Keifer's POV
The truck screeched to a halt near a massive, rusted warehouse at the edge of the docks. The salt air was thick, and the silence of the area was eerie. Elara killed the engine and looked at the dark building.
"They are inside," she said, her voice dropping all pretense of playfulness.
We all spilled out of the car, adrenaline surging. I gripped my weapon, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Let's go," I hissed, signaling for the boys to charge. I didn't care about a plan anymore; I just wanted Jay-Jay out of there.
"Stop," Elara commanded, stepping in front of us. "My men are en route, but it's going to take some time. We wait for the backup."
"Wait?" I stepped toward her, my anger boiling over. "We don't have time! Every second we sit here is a second my father could be hurting them!"
Aries and a few others stood behind me, their faces set in grim determination. They were ready to storm the gates.
But Angelo stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Keifer, listen to her," he said, his voice level despite the chaos.
"We don't know the layout. We don't know how many shooters they have stationed inside. Charging in blind is a suicide mission for everyone."
The group was split. Half of us were vibrating with the need to move, while the others-led by Angelo's logic-held back, eyes scanning the perimeter for any movement.
For a moment, we stood there in a tense standoff under the flickering streetlights.
Then, the silence was shattered.
Bam
Bamm
Bammm
The unmistakable roar of gunfire erupted from deep inside the warehouse, followed by a muffled scream that sounded far too familiar.
"To hell with the backup!" I roared.
Logic went out the window. Angelo didn't even try to stop us this time; he was already leading the pack.
We broke into a full sprint toward the warehouse doors, the sound of the gunshots acting like a magnet. We weren't just students from Section E anymore; we were a storm of desperation and rage, crashing toward the sound of the fire.
Jay's pov (when she got kidnapped)
Everything went black-the classic "bad guy" blindfold special. Honestly, if I ever get out of this, I'm rating this kidnapping zero stars; the fabric smelled like old socks and desperation.
Finally, the blindfold was ripped off, and I blinked against the harsh light of a warehouse that looked like it hadn't seen a broom since the nineties.
I saw the girls-Grace, Mica, Freya, Ella, and Ion. We were all tied up like a bunch of human burritos.
But no Elara.
Of course. She's probably out somewhere doing parkour or hacking NASA while we're sitting here getting rope burn. Or maybe she's just waiting for more dramatic entrance music to start.
A boy was standing in front of us with a smirk that I really wanted to slap off his face.
He was wearing a suit that probably cost more than my life, but he wore it like a toddler playing dress-up.
"Hi miss, you are Jay-Jay, right?"
he asked, tilting his head.
"Who are you, and why did you bring us here?" I snapped, trying to wiggle my wrists free. He just laughed that annoying,
villainous laugh.
"Hahaha, you are just like Keifer-grumpy."
Grumpy? My foot. If he thinks this is grumpy, he should see me when I'm actually trying.
"Who are you?" I demanded again.
"I'm Clyde. Clyde Watson, Keifer's cousin," he said, looking way too proud of a last name that basically meant 'Future Inmate.
' I asked him "what do you want
."
and he casually mentioned "Nothing just want to be the CEO of watson enterprises "
Great, another Watson with a power trip. Is it a genetic requirement to be this dramatic? Do they have 'Hostage Taking 101' at their family reunions?
We were surrounded by men with guns, and all I could think was, Keifer, if you don't show up in the next five minutes, I'm going to have to save myself and I'm sending you the bill for the therapy I'm going to need.
Clyde sat down on a crate right in front of me, squinting at my face as if he were inspecting a piece of fruit that was slightly bruised.
"You are not that pretty," he remarked, sounding genuinely disappointed. "I don't know what he saw in you. You know, he was crazy for you when he was in London for the inheritance. He'd stare at your pictures like a total loser."
Excuse me? Not that pretty? This guy clearly has a cataract or a very cheap mirror at home.
"And what are you?" I shot back, leaning as far forward as my ropes would allow.
