Unstoppable

by EirienGER

As Hailey and Jay continue to work on their relationship, Hailey volunteers to go undercover. Jay struggles to let Hailey go her own way. When something goes wrong with the mission, Jay is not to be stopped. Later the situation shifts and it is Hailey, who is forced to go beyond her own limits.

Dislaimer: This fanfiction is just for fun. No money made, no Copyright infringement is intended. All characters belong to their respective owners, this is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

/

Unstoppable

/

After a rainy Sunday, Jay had little desire to jump into the hustle and bustle of a new week. They had been working on a difficult case for some time, and were getting nowhere. A new organization had popped up in town that was buying drugs in large quantities and was trafficking people.

"I'll put your coffee on the countertop for you, okay?" he called as he walked over to the couch to sit down for a moment.

Hailey was in the bathroom finishing dressing while he waited to grab a bite to eat with her. Then they would head to the precinct. He checked his messages, drank his coffee, but Hailey still hadn't come outside the bathroom.

"Is everything okay?" he called after a while, as he started to get worried.

At that moment, she opened the door and she stepped out. He immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"What is it? Did something happen?" he asked, putting his cup on the coffee table while he rose from the couch.

He walked toward her while she remained silent. She threw on her jacket, and then she headed for the hallway to get her shoes. He reached her and put a hand on her arm.

"Hey.", he stopped her gently. "Talk to me, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just tense about the case.", she replied with a tight smile and she pushed past him.

He knew she was lying. Something was wrong, but he couldn't place what was going on.
Had he said or done something wrong this morning? He watched with concern, as she slipped into her sneakers.

"What now? Are we leaving?" she asked a moment later.

"Your coffee?" he reminded her.

She walked past him to the kitchen, where she grabbed her cup and took a few sips.

"Satisfied?" she then asked, annoyed, as she set it back down.

"Hailey..." He wanted to know what was going through her mind.

"Can we leave now? Or are we going our separate ways this morning?" she interrupted him, giving him a wait-and-see, tense look. When he didn't respond immediately, she continued. "You know what? I think I'm going to drive in my car this morning. I need a few minutes to myself."

Perplexed, Jay paused in place. She gave him another quick look, in which he could at least detect some regret. Then she opened the apartment door and went out.

He stayed behind, confused by what just had happened. Undecided what to do, he looked around the empty apartment.

What was wrong with her? Hailey was his wife. She should talk to him when she felt bad or when something was going on. Shouldn't she?

Leaving him like that to go to the precinct alone, reminded him strongly of the morning when he had first told her that he loved her.

He hoped he would get a chance to talk to her at the precinct. He had to find out what was going on.

Frustrated, he also went into the hallway and pulled his jacket off the hook. Then he left the apartment and locked up behind him.

His body suddenly felt twice as heavy as he took the steps down the hall to the elevator. As he stepped into the small elevator car, Hailey's perfume still hung in the air.

He longed to make things right with her and for everything to go back to the way it usually was. He couldn't stand it when there was tension between them.

In the end, lost in thought, he somehow made it to the precinct. And after parking his car, he approached the entrance at the motor pool. Before going inside, he took another deep breath.

Part of him hoped that Hailey would be waiting for him inside and that they could talk right away. But when he went inside, she wasn't there.

He had seen her car, so she must already be upstairs in the office. As he climbed the stairs, a strange excitement gripped him.

Would he have to spend the whole day in this tense mood with her in the office? Briefly he stopped and he took another breath.

Okay, he could do that. He was good at keeping his emotions under control when he had to.

However, he decided to talk to her as soon as the opportunity arose.

/

Hailey felt bad. She knew she had blindsided Jay with her behavior. But she had needed a few minutes to herself that morning.

He had no idea why she had reacted the way she had, and she didn't know how to explain all this to him. Not yet.

When she heard the barred door unlock and when she heard footsteps on the stairs into the office, she knew it was him. Briefly, she turned in her desk chair to look at him, then she tried to focus on her screen again.

The others greeted him with the usual banter, but she just couldn't join in. Not today.

She wished she hadn't made her way here in the first place. If they didn't have this case right now, she might have called in sick. Would have gone somewhere and spent the day alone to clear her head. But she couldn't let the team down, especially at this stage of the investigation.

She hadn't lied when she had claimed that she was tense about the case. None of them were taking it lightly. She sensed it in the mood that was in the air. They all wanted to bring down those responsible, wanted to help these poor people who were being sold like merchandise.

"Hailey.", Jay had reached her desk and stopped to briefly run his fingers over her hand.

Oh God, he was actually trying to be understanding, no matter how horribly she had just behaved. Why couldn't she just talk to him? Why couldn't she get out of her skin?

She told herself that this was not the right place or the right time. She just looked up briefly and nodded at him.

When he took his seat and disappeared behind the screen, she closed her eyes. Damn, this was going to be a long, terrible day.

The fear that had taken possession of her that morning flared up again and spread through her. She had to get out of here. She had to escape for a moment from the gaze of the others, who could very well tell that something was wrong.

She tried to get up as casually as possible and walked next door with her coffee cup. In doing so, she felt completely stiff and cramped. She knew there was a risk that Jay would follow her. But fortunately, he didn't. She was almost grateful for that.

The situation dissolved when Voight appeared at that moment and when he told everyone to gather in front of the case board. He wanted to go over the latest news on the case. Hailey poured herself a gulp of coffee and walked back into the larger office room.

She stood next to Jay, as she always did. She would focus entirely on the case from now on, putting everything else to the back of her mind.

She could do that. She was good at suppressing her feelings when nothing else worked. And so she would avoid talking to him for as long as possible.

/

Tense and with his arms folded, Jay leaned against the edge of his desk while Voight recapped the events of the day before. It took a lot of effort for him not to keep looking over at Hailey, who was standing a little further in front of him, obviously completely focused on her Sergeant.

He knew what made her tick. No matter what was bothering her and what the reason for her behavior was, she would throw herself fully into work right now. She would try to block out her problems. They were so similar in that respect that he had no doubt about it.

Voight drew his attention back to the caseboard. The perpetrators had appeared out of nowhere, had probably moved their business to Chicago from another city. They were buying larger quantities of drugs. Increasing numbers of young people had been disappearing for several weeks. They probably passed them on to buyers who then forced them to prostitute themselves. With the drugs they made the people docile and dependent, so that at some point, there was no way out of this horrible trap.

"If we don't find these people soon, soon no family in Chicago will feel safe," Voight said now.

"Detective Knowles will be getting back to me today, Sarge," Kim said. "I got a message tonight. She found a way for us to get in."

Detective Knowles had long been on an undercover assignment with a major drug trafficker in the city. She was now in contact with the people in charge of that crime ring through third parties.

Knowles had finally agreed to gain the liaison's trust and look for a way to bring someone new into the picture.

"She knows how important this is? We need hard evidence," Voight asked.

Kim nodded. "She wrote it has to be a woman. I feel ready and I can do this, Sarge."

Voight shook his head. "No. We'll request someone from the Organized Crime Division."

"But-" Kim was about to protest, but Adam beat her to it.

"Think about Makayla. She needs you," he said. "If you were undercover there, that might be a long-term job until we gathered enough material to get those bastards."

She looked at him, slightly annoyed, but then her features relaxed. They all knew Adam was right. Besides, Kim had suffered through enough just recently. She didn't need to get into another life-threatening situation.

"I'll do it," Jay then heard Hailey's voice beside him.

He thought he had misheard. He wrenched his eyes open as a shock ran through his limbs. Had she just volunteered for this extremely dangerous, perhaps lengthy undercover assignment?

"Hail-"

She didn't give him a chance to say anything, she just talked over him.

"This wouldn't be my first long time rodeo, Sarge. I'm trained for this, and I don't have any obligations that couldn't be put on hold for this period of time. If you request someone from another department, they'll take the case. And let's face it, these bastards are ours. So let's take them down."

Jay stared at her, stunned, before finally feeling Voight's gaze on him and he turned to face him.

