KEIFER POV
I watched Jay for a few more minutes until her breathing evened out and she slipped into a deep, medicated sleep.
She looked peaceful, but I knew the truth. The second she woke up, the walls of this hospital—and probably the walls of the mansion—would start closing in on her like a cage.
I stepped out into the hallway, clicking the door shut with a soft thud. Jare, Aries, and Percy were standing in a tight circle, looking like they were ready to declare war on the entire city.
"Jare," I called out.
"How is she?" Percy asked immediately. He looked like he hadn't exhaled in three hours.
"Sleeping," I said, looking at each of them. I'd made a decision the moment I saw her collapse. "I've been thinking."
"That's a first," Aries muttered, though his eyes were narrowed. He knew that look on my face—the 'Watson is about to do something insane' look.
"Jay-jay... she needs air," I said, leaning against the wall. "Real air. Not the kind filtered through security guards and high gates. She's being haunted by things that happened here, on this soil. If she stays here, she'll keep looking over her shoulder for ghosts."
Percy frowned. "Where? We have the safehouses in Cebu, or the private island in—"
"No," I interrupted. "Nowhere anyone would look. Nowhere associated with the Marianos, the Watsons, or the Section. I'm taking her off the grid."
Jare, who had been silent, finally looked up. He caught my eye, and for the first time in history, there was a silent understanding between us.
"It's better if we don't know where it is," Jare said, his voice gravelly.
Aries and Percy looked at him in shock. "You're just going to let him take her? Without a detail? Without us knowing?"
"If we know, the enemy can find out," Jare said, stepping toward me. He put a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Keifer has protected her from things we didn't even know existed. If he says she needs to disappear to heal... she disappears."
Jare's gaze intensified. "Just bring her back whole, Keifer. I don't care how long it takes. Bring back my sister."
"I'll protect her with my life," I promised
JAY-JAY POV (NEXT DAY)
The travel felt like a blurry dream. One minute I was being wheeled out of the hospital, and the next, I was on a private jet, then a smaller boat, and finally... here.
Keifer had brought me to a literal paradise.
The sand was blindingly white, the water was a turquoise so clear it looked like glass, and the only building was a rustic, beautiful eco-villa tucked between palm trees. No guards. No noisy Section E boys blowing things up. No ghosts.
I was standing on the deck, the salty breeze messy-ing up my hair, when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist.
"What are you thinking about, Mrs. Watson-to-be?" Keifer's low voice vibrated against my back.
I leaned my head against his shoulder. For the first time in years, the 'noise' in my head was a little quieter. But of course, I had to keep up appearances. "Idiot. Why are we on a deserted island? Did you kidnap me?"
Keifer chuckled—that deep, grounding sound that always made my heart do a backflip. "Because we need air. Just us. No Jare checking in every five minutes, no Percy complaining about his hair products being confiscated at security."
He buried his face in my neck, his breath warm and ticklish. "Think of it as... an early honeymoon. Since I'm still planning on making you mine officially very soon."
I turned around in his arms and gave him my best glare. "In your dreams, Watson. I'm still mad at you for the boat ride. I almost got seasick."
"Details, details," he smirked, looking at me with so much love it actually made my chest ache. "But look, Jay. There's no one here. If you want to scream, scream. If you want to sleep for three days, sleep. I'm just here to make sure you remember how to laugh again."
Later that day, we were in the kitchen.
Keifer's idea of "fishing" had mostly just been him standing in the water looking like a model while the fish swam away in mockery, so I took charge of the vegetables.
I was distracted, watching Keifer struggle to slice an onion without crying, when the knife slipped.
"Ow," I muttered.
A thin line appeared on my finger, and bright red blood welled up.
I froze.
I waited for the panic. I waited for the smell of that musty basement or the sound of Alex's laugh. I waited for the world to turn black.
But it didn't.
The blood was just... blood. It didn't look like a crime scene. It just looked like a clumsy mistake.
"Jay? What happened?" Keifer was there in a split second. He dropped the onion and grabbed my wrist, his face turning pale. "Did you cut yourself? Let me see—I'm sorry, I should have been the one—"
He stopped, his eyes searching my face for the breakdown he expected. He held my hand firmly, ready to hold me together if I shattered.
I looked up at him and took a long, clean breath. "I'm okay, Keifer."
"You're not... you're not shaking," he whispered, his voice full of wonder. "The blood... it didn't trigger it?"
I shook my head, a small smile forming. "No. I think... I think it's because I know where I am. I know I'm with you."
The tension bled out of his shoulders. He let out a long, shaky sigh and did something totally 'Watson'—he pressed my bleeding finger to his lips before reaching for the first aid kit.
"You scared the life out of me, Mutya," he muttered, cleaning the cut with more care than a brain surgeon. "No more knives for you. You're on 'watching Keifer be a failure at cooking' duty."
"You're overreacting," I teased.
"To you, it's a scratch. To me, it's a national emergency," he grumbled.
Keifer wasn't taking any chances, though. He set up a satellite call with Dr. Emma, the specialist.
"It's called 'Safe Grounding,'" the doctor explained through the screen. "Jay, your brain associated blood with danger because of your past. But right now, you're in a 'bubble.' You're with Keifer, who is your ultimate 'Safe Signal.' When you saw the blood, your brain didn't scream 'Danger' because your eyes saw him first. He's acting as a shield for your subconscious."
After we ended the call, the room felt lighter.
"A safe signal, huh?" I nudged Keifer.
Keifer smirked, pulling me onto his lap. "I've been called a thug, a brat, and a menace. But 'Safe Signal'? I think I can live with that."
