Author's POV
The strategy room had changed completely since Keifer's arrival.
For the first time in days, the atmosphere wasn't heavy.
There were still maps everywhere.
Still laptops.
Still weapons secured in their cases.
Still enough security screens to make anyone feel like they were inside a control center rather than an underground base.
But something was different.
Jay was smiling again.
Not constantly.
Not dramatically.
Just… naturally.
She sat beside Cora, listening to Luna explain the latest information while occasionally stealing chips from Denial's packet.
Denial noticed.
"Excuse me."
Jay calmly took another chip.
"Yes?"
"Those are mine."
Jay looked at the packet.
Then at him.
"…Were."
Cora immediately laughed.
Denial stared at her.
"Did she just—"
Percy, sitting across the table, nodded seriously.
"She did."
Denial pointed at Jay.
"She's becoming dangerous."
Jay's lips curved into a small smile.
"I learned from you."
The entire table burst out laughing.
Keifer couldn't help smiling.
He had been watching her quietly for the past few minutes.
She was different from the girl he'd seen standing in the elevator.
That Jay had looked exhausted.
This one was laughing.
Talking.
Arguing over chips.
Almost normal.
Almost.
But there was one thing she still did.
Whenever Keifer looked directly at her…
She looked somewhere else.
Not dramatically.
Not rudely.
She simply avoided his eyes.
He noticed every single time.
He didn't call her out on it.
Not yet.
Luna tapped the keyboard.
"Okay. Everyone, focus."
Denial immediately raised his hand.
"Question."
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to ask."
"I've known you long enough."
Percy leaned back.
"She's right."
Denial looked offended.
"Why is everyone against me?"
Percy pointed at the room.
"Statistically speaking, you're usually the problem."
"Usually?"
"Fine. Always."
Cora laughed.
Even Alex shook his head.
Jay quietly covered her smile with her hand.
Keifer watched her.
That tiny smile alone made the long journey to New York feel worth it.
Luna finally turned the screen toward everyone.
"We've combined our information."
She clicked.
A map of New York appeared.
Several locations were marked.
"These are the locations connected to Kyle."
Keifer leaned forward.
His own intelligence team had already sent their information.
Percy's people had done the same.
Angelo and Aries had also brought their networks into the investigation.
Alex studied the screen.
"So we're finally getting somewhere."
Luna shook her head.
"That's the problem."
Everyone looked at her.
"These locations contradict each other."
She switched screens.
"This trail says Kyle's people were moving through Brooklyn."
Another.
"This one says Queens."
Another.
"Then Manhattan."
Alex frowned.
"Three separate directions."
"Exactly."
Keifer studied the information.
"They're false leads."
Luna nodded.
"Most likely."
Percy slowly smiled.
"So…"
He looked around the table.
"You're telling me our dear Kyle is wasting everyone's time?"
Denial shrugged.
"Sounds like him."
Percy nodded.
"Rude."
Denial looked at him.
"He's a criminal."
"Still rude."
Angelo laughed.
Alex rubbed his forehead.
"Can we focus?"
Percy immediately straightened.
"Of course."
Two seconds later, he whispered to Denial,
"He's stressed."
Denial whispered back,
"I noticed."
Alex looked at them.
"I can hear you."
Both of them smiled innocently.
"No, you can't."
Alex stared.
"You're both impossible."
Jay laughed quietly.
Keifer looked at her again.
She caught him this time.
Their eyes met.
For one second.
Two.
Then Jay immediately looked back at Luna's screen.
Keifer smiled to himself.
She still wasn't ready.
And he would wait.
Luna zoomed in.
"I think I've figured out what Kyle is doing."
Everyone became serious again.
"He's not hiding his location."
Alex's expression changed.
"He's creating locations for us to find."
Luna nodded.
"Exactly."
She brought up several previous leads.
"Every time we investigate one, we react."
"And Kyle learns how we react."
Jay's smile disappeared slightly.
She leaned closer to the screen.
"So he's studying us."
"Yes."
Jay nodded slowly.
That made sense.
Kyle wasn't simply running.
He was watching.
Learning.
Adjusting.
Keifer looked toward her.
"What do you think?"
Jay was silent for a moment.
Then she pointed at one location.
"This one."
Luna looked at it.
"Why?"
"Too obvious."
Alex leaned closer.
Jay continued quietly.
"Kyle knows we'd suspect this location."
