MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Fifty-Four: The Traitor
---
The warehouse in Batangas was dark when they arrived.
The sun was not yet up. The sky was gray. The trees were black. The building rose before them, rusted and silent, the same warehouse where her uncle had stored the weapons, the same warehouse where Lyra had taken a knife in her side, the same warehouse 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. 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. "The car is inside. No movement. No lights. They could be waiting."
Jay's hand went to her knife. "Then let's not keep them waiting."
She walked through the door.
---
The warehouse was empty.
The car was there. Black. Windows dark. Plates covered. But the men were gone. The weapons were gone. The lights were off. The only light came from the floodlights outside, white and harsh, casting long shadows across the floor.
Jay walked to the car. The doors were open. The seats were empty. She looked inside. Nothing.
"She's not here," Keifer said.
Jay looked at the warehouse. At the shadows. At the crates. At the stairs that led up. "She's here. I can feel her."
Percy came down from the roof. His face was pale. "There's nothing up there. No one. Nothing."
Freya was at the back. "Empty."
Rakki was at the front. "Empty."
Lyra was in the shadows. Her voice was low. "There's something here. Something we're not seeing."
Jay walked to the center of the warehouse. She looked at the floor. At the dust. At the marks. At the trail that led to the stairs.
"She's here," Jay said. "She's here."
---
They found her at the top of the stairs.
Ella was lying on the floor, her face pale, her eyes closed, her hands at her sides. Her dress was white. Her hair was spread around her. She looked like she was sleeping. She looked like she was dead.
Aries was there first.
They dropped beside her. Their hands were on her face. Their voice was shaking. "Ella. Ella, wake up. Ella."
She didn't move.
Aries's hands were trembling. Their face was white. "Ella. Please. Please wake up."
Care was there. Her hands were on Ella's neck. Her face was calm. Her voice was steady. "She's alive. She's breathing. Her pulse is weak, but she's alive."
Aries's hands were shaking. "What's wrong with her? Why won't she wake up?"
Care looked at Ella's eyes. At her pupils. At her face. "They drugged her. Something strong. She needs a hospital. Now."
Aries held Ella's hand. Their fingers were shaking. Their face was wet. "Ella. I'm here. I'm here. You're going to be okay."
They looked at her pale face. At her closed eyes. At the woman they had loved for so long. The woman they had been too afraid to tell. The woman who might never know.
"Ella," Aries said. Their voice was low. Their hands were steady. "I need to tell you something. I need to tell you before you wake up. Before everything changes."
They took a breath. Their hand was in hers.
"I love you," Aries said. "I've loved you since the first day I saw you. Since you walked into Keifer's house with your quiet voice and your steady hands. Since you sat beside Jay's bed in the hospital and didn't leave. Since you made tea for everyone and never asked for anything in return."
They squeezed her hand. Their voice cracked.
"I've been too scared to tell you. Too scared that you didn't feel the same. Too scared that I would lose you if you knew. But I can't lose you without telling you. I can't lose you without you knowing."
They looked at her face. At her closed eyes. At her pale lips.
"I love you, Ella. I love you. And I'm going to tell you again when you wake up. Every day. For the rest of my life. I'm going to tell you."
They kissed her hand. They held it to their face. Their tears were on her skin.
Ci N was beside them. His voice was low. "She's going to wake up, Aries. She's going to wake up and you're going to tell her. And she's going to say it back. Because she loves you too. Anyone can see it."
Aries looked at him. Their face was wet. "You think so?"
Ci N smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "I know so. Now let me help her."
---
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 man was behind her. His gun was raised. His eyes were on her. She didn't have time to move.
Care moved.
She was there before Jay could think. Her body was between Jay and the gun. Her arms were open. Her face was calm.
The bullet hit her in the back.
She fell. Her body was light. Her face was pale. The blood was red on her white shirt, spreading fast, blooming like a flower.
"Care!" Jay screamed.
She caught her. She was on the ground, Care in her arms, the blood warm on her hands.
Care'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."
Care smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "I always save you."