"You think you're so handsome? You look like a discount version of a background character who gets killed in the first five minutes of a teen drama. Your jawline is practically a circle, Clyde."
"Watch it, you little bitch," he spat, his eyes darkening as he stood up.
My blood boiled. "Just free me once," I whispered, my voice dropping into a range that even surprised me.
"Just one minute without these ropes, and I'll tell you exactly which kind of bitch I am. I'll show you the kind that sends people like you to the dentist for a whole new set of teeth."
He looked startled for a second, then his face twisted. Even in this mess, Freya couldn't help herself.
She started cursing him out in her "girlish" way, which sounded more like a very angry kitten than a lethal threat.
"You... you smelly, uncoordinated walnut! You giant pile of lint!"
she shrieked, kicking her legs out.
Ella let out a long, heavy sigh, probably wondering how she ended up in a friend group that picks fights with armed kidnappers. "Freya, stop," she tried to reason, "you're making it worse."
But Freya was on a roll, insulting Clyde's shoes, his posture, and even his mother's taste in curtains.
Clyde's face went from smug to a very bright shade of tomato red. He snapped. He pulled out his gun and fired three rounds into the sky.
BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound was deafening, and the ceiling dust rained down on us like gray snow.
Everyone screamed, and for the first time, the reality of the guns actually sank in. Internal monologue: Okay, fine, he's a CEO-wannabe with a trigger finger. Keifer, seriously, the 'damsel in distress' act is getting really old. Hurry up!
The heavy iron doors didn't just open; they exploded inward. For a second, the warehouse was flooded with moonlight and the silhouettes of Section E.
My heart skipped a beat as I scanned the crowd, my eyes searching frantically until I found him. Keifer was there, looking like he'd crawled through a war zone, but my gaze didn't stop there.
Right behind him stood Elara. She looked different-deadly, covered in dust and someone else's blood-but when our eyes met, she gave me a small, chillingly calm smile. It was the kind of smile that said, I told you I had this.
Clyde stumbled back, his face turning a ghostly shade of white. "How... how are you still alive?" he stammered, his grip on the gun shaking. "The house... the guards..."
Keifer didn't give him the luxury of an answer. He moved like a predator, closing the distance before Clyde could even raise his weapon.
He grabbed Clyde by the collar and dragged him across the floor, slamming him against the concrete wall with a sickening thud. "It doesn't matter how we're alive," Keifer growled, his voice vibrating with a dark, lethal promise. "What matters is that they're safe. And now, you're going to die."
That was the signal. The rest of Section E charged in like a tidal wave. Aries, Percy, and the others didn't hold back, diving into the sea of armed guards with nothing but raw fury. The warehouse turned into a symphony of crashing crates and shouting men.
Keifer let go of Clyde for a split second to rush toward me. His hands were trembling as he fumbled with my ropes, pulling the knots apart with desperate strength.
The moment I was free, he pulled me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe, his heart hammering against my chest like a trapped bird. "I've got you," he whispered into my hair. "I've got you."
Around us, the fight was going our way. Section E was winning through sheer numbers and adrenaline. But I saw it before anyone else did.
Clyde hadn't stayed down. He had crawled away in the chaos, his fingers closing around a heavy metal pipe.
He stood up, his face twisted in a mask of pathetic, desperate rage. Keifer was still holding me, his back turned, completely exposed.
Clyde swung the pipe with everything he had, aiming straight for the back of Keifer's head.
"Keifer!" I screamed.
There was no time to pull him away. I didn't think; I just moved. I twisted my body, throwing myself between Keifer and the metal bar.
The impact was agonizing. The pipe slammed into my back with a dull, heavy crack. A white-hot flash of pain exploded through my spine, radiating up to my skull.
The world tilted. The sounds of the fight became muffled, like they were happening underwater.
I felt my knees hit the cold floor, and as Keifer's terrified face swam into view, my vision slowly bled into black.