Dane's POV
The engine roared as Angelo drove through the empty highway at terrifying speed. The night was dark, only the sharp headlights cutting through the silence. Nobody inside the car spoke normally anymore. Panic, anger, fear — everything mixed together.
I kept staring at the blinking signal on my tracker.
Jay.
The signal kept moving slightly.
Which meant they were alive.
Kiefer punched the dashboard hard. "Faster."
"I am already at 140!" Angelo snapped while taking a dangerous turn.
Percy was still on calls continuously.
"Check every warehouse near the location."
"No, I don't care who owns it."
"Send our men there now."
His voice was cold. Too cold.
Aries sat beside me gripping his gun tightly. "If they touched them—"
"They won't," I cut him off quickly.
But honestly?
Even I wasn't sure anymore.
My hands were shaking while holding the pendant tracker.
Please be okay…
Please…
Suddenly the signal stopped moving.
Angelo's eyes widened. "We're close."
The huge abandoned building appeared in front of us. It looked like an old factory, completely dark from outside.
Only one dim light flickered on the top floor.
Kiefer immediately opened the car door before it fully stopped.
"WAIT—" I shouted.
But he already stormed toward the entrance.
"Damn it!" Aries cursed and ran after him.
We followed quickly.
The rusty door was locked.
Kiefer kicked it once.
Twice.
On the third kick the entire door broke open loudly.
The inside smelled horrible. Dust. Smoke. Blood.
My heart dropped.
"Jay!" I shouted.
No answer.
Percy signaled everyone to stay alert. "Spread out."
Footsteps echoed everywhere as we searched different hallways.
Then—
A scream.
Lia.
"DOWNSTAIRS!" Angelo yelled.
We found a hidden basement door behind broken shelves.
The moment we opened it, voices echoed from below.
"…they should wake up soon—"
"Boss said tomorrow—"
Kiefer lost control.
He jumped downstairs before any of us could stop him.
Everything happened too fast after that.
Punches.
Crashes.
Gunshots.
Screams.
The basement exploded into chaos.
Jay's POV
My head still hurt badly.
Everything was blurry.
I could barely keep my eyes open when suddenly loud crashing sounds echoed upstairs.
Lia gasped. "W-what was that?"
Jas looked terrified. "Someone's here…"
Then we heard it.
"JAY!"
Dane.
My eyes widened instantly.
"DANE!"
The kidnappers looked shocked.
One of them immediately grabbed my chair roughly. "Shut her up!"
I kicked him hard despite my tied hands.
He cursed loudly.
Suddenly the basement door burst open.
Kiefer entered first.
No.
Not entered.
Destroyed his way in.
The moment he saw us tied up his entire expression changed into something terrifying.
I had never seen him look that angry before.
One man tried attacking him from behind.
Kiefer grabbed him by the collar and slammed him straight into the wall.
Another ran toward Jas.
Angelo punched him before he could even touch her.
Everything became chaotic.
Percy untied Lia quickly while Aries fought two men at once.
"Jay!" Dane ran toward me and untied my ropes hurriedly. "Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?"
"I-I'm okay…" I whispered weakly.
The moment my hands became free I almost fell.
Dane caught me immediately.
"You idiot," he muttered shakily. "Why would you leave at 3AM?"
Even while panicking he still scolded me.
Typical Dane.
But his eyes were red.
He was genuinely scared.
Behind him, Kiefer was beating one kidnapper mercilessly.
Blood covered his knuckles.
"Kiefer stop!" Jas shouted.
But he didn't listen.
The man on the floor could barely breathe anymore.
"Kiefer!" I yelled this time.
He froze.
Slowly he turned toward me.
His chest moved heavily with anger.
Then he walked toward us.
For a second nobody spoke.
His eyes scanned my face carefully, checking every injury.
Then suddenly—
He hugged me tightly.
Too tightly.
"You're insane," he whispered angrily near my ear. "Do you even know what could've happened to you?"
I stayed quiet.
Because honestly…
I had never heard his voice shake before.
Lia suddenly started crying loudly.
"I DON'T WANNA GET KIDNAPPED AGAIN!"
Aries sighed deeply while helping her stand properly. "You're literally crying after eating two ice creams peacefully one hour ago."
"This is trauma!" she cried dramatically.
Even Angelo laughed a little despite the situation.
Then Percy noticed something.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
His face darkened.
"One is missing."
The room became silent.
"There were sixteen," Percy said coldly. "Only fifteen are here."
My stomach dropped.
The leader escaped.
Before anyone could react—
BOOM.
An explosion echoed upstairs.
Dust fell from the ceiling immediately.
"What the hell?!" Angelo shouted.
"The building is rigged!" Percy yelled.
"EVERYONE OUT NOW!"
Panic instantly filled the basement.
Smoke started spreading quickly.
Lia screamed.
Aries carried her immediately.
"Move!"
We all ran upstairs quickly while more explosions echoed through the building.
The walls literally started cracking.
"Kiefer!" Jas shouted suddenly.
Everyone turned.
Kiefer wasn't behind us anymore.
"What?!"
I looked back in panic.
He had gone back downstairs.
"THAT IDIOT!" Angelo cursed.
Without thinking, I ran back.
"JAY!" Dane shouted after me.
But I ignored him.
Smoke burned my eyes badly as I ran downstairs again.
"KIEFER!"
No answer.
Another explosion shook the building violently.
I coughed hard trying to breathe.
Then I finally saw him near the basement office room.
He was holding a laptop.
"What are you doing?!" I yelled.
"This has information!" he shouted back.
"You're gonna die for information?!"
The ceiling suddenly cracked above us.
"KIEFER MOVE!"
I pushed him away just before a huge wooden beam crashed down exactly where he stood.
The impact made me lose balance.
Pain shot through my ankle badly.
"Ahh—"
"Jay!"
Kiefer immediately pulled me up.
Smoke spread everywhere now.
I could barely breathe.
"Kiefer I can't walk properly…"
Without another word he lifted me in his arms.
"What are you doing?!"
"Shut up."
Even while carrying me he still grabbed the laptop.
Unbelievable.
We ran upstairs quickly but the hallway was already collapsing.
Fire spread near the entrance.
"Kiefer…"
"We're getting out."
Another loud explosion echoed.
The entire building shook violently again.
For the first time…
I saw fear in his eyes.
Real fear.
He tightened his hold around me and ran through the burning hallway.
Outside, everyone looked horrified seeing us.
"JAY!"
Dane and Percy ran toward us immediately.
The moment we got out—
BOOOOM.
The entire building exploded behind us.
Heat blasted everywhere.
Lia screamed again while hiding behind Aries.
Dust filled the air completely.
For a few seconds nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
We all just stared at the burning building.
If we were one minute late…
No.
I don't even wanna think about it.
Dane hugged me tightly again.
"You're never leaving my sight again."
"Okay…"
Kiefer stayed unusually quiet beside us.
His hands were bleeding badly from fighting.
Jas noticed first.
"Kiefer your hands—"
"I'm fine."
"You are literally bleeding!"
"It's not my blood."
That somehow sounded even scarier.
Police sirens echoed from far away.
Percy looked at the burning factory coldly. "This isn't random."
Everyone looked at him.
He continued, "Someone specifically targeted them."
Angelo frowned. "But why?"
Percy looked toward the laptop Kiefer was still holding.
"Maybe the answer is inside that."
Kiefer finally handed it over.
Dane looked exhausted already. "Can we first survive tonight before starting another investigation?"
"No," Percy replied immediately. "Because whoever did this is still out there."
Silence fell again.
He was right.
The leader escaped.
Which means this wasn't over yet.
Later — Hotel
The hotel became chaotic after we returned.
Tita Sarina hugged us so tightly I thought my bones would break.
"Never scare me like this again!"
Mom was literally crying while checking my injuries every two seconds.
Dad looked calm outside.
But the way he hugged me silently before leaving said everything.
Lia was wrapped completely in blankets while eating chips dramatically.
"I almost died."
Aries deadpanned. "You asked kidnappers for water three times."
"Because staying hydrated is important."
Angelo burst out laughing.
For the first time tonight everyone relaxed slightly.
But not Kiefer.
He stood near the balcony silently cleaning blood off his knuckles.
I slowly walked toward him.
"You should let the doctor check your hands."
"I said I'm fine."
"You almost died for a laptop."
"It was important."
I crossed my arms. "More important than your life?"
Finally he looked at me.
His expression softened slightly.
"You ran back for me too."
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
Okay fair point.
For a moment silence stayed between us.
The city lights reflected in his eyes.
Then quietly he spoke.
"When I saw you tied there…"
His jaw tightened.
"I genuinely thought I was too late."
My heartbeat slowed strangely.
Kiefer looked away before continuing.
"Don't do something reckless like this again."
I smiled a little. "You too."
A small laugh escaped him finally.
Downstairs everyone suddenly shouted.
"THE LAPTOP OPENED!"
We immediately went toward them.
Percy connected the laptop to the TV screen.
Files appeared one by one.
Photos.
Documents.
Names.
Then—
Everyone froze.
Because one photo showed someone we all recognized.
Dane whispered slowly,
"No way…"