Jayjay'sPOV
Ahhh. My head was throbbing. I blinked, trying to clear the fog. What happened? Rakki had gone to see Yuri... everyone was staring at me... I moved away from the crowd... a hand on my shoulder... it wasn't Keifer... a black cloth... and then total darkness.
I'm kidnapped. KIDNAPPED.
Suddenly, the door creaked open. A man stepped into the room, and my heart dropped when I saw what he was holding—it was my phone.
"Who are you? Why did you bring me here? What did I even do to you?" I demanded, my voice raspy.
The man winced and rubbed his ear. "You talk so much, no wonder you forgot us."
"Us?" I asked, my eyes darting around the shadows.
"Boys," he called out. Two more men emerged from the dark. My stomach twisted; I'd seen these three before. But where?
"You really don't remember us?" the one coming from the shadows asked.
"Oh, that hurts," the other one added with a fake pout.
"Don't worry, you'll remember us soon enough," the man with my phone said. He turned to his men. "Simon, tell her who we are. And Jackson, after you finish the history lesson, call Keifer." He tossed my phone to Jackson and walked out of the room.
Keifer? Why did they need to call him? My mind started racing. God, please let him be okay.
"We're the ones you beat up a week ago," Simon said, leaning in. "Remember? Keifer was fighting us and you bumped into him. We've been stalking you both ever since. We know everything, Fiancée."
"How?" I muttered under my breath. How could they possibly know we were engaged?
"Now that you're all caught up, unlock your phone and call Keifer," Jackson ordered, shoving the phone toward my face.
"You dumb, stupid, idiot, my hands are tied!" I yelled.
"Oh, she's just like Keifer," Simon laughed.
"Fine. Tell me the password," Jackson snapped.
"Not even in your dreams," I spat. He looked like he was about to charge at me, but Simon held him back. "You think because I'm in trouble, I'll call Keifer and drag him into this? Never. I'm not risking his life."
"Oh, then we'll just call him from our own phones, baby girl," Simon sneered.
"Screw your 'baby girl'!" I screamed.
"Dude, I can't take her anymore," Jackson growled. Simon ignored him and dialed a number on his own phone, switching to a video call. He held the screen up so I could see. My heart shattered—it was Keifer. He looked completely stressed, his eyes wild with worry.
"Remember me, Keifer?" Simon asked.
"How could I forget a dumb idiot jerk like you?" Keifer's voice was like ice.
"You're just like your fiancée—you both curse too much," Simon chuckled.
"Jayjay?" Keifer's eyes locked onto mine through the screen. "I'll burn you alive if you touch her!" he roared.
Simon turned the camera fully on me. "Jayjay, are you okay?" Keifer asked, his voice cracking slightly. I nodded, trying to stay brave.
"Keifer, this is the same place as my dream! Call Kuya Angelo for backup!" I screamed.
Simon immediately cut the call and backhanded me across the face. My head snapped to the side. Jerk. Stupid.
"You talk too much," he hissed. He typed something into his phone, then looked at me with a sickening glint in his eyes. "Let me shut that mouth for you."
He leaned in close, but I didn't hesitate. I slammed my foot into his crotch with everything I had. He collapsed instantly, howling in pain. Thank god they hadn't tied my legs.
"How dare you!" he yelled, lunging back at me. I kicked him again, landing a solid blow.
"This is how I dare!" I shouted.
He snarled, grabbing me by the hair from behind and pulling my head back. "AHHHHHHH!" I screamed as the pain flared through my scalp.
"Let's see if Keifer actually shows up," he growled. He cupped my cheek roughly, leaning in to kiss me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself, when suddenly—
BANG!
The door was kicked off its hinges.
"Keifer," I whispered. My voice was tiny, but I knew he heard me. He stormed in, with Kuya Angelo right on his heels. The tears finally broke loose, falling nonstop down my face.
Keifer's POV
When I saw Jayjay's bag lying abandoned on the floor, my stomach dropped. I knew instantly that something was wrong. Then came the call—the confirmation of my worst nightmare. How dare that jerk touch my fiancé. How dare he touch my Jayjay.
I dialed Angelo immediately. He picked up on the first ring. "Hello? What is it, Keifer?"
"Jayjay has been kidnapped. I need backup. Now," I said.
