Jay's POV
The message was still open on my phone.
You brought him exactly where I wanted him.
I stared at it for another few seconds before locking my screen.
I wasn't scared.
At least, I didn't want anyone to see that I was.
But my chest felt strangely tight.
Kyle had always known how to get inside my head.
And now…
He knew Keifer was here.
That thought bothered me more than the message itself.
I turned and walked straight toward Luna's room.
She looked up from her laptop.
"Jay?"
I held my phone toward her.
"Look."
Her expression changed immediately.
She read the message.
Then looked at me.
"Where did you get this?"
"Just now."
Luna stood.
"Alex needs to see this."
Within minutes, everyone was back in the strategy room.
Alex looked at the photograph.
Then at the message.
Nobody spoke for a moment.
Denial finally broke the silence.
"So…"
Percy looked at him.
Denial continued.
"Are we officially being watched?"
Percy nodded seriously.
"I'd say that's a safe assumption."
Denial sighed.
"Wonderful."
Percy patted his shoulder.
"At least we're popular."
Jay couldn't help letting out a tiny laugh.
Cora smiled.
Even Alex shook his head.
"Can you two be serious for five minutes?"
Percy thought about it.
"No."
Denial immediately answered,
"He's incapable."
Jay smiled again.
For a few seconds, the tension eased.
Then Alex returned his attention to the photograph.
"We don't know how Kyle got this."
Luna shook her head.
"But it doesn't necessarily mean someone is inside the base."
Alex nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked around the room.
"He could have someone watching the entrances."
Keifer, who had been standing quietly near the table, spoke.
"Or someone followed us."
Everyone looked at him.
Keifer's expression was serious.
"Either way, he knows I'm here."
His eyes moved toward Jay.
"And that's what matters."
Jay met his eyes for a second.
Then looked away.
Keifer noticed.
Of course he did.
He'd been noticing it ever since they'd reunited.
She talked to him.
She smiled at him sometimes.
She even laughed when he made stupid comments.
But whenever their eyes met for more than a few seconds…
She looked away.
Not because she didn't care.
He could tell.
It was something else.
Something he didn't understand yet.
Alex folded his arms.
"We increase security around the base."
Luna nodded.
"I'll have the outside teams keep watch."
Keifer immediately said,
"I'll have mine do the same."
Jay looked at him.
"You don't have to."
He looked back at her.
"I know."
A tiny smile appeared on his face.
"I want to."
Jay didn't answer.
She simply looked down at the table.
Keifer's smile faded slightly.
He wanted to say more.
He wanted to ask her why she kept avoiding his eyes.
Why she looked like she wanted to say something every time he came near her.
Why she had left.
But he knew better than to force it.
Not yet.
Later that evening, everyone was scattered around the base.
Cora and Luna were going through the security arrangements.
Alex was talking to Keifer about the city.
Percy and Denial were arguing over who had eaten the last piece of cake.
"It was you."
"It wasn't."
"You literally have frosting on your shirt."
Percy looked down.
"…Evidence can be planted."
Denial stared at him.
"By the cake?"
Jay laughed from the couch.
Keifer turned toward the sound.
There she was.
Smiling.
For a moment, he simply watched her.
He loved seeing that.
After everything…
He wanted to be one of the reasons she smiled again.
So he walked over.
He sat beside her, leaving enough space between them that she wouldn't feel trapped.
Jay glanced at him.
"Hey."
"Hey."
A quiet pause.
Keifer looked toward the television.
"You've changed."
Jay raised an eyebrow.
"That's rude."
He smiled.
"Not like that."
She waited.
"You smile more now."
Jay's expression softened.
"Maybe because everyone's being stupid."
From across the room, Denial shouted,
"I heard that!"
Jay laughed.
Keifer smiled.
"See?"
She looked at him.
For a second, their eyes met.
Then she looked away again.
Keifer didn't push.
Instead, he quietly reached toward the table and slid a glass of water closer to her.
"You haven't had enough water today."
Jay looked at the glass.
Then at him.
"You've been watching me?"
"Unfortunately."
She smiled.
"That's creepy."
"I've been worried."
Her smile faded slightly.
Keifer's voice became softer.
"After everything…"
He stopped himself.
Jay looked down.
"I know."
There was a silence between them.
Not an uncomfortable one.
Just unfinished.
Keifer wanted to tell her everything.
That he'd missed her.
That he'd been terrified.
That seeing her again had made him realize how much of his life had been built around her.
But she looked tired.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
So instead, he simply said:
"Whenever you're ready."
Jay looked at him.
"For what?"
"For talking."
She stayed silent.
Then gave him the smallest nod.
"…Okay."
Keifer smiled.
He didn't need more.
Not tonight.
Meanwhile — Kyle's POV
Kyle sat inside a dark car several streets away.
His phone rested in his hand.
The photograph was still on the screen.
Keifer was finally with Jay.
Exactly where Kyle expected him to be.
He smiled faintly.
He didn't need to attack them.
He didn't need to get inside their base.
He simply needed to pull one thread.
His phone rang.
He answered.
"Yes?"
A voice spoke from the other side.
Kyle listened.
Then smiled.
"Good."
He ended the call.
His eyes returned to the photograph.
"Let's see how quickly they come running."
Back at the base
Luna suddenly walked into the lounge.
"I found something."
Everyone looked up.
Jay sat straighter.
"What?"
Luna placed a folder on the table.
"Someone has information about what happened to Keifer."
The room became silent.
Keifer frowned.
"What kind of information?"
"We don't know yet."
Alex stepped closer.
"The source?"
"Unknown."
Jay stared at the folder.
"Where?"
Luna answered.
"An abandoned warehouse outside the city."
Keifer immediately shook his head.
"No."
Jay looked at him.
He turned toward her.
"We're not going."
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"We?"
Keifer looked at Jay.
"I'm not letting her go alone."
Jay quietly replied,
"I'm not going alone."
Keifer almost smiled.
There she was.
The stubborn Jay he knew.
But before the moment could become lighter, Luna added:
"The message specifically said…"
She paused.
"…that Jay has to be there."
The room fell silent.
Keifer's expression hardened.
Jay stared at the folder.
Kyle wasn't asking for Keifer.
He wasn't asking for Alex.
He was asking for her.
And suddenly…
Keifer understood.
This wasn't information.
It was bait.
His eyes moved toward Jay.
She was already thinking the same thing.
And this time…
She didn't look away.
End of Chapter.