✓ GREEDY HEARTS | JAY

44 - Just A Breath Away

Y/N'S POV

The ride to the abandoned warehouse feels like an eternity, and the more we approach, the more the knot in my stomach tightens. If anything happens to Niki, I will make everyone involved pay with their life and suffer in ways they never thought possible. Jay's hand finds mine and I look down as he intertwines our fingers. When I look at him, our eyes lock but he doesn't say anything, perhaps because nothing can be said to ease the dread that looms over us, or perhaps because we both understand that words might fail us in this moment.

Heeseung and Areum are sitting in the front while Jungwon drives our car. We're counting on them, counting on Jungwon and everyone else in the team to execute the plan flawlessly. Yejin and Jay's mother are safe back in the secret building Jay managed to secure. My sister is ill and his mother is fighting her memory loss, but they're all they have and I'm at least relieved Yejin has someone with her. Once everything ends, I'll spend all my time with her and make her the happiest I can. I'll do just exactly what Minho wanted for us to do. It's the least I can do for him after sacrificing his life for me, yet, it doesn't even compare to the sacrifice he made.

As the car screeches to a halt near the warehouse, my heart feels like it's about to burt out of my chest. No, a more accurate description would be that it feels like it's caught in a vice, squeezed mercilessly. I don't know what I'm about to witness inside the warehouse, whether I'm going to find Niki in one piece, alive or worse. I don't know if I'll be able to control the rage and desperation that's building within me.

Everything is set. I'm wearing an earpiece that's connected to the team's communication channel, allowing us to coordinate our movements without speaking aloud. The NIS agents are positioned around the warehouse and I can spot a few snipers hiding on nearby rooftops, their watchful eyes trained on the surroundings. My priority is to get Niki out safely before we get to catch Park and make him pay for all the pain he has caused. The voice of the NIS agent in my earpiece breaks the silence, providing updates on the locations of the guards inside the warehouse. There are three guards on the ground floor, two more patrolling the upper level. But I know there must be more. 

Areum, Jay, and I enter the warehouse cautiously, guns drawn while Heeseung and Jungwon cover our backs. The earpiece crackles to life again, guiding us through the maze-like structure of the warehouse. "Take the next left, there's a stairwell leading to the upper level."

I lost track of time. I don't know what time it is right now but it's dark outside. The sky is still as black as coal. Areum made a call and explained the situation to the president, and because the NIS is involved, we have the necessary authority to operate without interference. His men are coming to take Park once we secure the evidence and neutralize any threats. But right now, our focus is on Niki.

The warehouse becomes eerily silent as we reach the upper level, the only sounds being our hushed breaths and the occasional creaking of the old floorboards beneath our feet. There must be some kind of surveillance in this place, we cannot be heading inside without them realizing it and as soon as the realization hits me, a few guards come in sight and Jay grabs my hand, pulling me down as we hide behind a stack of crates. Areum follows suit, crouching low while the sound of gunshots echoes through the warehouse. The NIS agents positioned outside cannot give away their position until we get Niki so their help is not compromised. 

I can hear their footsteps coming our way and before I know it, I let go of Jay's hand and stand up, quickly shooting the guards before they have a chance to react. I manage to shoot a guard's leg and arm but the two others hide before I get to neutralize them completely. "Y/N-" Jay tries to stop me but I go after them, swearing under my breath. I remind myself that they're part of this and that Niki might be taking his last breath because of them, and it's enough to make me lose all restraint. The adrenaline runs through my veins as I follow the guards through the maze-like warehouse.

"You're so fucking reckless." I can hear Areum shout behind me and I know both she and Jay are catching up to me. Good. I'm not about to let these motherfuckers get away. The words "reckless" and "careful" echo in my mind, but all I can think about is Niki's safety. I turn another corner, my gun at the ready, but right before I can even process what's happening, the air is knocked out of my lungs when something collides with my abdomen and sends me to the ground. Fuck, I'm disoriented. My head is spinning, and I struggle to focus on my surroundings. But I still manage to hide before one of the guards shoots me, letting the echoes of the gunshot reverberate through the narrow corridors of the warehouse. I wince at the sound, realizing how close I came to taking a bullet.

I suck in a breath and block the pain in my abdomen. This is not the time to dwell on injuries. Niki's safety is the only thing that matters. My gun is lying on the ground across from me and there is no way to retrieve it without passing through those filthy guards. And so, that's exactly what I do. I'm Agent Red after all. 

Jay and Areum appear in the corner of my eye when I stand up and run toward the guards, relying on their surprise and my speed. Before one of them can shoot, I kick the gun from his hand and my other leg lands against his chest, sending him sprawling backward. Jay and Areum are fighting against the others while I quickly reach for my gun, just in time to shoot a man in his fucking knees as he tries to take aim at Jay. Not today, my mind screams, not today, not when we're so close to getting out of this nightmare. We're not going to die today.

I grab Jay's arm, urging him to keep moving. Areum dispatches the last guard with a kick to the jaw before we make our way up. "Y/N, are you okay?" I know Jay is worried because I'm limping and because I'm practically dragging him along. I nod, forcing a smile despite the pain radiating through my leg. "I'll be fine, just a scratch," I reassure him, though I know he can tell it's a lie. It's not that it matters. I would walk through fire for Niki, and a mere scratch is nothing compared to what he must have gone through. I push the thought aside holding my gun tight while I peek around a corner. 

"I hope you stop putting yourself and everyone in danger. They almost shot you back there." Areum's words make me stop and I turn to her, raising my eyebrows though I know my eyes are too numb to show any real emotion. Except for fear, that I can't hide. I'm about to respond when Jay holds my hands and squeezes it ever so slightly. 

With a sigh, I just nod and we're back to focusing on the danger we're surrounded with. Clear. After the signal from the NIS agents, we take the stairs to the upper level. Nothing is actually clear when you're in an abandoned warehouse filled with men who wouldn't hesitate to kill you. They're just good at hiding, and the moment we step into the upper level, it becomes apparent just how true that is. I can feel their presence, and I know I can feel their eyes watching our every move. What I don't know is where Niki is being held, and the uncertainty gnaws at my insides like a hungry beast.

Jay is looking at me and when he shakes his head, I know he understands too. The three of us stay frozen behind the big metal door, contemplating our next move. Every second feels like an eternity as we weigh our options, knowing that every decision we make could mean life or death. But when Niki's voice echoes through the place, my body reacts before my mind can catch up. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat a desperate plea for him to be unharmed. His voice sounds strained as if he's been through more than he's letting on, and when I peek around the corner, I see him standing near a broken window, his eyes wide with fear.

He's terribly wounded, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead, his clothes torn and dirtied. My breath catches in my throat at the sight of him, and all thoughts of caution or strategy fly out the window. All I can think about is getting to him, getting him out of there, and making sure he's safe. "Red," He says, his body trembling, and yet, there's still that small innocent smile that he always wears, even in the face of danger. 

And before I can even take a step forward, Park appears behind Niki, a gun pressed against his temple while my stomach plunges into a pit of dread. My hands clench into fists, nails digging into my palms as I fight the overwhelming urge to charge at Park and rip him to pieces. "You son of a bitch," I hiss through clenched teeth, my voice barely above a whisper. My mind races, searching for any semblance of a plan, but all I can see is Niki's terrified face, his eyes pleading with me to save him.

I always do. I always save him. It's a promise I made to myself, to Niki, and to the life I vowed to build with him. But at this moment, that promise feels fragile, almost impossible, and I'm just a breath away from shattering it.