"What?!" he roared through the phone. "Send me the location!"
I sent him the coordinates the kidnappers had texted me. God, please, just keep her safe, I prayed as I floored the accelerator.
I reached the location—a decaying, abandoned building—just as Angelo arrived. He didn't come empty-handed; he was carrying a gun. So this is what military backup looks like. We didn't waste a second. We sprinted inside, and I kicked the door off its hinges with a force fueled by pure rage.
The sight inside made my blood boil. One of those jerks was holding Jayjay by the hair, forcing himself on her for a kiss.
"Keifer," she whispered. Her voice was broken, and as soon as she saw me, the tears started falling.
I saw red mark on her cheeks like someone had just slapped her, how dare they touch my jayjay. I lunged at the man, landing a kick that sent him flying back.
"Angelo, untie Jayjay!" I yelled. He nodded, rushing to her side to cut the ropes while I turned my fury on the guy who had touched her.
"How dare you touch my fiancé!" I landed a heavy punch.
"Slap her!" Another
"Make her cry!" Another.
"Try to kiss her!" Another.
"Grab her hair!" Another.
"Kidnap her!" Another.
"Make her stressed?! YOU STUPID JERK!" I roared, finishing with a kick that sent him spiraling.
I was losing myself in the beating when a sharp CRACK echoed through the room. A gunshot.
I spun around and saw their leader, Ben, standing in the shadows. He was aiming his gun directly at Jayjay. Time slowed down. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, throwing my body in front of hers just as he pulled the trigger.
A searing, white-hot pain exploded in my back.
"KEIFER!" Jayjay's scream was the last thing I heard clearly.
I collapsed, but she caught me before I hit the cold floor. More gunshots erupted—it was Angelo. He was systematically taking them down. They weren't just three anymore; there must have been at least eight of them, but Angelo was a one-man army.
"Keifer, please! Stay with me! Don't go unconscious!" Jayjay sobbed, her hands trembling as she held my head
I weakly lifted my hand, brushing a thumb across her cheek to wipe away a tear. "It's fine... if I die... at least I died saving you," I wheezed.
"Please don't say that, Keifer! Please!" she cried, her tears falling onto my face. "Kuya! Take him to the hospital! Now!"
Her voice started to fade into the distance. My eyes felt too heavy to keep open. I let them close, drifting into the darkness, not knowing if I'd ever wake up to see her face again.
The first thing I heard was a steady, annoying beep-beep-beep echoing through the room. It was grating on my nerves. I forced my eyes open, the light stinging at first, and immediately felt a heavy warmth pressing down on my hand.
I looked down and saw Jayjay. Her head was resting right on my hand, her hair splayed out across the white sheets. Even in her sleep, she wasn't at peace; fresh tears were still leaking from her closed eyes, staining her cheeks.
My heart ached more than my back did.
I shifted, sitting up as carefully as I could. I made sure not to move my hand so I wouldn't wake her. Reaching out with my free arm, I used my thumb to gently brush the tears from her face, watching her closely.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. For a second, she just stared at me in a daze.
"Keifer," she whispered, her voice barely a breath.
Before I could say a word, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around me. She buried her face in my chest and just let go—sobbing hard and loud, her whole body shaking with the weight of the relief. I held her as tightly as I could, ignoring the sting in my stitches, just glad she was back in my arms where she belonged.
Jayjay'sPOV
"KEIFER!" I screamed as his eyes drifted shut. "Wake up! Don't leave me alone!"
I patted his cheek, desperate for any sign of life. Kuya Angelo appeared at my side, but he wasn't alone anymore—backup had arrived. They carefully lifted Keifer into the back of the car, and I scrambled in after him. My hands stained with his blood and my face drenched in tears.
"Keifer," I whispered. "Wake up. Please. I can't do this without you." I knew he couldn't hear me, but I couldn't let go of the hope that my voice might reach him.
"Kuya, hurry up!" I begged, looking at the back of kuya's head.
"Jayjay, stop crying," Kuya replied, his voice thick with emotion. "If he were awake, he'd never want to see you like this."
His words only made me sob harder. "But Kuya, how can I stop? He's unconscious... there's so much blood..." I turned back to Keifer, tapping his cheek lightly and clutching his hand. "Please, Keifer. Please."
