Within seconds, I was surrounded from all angles. The world was a blur of noise and chaos, but I couldn't hear any of it. I just continued to stare into the abyss of the place Christian had just disappeared.

"Maa'm?" A woman's voice said, loud enough for me to finally turn around. She was a big woman, wearing her uniform. Along with a few others, she guided me back inside the prison where I walked with slow steps, still shell shocked.

As we walked, Sawyer came running up to me.

"Ana!" He breathed, panic etched onto his features. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, trying to focus.

"He didn't hurt me," I confirmed, over and over again to the plethora of people who were asking.

"I didn't know what to do," Sawyer growled. "One wrong move and he would have put the knife to your throat. The bastard."

I shook my head. "He wouldn't have hurt me."

He looked dubious, but didn't press the issue.

Back inside, I was escorted to a room where two policemen and the woman sat opposite me. I was bought a hot drink and Sawyer sat next to me, comfortingly holding my hand. Outside was still chaotic. There were sirens and alarms, albeit slightly muffled from the big heavy doors. It felt surreal, as though I was in a dream.

"Right," the man started, his face stern. "What happened? Step by step, start from the beginning. We haven't got long. This should only take a few moments."

I took a deep breath before beginning, carefully thinking about anything that could possibly get Christian into any more trouble. Even though I hated him right now for what he'd done, I still didn't want them to find him or charge him with anything else.

"I came for my routine interview," I began, but before I could finish, the man silenced me with his hand.

The woman shot him a dirty look.

"My name is Karen," she said calmly. "This is Detective Ronson and Detective Palmer."

Detective Ronson ignored her, continuing to stare at me.

"Routine interview?" He questioned. "We've got records here that show Mr Grey calling you last night. He specifically asked you to come in today."

I gulped.

"Yes," I confirmed. "But I didn't know what he wanted. I thought it was important. I thought he wanted to discuss his case more."

Ronson pursed his lips, but moved onto the next question. I knew the drill. They couldn't come on too strong and heavy until they found something concrete. As of right now, I was a completely innocent bystander who had just been threatened.

"And how long have you been visiting Mr Grey on a regular basis?"

"A few weeks."

"And you're a law student at George Washington?"

"Yes."

"And..."

Karen cut him off.

"Let her get a breather," she chastised. "She's just been held at knife point by a convicted murderer."

"Yes," Ronson nodded slowly, not once taking his eyes off me. "And yet she remains unscathed. Why is that I wonder?"

I bristled, disliking his tone and implication. What was he trying to suggest?

"The man didn't hurt so much as a hair on her head," he continued. "Perhaps, he developed a friendship with you Miss Steele?"

"Absolutely not," I replied firmly. "I was here for one reason and one reason only. I've been sent by my professor to look into the Amy Evan case."

"And that requires several visits a week?" He snapped.

I took a deep breath. Stay calm Ana. He's trying to get to you. They always look for somebody to blame when anything goes wrong.

"Yes," I stated. "It did."

He smiled slowly, before standing up. The others followed suit.

"You're free to go Miss Steele," he said. "The paramedics outside need to check you over. We'll be in touch."

The woman smiled briefly and Sawyer and I both stood too.

Outside, paramedics fussed over me, checking me out until I finally commanded them to stop. After that, Sawyer drove me home and Kate messaged me to tell them they'd left as soon as the alarms started going. I deleted it as soon as I'd replied, relief flooding me. It would have made matters ten times worse if the police had discovered Christian's siblings waiting outside.

"Ronson thinks I'm part of the escape plan," I said to Sawyer quietly. "They think I helped."

Sawyer breathed deeply. "Well, you didn't," he stated. "And they can't prove it."

I sighed, leaning my head against the window. I thought about the note Christian had placed in my hand, which was now pressed against my boob where I had slipped it in quickly before the police got to me. I wanted so desperately to read it, but I would wait until I was completely alone.

"But I knew he was escaping," I said. "I knew it and I didn't say anything."