Her eyes closed. Her hand went limp.
"Care!" Jay screamed. "Care!"
---
Cole was there.
He dropped beside Care. His hands were on her back. His face was white. His voice was steady. "Care. Care, look at me."
She didn't move.
Cole's hands were shaking. His voice was cracking. "Care. Please. Please look at me."
Care's eyes opened. Just a slit. Just enough.
"Cole," she whispered.
He kissed her forehead. His face was wet. "I'm here. I'm here. You're going to be okay."
She smiled. "You're annoying."
He laughed. It was a broken sound. "I know."
---
Ci N stood up.
His face was pale. His hands were steady. He looked at Care on the ground. At Cole beside her. At Ella on the floor. At Aries holding her hand. At the blood that was everywhere.
"I'm a doctor," Ci N said. His voice was low. "I was a doctor before the war. Before everything. I can help them."
Percy looked at him. "You're a doctor?"
Ci N dropped beside Care. His hands were on her back. His face was calm. His voice was steady. "I need pressure. I need light. I need my bag."
Felix was there. His bag was in his hands. "I have it. I have everything."
Ci N's hands moved. Fast. Precise. The hands of someone who had done this before. The hands of someone who had been trained.
"She's losing blood," Ci N said. "But the bullet went through. It missed her spine. It missed her heart. She's going to be okay."
Cole's hands were on Care's face. His voice was low. "She's going to be okay."
Ci N looked at him. "She's going to be okay."
He moved to Ella. His hands were on her neck. On her pulse. On her face. "She's been drugged. Something strong. But she's stable. She needs a hospital. But she's going to be okay."
Aries held Ella's hand tighter. "She's going to be okay."
Ci N stood up. His face was calm. His hands were steady. "Now let's finish this."
---
The fight was not over.
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. Grace and Denzel were at the side, their fists bloody.
Percy was on the stairs, his gun drawn, his voice loud. His face was hard. He was fighting for Ella. For Aries. For all of them.
Jay moved through the warehouse. Her knife was red. Her face was calm. Keifer was beside her, his gun drawn, his eyes sharp.
They cleared the warehouse. Every corner. Every crate. Every shadow. The men were down. The guns were silent. The blood was on the floor.
But Yuri was not there.
---
Mica's voice came through the speakers. "I've tracked Yuri. He's not in the warehouse. He hasn't been here for two days."
Jay stood in the center of the warehouse. Her knife was red. Her face was pale. "Two days?"
"He left two days ago. Right after he took Ella. He drugged her. He left her here. And then he disappeared."
Percy's face was white. "He left her? He left her alone?"
"He left her where we would find her. Where she would be safe." Mica's voice was quiet. "He didn't want to hurt her. He wanted to protect her."
"Protect her from what?" Percy's voice was rising. "From him? From—"
"From Keizer," Mica said. "From what was coming. He knew Keizer would come for her. He knew Keizer would use her to hurt us. So he took her first. He kept her safe. And then he disappeared."
Keifer walked to the center. His face was calm. His eyes were dark. "Where is he now?"
Mica was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. He's gone. He wiped everything. His phone. His accounts. His tracks. He doesn't want to be found."
---
Freya found the letter.
It was on the dashboard of the black car. White paper. Black ink. One word on the envelope.
Jay.
She brought it to Jay. Her face was pale. Her hands were steady.
Jay opened it. Her hands were shaking.
Jay,
By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I've been gone for two days. I've been planning this for longer than you know.
I took the money from Keifer's accounts. All of it. Every dollar. Every account. I've been taking it for years. Keizer wanted me to destroy his son. He wanted me to leave him with nothing. He wanted me to break him.
I did what I was told. I took the money. I watched. I waited. I was supposed to destroy him. I was supposed to destroy all of you.
But then you came.
You walked into Keifer's house with your bruises and your stitches and your cold eyes. You stood in the corner and you looked at him like he was the enemy. Like he was the one who had taken everything from you.
I watched you. I watched you fight. I watched you bleed. I watched you fall in love with him.
And I hated him for it.
