Jay's POV
The drive to the textile mill was a symphony of clicking safeties and the low hum of the tablet. Keifer sat beside me, his presence a dark, grounding force.
He didn't ask questions. He didn't tell me to stay in the car. He just checked his sidearm and watched the road with the eyes of a man ready to tear the sky down.
"Sector 4," I whispered as the skeletal remains of the mill loomed ahead.
We moved like shadows. Liam and the Chaos Crew fanned out, silent predators reclaiming their territory. Keifer was a revelation—he fought with a brutal, high-society elegance, snapping necks and clearing corridors as if he'd been doing it his whole life.
We hit the basement door together.
"Lucas!" I roared.
He was standing over Aion, a jagged blade pressed to the boy's throat. His twisted smirk widened as he saw my blood. "Too slow, Jaybird!"
Jay. He's done. Look at the boy."
I turned. Aion was shaking, his teddy bear clutched to his chest. I said looking in his eyes,"I've got you, Aion. I've got you."
In one fluid motion, Lucas shoved Aion toward me and kicked a stack of pressurized canisters. A thick, hissing cloud of white smoke engulfed the room.
I lunged forward, catching Aion in my arms just as a flashbang detonated, blinding the room. By the time the air cleared, the steel back door was swinging on its hinges. Lucas was gone.
"Coward!" Liam snarled, punching the concrete wall.
Back to Mansion
The return to the mansion was silent. When we stepped into the foyer, the family was still there, frozen in the same spots they'd been in hours ago.
My mother screamed when she saw the blood dripping down my hand.
"Jay! Your arm!" Angelo rushed forward, but I stepped back, handing a sobbing Aion to Jane.
"Take him, Jane . Warm milk. No questions," I commanded. Jane nodded, her eyes wide with shock, and hurried the boy away.
I sat on the mahogany table, the same one I'd used to break a man's knee. Keifer didn't wait for a medic; he grabbed the first aid kit, his face a mask of controlled fury as he began to clean the bullet wound on my arm.
" Princess," my father said, his voice trembling. "Who are you?"
I looked at my parents, then at the Watsons. The "Sunshine Jay" was gone. Only the Commander remained.
"When I was eight," I began, my voice flat, "I wasn't at a summer camp. I was kidnapped. Me, Liam, Zein, Aya, and Max. We were taken to be sold, but a man—our Godfather—found us. He didn't just rescue us; he realized the world was too dangerous for us to be soft."
I winced as Keifer tightened the bandage.
"He took us to a base. He taught us how to breathe in the dark, how to fight, and how to lead. We became a unit—a gang, if you want to call it that—dedicated to protecting those the law forgets."
I looked at the stairs where Aion had disappeared. "Six years ago, our Godfather died. Aion was only two. I became the head of the organization. I've spent every day since then making sure he never had to know the smell of a warehouse. I failed today."
"You're a... a gang leader?" Ma Serina whispered, looking at me like I was a ghost.
"I'm a survivor," I corrected, standing up. I didn't mention the grandparents who had discarded me or the darker scars on my back. Some truths were for another night.
"And right now, I'm a sister who needs to go check on her brother."
"Sunshine, you could have told us ?",Percy told me.
"I really wanted to but I was scared you hate me, think I am a criminal. So , I hide it.",I said looking down.
"We are not scared of you , Jay . We found you awesome. While handling school you also handled league ",Aries said rubbing my hair.
"You are so badssa,Jay ,"Freya said.
"You were cool 😎 ",David said .
"I'm proud of you , princess",Pa said .
"Yes we all are proud of you, Jay ",Ma said .I looked at everyone and they nodded and gave me a warm group hug.
I was relieved.I let the breath I don't how much long I was holding.
"So, Mia and Ben you were also in gang with Jay ?",Drew asked.
They nodded.
"You brat, you hide it ",Kuya Kyle said to Ben grabbing his ears.
"Sorry, Kuya I was also scared .",Ben said crying in pain.Kuys let go his ear and said ,"I'm proud of you , and you all".
I turned to Keifer, whose hand was still resting on my waist. "Thank you for the backup."
Keifer's eyes darkened, a smirk tugging at his lips despite the carnage. "I told you, Jay. We're burning the world down together."
The heavy silence of the foyer was broken by the rapid thud-thud-thud of small feet. Aion came flying down the grand staircase, his face tear-streaked and his tiny hands clutching the tattered teddy bear.
He ignored everyone—the Watsons, my parents, the Chaos Crew—and ran straight into my lap.
"Sis!" he sobbed, burying his face in my neck. I winced as his weight pressed against my bandaged arm, but I didn't care. I wrapped my good arm around him, pulling him into the safety of my scent.
"I've got you, Aion. You're home," I whispered, rocking him gently.
Keigan and Keiren followed close behind, their eyes wide as they saw the blood on the floor.
They didn't run; they stood back, looking at Aion with a mixture of curiosity and sudden..
"Is he the one?" Keiren asked softly, stepping closer. "The one from the screen?"
I nodded. "Keigan, Keiren, this is Aion. He's my brother amd our family ."
The tension in the room thawed for a brief second. My parents and the Watsons watched with soft smiles and immediately started trying to cheer Aion up. Keigan offered him a toy car from his pocket, while Keiren patted his head awkwardly. Aion finally started to settle down a little.
"Hey, don't cry," Keiren said, puffing out his chest. "We're family now. We're tough. And Jay is the toughest of all."
But then, Cin stepped forward, his bottom lip tucked out in a mock pout. "Okay, cute moment over. Aion, buddy, move over. Jay belongs to the Section E bestie squad. I was her favorite before you even knew how to walk." Instead he hugged me more tightly.
Keiren's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing at Cin. "No! She's our Ate! You're just... a loud guy with a stethoscope! Back off, Dr. Doolittle!"
"Dr. Doolittle?!" Cin gasped, offended. "I survived a warehouse for her! I'm her favorite!"
"You cried when she got hit!" Keigan Chimed in, pointing a finger at Cin. "Jay, tell him we're the favorites!"
I looked at Keifer, who was watching the bickering with an amused glint in his dark eyes, his hand still resting possessively on my waist. I was about to let out a small laugh when I felt Aion stiffen in my lap.
He wasn't looking at the boys fighting. He was staring at the black, cracked screen of the tablet on the mahogany table.
"Sis?" Aion's voice was a tiny, fragile thread that cut through the room's noise like a blade. "Is the bad man with the snake eyes coming back for me?"
The laughter died instantly. Cin froze. My father's expression hardened, and I felt Keifer's grip on my waist turn into a lethal, protective anchor.
"The bad man... Lucas?" Keigan asked, his voice trembling as he looked at the door.
I looked down into Aion's terrified eyes, then up at my family. The secrets were gone, but the ghost of Lucas was still haunting the halls.
"No, Aion," I said, my voice dropping into that cold, Commander tone that made even the Chaos Crew stand straighter. "He isn't coming back. Because we're going to find him first."