"Don't let it go to your head," I muttered, leaning into his chest and listening to his heartbeat.
"Too late," he whispered, kissing my forehead.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KEIFER POV
It's been two days since we stepped foot on this island, and I can finally say the Mutya I know is coming back.
The haunted look in her eyes is being replaced by the familiar spark of mischief, and her laughter doesn't sound forced anymore. The island is working its magic, and for that, I'd pay a billion more.
But right now? I have a different kind of problem.
A very distracting problem.
I was sitting on the sand, supposedly "guarding" the perimeter (mostly just making sure no stray coconuts fell near her), when Jay-jay walked out of the villa.
My heart didn't just skip a beat; it did a full-on Olympic hurdle.
She was wearing a bikini that—in my humble, very biased opinion—should be illegal.
It showed off every curve, every inch of her sun-kissed skin, and the way the light hit her...
Damn.
I knew she was beautiful, but seeing her here, looking healthy and vibrant and free, was almost too much for my sanity.
I felt my throat go dry. I had to look away for a second, staring intensely at a random palm tree like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Control yourself, Watson. She's healing. You're a gentleman. Mostly.
"Keifer? Why are you staring at that tree? Did a monkey steal your brain?" Jay called out, her voice dripping with that classic sarcasm I'd actually missed.
I turned back to her, forcing a smirk even though my pulse was racing. "I'm just checking the structural integrity of the island, Jay-jay. Someone has to be the responsible one here."
She rolled her eyes, stepping closer until the scent of her sunblock and the ocean air hit me. "You're an idiot. Come on, the water's perfect! Stop being a broody bodyguard and get in."
She didn't wait for me. She ran toward the shoreline, her hair flying behind her.
I stayed where I was for a moment, watching the way she moved. Two days ago, she was a ghost in a hospital bed. Now, she was a goddess in the surf.
I let out a long, ragged breath, running a hand through my hair.
Safe Signal, Keifer. You're her Safe Signal. Not a predatory shark.
"Hey! Keifer! Are you coming or are you scared of a little salt water?" she yelled back, waving at me.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I shouted back, kicking off my flip-flops.
I stripped off my shirt and headed toward the water, my eyes locked on her.
I was going to give her all the time and space she needed to heal, but God help me, being this close to her in paradise was going to be the ultimate test of my willpower.
Just focus on the fishing, Keifer. Think about the onions.
Think about Jare's scary face.
Yeah, that didn't help at all.
As I plunged into the waves and felt the cool water hit my skin, I caught her around the waist, lifting her up as she shrieked with laughter.
This was what I wanted—this version of her. And if I had to suffer through a bit of "bikini-induced torture" to keep her smiling like this, then I'd gladly be a martyr.
"You're late," she panted, her hands resting on my shoulders.
"I was busy," I rumbled, pulling her a little closer than strictly necessary. "Planning our wedding. I think we need a 'no bikinis for the guests' rule. Only for the bride. In private."
"Pervert!" she laughed, splashing water in my face.
"Probably," I grinned, wiping the water from my eyes. "But I'm your pervert."
"Idiot!" she said, her laughter echoing against the sound of the waves.
It was the best sound in the world—better than the roar of my car's engine, better than the silence of a successful mission. It was the sound of her coming back to me.
I didn't give her a chance to splash me again. I lunged forward, catching her by the waist and pulling her flush against my chest.
The water swirled around our waists, cool and refreshing, but where our skin met, it was pure heat.
I leaned down and kissed her.
It wasn't like the desperate, frantic kisses from before—the ones where I was terrified she was going to vanish.
This was slow. Deep. It tasted like salt air and the sweet promise of a future I was finally starting to believe in.
I felt her hands slide up my chest, her fingers curling into my hair as she pulled me closer, responding with a hunger that caught me off guard. For a second, the island, the ocean, and the rest of the world disappeared.
It was just her.
My Mutya.
I pulled back just an inch, my forehead resting against hers as we both breathed heavily.
"You're making it very hard for me to be a gentleman, Jay-jay," I rasped, my voice thick with a mix of affection and the sheer effort of holding back.
She looked up at me, her eyes bright and defiant, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink.
"Who said I wanted a gentleman,keifer?"
I groaned, burying my face in the crook of her neck. "Don't say things like that. Your brother will literally sense it from across the ocean and fly here just to kill me."
Jay laughed, the vibration of it sent a thrill right through me.
She leaned back, her arms still looped around my neck, looking at me with a softness I wanted to bottle up and keep forever.
"Let him try," she whispered.
I grinned, my possessive streak flaring up in the best way possible. I scooped her up bridal style, making her shriek as the water splashed around us.
"You know," I said, wading back toward the shore while holding her close. "The doctor said you need rest. But I think she forgot to mention that 'rest' includes being doted on by your future husband 24/7."
"Doted on?" Jay raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you call splashing me and being a pervert?"
"It's a very specialized form of care," I insisted, carrying her up onto the dry sand. "Very exclusive. Only available to one girl in the entire world."
I set her down on her feet but didn't let her go. I kept my hands on her waist, looking at the way the sunlight played on her face.
The ghosts were still out there somewhere, but right here, in this moment, they didn't stand a chance.
"Are you hungry?" I asked, brushing a wet strand of hair behind her ear.
"Starving," she admitted.
"Good. Because I'm going to attempt to grill something. And if I burn the villa down, we'll just have to huddle together for warmth."
"You're hopeless," she teased, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the house.
"Maybe," I said, squeezing her hand tight.
"But I'm your hopeless idiot. Forever."