I hated him because he had what I wanted. He had what I could never have. He had you.
I loved you, Jay. I've loved you since the first day I saw you. Since you walked into that house and looked at Keifer like he was nothing. Since you held a knife to his throat and told him you would kill him. Since you laughed in the garden when he threw mud at your face.
I loved you. And you never saw me.
You never saw me standing in the corner. You never saw me watching. You never saw me waiting. You never saw me at all.
So I did what I was trained to do. I destroyed. I took the money. I took Ella. I took everything I could. Not for Keizer. Not for the war. For me.
Because if I couldn't have you, then he couldn't either.
I wanted to break him. I wanted to destroy him. I wanted him to know what it felt like to lose everything.
But I couldn't hurt her.
Ella. She was the only one who saw me. She was the only one who looked at me like I was something other than a weapon. She was the only one who asked me to choose. Who asked me to be better.
I couldn't hurt her. I couldn't let Keizer hurt her. So I took her. I kept her safe. And then I let her go.
I'm sorry for what I've done. I'm sorry for the money. I'm sorry for the lies. I'm sorry for Ella. I'm sorry for all of it.
But I'm not sorry for loving you.
I'm not sorry for that.
Yuri
---
Jay read the letter twice. Three times. Her hands were shaking. Her face was pale.
Keifer was beside her. His hand was on her back. His face was calm. "Jay."
She looked at him. Her eyes were wet. "He loved me. He loved me and I never knew."
Keifer pulled her close. His arms were around her. "I know."
She held him. Her hands were shaking. "He did all of this because he loved me. Because he wanted to hurt you. Because he wanted to—"
"It's not your fault." Keifer's voice was steady. "It's not your fault."
She pulled back. Her face was wet. "He was there the whole time. Standing in the corner. Watching. Waiting. And I never saw him. I never—"
She stopped. Her voice cracked.
Keifer took her face in his hands. His eyes were steady. "You didn't know. None of us knew."
She looked at him. The man she loved. The man Yuri had tried to destroy.
"We have to find him," she said. "We have to find him before Keizer does."
Keifer nodded. "We will."
---
Percy read the letter. His face was white. His hands were shaking.
"He loved her," Percy said. "Yuri loved Jay. He loved her the whole time."
Aries was beside him. Their face was calm. Their eyes were not. "He loved her."
Percy looked at the door. At the place where Yuri used to stand. At the corner that was empty.
"He was my friend," Percy said. "He was my brother. And I didn't know. I didn't know any of it."
Aries took his hand. "None of us knew."
Percy looked at them. His face was wet. "He was alone. He was alone the whole time."
Aries pulled him close. "We'll find him. We'll bring him back."
---
The ambulance came at dawn.
Ella was on a stretcher. Her face was pale. Her eyes were closed. Ci N was beside her, his hands steady, his voice low. Felix was with him. Aries was beside Ella, their hand in hers, their face close to her ear.
"I love you, Ella. I love you. And when you wake up, I'm going to tell you again. Every day. For the rest of my life."
Care was on another stretcher, Cole beside her, his hand in hers. His voice was low. "I love you. I love you. Please wake up."
Ci N looked at them. At Ella. At Care. At the people he had saved. He was a doctor. He had been a doctor before the war. Before everything.
"She's going to be okay," Ci N said. "They're both going to be okay."
---
Jay stood at the door of the warehouse. The sun was rising. The sky was gold. The car where Yuri had left the letter was empty.
Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers.
"He's gone," Jay said. "He's gone and we don't know where to find him."
Keifer pulled her close. "We'll find him. We'll find him and we'll bring him home."
She looked at him. The man she loved. The man Yuri had tried to destroy. The man she had chosen.
"I love you," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "I love you too."
---
The sun was rising over Manila. The city was waking up. The war was not over. Yuri was gone. Keizer was still out there. The money was still missing.
But they were together. They were alive. They would find him. They would bring him home.
Jay looked at the sky. At the gold and the red and the promise of a new day.
"We're coming for you, Yuri," she said. "We're coming for you."
---
END OF CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR