Chapter 24: Regret Has a Voice
(Jay Jay's POV)
The warehouse was quiet again.
Too quiet.
The kind of silence that makes people nervous.
The kind that makes them realize something very bad is about to happen.
Yuri sat tied to the metal chair in the center of the room.
Wrists bound behind him.
Ankle tied to the chair legs.
Amy had done the knots.
Which meant there was absolutely no chance of escape.
A single hanging lamp above him flickered slowly.
Back and forth.
Light.
Shadow.
Light.
Shadow.
Perfect.
Amy leaned against a crate and stretched her arms.
Amy:
"So."
She looked at me.
Amy:
"When do we start?"
Olivia crossed her arms nearby.
Olivia:
"She already started."
Sophia adjusted the tablet she was holding.
Sophia:
"All exits secured."
Savannah's voice came through the headset from the van outside.
Savannah:
"Police channels are still clear."
Mia stood near the door like a statue.
Watching Yuri carefully.
He tried to look calm.
But I could see the tension in his shoulders.
The small twitch in his jaw.
The flicker of worry in his eyes.
Good.
Fear was the first step.
Yuri laughed softly.
Yuri:
"You girls think this scares me?"
Amy rolled her eyes.
Amy:
"Not yet."
She looked at me again.
Amy:
"But it will."
I walked toward him slowly.
Each step echoing slightly across the concrete floor.
The lamp light swayed gently above us.
Yuri watched me approach.
His smile returned.
Yuri:
"You know what's funny?"
Jay Jay:
"What?"
Yuri tilted his head.
Yuri:
"You're doing this for Keifer."
He chuckled.
Yuri:
"He's not worth it."
My hand moved before he finished the sentence.
SLAP.
The sound echoed sharply through the warehouse.
Yuri's head snapped to the side.
Amy clapped once.
Amy:
"Nice."
Yuri slowly turned back toward me.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
But he was still smiling.
Yuri:
"That's all?"
Jay Jay:
"No."
I reached behind the table and picked up something small.
A metal knife.
Not large.
Not dramatic.
Just sharp.
Amy's grin widened.
Amy:
"Now we're talking."
I placed the knife gently on the table in front of Yuri.
Jay Jay:
"You made three mistakes."
Yuri chuckled.
Yuri:
"Only three?"
Jay Jay:
"First mistake."
I leaned closer.
Jay Jay:
"You tried to kill Keifer."
I dragged the knife slowly across the table.
The metal scraped softly.
Yuri watched it carefully.
Jay Jay:
"Second mistake."
I grabbed his collar and forced him to look directly at me.
Jay Jay:
"You thought I wouldn't find out."
His smile faded slightly.
Just slightly.
Good.
Jay Jay:
"Third mistake."
I lifted the knife again.
The blade glinted under the hanging lamp.
Jay Jay:
"You thought I was weak."
The knife moved fast.
Not deep.
Just enough.
A thin line of blood appeared across his shoulder.
Yuri inhaled sharply.
Amy leaned forward excitedly.
Amy:
"Ooh."
Yuri gritted his teeth.
But then he laughed again.
Yuri:
"You're proving my point."
Jay Jay:
"How?"
Yuri smirked.
Yuri:
"You're emotional."
I stepped back slowly.
Then I stabbed the knife into the wooden table beside his hand.
Hard.
The blade sank deep into the wood.
Yuri flinched.
Amy burst out laughing.
Amy:
"Okay that was satisfying."
I leaned down slightly.
Jay Jay:
"You staged the accident."
Yuri's eyes flickered.
Jay Jay:
"You hired someone to hit Keifer's car."
Yuri stayed silent.
Jay Jay:
"You nearly killed him."
Sophia suddenly spoke from behind us.
Sophia:
"Ten days."
Yuri frowned.
Sophia looked at him calmly.
Sophia:
"That's how long he was in a coma."
Silence filled the room.
The weight of those words hung in the air.
Yuri shrugged.
Yuri:
"He survived."
