Chapter: What the Dark Keeps.
(Jay Jay's POV)
The warehouse felt colder now.
Not because of the wind sneaking through the broken windows.
Because of time.
Because Keifer was getting closer.
Savannah's voice hummed quietly through the earpiece in my ear.
Savannah:
"Two streets away."
Amy whistled.
Amy:
"That boy drives fast when he's worried."
Olivia crossed her arms beside the door.
Olivia:
"He always does."
Sophia checked the timer on her tablet.
Sophia:
"We have maybe seven minutes."
Mia didn't move from her position behind Yuri.
Watching him.
Studying him.
Like a wolf watching prey that already knows it's caught.
Yuri sat tied to the chair.
Blood staining the collar of his shirt.
Hair messy.
Lip split.
But somehow he still looked amused.
Which irritated me more than the blood did.
Yuri tilted his head slightly toward me.
Yuri:
"So the prince is coming."
Amy rolled her eyes.
Amy:
"God you talk too much."
Yuri's gaze stayed on me.
Yuri:
"You know what's funny, Jay?"
Jay Jay:
"No."
Yuri smirked.
Yuri:
"You're trying so hard to hide what you really are."
He leaned back as much as the ropes allowed.
Yuri:
"But the moment he sees you like this…"
He nodded toward the knife in my hand.
Yuri:
"He'll know."
I stepped forward slowly.
My boots echoed across the concrete.
Jay Jay:
"No."
Yuri smiled.
Yuri:
"Yes."
He looked almost excited now.
Yuri:
"You think Keifer loves the sweet version of you."
His voice lowered slightly.
Yuri:
"But wait until he sees the monster."
The knife moved before he could finish.
It cut across his arm.
Not deep.
But enough to make him inhale sharply.
Amy winced slightly.
Amy:
"Oof."
Olivia leaned against the wall.
Olivia:
"He deserved that one."
I leaned closer.
Jay Jay:
"You still don't understand something."
Yuri's breathing had grown heavier now.
But the smile was still there.
Yuri:
"Oh?"
Jay Jay:
"Yes."
I lowered my voice.
Jay Jay:
"You don't get to talk about Keifer."
Savannah's voice came again.
Savannah:
"One street away."
Amy stretched her arms.
Amy:
"Well… this just got interesting."
Sophia spoke calmly.
Sophia:
"Jay, finish this."
I stared at Yuri for a moment.
Then I pulled a small folder from the table.
The hit list.
The same one I found five months ago in Sir Alvin's house.
I opened it in front of him.
Jay Jay:
"You remember this?"
Yuri's eyes flickered.
Just slightly.
Jay Jay:
"You wrote it."
He didn't respond.
Jay Jay:
"You listed Keifer first."
I flipped the page.
Jay Jay:
"You planned the accident."
Another page.
Jay Jay:
"You hired the driver."
Yuri chuckled weakly.
Yuri:
"And?"
I closed the folder.
Jay Jay:
"And tonight you admit it."
Amy leaned forward.
Amy:
"Yeah say it."
Olivia added calmly.
Olivia:
"We recorded everything."
Savannah's voice chimed in from the van.
Savannah:
"Crystal clear."
Yuri looked around at all of us.
Then he sighed.
Yuri:
"Fine."
He looked directly at me.
Yuri:
"I planned it."
The room went silent.
Yuri continued.
Yuri:
"I hired the driver."
Amy muttered.
Amy:
"Idiot."
Yuri smiled faintly.
Yuri:
"I wanted Keifer gone."
Then he looked straight into my eyes.
Yuri:
"And you."
My fingers tightened around the knife.
Jay Jay:
"Why?"
Yuri laughed softly.
Yuri:
"You really want to know?"
Jay Jay:
"Yes."
He leaned forward slightly despite the ropes.
Yuri:
"Because every girl we ever liked…"
His eyes burned with something ugly.
Yuri:
"Chose him."
Freya.
Ella.
And now…
Me.
Yuri exhaled slowly.
Yuri:
"So I decided if I couldn't have the victory…"
He shrugged slightly.
Yuri:
"Neither could he."
Silence filled the warehouse again.
Amy looked disgusted.
Amy:
"That's the dumbest reason I've ever heard."
Olivia nodded.
Olivia:
"Agreed."
Savannah's voice suddenly cut through the tension.
Savannah:
"He's here."
My heart skipped.
Savannah continued.
Savannah:
"Keifer just parked."
Sophia looked at me.
Sophia:
"Decision."
I looked down at Yuri.
He smiled again.
Waiting.
Hoping Keifer would see everything.
Expose everything.
Destroy everything.
I leaned close to his ear.
Jay Jay:
"You wanted Keifer gone."
I grabbed his collar.
Jay Jay:
"You almost killed him."
Then I whispered quietly.
Jay Jay:
"So this is your reward."
Amy handed me something.
A small metal rod.
Not a weapon.
Just heavy.
Yuri's smile faded slightly.
The first strike hit his ribs.
He gasped.
The second hit his shoulder.
The third knocked the chair sideways.
Amy counted quietly.
Amy:
"One."
Amy:
"Two."
Amy:
"Three."
I stopped.
Not because of Yuri.
Because of the sound outside.
Footsteps.
Keifer's voice.
Keifer:
"Hello?"
Sophia spoke instantly.
Sophia:
"Time to go."
Olivia untied Yuri's ankle from the chair.
Amy grabbed the ropes.
Mia opened the back exit.
Savannah cut the lights completely.
The warehouse dropped into darkness.
Before leaving…
I crouched beside Yuri one last time.
Jay Jay:
"You're alive."
He coughed weakly.
Yuri:
"For now."
Jay Jay:
"Yes."
I leaned close.
Jay Jay:
"But if you ever go near Keifer again…"
My voice dropped to a whisper.
Jay Jay:
"I won't stop next time."
Then we disappeared into the shadows.
Just seconds before the warehouse door opened.
Keifer stepped inside.
Darkness.
Broken crates.
A metal chair on the ground.
And Yuri.
Barely conscious.
Keifer frowned.
Keifer:
"What the hell happened here?"
Yuri laughed weakly from the floor.
Yuri:
"You're too late."
Keifer crouched beside him.
Keifer:
"Who did this?"
Yuri looked toward the door.
Where the night swallowed everything.
Then he smiled.
Yuri:
"You wouldn't believe me."
Keifer stood slowly.
Something felt strange.
Something familiar.
But he couldn't place it.
Meanwhile—
From the rooftop across the street…
I watched him.
Just for a moment.
Just long enough to see he was safe.
Alive.
Standing.
Amy nudged my shoulder.
Amy:
"Your boyfriend looks confused."
Olivia smirked slightly.
Olivia:
"Very confused."
Sophia closed the tablet.
Sophia:
"Mission complete."
Savannah's voice crackled.
Savannah:
"Police arriving in four minutes."
Mia looked at me.
Mia:
"Ready?"
I took one last look at the warehouse.
At Keifer.
Then I turned away.
Jay Jay:
"Yes."
Because Yuri survived tonight.
But his revenge story was over.
Mine wasn't.
And Keifer…
Would never know how close the darkness stood beside him.
Protecting him.
And the Obsidian Circle returned to the shadows.
Where it belonged.
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