--: Author's POV: --
The atmosphere in the fitting rooms was light, filled with the rustle of expensive fabrics and the girls' laughter. Jay Jay was standing in front of a three-way mirror, staring at herself in the neon dress Gorya had picked out. It was bold, loud, and defiant—everything she felt she wasn't anymore.
(A.N:- Dress in comment section)
"You look like you're glowing," Grace whispered, leaning against the doorframe.
"I look... visible," Jay Jay replied, her voice gaining a tiny bit of its old strength. "I forgot what that felt like."
--: Keifer's POV: --
Three floors down, the world was a different color. The warmth I felt watching Jay Jay laugh had evaporated the second Thyme mentioned that van.
"Thermal check is negative for explosives," MJ muttered, his fingers flying across his tablet. "But the windows are reinforced. We can't see who's inside."
"Section E, perimeter lock," I barked into my comms. I looked at Thyme. "If this is him, I don't want a scene in the mall. I want him in the basement. No cameras, no witnesses."
"Already done," Thyme replied, his eyes turning into that cold, aristocratic flint. "My men have diverted the mall's security feed. For the next ten minutes, the loading dock doesn't exist."
--: Author's POV: --
Upstairs, the "girl gang" was heading toward the exit of the boutique. Gorya was in the middle of a hilarious story about Thyme's first attempt to eat "commoner" food when Kaning suddenly stopped.
"Jay Jay?" Kaning asked softly. "Is everything okay?"
Jay Jay had frozen. Her eyes were fixed on a small, white envelope tucked into the handle of one of her shopping bags – a bag that had been sitting on a bench while she was in the fitting room.
With trembling fingers, she reached out and took it. There was no name on the front. Just a dried, pressed jasmine flower taped to the seal.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
The air in the mall suddenly felt thin, like I was back there, suffocating. I opened the envelope. Inside was a single polaroid photo.
It was a shot taken from the ceiling of the mall. It showed all eight of us—me, Gorya, Kaning, and my HVIS girls—sitting in the cafe. But there was a red circle drawn around Gorya's head.
On the back, the handwriting was neat and terrifyingly familiar:
—————
"You found new friends, little bird. I wonder how many of them will bleed for you before you come home?"
—————
"Jay? What is it?" Freya asked, reaching for the photo.
"Don't touch it!" I screamed, pulling back. The panic, the raw, visceral terror I had fought so hard to suppress, came roaring back. I looked up at the balconies, searching for the boys, but they weren't there. They were gone.
--: Keifer's POV: --
We reached the loading dock just as the back doors of the black van creaked open. My hand was on the grip of my weapon, my heart hammering a lethal rhythm.
A man stepped out. He was wearing a simple courier uniform, his hands raised in the air. He looked terrified.
"I-I was told to just leave the engine running!" the man stammered, his voice shaking. "A man... he paid me five thousand baht to drive this here and walk away!"
"Where is he?" I snarled, grabbing the man by his collar and slamming him against the side of the van. "Where is the man who paid you?"
"He's not here!" the driver gasped. "He said... he said he had a delivery to make upstairs!"
My blood turned to ice. Upstairs.
--: Author's POV: --
At that exact moment, the mall's lights flickered once, twice, and then plunged into total darkness. The emergency generators kicked in a second later, bathing the luxury corridors in a ghostly, strobing red light.
"Where are the boys?" Mica cried out, clutching Ella's arm.
In the red gloom, Jay Jay felt a hand brush against her shoulder. It wasn't the firm, protective grip of Keifer. It was a cold, lingering touch that smelled of tobacco and old rain.
"Found you," a voice whispered into her ear.