Amy's patience snapped.
Amy:
"You're really testing me."
She walked over and punched Yuri directly in the stomach.
He gasped loudly.
Amy:
"That one was free."
Olivia sighed.
Olivia:
"Amy."
Amy raised her hands.
Amy:
"What? He deserved it."
I grabbed the knife again.
Jay Jay:
"You're not dying tonight."
Yuri looked up at me.
Yuri:
"Then what's the point?"
I smiled slightly.
Jay Jay:
"Regret."
Savannah's voice crackled through the headset.
Savannah:
"Jay."
Jay Jay:
"Yes."
Savannah:
"Someone just left the Watson mansion."
My stomach tightened slightly.
Jay Jay:
"Who?"
Savannah paused.
Savannah:
"Keifer."
The room went quiet.
Amy blinked.
Amy:
"Well… shit."
Olivia frowned.
Olivia:
"Why?"
Savannah continued.
Savannah:
"He's driving around the city."
Sophia looked up from her tablet.
Sophia:
"That's not normal."
Savannah spoke again.
Savannah:
"He's been making calls too."
Jay Jay:
"To who?"
Savannah:
"Angelo."
I exhaled slowly.
Of course he was suspicious.
Keifer noticed everything.
Even when he pretended not to.
Savannah's voice returned.
Savannah:
"Wait."
Everyone froze.
Savannah:
"He's asking about Yuri."
Amy whispered.
Amy:
"Uh oh."
Back at the Watson mansion earlier that night—
Keifer had woken up alone.
The house felt too quiet.
Too empty.
And Jay Jay wasn't in her room.
Keifer walked into the living room.
Angelo looked up from his phone.
Keifer:
"Where's Jay Jay?"
Angelo shrugged.
Angelo:
"Thought she was with you."
Keifer frowned.
Keifer:
"No."
Something in his chest felt wrong.
A strange tight feeling he couldn't explain.
Jay Jay never disappeared without telling him.
Never.
Keifer grabbed his car keys.
Angelo raised an eyebrow.
Angelo:
"Where are you going?"
Keifer shrugged.
Keifer:
"Driving."
But the truth was simpler.
He was looking.
For Jay Jay.
Back in the warehouse—
Savannah spoke again.
Savannah:
"Jay… he's getting closer to the docks."
Amy's eyes widened.
Amy:
"You're kidding."
Olivia cursed quietly.
Olivia:
"This location?"
Savannah:
"Not exactly."
Sophia checked the map.
Sophia:
"But close."
Yuri suddenly laughed again.
Loud.
Yuri:
"Oh this is perfect."
I grabbed his collar.
Jay Jay:
"What?"
Yuri grinned.
Yuri:
"Keifer is coming."
His eyes sparkled with cruel amusement.
Yuri:
"I wonder what he'll think when he sees you like this."
Amy cracked her knuckles.
Amy:
"I'll knock him out if I have to."
Jay Jay:
"No."
Sophia spoke calmly.
Sophia:
"We finish quickly."
Olivia nodded.
Olivia:
"Then we disappear."
I looked down at Yuri.
The knife still in my hand.
His blood slowly dripping onto the concrete floor.
Jay Jay:
"You're lucky."
Yuri smirked.
Yuri:
"Why?"
Jay Jay:
"Because Keifer is coming."
I leaned close to his ear and whispered.
Jay Jay:
"If he wasn't…"
I pressed the knife slightly deeper into his shoulder.
Yuri sucked in a breath.
Jay Jay:
"This would be much worse."
Across the city—
Keifer drove faster.
Something in his gut told him something was wrong.
Very wrong.
And for the first time since the accident…
He had a terrible thought.
A dangerous one.
Keifer:
"Jay Jay… what the hell are you doing?"
And the closer he got to the docks…
The closer he got to a truth that was never meant for him to see.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hey everyone!!
I just changed the writing style cause it was a little confusing...
If you have any ideas in your mind feel free to drop them in comments
Bye bye🫶🏻🌷