MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Sixty: The News
---
The morning came gray and cold.
Jay sat in the small room at the end of the warehouse, the room with the desk and the chair and the photograph of her father. She hadn't slept. She hadn't eaten. She hadn't moved from the chair where she had been sitting for three days. Her shoulder was healing. The wound was closing. The scar would stay. It would always stay.
Freya came in at dawn. Her face was pale. Her hands were empty.
"You need to see this," Freya said.
Jay looked up. Her face was calm. Her eyes were empty. "What is it?"
Freya didn't answer. She turned on the small screen on the desk. The news channel was bright. The anchor's voice was steady.
"In a surprising turn of events, Watson Industries heir Mark Keifer Watson has announced his engagement to European heiress Ava von Ashberge. The wedding is set to take place in three weeks at the Watson family estate. Sources say the union will combine two of the most powerful families in—"
Jay's hand went to the screen. Her fingers touched his face. His eyes were dark. His face was calm. He was wearing the suit he had worn on their wedding day. He was standing beside a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes and a dress that was white.
He looked happy. He looked empty. He looked like a stranger.
Freya turned off the screen. The room was dark. The silence was heavy.
"Jay," Freya said.
Jay stood up. Her legs were steady. Her hands were steady. Her face was calm.
"I need to be alone," she said.
Freya walked to the door. She stopped. She looked back. "We're here. We're not going anywhere."
She walked out. The door closed.
Jay stood in the dark. Her hands were empty. Her heart was breaking.
She had left to save him. She had broken his heart to save his life. She had walked away to keep him alive. And now he was marrying someone else. Now he was moving on. Now he was gone.
She sat on the floor. Her back was against the wall. Her knees were against her chest. She didn't cry. She couldn't. She had no tears left. She had left them on the steps of his house. She had left them in the study. She had left them on the ring she had taken off and put back on and taken off again.
She had saved him. That was all that mattered. He was alive. He was safe. He was going to marry someone who could give him what she couldn't. Someone who could give him money. Someone who could give him power. Someone who could give him a future.
She closed her eyes. She saw his face. The way he looked at her in the garden. The way he held her in the hospital. The way he kissed her on the Ferris wheel. The way he said her name like it was the only word that mattered.
She opened her eyes. The room was dark. The silence was heavy. She was alone.
---
The door opened at noon.
Rakki walked in. Her face was hard. Her hands were steady. Ci N was behind her.
"Jay," Rakki said.
Jay didn't move. She was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, her knees against her chest. Her face was blank. Her eyes were empty.
Rakki knelt in front of her. Her face was close. "Jay. Look at me."
Jay looked at her. Her friend. Her sister. The woman who had killed Yuri to save them all.
"I saw the news," Rakki said. "He's getting married."
Jay didn't answer.
Rakki took her hand. Her fingers were warm. "You left to save him. You broke his heart to save his life. You walked away to keep him alive. He doesn't know. He doesn't know why you left. He doesn't know about the letter. He doesn't know about Kiko."
Jay pulled her hand away. "It doesn't matter. He's moving on. He's happy."
Rakki's face hardened. "He's not happy. He's empty. Percy called. He said Keifer hasn't slept. He hasn't eaten. He sits in the study with your ring in his hand. He stares at the door where you walked out. He—"
"Stop." Jay's voice cracked. "Stop."
Rakki moved closer. Her face was inches from Jay's. "He loves you. He's always loved you. He's not marrying her because he wants to. He's marrying her because he thinks you left. Because he thinks you don't love him. Because he thinks you chose to walk away."
Jay's hands were shaking. "I did choose to walk away. I chose to leave. I chose to save him. And now he's safe. Now he's alive. Now he's going to marry someone who can give him what I can't. Someone who can—"
"He doesn't want someone else." Rakki's voice was rising. "He wants you. He's always wanted you. And you're sitting here, in this dark room, alone, because you're scared. Because you're scared of losing him. Because you're scared of what will happen if you go back."
Jay stood up. Her legs were shaking. Her hands were fists. "If I go back, they'll kill him. Kiko will kill him. The people who sent the letter will kill him. I left to save him. I left to keep him alive. And I'm not going to let that be for nothing."
Rakki stood. Her face was close. Her eyes were steady. "Then let us help you. Let us find Kiko. Let us stop him. Let us—"
"You can't." Jay's voice was quiet. "You can't stop him. He's been planning this for years. He has money. He has power. He has people everywhere. If we move against him, he'll kill Keifer. He'll kill all of us."
Rakki stared at her. "So you're just going to let him go? You're just going to let him marry someone else? You're just going to let him live the rest of his life thinking you didn't love him?"
Jay walked to the window. Her back was to Rakki. Her hands were at her sides. "Yes."
---
The door opened at dusk.
Mica walked in. Her face was pale. Her hands were shaking. Calix was behind her.
"Jay," Mica said. "I found something."
Jay turned. Her face was calm. Her eyes were empty. "What?"
Mica walked to the desk. She opened her laptop. The screen was bright. The numbers were red. "Kiko. He's been moving money. Accounts in Hong Kong. Accounts in Singapore. Accounts in the Caymans. He's been preparing for something. Something big."
Jay walked to the desk. She looked at the screen. At the numbers. At the names. At the face of the man who had taken everything from her.
"What is he preparing for?" Jay asked.
Mica's voice was low. "The wedding. He's planning to strike at the wedding. When everyone is there. When Keifer is there. When—" She stopped.
"When I'm not there," Jay said.
Mica looked at her. "Jay—"
Jay walked to the window. The city was dark. The lights were bright. Somewhere in the city, Keifer was planning his wedding. Somewhere in the city, Keifer was moving on.
"I can't be there," Jay said. "If I go, he'll kill him. If I show up, he'll know. He'll know I got the letter. He'll know I left to save him. He'll—"
Mica stood beside her. "He's going to kill him anyway. He's been planning this for years. He's not going to stop. He's not going to let Keifer live. He's not going to let any of us live."
Jay looked at her. Her face was calm. Her eyes were not. "Then we stop him. Before the wedding. Before he can move. We find him. We end this."
Mica nodded. "We will."
---
The night came.
Jay sat in the small room, the photograph of her father in her hands. He was young. He was smiling. He was standing beside a ship, his hand on her shoulder, her face turned toward the sun.
She had saved Keifer. She had broken his heart. She had walked away. And now he was marrying someone else. Now he was moving on. Now he was gone.
She looked at the photograph. At her father's face. At the man who had taught her to be strong. The man who had taught her to be alone.
"You were wrong," she said. "You said I would never find someone who could love me. You said I would never be enough. You said I would always be alone."
She touched his face. Her fingers were cold.
"He loved me. He loved me and I left. I left to save him. I left to keep him alive. And now he's gone."
She put the photograph on the desk. She walked to the window. The city was dark. The lights were bright. Somewhere in the city, Keifer was sleeping. Somewhere in the city, Keifer was dreaming. Somewhere in the city, Keifer was gone.
She closed her eyes. She saw his face. The way he looked at her in the garden. The way he held her in the hospital. The way he kissed her on the Ferris wheel. The way he said her name like it was the only word that mattered.
She opened her eyes. The room was dark. The silence was heavy. She was alone.
But he was alive. He was safe. He was going to live. That was all that mattered. That was the only thing that mattered.
---
END OF CHAPTER SIXTY