While Daphne rambled on, her eyes suddenly narrowed.
"Wait… Jason, where'd you get the cash for all this?"
Jason barely glanced up, casually peeling off his shirt. "Counselling," he muttered.
A flashback kicked in.
Back at the beach, the elegant woman looked at him, curious.
"So how much does this session cost?"
Jason, without looking at her, dropped a bomb. "Ten thousand ECS."
Her eyes widened. "Ten what?"
"We're kinda broke," he said flatly, walking off before she could argue.
Back to the present.
Daphne said softly. "oh that lady.."
The door burst open — Flux, Ethan, and Brandon barged in. Flux's jaw dropped.
"Bro, your shirt's already off?! It hasn't even been a minute!"
Jason growled, "Get over it."
Brandon stepped forward, clearing his throat. "We need to talk. Alone."
Jason blinked, then turned to Daphne. "Take Liam inside."
Daphne nodded and reached for the boy. "Come on, Liam."
Liam squirmed. "No way! I wanna hear the top secret stuff! Don't woman-handle me!"
She dragged him off, and the second the door closed, Ethan leaned in.
"There's a shipment moving out of here—headed straight for our country. Problem is no women or kids allowed, and they need just two more men onboard. I already said I'd go."
Jason raised a brow. "So the second spot?"
Ethan nodded. "It's either Flux or Brandon. Liam trusts you too much to risk it."
Silence.
Then Brandon and Flux slowly turned to each other.
"There's only one way to decide," Brandon said grimly.
"I know," Flux replied.
They stood in the middle of the room like duelists.
"Rock..."
"Paper..."
"Scissors!"
Brandon threw scissors. Flux hesitated—paper.
"YES!" Brandon fist-pumped. "Fate has spoken!"
Flux fell to his knees, fake tears rolling. "Why do I always lose the important ones?!"
Ethan clicked his tongue. "The Rock-Paper-Scissors code never lies. It's settled. Me and Flux smuggle out, contact HQ, and bring in help while the rest of you...."
Brandon cracked his knuckles. "We stay behind, lay low protect the kid… and keep the heat off your backs."
Jason nodded. "Then it begins."
A beat passed.
"So…" he said casually, "you guys staying here or what?"
Brandon smirked "Nah we scored a room down the hall. Took some cash off a drunk thug—he won't remember a thing"
Flux gave Jason a sly grin, eyes glinting. "Or maybe he just wants us gone so he can be alone with—"
Whack.
Ethan had already smacked the back of his head and started dragging him out by the collar.
"Don't be an idiot, Flux."
The door shut behind them, and quiet fell again. Daphne stepped in quietly.
"Oh. They're gone." Her voice was soft.
Jason didn't respond right away. He glanced at her, then asked, "Where's Liam?"
She brushed a loose curl behind her ear. "Already asleep."
Jason gave a simple nod and turned toward the room. "Then we might as well call it a night too."
He pushed the door open—and stopped dead.
One bed.
"Guess I'll just—"
"Wait," Daphne cut in quickly, voice a little higher than normal. "Aren't you, like… sleeping somewhere else?"
Jason raised a brow. He hadn't planned on sleeping at all—keeping watch was the plan—but he could tell she was nervous, so he decided to mess with her a little.
"Somewhere else?" he echoed coolly. "If you're uncomfortable, feel free to take the floor."
Daphne stepped closer, standing on her toes to meet his gaze, arms folded tight. "But I'm a girl. I should get the bed."
Jason mirrored her stance, tone calm. "And since when does that make a difference? Like I said—you're free to sleep elsewhere if you want."
Her lips formed a pout. "That's not how this works."
Jason glanced toward the adjacent room. "And why does Liam get the bed to himself again?"
"He's a kid!" she defended.
Jason didn't miss a beat. "Then go sleep with him."
"Why don't you go sleep with him?"
"He's a kid. And we're not. So either you share—" he glanced at the bed, then back at her with an unreadable stare—" or you figure out what 'elsewhere' looks like".
Daphne's face flushed a little confidence wavering.
Jason lips curled into a smirk "And besides..." He leaned in just enough for their faces to almost touch. His voice low and unbothered. "I'm not the one complaining so much as whining."
That shut her up—but only for a second.
Daphne huffed as she blushed. "Fine! I'll go!"
