Jay-Jay (POV)
I opened my eyes and found Kiefer sleeping soundly, his arms wrapped around me.
This idiot.
Didn't I tell him not to touch me?
Carefully, I lifted his arm off me and replaced myself with a pillow so he wouldn't notice I was gone.
Then I quickly washed my face and grabbed my passport.
I didn't need to pack anything. I already had everything at Kuya Clyden's house, and I could always take a bath on the private jet.
I scribbled a note and left it on the bedside table.
We're leaving for London. Come with Orion later.
Bye, hubby.
I glanced at Kiefer one last time.
For a moment, I just stood there looking at him.
Then I walked back, leaned down, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
After that, I finally left the room.
I headed downstairs to wake the kids.
Only to find them already standing there with their luggage, fully dressed and freshened up.
I blinked.
They looked more excited about going to London than I was.
"You're late," Kiegen said.
"Shh. Your kuya is going to wake up," I whispered.
I still didn't have my own car.
One was parked at Kings Ground, and the other was at Jare's house.
Back then, I used to ask Kiefer why he owned so many cars.
Now I was using every single one of them.
I grabbed the white SUV and loaded Kieran's and Kiegen's luggage into the back.
"Are we leaving now?" Kiegen asked.
"No. Sakura's coming with us too," I replied.
As if on cue, Sakura appeared a moment later, carrying a small bag over her shoulder.
"Let's go," I said.
I slid into the driver's seat while Sakura took the shotgun seat. The kids climbed into the back, still half asleep.
Our first stop was her house.
She needed to pick up her passport before heading to the airport.
The roads were quiet, the sky still dark as I drove through the sleeping city.
When we arrived, Sakura asked me to stop a little before the gate.
I frowned.
"Why?"
"I'll be right back," she said.
Before I could ask anything else, she opened the door and stepped out.
I watched her walk toward the house alone.
Something about it felt strange.
But I couldn't figure out why.
Minutes passed.
Five.
Ten.
Fifteen.
I couldn't see her anywhere.
A strange feeling settled in my stomach.
Something was wrong.
My grip tightened around the steering wheel.
Something was definitely fishy.
"Kiegen, Kieran, wait here. I'll be back."I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt.
The smile on his face disappeared immediately.
"Why?" kiegen asked.
"Just stay here."
They both nodded.
Without waiting for an argument, I stepped out of the car and headed toward the house.
Every instinct I had was screaming that something was wrong.
The closer I got to the front door, the worse the feeling became.
My stomach tightened.
The house was too quiet.
Too still.
I pushed the gate open and hurried inside.
"Sakura?" I called.
No answer.
I stepped through the front door and immediately froze.
The living room was a disaster.
Furniture had been overturned.
Broken glass covered the floor.
A lamp lay shattered against the wall.
It looked less like a house and more like the aftermath of a fight.
My pulse spiked.
My suspicion instantly grew.
Something was definitely wrong.
Then I heard it.
A crash.
Followed by a loud thud.
Without hesitation, I ran deeper into the house.
The moment I entered the next room, I stopped.
Sakura was fighting four men by herself.
"Damn."
She was actually winning.
One man was already on the floor groaning. Another had a bloody nose. The third looked terrified.
Wow.
She looked really cool.
One of the men suddenly grabbed a chair and swung it at Sakura from behind.
I clicked my tongue.
"Sakura, watch out!"
I stepped forward and kicked the chair away before it could hit her.
The chair flew across the room and slammed into the wall with a loud crash.
Sakura glanced at me.
"Jay... you shouldn't be here. Get out. Now."
Even while speaking, she drove her heel into another man's stomach.
"What the fuck is happening here?" I demanded, punching the guy rushing toward me.
"I'll explain later," she shot back.
A second later, we were fighting side by side.
Kicks.
Punches.
Elbows.
Bodies kept hitting the floor.
Then one of the men shouted something in Japanese.
I couldn't understand a word.
But the moment he said it, the atmosphere changed.
A chill ran down my spine.
Something was wrong.
Really wrong.
"Jay, it's not safe here," Sakura said, her voice sharper this time.
Then one of them charged straight at me.
Perfect.
I caught his punch, twisted his wrist, and threw him into his friend.
The two crashed into a cabinet.
Wood splintered.
Glass shattered.
For a brief second, the room fell silent.
Then my eyes landed on something near the hallway.
Blood.
My heartbeat stopped.
There was blood on the floor.
No.
My body went completely still.
For a second, I couldn't breathe.
The room around me faded into the background.
Blood.
Not again.
Something hit my head.
Hard.
The impact knocked me sideways.
But before I could even react, Sakura grabbed the attacker and slammed him into the floor.
"Jay!"
Her voice sounded distant.
I couldn't be here.
I needed to get out.
I needed to—
"Ate!"
A familiar voice cut through the noise.
My eyes widened.
I spun around.
Kiegen and Kieran were standing in the doorway.
Both of them looked terrified.
Their eyes darted around the destroyed room.
The broken furniture.
The unconscious men.
The blood.
"What are you doing here?!" I snapped. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the car?"
"We were worried," Kieran said quietly.
Before I could lecture them, one of the men staggered to his feet.
His eyes locked onto the boys.
And he ran straight at them.
Something inside me instantly snapped.
Fear.
Panic.
Rage.
Every thought disappeared.
All I saw were my kids.
"You asshole."
I crossed the room in seconds.
The man never even reached them.
My foot slammed into his face with enough force to lift him off the ground.
"Don't you dare touch my kids"
My voice was low.
Dangerous.
The room fell completely silent.
His body flew backward and crashed into the wall.
The impact echoed through the house.
Even the other men looked terrified.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sakura still fighting.
Punches.
Kicks.
Precise.
Efficient.
So this was what years of Yakuza training looked like.
But my body still wasn't fully under my control.
The sight of the blood kept pulling me somewhere dark.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a second.
"Jay," Sakura called.
I turned toward her.
"We need to leave. Now."
Something in her voice made me pause.
Not fear.
Urgency.
Real urgency.
"They're going to burn the house."
My expression darkened.
Sakura bent down, grabbed her passport from the floor, and rushed toward us.
Then I smelled it.
Gasoline.
Strong.
Overwhelming.
Enough to make my stomach twist.
The men weren't trying to escape.
They were buying time.
Without another word, I grabbed Kiegen and Kieran and shoved them toward the door.
"Move!"
Sakura was right behind us.
We sprinted outside.
The second we stepped out of the house—
WHOOSH!
A wall of fire erupted behind us.
The explosion of heat slammed into my back.
Windows shattered.
Glass rained onto the driveway.
The flames swallowed the house in seconds.
Flames erupted from the windows.
The fire spread so fast it looked like the entire house had exploded into orange and gold.
Heat blasted against my face.
Kiegen and Kieran both gasped.
"This isn't over, Jay. We need to get out of here," Sakura said, pulling a gun from behind her back.
I stared at it.
"Where the hell did you get that?"
"I grabbed it while getting my passport."
"What?!"
"Move. We don't have time."
"Get in the car!" I shouted.
We ran toward it.
But before we could reach it—
Men poured out from every direction.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
More.
They surrounded us in seconds.
I immediately pushed Kiegen and Kieran behind me.
Sakura stepped to my side, gun raised.
The flames from the burning house danced behind us, painting the street in orange and gold.
Smoke curled into the sky.
I looked around at the circle closing in.
Then I sighed.
"Seriously?"
One of the men smirked.
"You're surrounded."
I cracked my neck.
"Yeah, but have you considered that you're the ones surrounding us?"
Sakura covered her face with one hand.
"Jay."
"What?"
"This is not the time."
The men hesitated.
I couldn't really blame them.
Because despite being completely surrounded, neither Sakura nor I looked even remotely worried.
"Kids, stay in the middle," I said.
"Ate..." Kieran whispered.
I looked at him and smiled.
"Don't be scared. Didn't I tell you I'm good at fighting?"
He nodded.
"Then just enjoy the show. I'm here."
I winked at him.
That seemed to calm him down a little.
But underneath it all, I was terrified.
If I lost control...
If the sight of blood made me freeze again...
If I collapsed at the wrong moment...
I would be putting the kids in danger.
And that was something I could never forgive myself for.
