Jay's POV
Before I even stepped out of Keifer's car, I knew something was wrong.
Angelo, Percy, and Aries were standing at the door like they had been waiting for a criminal to return to the crime scene.
Arms crossed.
Faces unreadable.
Angelo in the center.
The most dangerous position.
Keifer slowed the car and glanced at them, then at me.
"…They look festive."
"They're not," I said quietly.
I opened the door.
No welcome home.
No are you okay.
Just Angelo's calm, controlled voice.
"You're late."
Not where were you.
Not what happened.
Just—he already knew.
"I—"
"You went to school," he continued, eyes fixed on me. "Skipped last period. Went to a mall. There was a fight. Police were almost involved. A woman was injured. Hospital."
Percy blinked. "Okay wow—"
Aries frowned. "You knew all this?"
Angelo didn't look at them. "Jay."
I swallowed. "Yes."
Keifer stepped forward then, casual as ever, sliding an arm around my shoulder like this was a normal family gathering.
"She's fine," he said lightly. "Handled herself better than half the men there."
Angelo's gaze finally shifted to him.
"You're still here."
Keifer smiled. "Hard to leave when your sister looks this cute after committing violence."
I elbowed him.
Percy snorted. Aries looked annoyed.
Angelo ignored the flirting completely. "Edrix's mother came back."
That wasn't a question either.
I froze. "…Yes."
Percy turned sharply. "Wait—that Edrix? The one whose mom disappeared?"
Angelo nodded once. "White-hat hacker. Government-linked. Vanished with her unit."
Aries stared at him. "How do you know that?"
Angelo finally looked irritated. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
Keifer chuckled. "I stopped questioning it years ago."
Angelo continued, eyes back on me. "She was being harassed. You interfered."
"Yes."
"A gun was involved."
"Yes."
"Elara didn't help."
I blinked. "…She was eating chips."
Percy burst out laughing. "Of course she was."
Aries rubbed his forehead. "Jay, are you insane?"
Keifer answered for me. "Bravely insane."
Angelo shot him a warning look. Keifer only smiled wider.
I took a breath. "Edrix's mom told us everything. Kidnapping. Forced work. Drugs.
International network."
Angelo's jaw tightened slightly. "Russia."
I stared at him. "You already know."
"Enough," he replied calmly. "Not everything."
Keifer straightened a little. "She mentioned a partner. Someone powerful."
Angelo's eyes flicked to him.
"And?" he asked.
Keifer met his gaze without flinching. "My father."
That landed heavily.
Percy's smile vanished. Aries went completely still.
Angelo said nothing for a long moment.
Then, quietly, "That explains the timing."
My heart dropped. "Explains what?"
Angelo looked at me then, really looked. "Why things are moving again."
Keifer checked his watch. "I've hired a private detective team. Independent. Quiet."
Angelo nodded once. "Good."
I turned to Keifer. "You did that already?"
He smiled softly. "I told you—I won't let this touch you."
Angelo noticed the smile. Didn't like it.
"You can go," Angelo said to Keifer. "For now."
Keifer leaned down anyway and kissed my cheek—gentle, quick.
Angelo's expression darkened instantly.
Keifer stepped back, hands raised innocently. "Couldn't resist."
Percy laughed out loud. Aries shook his head.
"I'll update you," Keifer said, already walking away.
"Tomorrow's meeting might get interesting."
He paused, glanced back at Angelo.
"And relax. I'm not scared of you."
Angelo replied coolly, "You should be."
Keifer smirked and left.
I watched the car disappear.
Then Angelo turned to me.
"Inside," he said.
Not angry.
Not loud.
Which somehow felt worse.
I was halfway into sleep when my door creaked open again.
Not gently.
Not politely.
Dragged.
Percy dragged Aries in by the wrist like he was hauling a sack of potatoes. Aries was half-asleep, half-annoyed, fully murderous.
"Percy," Aries muttered, voice flat, "I swear if you don't let go—"
"Night out," Percy announced proudly. "Sibling bonding. No escape."
