At home, Kate, Mia, Elliot and Luke were all waiting frantically for me.
"What the fuck do you mean?" Elliot asked, rushing up as soon as I came through the door. "What the fuck is he talking about an escape? He'll get killed before he even gets out!"
I hurried inside, ignoring him as I brushed past and into the living room. Inside, Mia was pacing up and down, her face streaked with tears.
"We got our brother beat up," she whispered, crying silently. "We're going to get him killed."
I took a deep breath, glaring at Kate. She shrugged apologetically. When I phoned on the journey home to tell her the news, I'd warned her to tell the rest of them in a calm and reassuring way. This was the very opposite of calm and reassuring.
"Everything will be okay," I said, trying to keep my own voice even.
"How is he going to escape?" Luke asked, ignoring me. "How the hell does he think he can just escape? It's a state penitentiary prison!"
"I know," I sighed. "Will everyone please just calm down?"
I raised my voice slightly and Luke nodded, stepping back.
"Look," I started, making sure everyone had shut up. "Things have gotten complicated. Elena knows and now she's making threats on Christian's life. Christian is now trying to escape. We have to think rationally about what happens next. We can't all scream and shout and get upset. How is that going to help anything?"
Luke nodded, finally sitting down. The rest followed and I breathed deeply.
"Firstly," I stated, "we need to stay safe and lie low. I don't think Elena knows exactly who Christian has been meeting with or I'd have heard something by now. However, it's still best to ere on the side of caution. I don't want her finding out."
Kate and Mia both nodded feverishly.
"Secondly," I stated, "we need to find out exactly what Christian is planning. I'm going back tomorrow first thing to try and talk some sense into him."
"Doesn't that contradict with our plans for laying low?" Elliot asked. "The bitch could be watching from all angles."
I nodded, gesturing to Kate.
"I'm going to need some of your makeup and hair expertise," I said. "I plan to go incognito so that nobody recognises me in case somebody's watching. Plus, all four of you are going to be accompanying me. Sawyer, you'll come in with me as my personal assistant and wait outside. Elliot, Kate and Mia, you'll be stationed outside keeping lookout for anything suspicious. I'm going to try and get information out of Christian and tell him whatever he's trying to do to stop. Escaping or attempted escape will only complicate things that much further."
Mia's face fell and I sympathised greatly.
"I know you want your brother out," I said softly, "but whatever he's planning won't help him. All it will likely do is get him killed."
She nodded, still crying. Elliot wrapped a comforting arm around her before standing up. Luke followed.
"We're going to tail Elena," Luke announced. "Luke's got a tech friend who's managed to hack into her online schedule. She should be out of a meeting at her office quarters soon. We want to see if she goes anywhere or talks to anyone that might be linked to Chris."
I nodded, encouraging.
"I'll come," Mia said, trying to follow.
Elliot placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't want you involved in this anymore then you have to be."
She frowned but he held his ground. "You're my little sister," he said adamantly. "I won't have you getting hurt."
She leaned in, giving him a big hug.
"Be careful," she whispered.
He looked over at me. "I'll let you know what's going on," he promised.
I nodded. "So will I."
For the next few hours, Kate, Mia and I worked at the kitchen table finding out everything and anything we could about Elena Lincoln. My dad routinely bought in snacks and drinks, and as the evening grew closer, I had a call on my cell. Answering it straight away, I was greeted with a voice machine telling me I had a call from an inmate at Washington State Penitentiary. I accepted immediately and Christian's voice came through the other end.
"Anastasia."
I hurried out of the kitchen and upstairs to my bedroom.
"Christian," I said, my voice thick with anxiety.
"Did you read my poem?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Did you understand it?"
"Yes."
He sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "There was no other way."
"Christian," I said quietly. "Whatever you think you have to do, you don't. I'm going to end this. She's going to pay for setting you up like this. We're going to do this the right way."
I couldn't see him of course, but I could almost imagine him shaking his head.
"It's too late," he said, his voice heavy and resigned.
"It's not," I said firmly.
He was quiet for a few seconds. He started and stopped his sentences a few times whilst I waited. It seemed as though there was something he needed to say but couldn't quite bring himself to.
Eventually, he spoke.
"Will you visit me tomorrow?" He asked. "I know you just visited me today, but this is...important."
"Yes," I said instantly. "I was already going to."
He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Be there for ten," he said. "As soon as visitation starts."
I found his specific-ness a little odd, but I agreed all the same.
"Of course," I assured him. "I'll be there Christian."