The older man nodded. "I'll think about it," he replied. "Let's wait and see what details Detective Knowles comes up with and then we'll work out a plan."

The group dispersed. Voight disappeared into his office. Jay turned his attention back to Hailey. She immediately sat down in her chair and stared at her computer screen. He was still standing in front of both of their desks with his arms crossed.

He couldn't believe she had made such a decision without including him. Of course, he knew she was qualified for this assignment and had they been able to talk about it, he probably would have even agreed with her. But the way she had gone through with it, went against his grain tremendously.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked therefore, looking down at her.

"Later.", she returned as she typed something on her keyboard.

"No, now.", he said quietly, but insistently. He could feel himself starting to get angry.

She looked up at him. "We'll talk about this later," she whispered. "Don't give Voight any reason to regret his decision to have us both work in the same unit. You know how unusual that is."

"It has nothing to do with that."

"I can do this, I'm going to convict these bastards. I'm not going to back down, Jay!"

He leaned down a little more and propped his hands on the edge of her desk.

"I know you can do this. That's not the point," he whispered back, annoyed that they were apparently having this discussion in front of the others. "But we should at least talk about why you suddenly can't stand being in the same room with me. Is it even that bad that you want to be gone for several weeks?"

His anger made him say things he didn't really mean. He knew there was something else behind it all. But if she didn't talk to him and kept blocking him, it would only get worse.

Hailey shot up from her chair all at once and pushed past him. With a petrified face, she ran toward the stairs and took the way down. Jay looked after her, stunned at all that had just happened here.

Then he noticed the others staring at him with questioning looks. His anger faded all at once. He turned around. Fortunately, Voight was on the phone and probably hadn't noticed the incident. When he turned back to the others, he just shook his head and looked at them apologetically.

What could he say? He himself had no explanation for all this. He only knew that he didn't want Hailey to knowingly put herself in danger. And he wanted everything to be normal again. Like it was yesterday... Damn, what was wrong with her?

Kim approached him. "Listen, I'm sorry. If it wasn't for Makayla, I would have fought to be able to do this."

He took a deep breath and ran his hands over his face. "It has nothing to do with that, Kim. But thank you," he said. "None of us should have had to go through with it. You heard the Sarge, we could have brought in someone from the outside."

"Were you guys in an argument this morning?" asked Kevin.

Jay shook his head. "I don't know what's behind it. I need to talk to her."

"Then go after her," Adam now said. "We'll tell the Sarge you'll be right back if he asks. He knows what's going on, too, doesn't he? This undercover operation is a big deal. You guys need to work it out."

Gratefully, he nodded. "Okay. We'll be right back," he said. "Hopefully."

/

"Can I come in?"

Hailey winced when she heard Trudy Platt's voice.

She had made it down to the basement and into the room with the cage, that Voight had used for interrogations a long time ago. Usually, no one ever stayed here and one could be relatively sure of being undisturbed. But to get here, she had had to get past the registration desk, and Trudy had noticed immediately that something was wrong.

As soon as Hailey had closed the door in the basement behind her, she had burst into tears. Why was she like this? Why had she been so upsetting to Jay? Why couldn't she just talk to him?

She sat inside the cage on the bench, where so many guilty and innocent people had sat before her. She was definitely guilty today. She was guilty of making her husband miserable.

He thought she didn't want to be with him anymore? That was so wrong! He was so wrong... she wanted nothing more than to be with him.

New tears welled up. She couldn't stop crying.

She sobbed as Trudy came in and closed the door behind her, protecting them from prying eyes and ears. The Sergeant approached the cage and stopped in the open door.

"What's the matter? Mhm?" the older officer asked gently.

Hailey just looked at her and a new crying fit shook her. Trudy came closer and sat down next to her. Without another word, she put her arm around her shoulders and Hailey couldn't help herself. She took advantage of the gesture and leaned against Trudy, who gave her support at that moment.

For a few moments they sat like that and Hailey felt herself slowly calming down. Tears were still streaming down her face, but she felt she could now speak again.

"I'm sorry." she pressed out and she sat up straight again, as Trudy gently released her embrace.

She wiped the tears from her face, but new ones immediately followed.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," the Sergeant replied.

"Oh yes there is..." she sniffled. "I'm being terribly unfair."

"Unfair? In what way?"

She hesitated. Could she be open with Sergeant Platt? Yes, she could, she trusted her, and she had helped them so many times before.

"I just... I have such a hard time talking about certain things with him."

"With Jay? Sweetheart, he's your husband. If you can talk to anyone about anything, it's him. Or did he somehow tell you to shut up? If he did, he's in huge trouble with me, believe me."

Trudy's pragmatic, often thuggish manner, elicited a short laugh from Hailey.

"That's just it!" she groaned. "I know I can talk to him about anything. But I can't bring myself to do it! I'm so afraid he'll eventually hate me...or leave me because of all my fears."

The older woman next to her was silent for a moment. She seemed to think about what Hailey had just told her.

"You know, experience has taught me that it's always better to overcome the fear and talk about your feelings. If you keep it bottled up, it eventually triggers a harsh reaction. And then you say and do things that you wouldn't otherwise do. And I guess, don't blame me for it, that is what is happening to you right now?"

Hailey sensed she was right. She nodded, but then the next crying fit overcame her.

"Okay, here's what I'm going to do," Trudy said. "I'm going to go upstairs and send your husband down here. Then you'll talk it out. And you'll both feel better after that. Ready?"

New tears were already welling up again, but she nodded. Trudy gave her another quick squeeze, then she rose and made her way back upstairs.

Heart pounding and trembling, Hailey stayed behind. She knew she really had to talk to Jay now, or her behavior would drive a permanent wedge between them. And that scared her more than the impending debate that was now upon her...

/

Jay was just entering the front desk area, when Trudy came up the stairs from the basement.

"Have you seen Hailey?" he asked anxiously.

The Sergeant placed herself in front of him, blocking his way into the basement. Her facial expression told Jay that he might be in trouble.

"She's downstairs," she said, but didn't let him pass as he tried to get moving. "She's very confused."

"Did she say anything about what's going on?" he asked quietly, not wanting to let bystanders in on their conversation.

"No. I don't know the reason why she's in the basement crying, Jay. But she's afraid to talk to you about it. Go easy on her. She loves you, but I think she needs to figure out how to deal with some issues herself sometimes."

Jay looked at the older woman. Hailey confession about wanting to learn how a relationship worked came back to him.

Of course, something had caused her to reach her limits, to be thrust into a situation she didn't know how to handle. A situation in which she would have run away in the past.

And he had promised her that he would be there for her. He now regretted the words he had spoken in anger earlier.

"Thank you, Sergeant." he said, and he nodded gratefully to Trudy. "Where is she?"

"She's down in the cage. Take your time."

Jay gave her another grateful nod and stepped past her. Heart pounding, he made his way down the steps.

He didn't hesitate as he opened the door. Immediately he walked toward the cage and he was startled when he caught sight of Hailey. She was sitting on the metal bench like a heap of misery, crying and slumped over. He crouched down in front of her, took her hands in his and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "Whatever is bothering you, you can talk to me about it. There's nothing you could say that would scare me off."

She just looked at him with wide, teary eyes and remained silent. She seemed frozen with fear.

He rose and sat down beside her. Quickly he took her in his arms and pulled her to him. She clung to him like she was drowning.

"It's all right.", he stroked her hair and kissed her head. "I'm here."

A palpable shudder went through her body and then she began to cry again. He didn't know if this was a good sign, but he gave her time and waited, just holding her tight.

After a while she leaned back a bit and she looked into his eyes. He released her and she sat up.

"Thank you." she said and swallowed. She wiped her eyes and her nose with the back of her hand. "I ruined your shirt."

He looked down at himself. It was wet from her tears. "It'll dry." he said as he looked at her again, waiting to see what would happen now.

She seemed to collect herself, but then finally she came clean.

"Remember a while back, when we were talking about whether we wanted kids someday? We were going to leave it up to chance."

He nodded in amazement. So that was what this was all about? "Yes, of course I remember."

"I... I was hoping it would happen. All this time, when we made love, I hoped..."

"Oh Darling," he put his arms around her again, "I didn't know that. I didn't know your desire was so great."

She nodded against his chest. "I've taken a few pregnancy tests lately, but they've always been negative. And now... I was a few days overdue."

He looked into her eyes. "Really?"

Hope sprouted in him. Was she pregnant and was afraid to tell him?

"I thought, now... finally. Finally it happened.", new tears made their way up and Jay wiped her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Did you take a test in the bathroom this morning?" he asked gently, but his heart was pounding with excitement.

She nodded. "It was negative again," she then sobbed.

He swallowed, and he felt the emotions take hold of him himself. He wanted a child with Hailey, too, and now he could feel for her and understand her behavior.

She had needed time for herself to process the disappointment. He himself also felt now, how happy he would have been if the outcome had been different.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and he leaned his forehead against hers.

She kissed him gently and he returned the kiss, stronger, more intimate, more desperate. When they broke away again, she looked at him anxiously.

"Does that mean you already want a child, too? I wasn't sure if you wanted to wait."

He put his hand on the back of her head. "I want a child with you. Whenever it happens, whether it's tomorrow or in a few years. I want it."

She nodded and lowered her eyes, clearly relieved.

"It will happen eventually, Hailey," he added. "We have plenty of time."

He felt her finally relax in his arms.

"I... I wasn't lying when I said I was very concerned about this case. These people are kidnapping young adults. They're still children... it's so horrible to imagine that it could be our own child going through something like this."

"That's why we're going to do everything we can. So we can finally stop this," Jay replied. "But you don't have to put yourself in danger to do that. Especially not if you're trying to get pregnant."

She looked at him firmly. "I have to do this. Even if I'm scared. I want to put a stop to these horrible people. I can do this, and I pray that our child never gets into such a terrible situation..."

He knew that now was not the right time to continue arguing with her about it. He was glad she had finally opened up to him and that he now knew what was going on.

"Okay, we'll wait for the info from Detective Knowles," he said. "And if you really do it, then we're all here to protect you."

"My mind is made up, Jay," she replied, "I'll do it."

He just nodded. Now he hoped that what the Detective would tell them was so outlandish, that Voight would not allow Hailey to infiltrate this organization.

/

That evening, they sat down again to talk about everything calmly.

They had both somehow gotten through the work day, but felt drained and tired.

"Feeling better?" Jay asked as he brought a glass of wine to the couch and handed it to her.

"Yeah. Slowly..." she replied and she smiled at him.

She knew she had to address her behavior from that morning again. Jay hadn't done anything wrong. It was she who had overreacted.

He sat down next to her and turned to look at her. He waited to see if she would start.

"This morning..." she hesitated for a moment. "I behaved terribly. I wanted to talk to you, but... I don't know how to describe it. A wall had built up inside me, so I just couldn't. I just wanted to get away and be by myself. I'm sorry."

"You had to come to terms with your feelings first. It's okay," he replied calmly.

"But why couldn't I just tell you the truth? Why do I always have this flight reflex as soon as something goes wrong?"

He glared at her for a moment before answering. "I guess that's how it used to be whenever there was a fight in your family? Did you run away then too?"

She felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach as the memories returned. She lowered her eyes. Then she finally nodded.

"Me too," he then said. "When my dad had a fight with my mom and it got bad, I had to get out of there. I would run somewhere. To a playground, to the schoolyard. Just away from the place where it was bad at the time."

She looked at him in amazement. "Really?"

"You don't just drop those patterns of behavior," he stroked her forearm. "I understand that."

She looked at him for a long time and finally leaned against him. "I really want to learn to deal with it better. I don't want to lose you."

He put his arm around her. "I'm not going anywhere, Hailey. You and I will figure out how to handle situations like this. It's good to talk about it."

She dreaded the next question, but she had to ask it. "Do you really want a child right now? That would change a lot of things."

"Yes, I want it, too. Of course." he agreed with her and she breathed a sigh of relief. "You and I can do anything, we just have to take it slow and let it come to us. Stop putting pressure on yourself. Promise me?"

She nodded. Yes, she would try and work on herself. He pulled her a little more towards him and she slowly relaxed in his arms.

/

A week later, the meeting with the woman who brought new people into the organization was coming up.

Jay still didn't want Hailey to take that undercover job. But he had resolved to respect her decision. It was her career, too, after all. And he couldn't stand in the way of that. He and the team would do everything they could to make sure things didn't go wrong.

Over the past few days, Hailey and he had talked quite openly about their desires for the future and he felt that they had grown even closer as a result.

He smiled as he thought about the last few evenings and the wonderful Sunday morning they had spent together. He knew it would work out eventually, but he had made Hailey promise that she would be more relaxed about it and that she wouldn't keep taking tests.

They would feel it when the time came...

/

Hailey was nervous, but she felt well prepared as the meeting approached. Detective Knowles had briefed her on everything she knew about the buyers.

She could recite the details of her second identity in her sleep, and the team was in place to intervene at any time if something went wrong.

Apparently, the head of the organization only wanted to hire women for certain tasks. Hailey had a bad feeling about this, but she would find out why he preferred women - if she managed to get hired.

She fit the profile. She was the right age. She was now wearing worn and faded clothes. She looked like she could use every dollar. She was hell-bent on winning over the woman named Tamara.

"There she is, up ahead," Detective Knowles whispered as she chewed a piece of gum.

Hailey glanced past her and saw an older woman coming toward them. She took in another breath.

"Hey, Ally." the woman greeted the other Detective by her alias and then she looked Hailey up and down. "Is that her?"

"Yeah, that's Helena. She needs a job, can barely pay the rent."

The woman eyed her again. "You're from Englewood, right?"

"Born and raised," Hailey replied. "Had bad luck with my ex. He gutted me like a fish. If I don't make a few bucks soon, I'm going to end up on the street."

"What have you done?"

Hailey shrugged nonchalantly. "Some smaller deals, fraud. For the right amount of cash, I'll do almost anything."

The woman continued to eye her. "Do you use drugs yourself?"

"I've been clean for over two years, don't want to start again either," Hailey replied. "But I still have a few contacts from back then, if that would be of interest to you."

The woman smiled slightly, apparently pleased with Hailey's statements.

"Do you realize that we're not just talking about a little courier work?"

Hailey nodded. "Ally hinted at something like that. Whatever you guys do, I'm in as long as I don't lose my apartment. Because otherwise, I have nothing to lose either."

The woman eyed her closely again. "Would you show me your apartment?" she then asked.

Hailey didn't let her surprise show. She knew her undercover apartment wouldn't give her away. It looked like she had been living there for years. But she hadn't expected the woman to want to see it.

"Why?" she asked. "Curious about my dirty laundry?"

"I´d like to know who I'm dealing with, plain and simple. Ally can come along as well. She's known you for a while, hasn't she? Where did you two meet again?"

"Last year I helped out on some courier runs across the border for her boss," Hailey now replied. "Having Ally on jobs makes me feel better."

„Yeah, Ally thought of you right away too, when I mentioned I was looking for someone to support us."

"I guess we'll go back to my place and talk about it then," Hailey stated. "It's not all that tidy at my place, though."

"I don't mind," the woman replied.

They walked to the nearest train station and rode the few stops to the apartment. Hailey unlocked the door and let the woman pass.

She noticed that Tamara was looking around with a trained eye. It wasn't the first time she'd done this. She walked through the rooms, inspecting the condition of the furniture, the objects and finally she took the mail that was lying on a small table in the living room. Then she eyed the contents of the wastebasket.

"Helena Pappas? You're Greek?" she asked, as she read her UC-identity's last name on an envelope.

"Yeah, my father was Greek. He was an asshole." she wrinkled her nose and looked the woman in the eyes. "Are you happy with what you see here? I can also present you with the broken toilet flush if you want? Or the mold stain behind my bed. Or we can go next door and ask Mrs. Miller how much she hates me for supposedly killing her cat?"

Hailey raised her voice and yelled out. "Hey, Mrs. Miller, how's your cat?"

Through the thin walls came an immediate response from Kim, who had taken up position next door.

"Shut up, you dirty little bitch!"

Hailey grinned wryly, while inside her heart was pounding, waiting to see if the woman would actually accept her and let her in.

"Now... Can you understand why I'm so attached to this lousy apartment? I would never give that piece of shit next door the satisfaction of moving out of here."

The woman smiled. After another look around the apartment, she finally came clean. Apparently she was now convinced that "Helena" had been living here for several years.

"Ally told you that we need people to take care of our products? That means you do whatever the boss says. Drug buys at different places in town. Other than that, you take care of the people who stay with us. The pay is definitely enough that you could spruce up your place here a bit."

Hailey raised her eyebrows. She wanted the woman to spell it out - they needed to get on tape that the organization was involved in human trafficking.

"Taking care of the people who stay with you? What does that mean?"

"If you have a problem with that, then you're not the right person. We need to be able to count on you."

"I'd just like to know beforehand what exactly I'd have to do besides buying drugs," she tried to get the woman to unpack further. "Just so we're clear, I'm not a hooker."

"Tamara's offering you a great job, Helena. What are you babbling about?", Detective Knowles now cut in.

"Don't worry, your charms aren't in demand, Sweetie. You drive young girls from club to club now and then. Or to a house within the city. And you do it without the Cops noticing you. Can you do that?"

That was it. They had it. They had it on tape. Now the team could really get going.

/

Extremely tense, Jay watched the video feed transmitted through the hidden camera in Hailey's purse.

In her jewelry was a hidden, in her cell phone as well. The the car key hid a microphone. Nevertheless, he felt more than uncomfortable when Hailey left the apartment with Tamara and Detecitve Knowles.

She was entering completely unknown territory, not knowing who she would be dealing with. They planned to storm the premises immediately, once Hailey had the footage of the people currently being held there. And they needed the name of the leader.

They hung onto the three women as they went back to the train station. Detective Knowles finally said goodbye to return to her own mission.

Hailey boarded the subway with Tamara. Kevin and Adam got on the train a little further back, while the rest of the team followed in cars.

It was dark by now, so that didn't make the chase any easier.

"Where are we going?" he heard Hailey ask as he continued to follow the transmission.

"We're going to meet with the boss. If he thinks you're trustworthy, then we'll move on," Tamara replied.

Jay realized that Tamara was typing something into her smartphone. She was probably informing the boss that she was bringing someone with her.

The name Helena Pappas would certainly be checked now. The tech department would try to trace the requests for the name on their part. So the game had begun.

"Jay, can you manage to keep a low profile?" he now heard Voight's voice beside him.

He broke his gaze from the screen and looked at his Supervisor. "I just want to keep an eye on them," he replied. "We still don't know who we're dealing with."

"This is the closest we've ever been. So stay calm," Voight said. "Whatever happens right now, we'll stand down. Unless Hailey uses the code word."

Jay didn't like the whole thing at all, but he nodded. Then he focused back on the footage.

Hailey and Tamara left the train station and got into a car parked on the side of the road.

They followed unobtrusively while Adam and Kevin were met by Kim and joined the pursuit as well.

"What's your boss like? Is he easy to get along with?" asked Hailey now.

"He's a very cautious person. You'll see in a minute. Open the glove compartment."

Jay narrowed his eyes. In the dark interior of the car, they couldn't really see what was in the compartment. But Hailey thought of it, too, and she spoke about what she saw.

"A pack of pills? I told you I don't do drugs anymore."

"That's not drugs. This is a strong sleeping pill. If you want to work with us, you'll take one of these now and let me take you to the boss."

"And if I don't want to take it?" she asked, and Jay could hear how hard she was trying to stay calm.

He knew exactly what was going through her head now. What if she was pregnant and these pills were harming the baby? His heart began to pound even more. What would she do?

"Then we'll stop here and I'll let you out. You don't talk to anyone about what happened tonight. I know your name and I know where you live. If any of this gets out, we'll find you. This isn't a game, Helena."

There was silence in the car and everything tensed inside Jay. What would Hailey decide to do? She couldn't possibly get involved, could she? Everything in him was literally screaming for her to abort the mission.

"Okay, I'll do it," he heard her say then, and he audibly expelled his breath.

"Take it easy, Jay," Voight said urgently.

His heart was pounding in his throat. Voight had no idea that they were trying to get pregnant. So he didn't understand why he was so afraid.

"We have to abort!" he exclaimed.

The woman pulled over to the side of the road and they did likewise, at a proper distance so as not to give themselves away.

"Take the pill." Tamara said, and with horror Jay watched as Hailey hesitantly held the pill in her hand.

Then she brought her hand to her mouth and Jay threw his head against the heardrest of the seat.

"No!" he whispered, but he couldn't take his eyes off the video.

"Open your mouth, show me you swallowed it," the woman now asked Hailey and she seemingly complied. "Okay...very good. When you wake up again, you'll either be in the boss's office or lying on a park bench somewhere. Then you'll have your decision whether he accepted you or not."

"I... I'm going to be okay, right?" asked Hailey now, her voice already sounding a little sluggish.

"He won't touch you, Sweetie, don't worry," Tamara replied. "He likes younger girls, thankfully. We're safe from him."

Jay clutched the tablet tighter and tighter. You could see Hailey's body go limp and then her hands lay motionless in her lap.

"Sarge, we have to get to her," his voice trembled and he glared at Voight. "It's too dangerous!"

"We're still waiting," the latter replied. "Tamara is not going any further. What's happening?"

Jay stared at the video feed. He saw the woman now taking Hailey's purse off her lap, and the image bounced wildly back and forth as she searched the bag. Then they saw that she threw the bag out of the car.

Jay's heart was pounding madly. They were going to lose her! Hailey would be completely at the mercy of these people.

"Damn it, we have to get there!", Jay was about to jump out of the car, but Voight reached over to him and held him back.

"No! There's too much at stake!"

"And Hailey's life?!" he groaned. "Let go of me!"

Voight was still holding him when they heard a voice over the radio. It was Adam. Jay froze.

"Sarge, Tamara's moving on. We lost the video feed and the Smartphone, but we still have the car keys and the jewelry. We can keep on tracking her."

"Let's go then!", Voight swerved out of the parking space, now following the car again.

Angrily, Jay tossed the tablet onto the console. They didn't need it anymore. Now all they had, was audio.

"This is getting out of control," he hissed. "We have to stop this car now! We'll get Tamara to tell us the name of her boss."

"Hailey knew what she was getting into. She's doing this voluntarily. We let it run."

"What if we get out of range? A red light, a railroad crossing and she's gone!"

"I said we let it run," Voight growled. "I'll throw you out at the next corner if you don't calm down."

Jay remained silent, but he couldn't calm down. He was so angry.

Meticulously, he tracked the movements of the car in front of them. The car in which the love of his life was currently sitting. Unconscious and being taken to an unknown destination.

And he could do nothing but watch, because she herself had voluntarily put herself in this situation...

/

Dizziness and lightheadedness greeted Hailey first when she regained consciousness. She felt that she was lying on something soft and then she felt that she was freezing. She startled, but regretted her action the next moment as everything spun again.

"Here.", she heard a man's voice and she turned her head.

Her eyes focused and she realized that someone was holding out a glass of bright yellow liquid to her.

"Isotonic sports drink. Take a sip and you'll feel better in a minute," the voice now said. "Take it."

Hailey raised her eyes and looked at the man. She was startled when she realized he was wearing a cloth mask that covered the lower part of his face with the imprint of a skeleton.

Either the man was afraid of Covid or he was still careful that she would not recognize him. She also saw now that he was wearing gloves. He was bald.

