll survive this."
Care held him. "I know."
---
Alex was in the corner at midnight.
His leg was healing. His steps were slow. His hands were empty. He stood where she used to stand. He watched the street where she used to watch. He waited.
The street was empty. The lamps were flickering. The fog was low. He closed his eyes. He saw her face. Her blank face. Her empty eyes. Her small smile. Her hand in his. Her voice in his ear.
"I love you," Lyra had said. "I love you."
He opened his eyes. The corner was empty. The street was dark. The fog was thick.
"Lyra," he said. "I know you're out there. I know you're watching. I know you're protecting us. But I need you to come home. I need you to come back. I need you to—"
His voice cracked. He stopped.
The street was silent. The fog was still. The corner was empty.
He waited. She didn't come.
---
The call came at three in the morning.
Jay's phone buzzed. She looked at the screen. Unknown number. Her heart stopped. Her hands were shaking. She answered.
"Jay," the voice said. Low. Familiar. Lyra.
"Lyra." Jay's voice was cracking. "Where are you? We've been looking for you. We've been—"
"I know." Lyra's voice was quiet. "I know you've been looking. I know you've been searching. I know you've been waiting."
Jay stood up. Keifer was awake beside her. "Then come home. Come back to us. We need you. Alex needs you. He's—"
"I can't." Lyra's voice was steady. "Not yet. It's not safe. They're still out there. Michel's men. Sato's men. Ram's men. They're still watching. They're still waiting. And if I come back, they'll come for all of you."
Jay's hands were shaking. "We can protect you. We can protect all of us. We—"
"You can't protect me from myself." Lyra's voice was soft. "I've been running for months. I've been hiding for months. I've been protecting you from the shadows. And I'm going to keep protecting you. Until it's safe. Until it's over."
Jay's face was wet. "When will it be over? When will it be safe? When will you come home?"
Lyra was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. But I will. When it's over. When it's safe. I'll come home."
Jay held the phone tighter. "Alex is waiting for you. He's been waiting for you. He loves you. He's always loved you."
Lyra's voice cracked. "I know."
"Then come back. Come back to him. Come back to us. Please."
The line was silent. Jay thought she was gone. Then Lyra's voice came through. Low. Breaking.
"Tell him I love him. Tell him I'm sorry. Tell him I'll come back. When it's safe. When it's over. I'll come back."
The line went dead.
---
Jay stood at the window. The phone was in her hand. Her face was wet. Keifer was beside her. His arm was around her.
"She called," Jay said. "She said she loves him. She said she'll come back. When it's safe. When it's over."
Keifer held her. "Then we make it safe. We make it over. We find the men who are still out there. We stop them. We end this. For her. For all of them."
Jay looked at him. "For Lyra."
He kissed her forehead. "For Lyra."
---
The morning came. Jay walked to the corner. Alex was there. His hands were in his pockets. His face was blank. His eyes were on the window where she used to watch.
"She called," Jay said.
He didn't turn. "I know."
Jay stood beside him. "She said she loves you. She said she's sorry. She said she'll come back. When it's safe. When it's over."
Alex's face was wet. "When will that be? When will it be safe? When will it be over?"
Jay took his hand. "We're going to make it safe. We're going to make it over. We're going to find the men who are still out there. We're going to stop them. We're going to end this. For her. For all of us."
Alex looked at her. His face was hard. "Then let's start."
---
END OF CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO