Keifer POV
Jay's fingers brushed the back of my head.
I felt the pause before I saw it.
The way her breathing stopped.
The way her hand froze against my skin.
"Jay?" I whispered.
She slowly pulled her hand back and stared at her fingers.
Red.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then she stood up.
"Jay, wait—" I tried to push myself up, panic slicing through me. "Your leg—"
She didn't listen.
She didn't even look at me.
She walked past me, straight toward the men.
Something about her felt wrong. Not angry. Not scared. Just empty. Like the Jay I knew had stepped aside and left something else in control.
One of the men laughed. "You serious? The girl's coming at us?"
Jay moved.
I swear I blinked and the first man was already on the ground.
She hit him hard. Fast. No hesitation. Her elbow slammed into another man's chest. She ducked, spun, kicked, grabbed. Every movement was sharp, precise, terrifying.
"Jay!" I shouted. My voice cracked. "Stop!"
She didn't hear me.
She fought all seven of them.
Seven grown men.
It didn't look like a fight. It looked like survival. Like instinct tearing through flesh and bone. Pain didn't slow her. Her injured leg didn't stop her. Someone grabbed her arm and she twisted free, slamming his head into the wall without mercy.
I watched, frozen, heart pounding so hard it hurt.
This wasn't the Jay who teased me.
This wasn't the Jay who laughed in the car.
This was someone else.
When it ended, the men were down. Groaning. Not moving.
Jay stood there for a second, chest rising and falling.
Then she dropped.
She fell to her knees like her strength had been cut loose, hands clenching into her hair. Her body started shaking violently.
"No… no… no…" she whispered. "Don't… stop… please…"
My chest tightened.
I forced myself up, the world spinning like it wanted to throw me away.
One step.
Another.
I collapsed beside her.
"Jay," I said softly, terrified now. "It's okay. They're gone."
She didn't respond.
She kept rocking back and forth, whispering words that didn't belong to this moment, to this place.
I leaned closer, ignoring the dizziness. "Jay… it's me."
Slowly, she lifted her head.
Her eyes found mine.
And then she broke.
She threw herself into my arms, holding me like she was drowning and I was the last thing keeping her above water.
I wrapped my arms around her without thinking.
"I'm here," I whispered. "I've got you."
My legs gave out.
Strength drained from me all at once. My vision blurred. I tried to stand, tried to move her back behind the wall, but my body refused to obey.
Footsteps rushed toward us. Voices shouting.
I didn't know who they were. I didn't care.
"Help her," I said weakly. "Please… help her."
The world tilted.
And everything went dark, with Jay still in my arms.