She spun on her heel and stormed off—five steps—then stopped. With a glare, she whirled back.
"And for your information—" she began, but fate had other plans.
Her foot caught the edge of the rug. In a split second, she stumbled, and with a small yelp, crashed forward—straight into Jason. The two of them tumbled onto the bed.
Daphne landed against his chest, her hand splayed across his bare skin, face already burning red. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she stared—right into those cold, unreadable eyes.
Jason raised a brow, cool as ever. "You planning to stay there all night?"
Flustered, Daphne gasped. "S-Sorry!" She scrambled to get up, but Jason's hand caught her waist, stopping her gently—but firmly, halting her movement.
"Wait," he said, voice low. "You don't need to sleep with Liam. I wasn't planning on sleeping anyway."
Her breath hitched. "O-Okay…"
Jason studied her flushed face for a moment, then flipped the moment—literally.
In one swift move, he rolled, pinning her gently beneath him.
"And next time…" he murmured, a whisper of a smirk forming, "…let's not confuse roles I should be the one on top. Not you."
Daphne's brain shut down. Her eyes widened, her cheeks lit up like fire—Her entire face turned crimson, and before she could speak—before she could even react—her eyes fluttered shut.
Jason blinked, realizing she'd fainted.
"…Seriously?"
He sighed quietly, his smirk softening. "Tch. Always so dramatic."
Carefully, he pulled the blanket over her, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. For a second, he just looked at her—then stood up and exited the room, calm as ever.
He'd take the watch. Sleep could wait.
The next morning, they headed downstairs, eyes sharp, tension humming beneath their calm.
"I'm starving," Liam groaned as they took a seat in the far corner of the inn's small dining area.
Daphne chuckled softly, brushing a hand over his wild hair. "Not so loud, Logan. The food's coming—"
As if on cue, Madam Nanali appeared, placing three plates down with mechanical grace. She paused, giving Jason a long, unreadable glance before walking away without a word. Jason didn't react. His eyes scanned the room, every shadow, every movement noted.
And then he saw them—two figures, cloaked subtly but recognizable. Henchmen. From the docks.
"Of course," Jason thought. "They're not here for me... they're scanning for the kid." His mind raced. "How do I get Liam out without raising suspicion?"
Liam, meanwhile, was already stuffing food into his mouth, oblivious. Then a small figure slipped into the seat beside him—a girl, young, wide-eyed, her gaze locked on Liam.
Jason missed it. So did Daphne—Madam Nanali had returned, cornering her into an awkward small talk.
"Hmmm…" the girl hummed.
Liam blinked. "Huh?"
"Eyi, kyès ouyè?" the girl asked.
"Uh… mwen sè Logan," Liam said hesitantly.
She studied him, then grinned. "Logan, ah? Swiv mwen. Ou parèt konan moun ki ni jwa dou jwè."
"Ou vie jwè epi mwen?" Liam's eyes lit up.
"Wi. Annou alè. Mwen ni an chat jwèti."
Liam beamed. No one had ever asked him to play. "Tann en ti moman mwen kay mande manman mwen!"
"Dakò."
He turned to Daphne, nearly bouncing in his seat. "Mom! Can I go play with him?!"
Daphne glanced at the girl, "Hold on, I'll ask your dad." She turned to Jason. "Logan says he wants to go play—with that little girl."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"
"No idea," Daphne admitted.
Madam Nanali overheard and chimed in with a smile, "Xiomara, ou jwenn on nouvo zanmi?"
"Wi, mwen kay jwè epi'y!" the girl said cheerfully.
Jason and Daphne exchanged a look. "Nanali has a daughter?"
"Well, I guess it's okay," Daphne said. "They can play back in our room. I'll go with them."
Jason gave a single nod, eyes following Liam like a hawk as they left.
On the way, Liam turned to Xiomara. "Alò, ki sa ou viè nou jwè?"
"Tout bagay bon," she said.
Liam grinned. "Ki manyè si nou jwè ewo èpi mechan?"
"Sa sonnen byen," Xiomara replied, smiling wide.
Jason watched them disappear, but his mind wasn't at ease. " Liam's white hair helps… but now that I think about it, when did his hair—"
His thoughts were cut short.
The bell above the inn's door jingled, and the air shifted. Jason's eyes snapped to the entrance.Then at the entrance some ruffians walked in.
Trouble had arrived.