The morning came slow and silver, filtered through rain-streaked windows and the aching silence that follows long nights. Jay and Jack had barely moved from where they lay, limbs tangled, hearts a little steadier.
Jay woke first.
He watched Jack sleep, the faint rise and fall of his chest, the tension still buried beneath the surface. Even in sleep, Jack's brow furrowed, like he was chasing ghosts in his dreams.
Jay brushed a thumb over his cheek. "You never rest, do you?"
Jack stirred, lashes fluttering open. "Not when there's a war outside. Not when I don't know who's holding the knife."
Jay leaned in, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "Then let's go find out."
They didn't waste time.
By afternoon, they were seated across from Juhu again-still shackled in the same basement room, though his wounds had been cleaned. He looked tired, more human than monster now. But his smirk hadn't faded.
Jack crossed his arms. "We want a name. Not riddles. Not shadows."
Juhu looked up at him, face impassive. "I gave you a clue. It's not my fault you haven't figured it out."
Jay narrowed his eyes. "You said she was vengeful. That she was offended. A she. Give us something real."
Juhu chuckled softly. "She doesn't need me to speak. She speaks loud enough without words."
Jack's voice lowered, dangerous. "You're going to start losing body parts if you don't-"
"She's not Phim," Juhu said suddenly.
Jay and Jack both froze.
Jack blinked. "What?"
Juhu leaned forward, lips cracked but voice steady. "You all think it's her. The sister. The tragic ghost from your father's past. It's convenient. Too convenient. You want it to be her."
Jay stiffened. "Is it not?"
Juhu shook his head. "She's loud. Smart. She's a disruptor, yes-but not your shadow. Not your death."
Jack's mind raced. "Then who-"
Juhu smiled. "Ask your father who else he's betrayed."
And with that, he leaned back into silence again.
Hours later, Jack stood in front of Charlie's office, fists clenched at his sides.
He wasn't here for forgiveness. He wasn't here for affection.
He wanted names.
The door creaked open, and Charlie looked up from behind his desk. "I wondered when you'd come."
Jack stepped in, shutting the door behind him. "I need to know the truth."
Charlie leaned back slowly. "Which truth?"
"About the woman. The one Juhu spoke of."
Charlie's gaze flickered. "Phim."
"Is it her?"
Charlie hesitated. That hesitation was everything.
"She had motive," he said finally. "Her sister died because of me. Anong was-"
"You don't sound sure," Jack interrupted.
Charlie didn't answer right away. "Phim was dangerous, yes. But orchestrating Juhu? The weapons? The precision?" He shook his head. "That's beyond her."
Jack's heart sank. "Then who?"
Charlie exhaled. "There were others. Women I crossed. Not in romance. In business. In blood." He stood, walked to the window. "But if this one's after you... then it's personal."
Jack's voice cracked. "So she's related to me."
Charlie didn't move. "Possibly."
Silence stretched, thick with implication.
"Are you going to tell me who she is?" Jack asked.
Charlie turned, jaw clenched. "I don't know."
Jack studied him. "You're lying."
Charlie didn't deny it.
That night, the safehouse pulsed with tension. Jay, Jack, Jeff, and Rin sat around the dining table, files open, coffee cups half-drained, and eyes tired.
Jeff tapped a photo of Phim on the table. "Everything points to her. She's vocal, she's got political connections, she has history with Charlie-"
"But that's the problem," Rin cut in. "It's too neat. Too obvious."
Jay nodded. "She fits the narrative too well."
Jack was silent, staring at the photo. He remembered her-barely. A woman at his christening. His father's "old friend." She'd given him a jade bracelet when he was seven. He had never worn it.
"She's a distraction," he said finally. "She might hate Charlie. But she's not our enemy."
Jeff sat back, crossing his arms. "Then who?"
Jay looked at Jack.
Jack hesitated. "It has to be someone close. Someone who knows my father's secrets... and mine."
Rin's brow furrowed. "Could it be a relative?"
Jack didn't answer. He didn't know.
But something in his stomach twisted.
The next day, they arranged a meeting with Phim. Neutral ground. A rooftop garden above an abandoned hotel. No guards. No weapons. Just words.
She arrived on time, dressed in gray, her hair swept into a low bun. She looked tired but composed. Regal, even.
Jay and Jack stood across from her, wind rustling through the ivy.
Phim offered no greeting. Just a glance. "You think I'm behind this."
Jack didn't flinch. "Are you?"
She smiled bitterly. "Would it make you feel better if I said yes?"
Jay's voice was steady. "It would make things simpler."
She stepped closer. "And have I ever been simple?"
Silence.
Phim's eyes locked on Jack. "I loved my sister. I mourned her for decades. Your father buried her and never looked back. You think I haven't thought about revenge?"
Jack held her gaze. "So you have."
"Of course I have." Her voice cracked. "I imagined a dozen ways to make him pay. But when I looked at you and Jay... I saw something I hadn't seen in a long time. Innocence. Love. Maybe even redemption."
Jay's throat tightened.
Phim looked between them. "I didn't send the photo. I didn't bankroll Juhu. I don't know who did. But whoever it is... she's not me."
Jack took a step forward. "Then who?"
Phim's smile faded. "If I knew... I'd burn her myself."
Jay didn't move. "You know something."
Phim's gaze drifted to the horizon. "Only that she's close. Closer than you think. And that she hates you, Jack. Not because of what you've done-but because of who you are."
Jack's pulse thundered. "You're sure it's a woman?"
Phim nodded. "A woman scorned by your father. And in some way... shaped by him."
Jay's fingers curled into fists.
Jack whispered, "Then it's someone in my bloodline."
Phim didn't confirm. She didn't need to.
Back at the safehouse, the team gathered again.
Jack sat with his head in his hands.
Jay rubbed his back slowly. "Who is she, Jack?"
Jack's voice was low. "I don't know."
Jeff frowned. "Cousin? Half-sibling? Someone Charlie kept hidden?"
Rin offered gently, "Or someone your mother never spoke about."
Jack closed his eyes. "My mother died when I was young. My father never talked about her past."
Jay leaned in. "Then that's where we start."
Jack met his gaze. "What if I don't want to know what I find?"
Jay kissed him softly. "We find it together."
The truth was now a thread, pulled from the seams of memory, ready to unravel everything.
Whoever she was, she knew them. Knew how to hurt them. How to break them from the inside out.
And she wasn't just hunting Jay and Jack.
She wanted to burn everything they stood for.
And she was just getting started.