I heard him breathe deeply into the phone.
"Thank you Anastasia," he said quietly. "Thank you so much, for everything. I'm so sorry."
Confused, I went to ask him what was going on, but he had already hung up the phone.
The next morning, Elliot drove us all the way to the prison and on my way, I caught up with the lectures I'd been missing, as did Kate. I had on makeup to make myself look different, and Kate had blended in some blonde hair extensions with my own as highlights. I arrived just before ten, and spent a few moments in the meeting room alone as I waited for Christian. As agreed, Sawyer was waiting for me out in the hall.
When Christian walked in at ten on the dot, escorted by his guard, he looked nervous. A look I hadn't quite seen in his eyes as of yet.
"You came," he stated, his voice a mixture of both relief and...was that regret?
"What's going on?" I asked, eyeing the guard.
It wasn't one of his usual guards. This one was big, a strong muscular looking guy who took off Christian's handcuffs. This struck me straight away as strange. Even though I'd asked on several occasions, my request for him to be treated more humanely had always been denied.
The guard left and I swallowed, feeling a little apprehensive as Christian flexed his hands out in front of him. There were marks from the handcuffs which looked sore.
"Thank you for coming," he said quietly.
"Why are you acting so strange?" I asked.
He was jumpy and jittery, constantly looking left and right. He checked the clock several times over and I started to feel a little scared.
"I'm sorry," he said once again, regretfully. "I wish there was another way..."
I opened my mouth, ready to demand he give me some damned answers, but I gasped as he stood up with a such a quickness that I barely had time to blink. Within a second, I was pulled from my seat and held firmly against his chest. I saw him withdraw a crudely made knife from his pocket and place it against my throat lightly. I froze, my eyes filling with tears.
"Don't hurt me," I whispered. "I..."
"Shhh," he said softly, his words contrasting so heavily with his actions.
My heart hammered. My pulse raced. I was truly terrified.
I couldn't see him, but I could feel him all around me. He towered over me, over a foot taller and each part of him was toned and extremely strong. I pulled away but I didn't move an inch. He had me and I couldn't move.
"I'd never hurt you," he whispered, so quietly in my ear.
A ghost of a kiss followed the sentence and I trembled, unsure of exactly what from.
"Let me go," I pleaded.
"I would never ever hurt you," he said again.
And then he kicked open the doors and several officers and guards at once pointed their guns at him. I swallowed down a scream. Sawyer glanced at me, alarm in his eyes.
"Put down the guns," Christian said, his voice venomous and cold. Gone was the gentleness from just seconds prior. "Put down the guns right now, or she gets a slice to the throat."
He pulled me up against him harder and I let out a little cry. Slowly the officers backed away and Christian stepped forward with me as I walked slowly, the knife still right there.
We walked, slowly backwards all the way to the door, where the guard from earlier jumped up from his seat.
"Back away," Christian warned him.
Christian then led me down a corridor. The guard followed at a distance and I heard him shout something to the other officers. Something along the lines of 'I've got this. He's cornered."
At the end of the corridor, there was a fire door. The guard caught up with us quickly as he flung open the doors. In an instant, we were outside.
"Back way, only guards have access," the man murmured to Christian.
He was pointing his gun at him, but the way he was speaking to him made me think they knew each-other.
"Where's the car?" Christian demanded, tightening his hold on me.
"Just a few steps further," the man assured him.
From inside, I could hear the alarms blaring. The guards in the towers were surely pointing their guns but from the way we had exited, the towers were nowhere in sight.
We were at the very back of the prison, on a parking lot only accessed by members of staff. Suddenly, a blue car pulled up and the man got inside quickly.
"Come on Christian!" He shouted. "We have no time! They're on our trails already! We've got less than a minute before those gates close down and we can't get out."
With a quick glance back, I saw that he was indeed right. In the distance, several more guards were coming toward us brandishing their guns and shouting. I could also unmistakably hear the sound of dogs.
I grew cold as everything slotted into place neatly.
"I'm sorry Anastasia," Christian murmured, finally removing the knife.
I stayed frozen, unable to move or speak out of shock.
"I'll find you," he whispered, prying open my hand and forcing a small piece of paper inside.
Automatically, I closed it shut.
Finally, he let me go and hurried into the car which sped off instantly.
I stood there, silently and unmoving until the guards caught up with me.
"Ma'am are you okay?" A blur of voices behind me asked.
I said nothing, just watching as the car faded to a tiny dot.