Chapter 25 #2
Instead of answering, he steps forward and pulls me into a hug.
Keith has never been particularly affectionate.
Even as children, he had always shown concern through actions rather than words.
That hasn't changed now. The embrace is brief, almost restrained, but I can feel the relief behind it.
One hand settles carefully against my back while he keeps distance to avoid slightest brush on my injured leg, as though he's afraid of making anything worse.
When he finally steps away, he keeps one hand on my shoulder. "Don't ever do that to me again."
I blink. "I wasn't exactly planning on getting stranded."
"I know." His voice softens almost imperceptibly. "I still don't want another phone call like that."
The memory comes rushing back. Aurelia's terrified voice. The gunfire. The line going dead.
"How did you even find us?" I ask.
Keith lets out a slow breath before glancing toward the ship anchored offshore.
"Aurelia and I were still on the call with you when we heard the gunfire.
" He runs a hand through his hair, his expression tightening at the memory.
"The line went dead a second later. After that, I called everyone who owed me a favor, tracked the jet's last recorded position, and started narrowing down every island within range. "
"You searched all of them?"
"I would've."
There's no hesitation in his answer.
"I got lucky. One of the coast guard reports mentioned a flare seen offshore last night. By the time we confirmed the coordinates..." His gaze settles on me again, relief flickering across his expression before he buries it. "We were already coming."
A tired smile tugs at my lips. "You really went through all that trouble for me?"
Keith looks at me as though I've asked the most ridiculous question imaginable. "You're my sister."
The answer is so simple, so matter-of-fact, that it steals any response I might have had. As though there had never been another choice. As though crossing an ocean and mobilizing half the world to find me was simply what family did.
For a moment, neither of us says anything.
Then Keith's expression shifts. His eyes move past my shoulder, settling on something behind me. I follow his gaze.
Nico stands a few feet away, silent as always, watching the exchange without interrupting. Despite the battle we'd just survived, he somehow looks as composed as ever, though I know him well enough now to recognize the fatigue hidden beneath the calm.
Keith studies him for several long seconds. "Who is he?"
The question lands harder than it should. For the briefest moment, my mind flashes back to Ireland. The mask. The Keegan estate. The truth I've been carrying ever since.
I glance at Nico. He doesn't say a word. He doesn't ask me to lie. He simply waits, leaving the decision entirely in my hands.
I draw a slow breath. "This is Domenico Valenti."
Recognition flashes across Keith's face. "Valenti?"
I nod.
"I know his father, Vittorio Valenti. We crossed paths a handful of times over the years." His gaze settles on Nico again, this time with something closer to curiosity.
"He was one of the few men who treated me with genuine kindness." A faint smile touches Keith's lips. "Truth be told, Vittorio treated me better than Marcus ever did."
At the mention of his father, Nico's expression hardens almost imperceptibly. His jaw tightens, and for the briefest moment something cold flashes through his eyes before it disappears behind the familiar mask of indifference.
Keith notices. The smile fades from his face. "I'm sorry about your father." He says quietly. "He deserved better than what happened to him."
For a long moment, Nico says nothing. Then he gives a single nod.
After a brief silence, Keith speaks to me again. "And he was on the Keegan operation?"
"Yes." I answer carefully. "If he hadn't been there..." My eyes drift toward Nico before I finish quietly, "I wouldn't be standing here."
Keith studies Nico for another long moment, as though silently reassessing everything he'd assumed about him. Then, without another question, he closes the distance and extends his hand.
"I owe you my thanks."
Nico glances at the offered hand before accepting it. "You don't owe me anything."
"I disagree." Keith's grip is firm but brief. "My sister is alive because of you."
Nico releases his hand. "She made surviving remarkably difficult."
The corner of Keith's mouth lifts. "I've known her my entire life."
"Must have been a very difficult time."
"I imagine she argued with every plan you came up with."
"I stopped trying to win those arguments around day three."