Otherwise, he seemed very well-groomed, wearing a black suit and expensive leather shoes. No visible tattoos. No special features that she immediately recognized.

She took the glass from him and took a sip. It tasted sweet and sour at the same time, but it awakened her spirits and so she was able to sit up shortly after.

She was in a modern office room with frosted glass windows. She was lying on a small, black leather sofa. Her jacket was gone, as were her shoes. She was still wearing her clothes and socks, but for sure everything had been thoroughly searched. She resisted the temptation to let her hand slide to the necklace. She felt that the necklace was gone, too.

"You're probably wondering why I take so many precautions, Helena. But in my job, you have to be very careful when making new acquaintances."

"Tamara said it was a good sign if I woke up in your office..." she said, taking another sip of the drink. "Where are my things?"

"You won't need those things for now. We're keeping them safe," he replied. "I ran your records. You were arrested once for drug possession, but got off with a slap on the wrist. Other than that, there's not much of you on social media."

Hailey shrugged. So the guy had checked out her second identity.

"I'm not really into putting my stuff on the Internet," she replied, "I mean, you hear bad things all the time."

His eyes narrowed as he smiled beneath the mask. "And yet you want to work for someone like me. Interesting."

"I don't know very much yet about the things you want me to do," she said now. "But I'm here, and I'd do a lot of things if the money is right."

"Ah yes, the money. The key that can open all the gates of this city." he said now and he took in a deep breath. "If you work for me, I want you to stay here for the next two weeks. You´ll will be given a room, clothing and food. That means no contacts to the outside. If I interpret your data correctly, you don't have any obligations, do you? Then that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Hailey wondered where the team was. If they knew where she was, what was going on. They had intended to end things quickly if the opportunity arose. But they had all known that it could also turn into something longer-term.

Her thoughts wandered to Jay. She knew that he could not agree at all with this. But he also knew that not everything always went according to plan. Still, she would like to leave him some sign before she agreed to all this.

"Can I let my landlord know first? He'll kick me out of the apartment if he doesn't get his rent in five days. Then my stuff will be in the basement or thrown on to the street somewhere."

That way, she would be able to contact him...eventually.

"We'll take care of the rent," the man simply replied. "Don't worry about that."

Hailey had made her decision. She would play along until she had an opportunity to feed the team evidence and to contact them.

"Okay..." she said hesitantly. "I'll do it."

Satisfied, the man nodded. "Then we'll talk about your tasks. Let's sit down at my desk."

Hailey was about to rise, when a deafening bang shattered the quiet atmosphere. The glass behind the desk shattered and the man winced. He crouched down and Hailey also threw herself on the floor so she could protect herself from the flying glass.

What was that? Was the team storming the place where the people were being held?

Shouts and screams were heard, a second man ran in, stepping over the shards of the broken window. He approached the boss with the mask.

"Mister Landon, Cops are here. We need to get out of here," he informed him.

Landon wheeled around and glared angrily at Hailey. "You Bitch led them here!" he grabbed her forearm.

Hailey shook her head. "No. No, I don't know anything about it."

The man slapped her so hard she toppled to the side and landed on the floor. Her cheek throbbed while her ear began to ring. Completely surprised at the sudden change, she remained motionless.

If it was her team, where were they and what should she do now?

/

Jay flinched, shocked as a sudden violent explosion shook the entrance to the warehouse. They had parked at some distance and had continued to listen to the audio they could pick up from inside.

He had been extremely worried when the items had been taken from Hailey, but as far as he could tell they had treated her well and they had handled her with care. Briefly, the microphones had even picked up the voice of a man who might be the boss of the whole thing.

Tamara had taken Hailey's things to another room where they would be stored. The conversations in this room were also valuable and interesting for them, because they revolved around the further plans of the organization - but actually Jay was only interested in how Hailey was doing at that moment.

He was angry at Voight for not stopping the operation. And now he knew only one thing: Hailey was in the building that had just been attacked!

Without hesitation, he jumped out of the car. Voight and the others did the same, and they all retrieved their weapons.

"What the hell is going on there?" shouted Adam. "Who is that?"

"Kim, you check with dispatch to see if this is a CPD operation!" ordered Voight.

Shortly thereafter, they knew that the Organized Crime Division had a parallel operation going on to storm the building.

"I don't believe it!" Voight groaned angrily. "Why weren't we informed? Who's running this other operation? I need a contact right now!"

Jay wasn´t even listening to what the others were saying. He grabbed his long gun and ran. He needed to get into that building with the other officers. He needed to know how Hailey was doing. He needed to see if she was hurt in the explosion and where she was. He had to get her out of there.

"Jay!" he heard Voight's voice behind him, but he ignored it.

His anger was only fueled further as he thought about all that had happened today. How Voight had treated him. How he had put Hailey in danger. How had it ever come to this, and why had he let it happen?

Slowly he approached the building and he saw that there were several dark vehicles scattered around the compound in the night. This was the other unit that must have blown up the entrance to the hall.

He reached the vehicles and saw a Policeofficer, apparently securing the perimeter. When he caught sight of Jay, he raised his gun.

"Detective Jay Halstead, Intelligence." he announced, and the man lowered the weapon again when he saw the star on his bulletproof vest.

"Officer Walton." the man introduced himself. "What are you doing here, Detective?" he asked tensely.

"I'm asking you the same thing! We have a Detective undercover in there and you blow up half the building!" he retorted angrily. "I've got to get in there and see if she's all right! My Unit is right behind me."

"You can't go in there right now. Sergeant Mills and his team are securing the building right now and -"

"Then inform Mills that he made a mistake! Tell him that we have a female, plain clothed Detective in there. Go ahead!"

Hesitantly, the Officer picked up his radio and relayed the information, but there was no response and Jay's concern grew. There was no guarantee that the Officers in there wouldn't fire on anyone who got in their way.

"I'm going in," he said, and he started moving.

Crouching down, he took the next few steps while ignoring the other Officer's shouts.

/

"Keep going, Bitch!", Hailey was dragged on by Landon.

After the explosion, he and the second man had opened a hidden door at the back of the office and Landon had forced her to come along. He kept yanking her hair and grabbing her by the back of the neck as he pushed her along.

They walked down a narrow concrete hallway. A little further away, Hailey could make out a metal door. As they got closer, Landon shoved her brutally forward. She fell and landed on her knees.

"Stay there!" he commanded her.

Hailey crouched on the floor and didn't move. She waited for the men to open the door. She had to wait for the right moment to fight back and escape.

The metal door swung open and the attendant led the way, while Landon grabbed her by the upper arm and dragged her back to her feet. Again, he lunged and punched her in the face.

"Keep going!"

Hailey stumbled through the door and was astonished to find that they were outdoors. It was a fenced-in, small yard. She tried to pull away from Landon, but his grip was merciless. He continued to pull her toward him before moving on.

Hailey saw a car parked not far away. That was where they were headed. It was her last chance to escape. Once again she braced herself against Landon and she lashed out. She punched him in the face with her fist and she tried to pull away at the same time as her knuckles collided with his jaw.

The mask slipped off his face and now she could see that the lower half of his face was marred by burns. Once again she tugged, but Landon didn't let go. He was tough as nails and yanked her to him again. She thought he was going to dislocate her shoulder.

"You stay here!" he hissed. "Do you like what you see?"

She forced herself to look him in the eye again. "Please, all I wanted was a job," she tried desperately to keep up the facade.

If Landon thought she wasn't a Cop after all, maybe he'd leave her behind.

"Tell these lies to someone else!" he replied, and he relentlessly dragged her on toward the car.

Hailey was still bracing herself against him when she noticed movement outside the fence in the corner of her eye. She glanced over and she realized that someone was approaching.

Then she saw that it was Jay, pointing the gun at Landon. In order to shoot through the fence, however, he would have to get closer.

Landon and the man hadn't noticed him yet, because they were just opening the car. The bulky man gave her another blow right in the face and she blacked out for a moment.

