MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Forty-Two: Singapore
---
The plane landed at noon.
The sky was gray, heavy with rain, the city rising below them like a monument to everything her family had lost. Jay sat by the window, her hand in Keifer's, her face turned toward the buildings that her father's brother had been hiding in for thirty years.
Keifer squeezed her hand. "You're thinking."
"I'm always thinking."
He kissed her forehead. "We're going to find him."
She looked at him. His face was tired. His eyes were dark. He had been awake all night, going over the plans, checking the routes, making sure everything was perfect. He was always perfect. He was always steady.
She leaned against him. "We're going to find him."
---
The house was on a hill.
It was old, white, surrounded by walls and guards and cameras. The gates were iron. The garden was green. The windows were dark. The man had been living there for thirty years, watching, waiting, planning.
Jay stood at the edge of the property, her team around her, her eyes on the gates. Keifer was beside her. Freya was behind her. Lyra was in the shadows. Ci N was in the van with Felix, his phone in his hand, his face pale. Percy was with Aries at the back gate. Yuri was with them, silent, still, waiting.
Mica's voice was in Jay's ear. "Six guards at the front. Four at the back. Two inside. The house is empty except for him."
Jay's hand went to her knife. "He knows we're coming."
"He's been waiting."
Jay looked at Keifer. His face was calm. His eyes were steady.
"Then let's not keep him waiting," he said.
---
They moved at dusk.
The rain was falling now, soft and steady, washing the city clean. Lyra went first, through the shadows, her knife in her hand, her face blank. The first guard fell without a sound. The second guard fell without a sound. The third guard saw her. He didn't have time to scream.
Freya was at the gate, her gun drawn, her eyes sharp. Erdix was beside her, silent, still. Rakki was behind them, her chaos banked into something cold. Mica was in the van, her voice low, her fingers moving. Calix was beside her, his hands on the screens, watching, waiting.
Care was at the entrance, her medical bag open, her hands ready. Cole was beside her, his face pale, his eyes on the house. Grace was with Denzel at the back gate, her fists up, her eyes scanning. Kit was with Mayo, their voices low, their hands steady.
Percy was through the gate, Aries beside him, Yuri behind them. His face was serious for once. His voice was low.
"Clear," Percy said.
Jay walked through the gate. Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers. His gun was drawn.
They walked to the front door. It was open. It had always been open.
"He's waiting," Keifer said.
Jay looked at the dark hallway. At the stairs that led up. At the man who had been hiding for thirty years.
"Then let's go," she said.
---
The house was empty.
The rooms were dark. The walls were lined with photographs. Photographs of her father. Her mother. Her uncle. Her. Photographs of the war. The warehouse. The bodies. The blood.
Jay stopped at a photograph of her father. He was young, smiling, his arm around a man who looked just like him. Her father's brother. The man who was supposed to be dead.
"He's been watching," Keifer said. "He's been watching your whole life."
Jay looked at the photograph. At the man who had taken everything from her family.
"Then let him watch," she said.
---
They found him at the top of the house.
He was sitting in a chair, his back to the door, his face turned toward the window. The rain was falling outside. The city was gray. He was old. His hair was white. His hands were thin. He looked like her father. He looked like the man who had raised her.
Jay walked into the room. Keifer was beside her. Freya was at the door. Lyra was in the shadows.
The man didn't turn. "Jasper Jean," he said. His voice was thin. Old. "You look like your father."
Jay walked to the window. She stood in front of him. Her face was calm. Her hands were steady.
"You started the war," she said. "You killed our family. You killed our cousins. You killed our friends. You've been hiding here for thirty years, watching, waiting, planning."
The man looked at her. His eyes were her father's eyes. His face was her father's face.
"I did what I had to do," he said. "Your father was weak. Your uncle was greedy. The families were fighting. I gave them a war to fight. I gave them something to do."
Jay's hand went to her knife. "You gave them death."
The man smiled. It was her father's smile. "I gave them purpose."
---
The shot came from the window.
Jay heard it before she saw it. The crack of glass. The whistle of air. The sound of something moving too fast, too close.
Keifer moved.
He was in front of her before she could think. His arms were around her. His body was between her and the window. His face was close to hers.
She heard the shot. She felt him jerk. She felt his arms tighten. She felt his breath catch.
"Keifer," she said.
He fell.
She caught him. His weight was heavy. His blood was warm. It was everywhere. On her hands. On her face. On the floor.
"Keifer."
His eyes were open. His face was pale. His lips were moving.
"Jay," he said. His voice was thin. Barely there.
She pressed her hands against his chest. The blood was warm. It was everywhere.
"No," she said. "No. No. No."
---
Lyra moved.
She was across the room before the shooter could reload. Her knife was in her hand. Her face was blank. The man at the window didn't see her. He didn't hear her. He was aiming again. He was aiming at Jay.