She pointed to another.
"And this one is too clean."
Luna checked the records.
Jay was right.
"No unusual activity."
Jay nodded.
"Exactly."
Percy looked impressed.
"Someone give her a medal."
Denial nodded.
"Preferably one that says 'I actually read the files.'"
Jay looked at them.
"You two are annoying."
Percy smiled.
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
Jay laughed again.
Keifer couldn't stop watching her.
This was the Jay he remembered.
The one who could silence a room with a single sentence and then steal someone's food five minutes later.
Suddenly Luna's expression changed.
"Wait."
Everyone turned.
She opened another file.
"I found something."
A photograph appeared.
It showed one of Keifer's NYC security locations.
The room went silent.
Angelo leaned forward.
"That's ours."
Keifer's expression hardened.
Kyle knew about his backup network.
Alex looked at Luna.
"How?"
"I don't know."
She zoomed in.
The picture had been taken from across the street.
Someone had been watching the location.
Percy slowly leaned back.
"Okay."
He pointed at the screen.
"I officially dislike this man."
Denial nodded.
"Finally, something we agree on."
But Jay was staring at the photograph.
Something caught her attention.
She leaned closer.
"That's not the location."
Everyone looked at her.
Jay pointed toward the background.
"The building behind it."
Luna zoomed in.
Jay continued.
"The photograph was taken from there."
Alex's eyes narrowed.
Luna quickly checked the building.
"You're right."
Keifer looked at Jay.
She didn't notice.
Or pretended not to.
A few minutes later, Alex stood.
"We're going to use this."
Luna looked at him.
"How?"
"We give Kyle something."
Keifer understood.
"A false lead."
Alex nodded.
"We make him believe we're moving something important."
Percy smiled.
"And see who bites."
Denial raised his hand.
"I'd like to officially state that I hate this plan."
Percy looked at him.
"You complain about everything."
"That's because I'm consistent."
Cora laughed.
Jay shook her head.
But she was smiling.
That night, they began setting everything up.
Keifer's security team handled surveillance around the city.
Percy's people monitored transportation routes.
Angelo and Aries' teams watched the surrounding districts.
Alex coordinated everything from the base.
Luna monitored communications.
And Jay?
She sat quietly beside Luna, studying the information.
She wasn't as tense anymore.
She wasn't constantly looking toward the doors.
She was simply…
Present.
Happy, even.
But whenever Keifer walked into the room—
her eyes somehow found anything except him.
Keifer noticed.
Every.
Single.
Time.
He didn't tease her.
He didn't force her.
He simply let her have her space.
Hours later…
The false information was released.
Everyone waited.
Nothing happened.
One hour.
Two.
Three.
No movement.
No reaction.
Luna frowned.
"Nothing."
Alex looked at the screen.
"Keep monitoring."
Another hour passed.
Still nothing.
Percy yawned.
"Maybe Kyle went to sleep."
Denial looked at him.
"You're joking."
"Obviously."
"You genuinely thought—"
"I don't know."
Percy shrugged.
"Maybe villains need sleep too."
Angelo laughed.
Alex sighed.
Then Luna suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at her.
"He knows."
Silence.
"What?" Keifer asked.
Luna stared at the screen.
"He knew the information was fake."
Alex's expression hardened.
"How?"
Luna slowly shook her head.
"I don't know."
Jay's smile disappeared.
Not from fear.
From concentration.
She looked at the screen.
Something was wrong.
They had planned everything perfectly.
Kyle shouldn't have known.
Unless…
He already knew what they were going to do.
Later that night, Jay finally left the strategy room.
The corridors were quiet.
She walked toward her room.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She stopped.
For a second, she simply stared at the screen.
Then opened the message.
A photograph loaded.
Jay froze.
It was a picture of her.
Standing inside the base.
Keifer was beside her.
The picture had been taken only minutes earlier.
Her eyes slowly moved around the corridor.
There was no camera.
Nothing.
No visible device.
No explanation.
Then she looked back at the screen.
One sentence appeared beneath the photograph.
You brought him exactly where I wanted him.
Jay's smile disappeared completely.
She didn't panic.
Didn't scream.
Didn't call anyone.
She simply stood there…
Reading the message again.
And again.
Then her fingers tightened around the phone.
For the first time that night…
She looked toward the corridor behind her.
Someone had been watching.
End of Chapter.