She staggered. The next moment she was lifted up and she realized she was being pushed into the trunk. Before she could properly regain consciousness, the lid was slammed shut and she was trapped.

Panicked, she banged against the flap, gasping for breath, dizzy, feeling the confinement around her fueling her fears. She tried to fight them down.

She braced herself against the trunk lid again, then froze as she heard shooting outside. This time it had to be the two men shooting at Jay!

"No! Jay!" she shouted as loud as she could.

Was he okay? Shots again... then she felt the car shake and it started moving a moment later.

Naked fear finally gripped her as she realized that Jay hadn't reached her in time to stop the men.

And she didn't know if he was okay...

/

As fast as he could, Jay ran toward the rail fence. He saw two men dragging Hailey along with them, and it stung his heart to see one of the guys punch her in the face.

She almost went down, but before she did, the men lifted her up again and pushed her into the trunk of the car. They slammed the lid shut. He would be too late! He would not manage to free her!

Panic spread through him. He stopped and he aimed at the front tire. He pulled the trigger, but the bullet was deflected by the close-meshed metal fence.

Out of breath, he aimed again. This time at the rear window. He had to hold the gun steady. But again the bullet struck the metal fence.

"No!" he groaned angrily.

The gunshots brought the men to his attention. They approached the fence, then muzzle flashes sparked in the darkness and he realized that they were firing back.

He threw himself to the side, ducked, and managed to raise the gun one more time. Jay tried one last shot, but they were too far away.

He kept running, faster and faster, more desperate, trying to get closer. If he could at least make out the license plate before they fled!

Again the men fired and suddenly something hit him. He was thrown back all at once with an unexpected force, while his head was also thrown backwards.

He hit the ground hard and remained dazed. Hectically he struggled for breath. A bullet had hit his vest. The pain in his chest exploded. Had it gone through?

His mind raced. Hailey! They had Hailey.

He turned on his side and lifted his head a little to look at the car. But he just saw its taillights and how they broke through the fence with the bumper of the car. Then the car turned around a corner and was gone.

Jay lowered his head back to the ground and continued to struggle for air. Hailey... Tears of pain and despair welled up in his eyes.

He brought a hand to the spot where the bullet had entered his vest. But in mid-motion, he felt something warm run across his forehead. Only then did he realize that his head had been thrown back as well. Something had hit him in the forehead, slowly he felt the pressure and throbbing from there as well.

Dazed, he brought a trembling hand to his forehead. His glove was red when he took his hand away again. Then, all at once, a strong dizziness overcame him and his eyes closed as if by themselves.

His body went limp and he felt as if he was drifting off into a deep sleep. Even the pain had suddenly disappeared. He just felt heavy. Everything was so incredibly heavy...

He heard footsteps and voices approaching him. He felt hands on him, he was being moved, but he couldn't open his eyes anymore, he couldn't understand them or say anything.

As he lay there, caught in this state between being awake and asleep, his thoughts wandered back to Hailey...

/

After a few minutes, before Hailey could find a way to free herself from the trunk, the car was stopped again. She remained motionless, then the lid was opened.

Landon and the other man grabbed her and dragged her out. They forced her to kneel on the floor. The servant pointed a gun at her and Hailey finally raised her hands.

"Talk," Landon urged her.

"I don't know what you want from me," Hailey returned.

"I already suspected the Cops were after us. And I'll admit, your cover was good. I almost bought it. Hell, you even took the pill! You really have a need to prove yourself. But it can't be a coincidence that they storm my office right when you show up there!"

"I'm not a Cop," Hailey replied firmly. "I don't know what just happened there. Believe me!"

"Liar!", he hit her again with the flat of his hand and her head was thrown to the side.

Then, without warning, he kicked her in the stomach and she was thrown backwards. Coughing and gasping for air, she curled up while pressing her hands in front of her stomach.

A new wave of fear flooded through her. If she was pregnant, how would the little life inside her cope with all that was happening today?

Landon grabbed her hair and pulled her head up. "You have exactly one more chance to tell the truth. If you're not a Cop, then we have no use for you. Then you're about to have a bullet in your skull. John?"

The servant stepped closer, now aiming for her head.

"If I lie now and just assert I'm a Cop, then what?" she replied in a trembling voice.

Was this the end for her? She looked at Landon, whose face flitted something like a smile.

"Now I know I'm right... Nobody's that calm when a gun is pointed at your head," he said. "And we'll know in a minute if you're telling the truth anyway. So?"

Hailey tried to think clearly, but it was hard for her in this situation. She had no doubt that Landon would make good on his threat. She had to come clean, she had no choice. She struggled back to her knees.

"I want you to know that I had absolutely nothing to do with the attack on your office," she said first, and she waited for his reaction. He remained calm. He knew he had won either way. "My team and I have been looking for evidence that you were behind the kidnappings of young women and the drug buys."

Landon stared at her contemptuously. "I need your name. Now." he prompted her.

"Upton. Detective Hailey Upton." she finally replied tensely.

John pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed a number. He said something in a language Hailey couldn't make out, while Landon continued to stare somberly at her.

John ended the call. A moment later, his smartphone beeped. He held the screen out to Landon. He nodded and John now showed the screen to Hailey. It was one of her service photos and goosebumps came over her.

"You made a good decision to tell me the truth," Landon stepped back toward her and squatted in front of her. "Intelligence Unit. I know their importance. See? Now you're going to be very useful to me."

/

Sounds, smells. Someone touching him on the arm. Jay tried to understand where he was as he slowly regained consciousness. Then he remembered that he had noticed all this also a short time ago. He had been brought here and a lot of people and a lot of noise had been around him... but what had happened?

At some point he had drifted off and must had lost consciousness after all. When he came to now and opened his eyes, he realized that he was in a hospital. Two nurses were just at his bedside and he heard them whispering to each other.

"He's coming to, inform Dr. Archer or Dr. Halstead."

Will? So he was in Med. Why? He felt like he was in a daze. Was it from the medication? He glanced at the remaining nurse, who seemed to check the readings on his monitor and then she smiled encouragingly at him.

"Everything looks good," she said.

Then the realization hit him like a blow. The undercover operation! The shooting. Hailey!

With a jolt, he sat up and the nurse jumped backward, startled. But she quickly caught herself and went back to him. She pushed against his shoulders.

"Please, stay down!" she said frantically. "You need to lie back down, Mr. Halstead."

Jay remained seated, looking down at himself. He wanted to get out of here, now. He needed to get back to the rest of the team and find out what had happened. Did they know where Hailey was? Was she safe? He looked around. Where was his cell phone?

He recognized the EKG leads coming out of the hospital gown, the blood pressure cuff he immediately disconnected. Then he saw the cannula in the back of his hand and he wanted to pull it out. But suddenly there was someone else holding his hands along with the nurse. Jay looked up.

"Maggie!" he said as he recognized the additional person. "I have to get out of here, Hailey...she... she's been kidnapped."

"I know." she replied sympathetically. "And you've been shot, Jay. It's very important that you stay calm, do you understand me? Lay down."

Maggie held him back with a surprisingly strong grip, and together with the second nurse they managed to get him to lie back on the pillow. Maggie kept her hands on his shoulders and then he saw her nodding to the other nurse. He turned his head. She injected something into his cannula. He felt his body reacting immediately to it.

"No!" he looked her in the eye and when she let go of him he put his hand on her arm. How was he supposed to stay calm and lie here when his wife needed him out there? "Maggie... I have to go find her!"

The remedy made him tired and his hands slid back to the bedspread.

"I understand how you feel. But we need to take care of you first. Your brother will be here in a minute and then he'll fill you in on everything, okay? Relax."

Jay tossed his head to the side in frustration. He didn't want to relax. Desperately fighting the effects of the sedative, he felt dizzy.

Then he heard Will's voice. Shortly after, he entered the exam room and Jay looked at him agitatedly. Will ignored him completely at first, his gaze glued to the screen.

"Did you have to give Lorazepam?"

"It's in," Maggie replied.

