The knife that Jack had given Elle actually had a built-in microphone and they(Jack, Tony, Chloe, Bill, and Renee) had listened in agonizing silence as Elle was tortured. Finally, when Dubaku left her alone, they could hear her coughing up water and gasping for breath. Tony was silent, but his very expression conveyed the intense emotions he was feeling. It was hard for him, not being able to help the woman he loved.

"Don't worry, Tony. We'll get her back. Alive," Jack promised him, squeezing his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah," was Tony's only reply.

In the bathroom of Dubaku's apartment, I was struggling to find some strength. My lungs burned horribly and my breathing came in short, desperate gasps. I knew that eventually, he'd come back and torture me more, maybe doing something worse this time. I couldn't be certain. All I knew was that I had to fight back—I had to find strength and the effort. I couldn't—I wouldn't die like this.

I got to my knees slowly. My wrists were still tightly bound and getting up was going to be twice as hard because of it. I could see my face in the mirror partially. My wet hair was plastered to my head and my mascara had smeared terribly. My skin was pale and in contrast with the dark eye makeup, I looked like something out of a Gothic horror film.

When I got to my feet, I stumbled out into the bedroom and collapsed onto the floor again.

"Are you okay?" Mr. Taylor asked, deeply concerned.

I coughed hard and my lungs ached horribly. "I'll be okay," I managed to say.

"We need to get out of here," the First Gentleman continued. "Before he kills you."

He was right. I needed more time. More time with Tony…

FLASHBACK

Atop the high diving platform, I turned to do a backwards 2 ½ somersault when I caught sight of Tony waiting for me down below. I waved at him, then re-focused on my dive. With skill and precision, I rose up on my tip-toes, pushed off and flawlessly executed the dive. My body hit the water and barely made a splash.

When I emerged, Tony was waiting with my towel. "Nice dive," he complimented me as I toweled off.

"Thanks." With that, I put my arms around his neck and looked up at him. He smiled down at me and then pressed his lips against mine gently, pulling me tight against him, even though I was soaking wet.

Behind us, several of the girls on my team started giggling and whispering. They had caught glimpses of my dark and mysterious boyfriend on previous occasions and thought it was the sweetest thing.

"Let's get out of here," Tony whispered, pressing his forehead against my wet one. "I want to be alone with you."

Back in my apartment, we had ordered pizza and cuddled close on the sofa. On the outside, Tony looked like a real tough guy, but down deep, he had a big heart. And, every time he came to see me, I fell deeper in love with him.

END FLASHBACK