The next second, the first man rushed us.
Sakura and I moved at the same time.
A punch.
A kick.
A throw.
Bodies hit the ground one after another.
One man tried to grab Sakura from behind.
She caught his arm, twisted it, and slammed him into the pavement.
Another came at me.
I drove my knee into his stomach and followed it with an elbow to the jaw.
He dropped instantly.
But the problem wasn't winning.
The problem was that they wouldn't stay down.
Every time we knocked one out, another stepped forward.
Every time someone fell, two more took his place.
I clicked my tongue.
"Seriously..."
One guy spat blood onto the ground and stood up again.
Another cracked his neck and advanced.
A third pulled a knife.
Honestly?
These guys just wouldn't budge.
The circle around us kept tightening.
And for the first time, I started wondering if they were trying to do something more than fight.
They weren't attacking like normal thugs.
They weren't scared of getting hurt.
It was almost like they were waiting for something.
Or someone.
And unlike the idiots inside the house, these guys actually knew how to fight.
We couldn't stay here forever.
While Sakura was busy dealing with three men at once, I spotted an opening.
"Kiegen!" I shouted.
His eyes immediately found mine.
I gave him a look.
A signal.
"Get in the car," I mouthed.
He understood instantly.
Thank God.
Kiegen grabbed Kieran's hand.
"Come on!"
Before anyone could stop them, the two boys darted through a gap in the crowd and sprinted toward the car.
My heart nearly stopped as I watched them run.
One of the men noticed.
He turned.
And immediately started after them.
"No, you don't."
I intercepted him before he could take three steps.
My fist slammed into his jaw.
He hit the ground hard.
I didn't even look at him again.
My eyes stayed on the boys.
The moment I saw them reach the car, some of the tension in my chest eased.
Good.
One less thing to worry about.
Now I could focus on surviving.
Unfortunately, the men surrounding us seemed to realize the same thing.
Their attention shifted.
Away from the boys.
Toward me.
And suddenly every single one of them moved at once.
Then a gunshot cracked through the night.
BANG!
One of the men who had been charging toward the boys dropped instantly.
I turned.
Sakura stood with her gun raised.
Smoke curled from the barrel.
For a second, our eyes met.
No words were needed.
She jerked her head toward the car.
I immediately understood.
Retreat.
Now.
Without another word, we started moving.
I drove my shoulder into the nearest attacker and shoved him out of the way.
Sakura covered our retreat, forcing the others to keep their distance.
We ran.
The burning house behind us lit the street like daylight.
Another gunshot echoed.
Then another.
The men scattered just enough for us to break through.
I reached the car first and threw open the driver's door.
"Tighten your seat belts!" I shouted.
Kiegen and Kieran immediately obeyed.
Sakura yanked open the passenger door and jumped inside.
I slid behind the wheel.
My hands gripped the steering wheel.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst through my chest.
The moment everyone was inside, I slammed my foot on the accelerator.
The tires screamed against the pavement.
And the car shot forward.
Straight through the gap before the men could close it.
Behind us, angry shouts echoed through the street as several vehicles started their engines.
Sakura looked into the side mirror.
"We have company."
I grinned and tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
"Shit."
The engine roared.
"This ride is going to be insane."
I pressed the accelerator harder.
"Just tighten your seat belts. All I need to do is get us to the airport."
I glanced at Kiegen through the mirror.
"Kiegen, call ahead. Tell them to prepare the private jet. We can't afford to be late."
"Okay, Ate."
The highway blurred past us as the speedometer climbed higher.
The boys stayed quiet.
After a moment, I glanced at Sakura.
"Who are they?"
Sakura's expression darkened.
"And why did they burn the house?"
"Yakuza."
The word immediately made the car feel heavier.
I frowned.
"They followed you here?"
Sakura nodded.
"Because Yuri killed their former boss."
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
"So now they're after Yuri?"
She shook her head.
"No..."
My stomach sank.
"They're after me."
The car fell silent.
Sakura stared out the window.
"Maybe they couldn't find Yuri."
A bitter smile crossed her face.
"But they know he'll come for anyone who touches me."
She lowered her gaze.
"I'm the easiest way to get to him."
My jaw tightened.
"I checked their tattoos."
That got my attention.
"They're from the Sato Group."
I cursed under my breath.
And suddenly the attack made a lot more sense.
"And the fire?"
"Yakuza don't like leaving evidence," Sakura said quietly.
"Burning the house gets rid of witnesses, fingerprints, blood..."
She paused.
"Everything."
"Tss."
I pressed the gas pedal harder.
The engine growled beneath us.
"Good thing you stayed at our house last night."
Sakura looked at me.
"If you'd gone home..."
"Nothing would've happened, Jay."
I shot her a look.
Sakura shrugged.
"I'm pretty strong."
Then she flexed her arm dramatically.
"Didn't you see how good I am at fighting?"
"Tss."
I rolled my eyes.
"You almost got hit with a chair."
Sakura opened her mouth to argue.
Then Kieran suddenly leaned forward from the back seat.
"You both are cool."
The two of us blinked.
"Huh?"
Kieran's eyes were practically sparkling.
"I finally saw how you found Ate!"
I stared at him through the rearview mirror.
"Forget everything you saw."
The excitement on his face immediately dropped.
"And don't tell your kuya about any of this."
Both boys straightened instantly.
"Okay, Ate."
They mimed zipping their mouths shut.
I narrowed my eyes.
I didn't believe them for a second.
Not that it mattered.
Kiefer would find out anyway.
Because he was Kiefer.
Somehow that man always found out everything.
I sighed and looked back at the road.
The highway stretched endlessly ahead.
Then I checked the rearview mirror.
Nothing.
No black SUVs.
No headlights racing after us.
No sign of the men from before.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel.
That should've made me feel better.
Instead, it made me nervous.
I glanced at Sakura.
"Do you think they stopped?"
Sakura didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the side mirror.
Watching.
Thinking.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"No."
I frowned.
"No?"
Sakura kept her eyes on the road ahead.
"Just don't let your guard down."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"The fact that we can't see them doesn't mean they've stopped."
I clicked my tongue.
"Tss."
A chill ran down my spine.
Nobody spoke after that.
The only sound was the engine roaring beneath us.
For some reason, that silence felt far more dangerous than the chase.
A few hours later, we reached the airport.
The moment we arrived, Sakura and I went our separate ways.
I wanted her to come with us.
After everything that had happened, letting her leave alone felt wrong.
But Sakura refused.
"I need to go," she said.
There was something she wasn't telling me.
But I didn't have time to argue.
We said our goodbyes and headed in different directions.
Soon, Kiegen, Kieran, and I boarded our private jet.
The moment we got inside, the adrenaline finally wore off.
Kiegen and Kieran fell asleep almost immediately.
Honestly, I couldn't blame them.
It had been one hell of a day.
I headed to the bathroom, washed my face, and changed into something more comfortable.
When I looked in the mirror, I noticed the bruise on the side of my head.
The hit I'd taken during the fight.
"Tss."
No wonder I felt awful.
A dull ache throbbed behind my eyes.
The dizziness I'd been ignoring all morning was getting worse.
My vision blurred for a second.
I grabbed the counter until it passed.
Maybe I should've gone to a hospital.
Too late now.
I returned to my seat and closed my eyes.
Just for a minute.
At least, that's what I told myself.
The next thing I knew, the pilot's voice echoed through the cabin.
"We'll be landing shortly."
I blinked awake.
For a moment, I had no idea where I was.
Then it all came back.
The attack.
The fire.
The chase.
The flight.
London.
Beside me, Kiegen was rubbing his eyes.
Kieran let out a huge yawn.
We had arrived.
I reached for my phone.
And immediately frowned.
No missed calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
My stomach tightened.
That was strange.
Kiefer should've called by now.
At least a hundred times.
Especially after waking up and discovering that I'd disappeared with the kids.
I checked again.
Still nothing.
No calls.
No texts.
No angry voice messages.
Nothing.
For some reason, that bothered me more than if he'd been spamming my phone.
A bad feeling settled in my chest.
Because Kiefer Watson was many things.
Possessive.
Annoying.
Overprotective.
But quiet?
Never.
And suddenly, I couldn't stop wondering why.