"Will?", Jay's gaze in turn was glued to his brother as he now shone a bright light into his eyes, making him wince.

"His blood pressure is too high. Have Nitrospray ready, just in case," he said.

Then finally, he looked at him properly and leaned over him a little. "Jay, you need to calm down. Stop fighting the sedative."

"Hailey, she's been-"

"I know. The team is looking for her. They're doing everything they can. You need to calm down now. There's nothing you can do right now. You're only hurting yourself.", he looked at him with a steady gaze.

"Why am I here?" he asked as his fingers dug into Will's scrubs.

"Your vest took a bullet. It hit your sternum. You're badly bruised," Will now explained. "And a second bullet hit you in the head."

Jay's hand let go of Will's and wandered upward. Only now did he notice the bandage covering his forehead.

"You kept losing consciousness. Do you remember how you were brought in?"

Jay shook his head slightly. No, he had no real memory of what had happened after the shooting.

"It was a graze shot, but the wound was deep. Your skull bone is cracked and we need to make sure there is no swelling in the area that could press on your brain. So I need you to calm down."

"I need to get out of here, Will. I'm fine," he tried to sit back up, but his brother held him back.

"You only think you're fine because we're giving you painkillers," he said. "Without the drugs, you couldn't even stand on your own feet."

Jay registered that someone else had entered the room and stopped at the doorway. It was Dr. Charles.

"Oh no! Not you!" he groaned. "I don't need a Psychiatrist."

"You know I'm not officially allowed to treat you, and Dr. Archer is with another patient right now. Dr. Charles is here for support, but don't make me call him in for you. Do you know how lucky you were? You could have been dead!"

Jay's eyes filled with tears as he looked at his brother. "If I could have saved her, it would have been worth it," he whispered.

Will said nothing, only an even more worried expression appeared on his face. He let go of Jay and stepped back. Maybe he had just realized that Jay would do anything to protect Hailey.

"Your team is doing everything they can to find your wife," Dr. Charles now said. "You know that, right Jay?"

He nodded and lowered his gaze.

Of course, he knew the others would do everything they could. But what was certain was that he could not lie here and wait.

He would find a way out of here.

/

"In there.", John pushed Hailey forward rudely.

After she admitted who she was, the attendant had forced her back into the trunk. He had tied her hands behind her back with a string that Landon had retrieved from somewhere in the car.

After that they had driven on and it had seemed like an eternity that she had to spend in the cramped and stuffy trunk. She hadn't managed to free herself from the restraints, so she was still wearing them when they had arrived at their destination.

Her head hurt from the beating she had taken. Her arms hurt from the way she had been dragged around. Now the cord was cutting off the blood supply to her fingers.

Their destination was a large stone building. A townhouse, that was all she could make out before she was forced to take stairs from the courtyard down to the basement. They passed through a dark hallway, at the end was a metal door.

John had opened it and led her inside. In the room were two separate cages, similar to the one in the basement of the CPD.

She wondered if this was where Landon held and abused his very private victims. She shuddered as she stumbled into the left cage.

In one corner lay a thin, dirty mattress. A camera was attached to a stout metal pipe in the corner. So they would be watching her.

John knocked her over and she landed on the mattress. She started to struggle and kick at him as he got closer. But he grabbed her legs and started to pull off her pants. Panic rose in her. What was he going to do?

She continued to fight back, but it seemed he wasn't doing it for the first time. Finally he let go after he had managed to pull off her pants.

Out of breath, she stared at him, highly tense and afraid of what would happen next. She was now wearing only a T-shirt, socks and her panties. Would he make a move on her while Landon was still upstairs in the house? John now set about removing her socks and she resisted again.

"You're a little wildcat." he said in an accent she couldn't place. "Be good and I'll untie your hands."

"The wild cat will claw your eyes out if you don't stay where you are," Hailey replied firmly. "Don't touch me anymore!"

John smiled as he stood back up, having removed her socks as well. Hailey came to her knees and looked at him warningly.

"Fine, later then. You're stupid.", he looked down at her. "I'd be kinder. You'll wish you had my help when Landon is done with you."

"Go to hell!" Hailey replied coldly.

With a sweeping gesture, he tossed the jeans into a corner outside the cage. Then he closed the barred door. Hailey gazed after him, heart pounding, as he left the room.

She was glad he had let go of her. But what did he mean when he said, she´d wish she had help when Landon was done with her?

Involuntarily, she began to tremble with tension. What was this guy going to do to her?

/

With his skull humming and his head down, Jay slipped through the door of the emergency area. Then he crossed the waiting area. He felt himself swaying a bit, but he gathered all the strength he could muster to avoid being noticed.

He had waited until he was alone in the room and shortly thereafter he had realized that it was the change of shift. The doctors and nurses stood together and handed over their cases to the next person. He had used this brief moment of distraction to pull the bandage off his head and to put on his clothes, which had been lying on a chair in the corner of the room.

Among the clothes he had found a small bag containing his wallet and his cell phone. The Kevlar vest, his badge and service weapon had surely been taken by the others of the Unit.

He breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself a moment of peace when he felt the cool night air on his face. After stepping outside, he looked around. The hospital had cameras out here, so he couldn't linger too long. If Will noticed his disappearance, he wouldn't get far.

Jay propped himself up a bit against the window and made his way to the street. With exertion, he began to sweat. But he had to hang on, for Hailey.

His hand slipped into the pocket of his jeans. There he found the item he had been looking for, and he was relieved that it was still there after everything. That little something gave him the strength to keep going.

He made it to the end of the parking bay for the ambulances. There were already several cabs waiting there. He signaled to a driver and got in. In the back seat, he leaned back and took in a breath. This short stretch had been far more exhausting than he had thought.

"Are you all right, Sir?" the driver asked.

"Yes, please take me to the CPD's 21st Precinct, West Maxwell Street. Stop at a pharmacy on the way."

The man nodded and started the engine. Jay closed his eyes for a moment. He had done it - he had escaped.

The shaking of the car intensified the pain, so he was glad when the driver finally stopped at a pharmacy. Inside, he bought the strongest painkillers that could be purchased without a prescription. He immediately popped a pill.

By the time he reached the station, the pills were starting to kick in and he made his way inside. To his relief, Trudy was currently not on duty, so he walked past the registration desk to the barred door of the Intelligence Unit.

He heard voices from above as he dragged himself up the stairs. When the others saw him, they stared at him in amazement. He stopped on one of the steps and held onto the wall. Voight started moving and came toward him.

"Jay! What the hell!" he gestured at him. "Half the hospital is looking for you, I've had five calls from your brother!"

He just glared at his Supervisor without saying anything. Right now he was too exhausted.

"Have you gone completely insane?" Voight continued angrily. "I'm taking you back to the hospital. And you're suspended!"

Jay had guessed what to expect when he showed up at the precinct. He had already braced himself inwardly against the tantrum of Voight. Once again he mustered all his strength.

"No, I'm not suspended, Hank," he replied calmly, and he straightened up further. "If the ten years we've worked together mean anything to you, let me be a part of finding Hailey. I'm fine."

Voight had stopped in front of him and was looking down at him, as Jay was still standing on one of the steps.

"I had given you a direct order and you disobeyed!"

"Without my action, we might not even know about Hailey's abduction," he replied agitatedly. "Rather, you should confront Sergeant Miller for ruining our operation!"

Full of rage, Voight glared at him, but Jay held his gaze.

"Sarge, he's right," Adam now intervened. "It wasn't our fault, it was Headquarters' fault."

"You think I don't know that!?", Voight now snapped at Adam. "But the point here is that no one gives me the respect I deserve anymore! I make the decisions here to protect all of you!"

"I give you the utmost respect, Hank," Jay now continued. "And you know that. But this is my wife who is now in the hands of these people. And we don't know the name of the perpetrators or where they are. So you´re telling me how we're going to proceed. We can talk about disciplinary consequences later, if that's what you really want to do."