When we skidded to a halt at the hospital, the paramedics rushed out with a stretcher. As they moved him, I realized he was still gripping my pinky finger—a tiny, stubborn connection he refused to break. It broke my heart all over again.
They wheeled him into the ICU, and I was forced to stop at the doors. I felt so helpless. All I could do was wait and pray. I stayed on my heels until the doctor finally stepped out.
"Who is with the patient?" he asked. I stood up instantly, my breath hitching.
"Doctor, is he okay?" I asked, trying to steady my voice.
The doctor sighed, looking at his clipboard. "He survived the surgery, but he is not out of the woods yet. The trauma was severe. His chances are slim, but he is fighting."
The world seemed to tilt. No. God, no. The doctor walked away, leaving me standing there in a daze. Kuya came over and pulled me into a hug, but I was too weak to even lift my arms to hug him back.
"Kuya..." I whimpered.
"Jayjay, Keifer is strong. He's a fighter," he said firmly.
"But the doctor said—"
"Doctors talk about statistics," he cut me off, gripping my shoulders. "You need to be strong for him. He's going to need you when he wakes up, so you can't fall apart now."
I nodded, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. A nurse approached a few moments later and told us he had been moved to a private room.
"Can we see him?" Kuya asked.
"One at a time," she replied.
Kuya looked at me and squeezed my hand. "Go, Jay."
I didn't wait. I ran down the hallway until I reached his room. I pushed the door open softly, and there he was—lying in that oversized hospital bed, surrounded by beeping monitors, looking so still. So quiet.
"Keifer!" I breathed, stumbling toward the bed. I fell to my knees, my legs giving out as I grabbed his hand. "Keifer, please... just wake up," I sobbed, the sound muffled by the hospital sheets.
A nurse entered quietly and placed a chair behind me. I sat down, never once letting go of his hand, even as she checked his vitals and slipped back out, closing the door behind her.
"Keifer, please don't do this to me," I whispered into the silence of the room. "Please don't leave me."
I stayed like that for hours, my tears eventually drying into salt streaks on my face. Exhaustion finally took over, and I drifted into a heavy, restless sleep.
I woke up suddenly. My head was still resting on the bed, and as I slowly opened my eyes, I saw him. Keifer was sitting up—looking pale and exhausted—but his eyes were fixed entirely on me. His hand was trembling slightly as he gently wiped the tears from my skin.
"Keifer," I whispered, my voice cracking.
I didn't care about the monitors or his stitches; I lunged forward and threw my arms around him, burying my face in his chest as the relief finally washed over me. I cried so hard and loud in his shoulder. And he just rubbed my back.
"I thought I lost you," I sobbed into his shoulder, He pulled back slightly, just enough to look at me, and gently wiped the fresh tears from my eyes.
"Were you that worried about me?" he asked softly.
I couldn't even find my voice; I just nodded between heavy sobs. He pulled me back into a hug, tucking my head under his chin. "Shhh... it's okay. I'm fine now. No need to worry anymore," he whispered, stroking my hair.
"You got shot because of me," I choked out, the guilt heavy in my heart.
"It's my responsibility to protect you, Jay," he said firmly.
This time, I was the one to pull away. I pointed a finger right at his face, he flinched, i was trying to look stern despite my puffy eyes. "Don't you dare risk your life like that again! Never do that, Keifer! You scared me to death!"
He actually had the nerve to smile. "If it's for your life, I'd risk mine a trillion times over."
"KEIFER!" I yelled, frustrated by his stubbornness. He just laughed—a weak, breathy sound that made me soften instantly. "Now, stop. Rest. Don't talk too much, and definitely don't move."
I fussed over him until I made him lie back down properly. Once he was settled, I stood up to go find some food for him, but his hand shot out and gripped my wrist.
"Don't leave me," he said, his eyes searching mine.
"I'm not leaving you. I'm just going to get you something to eat," I explained. He just shook his head, his grip tightening. I sighed, but I couldn't help the small smile that touched my lips as I sat back down in the chair. "Fine. I'll just text Kuya and ask him to bring something for you."
He nodded, looking satisfied. "Now, sleep," I commanded.
He closed his eyes and drifted off almost instantly, he slept while holding my hand, maybe worried that i would leave or afraid....
The End 🌸