I pulled my blanket over my head. "I'm dead. Wake me up when you're done."
Percy jumped onto my bed like gravity didn't exist. "Wake up, Jay. This is a family event."
"I did not sign up," I groaned.
Aries dropped onto the mattress beside me, glaring at the ceiling. "I was asleep."
"That's what makes it special," Percy said, turning the music on.
Loud.
Very loud.
I sat up slowly. "If Angelo hears this, we're all finished."
Like the universe was listening—
The door opened
.
Angelo stood there.
Arms crossed.
Face unreadable.
Room frozen.
Percy stopped mid-dance.
Aries didn't move.
I raised my pillow like a shield.
"…What," Angelo said slowly, "is happening here."
Percy smiled. That stupid smile. "Bonding."
Aries sighed. "I was kidnapped."
Angelo's eyes landed on me.
"I was asleep," I said immediately.
Silence stretched.
Then Angelo exhaled, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him.
That's when I knew.
This wasn't ending peacefully.
He rolled up his sleeves.
Percy's eyes widened. "Wait—"
Too late.
Angelo grabbed a pillow and smacked Percy straight in the face.
Hard.
Percy stumbled back. "YOU HIT ME."
"You deserved it," Angelo replied calmly.
I gasped. "I've never seen this side of you."
Aries sat up. "Same."
Percy recovered quickly. "Oh, so it's like that?"
He lunged.
Angelo dodged easily and flipped him onto my bed.
"HEY!" I yelled. "THAT'S WHERE I SLEEP!"
Angelo didn't even look at me. "Not tonight."
Aries rubbed his face. "You activated him."
Percy swung a pillow wildly.
Angelo blocked it with one hand.
One.
Hand.
"This is unfair," I said. "You're built like a wall."
Angelo smirked.
"JAY HELP ME!" Percy yelled.
I grabbed a pillow.
Angelo looked at me.
I looked at Percy.
Then I hit Percy.
"TRAITOR!" Percy screamed.
Aries laughed. "Deserved."
Percy kicked back, accidentally hitting Aries.
The laughter stopped.
"Oh," Aries said softly. "You're dead."
He dragged Percy off the bed and threw him onto the floor like a discarded jacket
I winced. "We're definitely getting grounded."
Angelo tilted his head. "By who?"
Fair.
The music kept playing.
Percy tackled Angelo from behind.
Angelo stumbled—then laughed.
That shocked all of us.
They both went down.
Pillows flew
.
My lamp fell.
"MY ROOM IS NOT A WRESTLING ARENA!" I screamed.
Ignored.
Aries grabbed a pillow. "For honor."
He hit Angelo.
Silence.
Angelo turned slowly.
Aries froze.
"…I didn't mean—"
Too late.
Angelo dragged Aries into the chaos.
Now all three of them were wrestling on my bed.
I climbed onto my chair. "I REFUSE TO DIE HERE."
Percy yelled, "JOIN OR YOU'RE A COWARD!"
"I AM A COWARD!"
Someone grabbed my ankle.
I screamed.
I got pulled back in.
Pillows. Blankets. Elbows.
Eventually—
Aries yawned.
A deep, dramatic yawn.
"I'm done," he muttered.
He grabbed Percy by the hoodie.
Percy protested weakly. "One more—"
"No."
Aries dragged him toward the door.
"I WILL REMEMBER THIS—"
Door slam.
Silence.
I collapsed onto my bed, breathless.
Angelo straightened his shirt like nothing happened.
He looked around.
"…We should not tell mom."
I nodded instantly. "Agreed."
There was an awkward pause.
Then Percy's voice from outside. "Group hug."
Angelo sighed. "No."
But somehow—
We were all standing there.
Percy hugged Angelo first.
Aries joined reluctantly.
I wrapped my arms around them too.
Angelo hugged back.For exactly three seconds, we stood there hugging.
It felt… nice.
Too nice.
Percy squeezed Angelo a little tighter than necessary.
Aries shifted his weight.
I relaxed.
That was my mistake.