"Because you know he's innocent," Sawyer said. "And despite that shitty move he pulled with you just now, he is innocent. He didn't kill anyone. If you'd have told the prison...he'd have rotted in there forever."

"I know."

Tears filled my eyes and Sawyer reached across again for my hand. I took it gratefully as his thumb moved over mine softly.

"Thank you," I smiled, "for being there."

He smiled back. "Any time."

Sawyer dropped me home and I immediately ran inside and up to my bedroom before opening the note.

Burn this as soon as you read it. I'm so sorry for what I had to do. It was the only way. When they question you, place it all on me. Tell them you were terrified. You had no idea. Burn the poem as soon as you get home. Don't meet with my siblings in public. Time everything strategically. Police will be watching you from now on. Go back to school. Study. Go out with your friends. Tell your professor I wouldn't confess to Amy Evan despite everything you tried. You're innocent. Forget about me for now. When the time is right, when I've cleared my name, I'll find you. Thank you for everything you've done but I've got this now. - CG

Tears splashed onto the paper before I could quickly crumple it and take it downstairs. The fireplace was on and I threw it in quickly before my father called me in, asking what was wrong. I cried as I told him what had happened, withholding the necessary details. I didn't want him in any trouble if anything came of it. But I did relate some of my feelings. I couldn't hold it all in anymore.

"I'm worried about him," I confessed, for the first time ever. "There's a man hunt going on and he could get killed if he gets caught. He's got so many people after him dad."

My dad sighed, stroking my hair. "Stop worrying about him Ana. He's not your problem. He's a criminal. All I care about is you okay? That's all I care about. That you're safe and okay."

Later that evening, Kate finally came back, slipping into my room quietly.

"We've got to go back to DC," she said softly, taking my hand. "I know you wanted to solve this, but we can't Ana. Our lives could be at risk. We could go to prison or worse...Elena could get to us."

I nodded. Christian had said exactly the same thing in his note. Still, hearing it twice did nothing to make any of this easier.

"Elliot and Mia will continue to do what they can," Kate continued, "but they're his siblings. It's their duty. You were only sent in to ask him about Amy. We got involved because he's innocent. It was the right thing to do at the time but Ana...our own safety is being threatened now. This is bigger than any of us. It's too dangerous. We need to go back to school. Back home. I've booked us a flight for tomorrow. It's the best thing we can do."

Her words filtered through me, but all I could see was Christian's face as he drove away.

In the morning, my dad hugged me goodbye, promising me to be safe. Even though he was sad to see me go, a part of him was also happy that I was getting away from Christian. From the danger and the chaos. At the airport, Kate gave me encouraging smiles, telling me everything would be okay. That our lives could go back to normal. But it didn't matter what she said, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was a bad idea. How could I turn my back on innocent girls locked up? How could I drink in a bar and parade around shopping whilst Christian was on the run, being pursued by Elena and her monsters?

Our flight was called, and Kate walked forward. I stayed, my feet unmoving. A few seconds later, when she realised I wasn't following, she turned around.

"Ana?" Her voice was uncertain.

"I can't go back," I said quietly. "I can't go back and live my life and pretend everything's okay."

She walked back to me, her face fraught with exhaustion.

"Ana, Christian told you to," she said. "It's beyond us. It's too dangerous."

I stood stubbornly. "I don't care."

"What about law school?" She asked, exasperated. "What about our house?"

I breathed deep. "It will all be waiting for me when this is over," I insisted. "This is more important Kate."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Is this about saving Christian, or about seeing Christian?" She asked.

I flushed, refusing to back down. "Both."

"He held you at knife point Ana," she snapped. "He's innocent of killing those girls, but that doesn't make him innocent of everything else. He's still dangerous. He's still sadistic. He still used you in order to escape."

Her words cut through me like a knife, but I didn't dare let it show.

"This is about more than Christian Grey," I said sternly. "It's about innocent lives being ruined. It's about young girls at harm. It's about people like Elena Lincoln being able to get away with it. I'm staying and that's final."

She sighed, narrowing her eyes.

"Fine," she snapped. "And good luck Ana. Because you're seriously going to need it."