Lyra's knife found his throat.
He fell. The gun fell. The window was broken. The rain was coming in.
Lyra stood over him. Her knife was red. Her face was blank. She looked at Jay. At Keifer on the floor. At the blood that was everywhere.
"Care!" Lyra screamed. "CARE!"
---
Care was there.
She was running through the house, her bag in her hand, her face pale. Cole was behind her. Grace was behind him. They pushed through the door. They saw Keifer on the floor. They saw the blood.
Care dropped to her knees beside him. Her hands were on his chest. Her face was calm. Her voice was steady.
"Get me light," she said. "Get me pressure. Get me—"
Cole was beside her. His hands were on the wound. His face was white. "He's losing too much blood."
Care looked at Jay. Jay was holding Keifer's hand. Her face was wet. Her hands were red.
"Jay," Care said. "Jay, look at me."
Jay looked at her. Her face was blank. Her eyes were not.
"He's going to be okay," Care said. "He's going to be okay. But I need you to stay with me. I need you to stay with him."
Jay nodded. Her hands tightened on Keifer's.
"I'm here," she said. "I'm here."
---
The ambulance came at midnight.
The house was empty. The man was gone. The shooter was dead. The war was over.
Keifer was on a stretcher. His face was white. His eyes were closed. His hand was in Jay's.
She walked beside him. Her dress was red. Her hands were red. Her face was blank.
"Keifer," she said. "Keifer, stay with me."
He didn't answer.
"Keifer."
His hand tightened on hers. Just a little. Just enough.
"I'm here," he said. His voice was thin. Barely there.
She held his hand. She didn't let go.
---
The hospital was white.
The lights were bright. The walls were clean. The air smelled like antiseptic and something else, something that made her stomach turn.
Jay sat in the waiting room. Her dress was still red. Her hands were still red. Her face was blank.
Percy was beside her. His arm was around her. His face was pale.
"He's going to be okay," Percy said. "He's going to be okay."
She didn't answer.
Aries was on her other side. Their hand was in hers. Their face was calm.
"Jay," Aries said. "Jay, look at me."
She looked at them. Her face was blank. Her eyes were not.
"He's going to be okay," Aries said. "He's the strongest person I know. He's going to be okay."
She nodded. She didn't believe them.
---
The doctor came out at dawn.
He was young, tired, his scrubs wrinkled. He looked at the waiting room, at the people scattered across the chairs, the floor, the walls.
"Family of Mark Keifer Watson?" he asked.
Jay stood up. Her legs were unsteady. Her hands were shaking.
"I'm his wife," she said.
The doctor looked at her. At the blood on her dress. At the blood on her hands.
"He's out of surgery," the doctor said. "The bullet missed his heart by an inch. He's lost a lot of blood. But he's going to be okay."
Jay's knees buckled. Percy caught her. Aries caught her.
"He's going to be okay," the doctor said.
Jay looked at the doors. At the hallway where he was waiting.
"Can I see him?" she asked.
The doctor nodded. "He's asking for you."
---
Keifer was awake when she walked in.
His face was pale. His eyes were dark. There were tubes in his arms, wires on his chest. He looked small. He looked fragile. He looked nothing like the man who had saved her life.
She sat beside him. She took his hand. His fingers were cold.
"You're here," he said. His voice was weak.
She kissed his hand. "I'm here."
"You're bleeding."
She looked at her dress. At the blood that was still there. At the blood that was his.
"It's not mine," she said.
He almost smiled. "I know."
She looked at him. At the face she had seen every day for months. At the man who had saved her life. At the man who had held her when she was bleeding. At the man who had thrown mud at her in the garden.
"You almost died," she said.
"I didn't."
"You almost died. The doctor said the bullet missed your heart by an inch."
He squeezed her hand. "I'm not going to die. I'm not going anywhere."
She kissed him. His lips were cold. His hands were shaking.
"You promised," she said.
He pulled her close. His arms were weak. His grip was steady.
"I promised," he said.
---
The morning came.
The hospital was quiet. The waiting room was empty. Percy had taken everyone back to the hotel. Aries had gone with them. Yuri had gone with them.
Jay was alone with Keifer. His hand was in hers. His eyes were closed. His breathing was steady.
She watched him sleep. His face was soft. His hands were still. He looked peaceful. He looked like the man she had fallen in love with.
She kissed his forehead. He didn't wake up.
"I love you," she said.
He smiled. His eyes were still closed.
"I know," he said.
She laughed. It was a surprised sound, something that escaped before she could stop it.
"You're supposed to be asleep," she said.
He opened his eyes. They were dark. They were steady.
"I was waiting for you to say it," he said.
She kissed him. Soft. Slow. A kiss that promised everything.
He kissed her back.
---
END OF CHAPTER FORTY-TWO