Percy suddenly whispered, loud enough for all of us to hear,
"Group hug means no escape."
Before I could process that sentence, Percy jumped—actually jumped—onto Angelo's back.
Angelo staggered. "Percy—"
Too late.
Aries reacted on pure instinct and grabbed Percy's hoodie from behind, but Percy dragged Angelo with him, all three of them tipping sideways like a badly stacked tower.
They crashed onto my bed.
Again.
The mattress dipped dangerously.
I screamed. "MY BED HAS TRAUMA."
Angelo groaned. "I warned you."
Percy laughed like a villain.
"ROUND TWO, BABY!"
Aries rolled off the bed, rubbing his shoulder. "I was emotionally done."
Angelo sat up slowly.
Too slowly.
That calm-before-the-storm kind of slow.
Percy noticed. "Uh… guys?"
Angelo picked up the nearest pillow.
Then another.
He handed one to Aries.
Aries blinked. "You're recruiting me?"
Angelo nodded once.
"Temporary alliance."
Percy gasped. "BETRAYAL."
I backed away. "I'm neutral."
Angelo looked at me.
I froze.
"…Mostly," I added.
Percy grabbed a pillow and charged like his life depended on it.
Angelo stepped aside effortlessly.
Percy missed.
Hit me instead.
I stared at him.
Percy whispered, "…Oops."
I launched myself at him.
"YOU'RE DEAD."
We collided on the floor. Blankets wrapped around us. Percy tried to crawl away, but I grabbed his ankle and dragged him back like a horror movie scene.
Aries joined in, not attacking—just sitting on Percy's legs.
Percy struggled. "THIS IS ABUSE."
Angelo calmly fluffed a pillow.
Then dropped it directly on Percy's face.
Repeatedly.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.
"STOP—" Percy wheezed. "I CAN'T SEE—"
"That's the point," Angelo replied.
Percy kicked blindly and accidentally knocked over my chair.
The lamp fell.
Again.
I stared at the fallen lamp. "…I just fixed that."
Aries sighed. "This room hates us."
Percy suddenly rolled, escaped, and jumped onto the bed again.
He grabbed the speaker.
Oh no.
He turned the volume up.
Music blasted.
Angelo's eyebrow twitched.
"Percy," he warned, "turn it off."
Percy danced instead.
That was it.
Angelo tackled him.
They rolled across the bed, knocking pillows everywhere. Aries tried to separate them but got dragged into it instead.
At some point, I don't even know how, all four of us were on the bed.
Someone elbowed my ribs.
Someone's foot hit my shoulder.
Someone yelled, "WHO BIT ME?"
"I DIDN'T BITE ANYONE!" Percy shouted.
Angelo growled, "WHO
TOUCHED MY NECK."
Silence.
Aries slowly raised his hand. "…Sorry."
Angelo tackled him again.
I crawled toward the edge of the bed, gasping for air.
"This is illegal," I said weakly.
Percy grabbed my sleeve. "NO ESCAPE."
I fell back in.
Pillow to the face.
Blanket over my head.
I screamed into fabric.
Eventually—inevitably—energy ran out.
Aries collapsed first.
He lay flat on the floor, staring at the ceiling. "I hate all of you."
Percy flopped beside him.
"Worth it."
Angelo sat against the bedframe, breathing hard.
I slid down next to him, hair a mess, room destroyed.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Just heavy breathing.
Then Percy whispered, "…Again?"
"NO," we all said together.
Aries stood up, grabbed Percy by the collar. "Bedtime."
Percy protested weakly. "But—"
"No."
Aries dragged him out again.
This time Percy didn't fight.
The door closed.
I leaned back against the bed.
Angelo stood, adjusted his shirt, surveyed the chaos.
"…We should never talk about this."
I smiled, exhausted but warm. "Deal."
He hesitated, then pulled me into a quick, firm hug.
I hugged back.
Then—because the universe hates peace—
Percy's voice yelled from the corridor, "LAST ROUND—"
Angelo slammed the door.
I burst out laughing.
And for the first time in a long while,
my heart felt light.