Chapter — Keifer's POV
The phone rang before sunrise.
Not a normal ring.
An emergency ring.
I was half-awake when I grabbed it, already knowing something was wrong. Erdix never called this early unless the world was about to burn.
"Keifer," his voice was sharp, rushed. "He's here."
My chest tightened.
I sat up instantly. "Who?"
There was a brief pause. Then—
"Dan Kaizer Watson."
The name alone was enough to freeze my blood.
The monster.
The man who destroyed my childhood.
The man who tortured Keigan until nightmares became permanent scars.
The man who killed my mother.
And now… the man who would come for Kieran.
"He landed in the Philippines an hour ago," Erdix continued. "Private entry. No press. He's moving silently."
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. "Why now?"
"Because you're distracted," Erdix said bluntly. "Because you're happy. And because he knows exactly how to hurt you."
My grip on the phone tightened.
"Move," Erdix ordered. "Immediately. Take Jay. Take the boys. Shift to your unit. One week minimum. Full lockdown."
"I'll handle it," I said, already out of bed.
"No," Erdix snapped. "You'll survive it. There's a difference. Pack. Leave. Now."
The call ended.
I stood there for a second, breathing heavily, memories crashing into me—blood, screams, my mother's last smile, Keigan shaking in a dark room, Kieran crying in his sleep.
Not again.
Never again.
I moved fast.
First stop: Jay.
She was sleeping peacefully, curled up like the world hadn't just turned dangerous. For a second, I just watched her. This—she—was everything Dan Kaizer could never touch.
I gently shook her shoulder. "Jay… baby, wake up."
She stirred, blinking. "Keifer? What time is it?"
"We need to leave," I said quietly but firmly. "Now."
That woke her up instantly.
"What happened?"
I didn't want to say the name. But I owed her the truth.
"He's here," I said. "Dan Kaizer Watson."
Her face drained of color.
"The boys?" she whispered.
"I'll wake them."
Keigan was up in seconds. Kieran took longer, confused and sleepy, but the moment I said, "Pack fast," both of them knew something was wrong.
Keigan looked straight at me. "Is it him?"
I nodded once.
His fists clenched, but his voice was steady. "I'll pack."
Kieran moved closer to Jay without even realizing it. She wrapped an arm around him instantly, protective, instinctive.
That sight almost broke me.
Within twenty minutes, bags were packed. Essentials only. No luxury. No hesitation.
I checked my phone—security already moving, routes cleared, the unit prepared.
As we stepped outside, the sky was still dark.
Jay looked at me. "How long?"
"A week," I said. "Maybe less. Maybe more."
She nodded. No complaints. No fear—just trust.
That trust?
It was my responsibility to protect it.
The drive was silent.
Keigan stared out the window, jaw tight. Kieran leaned against Jay, holding her hand like it was an anchor.
I kept my eyes on the road, but my mind was already ten steps ahead—security protocols, blind spots, worst-case scenarios.
Dan Kaizer didn't come to talk.
He came to take.
And over my dead body would he touch my family.
When the unit gates closed behind us, I finally allowed myself one breath of relief.
For now, they were safe.
I turned to Jay. "No matter what happens… you stay close to me. Always."
She reached for my hand. "We're not scared, Keifer. We're with you."
I squeezed her fingers.
Dan Kaizer Watson may have returned.
But this time—
I wasn't a broken boy.
I was ready.
Keifer's POV
The moment we stepped into the unit, I felt it—that heavy pressure in my chest that only came when the past refused to stay buried.
Kieran went straight to his room, quiet, too quiet for a kid his age. Keigan followed, pretending to be normal, but I knew my brothers. Fear sat behind their silence.
Jay squeezed my hand before heading with me to our room.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
I nodded, even though it was a lie.
"I will be," I said. "Just… give me a minute."
As soon as the door closed, I moved to the security panel. This unit was built for moments like this—walls thick, systems encrypted, cameras everywhere. I pulled up the CCTV feed from the mansion.
And then I saw him.
The monster.
Dan Kaizer Watson.
He walked through my house like he owned it. Calm. Smiling. As if he hadn't destroyed my childhood, as if my mother's blood wasn't on his hands, as if Keigan didn't still wake up screaming some nights because of him.
My hands clenched into fists.
"He's back," I muttered.
Jay stood behind me, her hand slowly resting on my arm. She didn't ask who. She already knew.
The footage showed him entering the hallway—our hallway.
That was it.
I grabbed my phone and dialed immediately.
"Erdix," I said the second he picked up, my voice low and sharp.
"He's inside the mansion."
There was a pause. Then:
"…I'll take care of it."
"Erase everything," I ordered. "Every camera. Every backup. Leave nothing he can trace."
"Already working on it," Erdix replied. "You did the right thing moving to the unit."
"I'm not letting him near my brothers," I said. "Or Jay."
"You won't," Erdix said firmly. "Not this time."
The call ended, but my heartbeat didn't slow.
Jay stepped in front of me then, her eyes steady, grounding.
"We're safe here," she said. "You made sure of that."
I rested my forehead against hers for a second, breathing her in.
"I promised myself I'd never let him hurt anyone again," I whispered.
"And I won't fail."
From down the hallway, I heard Keigan laugh softly at something on his phone. Kieran's door closed gently.
They were safe.
For now.
I looked back at the darkened CCTV screen—blank, wiped clean.
"This isn't over," I thought.
"But this time… I'm ready."