Chapter: "Touch Her and You're Dead"
(Keifer's POV)
When Jay didn't answer her phone the first time, I ignored it.
The second time, I felt irritated.
By the third time, something felt wrong.
Jay always answers.
Even if she's angry. Even if she wants to argue. Even if she wants to yell at me.
She answers.
But today?
Nothing.
Cin was the one who told me she never made it home.
That's when my chest went cold.
I called everyone in Section E.
Yuri hadn't seen her. David thought she left early. Josh said he saw her near the back gate.
Back gate.
My jaw tightened.
That area is always empty after school.
I got in my car without thinking twice.
If anything happened to her—
No.
I refused to finish that thought.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I answered immediately.
"Keifer," a voice said lazily.
Ram.
I recognized it instantly.
"What did you do?" I asked, my voice already dangerous.
"Relax. She's safe… for now."
My grip on the steering wheel tightened.
"Send me the location."
He laughed.
"You're smarter than I thought."
The message came seconds later.
An old warehouse near the industrial road.
Of course.
Coward.
I drove faster than I should have.
My mind wasn't thinking logically anymore.
All I could picture was Jay.
Arguing. Rolling her eyes. Calling me annoying. Saying my full name when she's furious.
Mark Keifer Watson.
The way she says it.
Like I belong to her.
If he touched her—
I parked roughly and stepped out.
The warehouse door was half open.
Inside, it smelled like rust and dust.
And fear.
I heard something.
Soft.
Shaky breathing.
I followed the sound.
And then I saw her.
Jay was sitting on the floor, hands untied but trembling badly. Her eyes were wide. Too wide.
There was blood on the ground nearby.
Not hers.
But enough to make her panic.
She hates blood.
I know that.
She once looked away during a minor injury in class.
And now she was staring at a much worse scene.
"Jay."
She flinched at my voice.
Then her eyes found me.
For a second, she didn't react.
Then—
"Keif…"
Her voice broke.
That did something to me.
Something dark.
I walked toward her quickly and crouched down.
"I'm here," I said firmly.
She grabbed my shirt instantly.
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
"I—I didn't do anything," she whispered. "There was blood and he— I didn't—"
"Hey," I said softly, holding her face gently. "Look at me."
Her breathing was uneven.
"I'm here. You're safe."
Behind us, slow clapping echoed.
Ram stepped forward from the shadows.
"You actually came."
I stood up slowly.
"Untie whatever game you're playing," I said coldly.
He shrugged. "I just wanted to see how far you'd go for her."
Wrong decision.
Very wrong decision.
I stepped in front of Jay.
Shielding her view.
"She's shaking because of you," I said quietly.
Ram smirked. "She's dramatic."
That was enough.
I moved before I even processed it.
I grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall.
"You don't get to say a word about her," I growled.
He tried to push me off.
I hit him.
Not once.
Not twice.
I didn't stop.
Every punch carried the fear I felt. Every hit carried the image of Jay trembling on that floor.
He tried to fight back.
He failed.
I kept going until he stopped moving.
Until he collapsed unconscious.
My breathing was heavy.
My knuckles hurt.
But I didn't care.
I turned immediately.
Jay was staring at me.
Not scared of me.
Just shocked.
I walked back to her.
The anger disappeared instantly when I saw her state again.
She was pale.
Still shaking.
I knelt in front of her.
"It's over," I said softly.
She looked at my hands.
There was blood.
Ram's.
Her breathing sped up again.
"Don't look at that," I said quickly, wiping my hands on my jacket.
I cupped her face gently.
"Look at me."
She did.
And suddenly she broke.
She leaned forward and hugged me tightly.
Like she was afraid I'd disappear.
"I was scared," she whispered.
That did more damage to me than anything else.
"I know."
"I don't like blood."
"I know."
"I thought—"
She couldn't finish.
I wrapped my arms around her fully.
"Nothing is going to happen to you," I said firmly.
"If anyone touches you again—"
My jaw tightened.
"They won't get back up."
She pulled back slightly and looked at me.
"You could've gotten hurt."
"I don't care."
"I care," she said weakly.
Silence.
Rain started outside again, tapping against the warehouse roof.
I brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"You don't have to be brave all the time," I told her.
"I wasn't brave."
"You survived."
She looked at me differently then.
Softer.
Vulnerable.
"You came," she whispered.
"You called my name."
She blinked.
"You didn't call me Mark Keifer Watson."
Even in that moment, I had to say it.
She almost smiled faintly.
"I didn't need to."
I leaned my forehead gently against hers.
"You never need to."
Then I stood up and helped her up carefully.
She held my hand tightly.
And for once—
I didn't let go.