"I heard that." I call, folding my arms.
"You were supposed to." Nico replies without missing a beat.
A quiet chuckle escapes Keith. The sound surprises me enough that I stare at him.
He notices immediately. "What?"
I grin. "I was just wondering who you are and what you've done with my brother."
His expression immediately settles back into its usual stoicism. "Don't get used to it."
"There he is." For the first time in what feels like forever, genuine laughter escapes me. It feels strange after everything we've survived. But it feels good.
As the recovery team secures the area, medics insist on examining my ankle before allowing me aboard.
I spend the next half hour answering questions I barely hear while the remaining members of Keith's team sweep the island one final time, collecting evidence and taking the surviving attackers into custody.
Only when the ship finally begins pulling away from shore do I allow myself to look back.
The island grows smaller with every passing minute. The cliffs disappear first. Then the beaches. Then the jungle that had become both our prison and our shelter.
I don't know what surprises me more. The fact that we survived it… or the realization that part of me is leaving something behind.
I glance toward the opposite side of the deck. Nico stands alone near the railing, staring silently at the fading island.
For a brief moment, our eyes meet across the deck. Neither of us says anything. Neither of us needs to. Too much happened between those trees to fit into words.
By the time Elysian Haven comes into view, the sky has begun turning shades of orange and gold. Staff members line the docks beside security teams and emergency personnel, but one figure breaks away from the crowd before the ship has even finished docking.
"Zora!"
Aurelia. She doesn't wait for permission or protocol. The moment I step onto the dock, she closes the distance between us and throws her arms around me so tightly that I nearly lose my balance.
"Easy." I laugh, wincing. "The ankle."
She immediately loosens her grip, her hands moving to my shoulders instead as she looks me over with tear-filled eyes.
"I heard the gunfire." She says, her voice trembling. "Then the call cut off, and nobody could tell me what had happened. Keith wouldn't answer his phone because he was already on his way, and I..." She shakes her head, swallowing hard. "I thought I'd lost you."
"You'd have to get rid of me much more creatively than that."
Aurelia lets out a watery laugh before immediately pulling me into another hug. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
She leans back just enough to cup my face in both hands. "You look terrible."
"I was hoping for 'heroic.'"
"I stand corrected." She smiles through her tears. "You look heroically terrible."
"That's better."
For the first time since the jet fell from the sky, the weight pressing against my chest finally begins to ease. The nightmare is over.
At least… that's what I tell myself.
As we make our way toward the resort, Elysian Haven feels strangely unreal after days spent surviving in the jungle. Farther inside, music drifts through the open courtyards as preparations for the wedding continue despite everything that has happened.
Life hadn't stopped while I was gone.
"I still can't believe you're thinking about the wedding." I murmur.
Aurelia gives me an amused look. "Of course I am."
"I disappeared for days."
"And now you're back." She squeezes my arm gently. "That means I get to worry about both."
I can't help smiling. "Only you could make that sound reasonable."
"It's a gift."
Halfway across the dock, I glance back. Keith and Nico remain near the shoreline, speaking quietly while the rest of Keith's men secure the area. I can't hear their conversation, but neither man seems willing to give the other an inch.
As though sensing my attention, Nico looks up. Our eyes meet and for a brief moment, the island comes rushing back. The cave. The jungle. The arguments. The kiss.
A hundred words catch in my throat. None of them leave.
Aurelia gently nudges my arm. "Come on. I'm sure your very intense eye contact can survive another hour."
I blink, tearing my gaze away. "What?"
She smiles knowingly. "I've been talking to myself for the last thirty seconds."
"I was listening."
"Were you?"
"...Mostly."
She laughs but doesn't press the subject.
Together we step inside Elysian Haven. The polished marble floors, warm lights, and familiar voices feel almost surreal after sleeping on stone and fighting to survive.
For the first time in days, I should feel safe. Instead, all I can think about is the man I left standing on the dock.