Voight stared at him for another moment, then he seemed to come to his senses and he extended his arm toward him. "All right. Come on, I'll help you."

Astonished, Jay looked at him. Relief spread through him as he realized that his fight with Voight was apparently adjourned for now. Then he grabbed his arm and he let him pull him up the last few steps. Voight led him to his desk and Jay sat down.

He felt strange as he looked around and faced each of his colleagues. They all knew he was not fit for the mission, but they covered him and helped him. He nodded to them, showing his gratitude.

"So," he then began. "what have you found so far?"

"Not much," Kevin explained. "There was a lot of confusion at the scene. There were several arrests. Ten young women and two young men were freed. Then you showed back up here faster than we expected."

"And Hailey?" he asked.

"There were no video cameras on site. We were hoping you saw something useful," Kim said.

Jay gently shook his aching head.

"So basically, we know nothing?" he huffed while trying not to get angry because the team hadn't found out more yet.

"Tell us what happened," Voight prompted him.

"I... all I could see was two men dragging Hailey out the side of the building. I think one was bald," he began to report. "There was a car there. A black Sedan, but I was too far away to make out any details or the license plate." agitated, he paused briefly. "They forced Hailey into the trunk, then there was an exchange of gunfire."

"And you were hit twice," Voight glared at him reprovingly. "Because you ran in headlong."

"Sarge, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it.", he propped his elbows on the top of his desk. Why was this all so exhausting?

Kim placed a glass of water on his desk. "Here, drink." she said softly, and he took it without hesitation.

He only now realized how thirsty he was. The others watched him silently. After emptying the glass, he felt a little better.

"All right. Jay, take another breath for a moment. I'll talk to Sergeant Miller," Voight now said. "We're going to question everyone they arrested. We'll get the name of the person responsible, and then we'll find Hailey."

Jay nodded, glad and grateful that things were finally moving forward. He hoped Miller was playing along. He should, after he was responsible for everything going wrong in the end. They needed information fast. For Hailey, every minute counted.

"Do you want me to call Will?", Adam asked him after Voight had disappeared into his office.

Jay looked at him. He had completely forgotten about Will.

"Yeah... Thanks Adam. Tell him there's no chance I'll come back. I'll argue with him later."

"All right, man.", Adam grinned.

"Thanks."

Kevin came over to him. "We should go to the locker room for a minute," he told him, and Jay looked at him in surprise. "Your wound is bleeding. I'll put a band-aid on it for you, okay?"

His wound was bleeding? He touched his forehead and his fingers were red when he removed them.

He followed Kevin through the office over to the locker rooms. There he went to the sink and washed his hands. For the first time he took a look in the mirror and he was startled when he saw his reflection.

He was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. Black threads were emblazoned on his hairline above his right eye, where the wound had been stitched. The area around the wound was red and swollen. A thin trickle of blood was just making its way down his forehead.

Jay filled his palm with water and used it to carefully wash the area without touching the stitches. Then he took several paper towels from the dispenser and dabbed the area dry.

Kevin, meanwhile, had retrieved a matching Band-Aid and now placed it over the suture.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" he asked. "Are you fit?"

Jay nodded and looked him in the eye. "I can do this, Kev," he replied. "Thanks."

Kevin patted him on the upper arm. "We'll find her." Then he left the room, leaving him alone.

Jay watched him go, then he took in a deep breath to calm himself down a bit, But it didn't help. He suddenly felt nauseous with worry and exhaustion. Again his hand wandered to the pocket of his jeans. He touched the object he had kept there since the morning. It gave him strength.

It was Hailey's wedding ring. She had taken it off because of the undercover operation.
And now it was the only thing he had left from her...

/

Desperately, Hailey tried to untie the string around her hands. But she just couldn't get a good grip on the knot. Her fingernails were broken by now, her fingertips ached. The cord was just too thin, the knot pulled too tight.

She sighed and looked around the cage. Could she perhaps chafe the fabric on the wired fence? Or on one of the thicker steel pipes? She slid closer and tried to find a suitable angle, but she only chafed her skin.

Tensely, she looked back at the camera. Landon wouldn't let her hurt herself. He would probably just get there faster if she kept this up. But she also didn't want to be at his mercy when he came to her.

So she gritted her teeth and she accepted the injuries as she continued to try to cut the bonds.

/

"Tell us his name!", Jay slapped the table with the flat of his hand.

By now he had taken another pill and had pushed himself up enough with coffee to feel reasonably fit. Kevin and he were interrogating the henchmen Mills had arrested in his operation. But they all kept silent so far, none willing to reveal anything.

"Listen, Hugo. So far, none of your colleagues have spilled the beans," Jay now started it in a different way. "If you're the first to tell us the name of your boss, then we can work out a deal for you. It would mean a significant reduction in your prison sentence. Don't be stupid and let someone else go first."

"If one of the others talks, it's over, Hugo," Kevin agreed. "What are you afraid of, man? You can only improve your situation."

Hugo glared at the two officers. "He's got the names of my family, my kids."

Jay glanced at Kevin. So the workers had been intimidated.

"We can protect your family," Jay now said. "Give us the name and we'll do everything in our power."

Hugo shifted uneasily in the chair that stood in the small interrogation room. He was sweating. Jay almost couldn't stand the tension.

"Hugo, he kidnapped my family too," he finally said when he realized that the final push was still missing. He pointed to his injury. "That was them! And my wife is with him now. I have to get her out of there."

"If she's with him, she's as good as dead," the young man now said. "He... he's a monster."

Desperately, Jay looked at him and he swallowed. Was this the truth? What was Hailey going through right now?

"We need his name," Kevin kept trying.

Hugo took in a deep breath. "Landon... his name is Landon. I don't know the first name! He always wears a mask. Has a bald head and he has burns on his hands and neck!"

Jay breathed a sigh of relief. This was it! These clues would get them somewhere for sure!

/

Hailey's hands were still bound when Landon entered the basement room. He was now wearing a mask again, covering the lower part of his face. In his gloved hands he held a bamboo stick.

"You know what we're doing with the uncooperative girls after we put them in the warehouse?" he began as he approached the door to the cage. "We strip them and beat them with sticks like this. Until they give up their resistance. Until they'll do anything, if we just stop beating them."

Hailey pressed her back against the wire mesh of the grate and she pulled her feet to her body. She watched his every move. Without haste, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Then," he continued. "when they lie weeping and wailing before us, and if they would do anything for us, we send in the first customer. These men will pay us a fortune if they can be the first."

Disgusted, Hailey looked him in the eye. She was afraid of what would happen to her, but at the same time she hated Landon for what he was doing to these young women. It was bestial. She felt sick at the thought of what these girls had to go through.

"After that, their will, their dignity is completely broken. And then, when we offer them the drugs, they even take them willingly. They numb the pain, the guilt, the shame. Then we have them forever."

He came closer and placed himself in front of her. Then he raised the bamboo stick and pointed it at the camera.

"I'll be watching you the whole time. We will send the footage of what is about to happen to your people in the CPD with a message. They won't dare come after me as long as I have you. That means you'll be with us for quite a while."

His wrist twitched and a blow with the bamboo stick hit her on the lower leg.
It immediately burned like fire and she recoiled. She gasped for air and she involuntarily tried to make herself even smaller. He struck again and she cried out as he hit her bare thigh.

Then he lunged at her, grabbed her and flipped her onto her stomach. With one hand he pushed her down on the mattress, with the other he hit her bare legs and the soles of her feet over and over again.

The pain was indescribable. Hailey screamed and cried. She prayed that he would stop, but he kept going.

She turned her head to the side, away from the camera, but he grabbed her hair and forced her to look the other way again. He wanted her team to see what she was going through.

She didn't know how long he had been beating her until she went into a kind of trance. Until her body took over control and she slowly lost touch with reality.

She only noticed that he eventually let go of her and that the bindings around her hands finally loosened.

Her arms fell lifelessly beside her body on the mattress. She was shaking, crying and whimpering.

"Now you know how it feels to be broken," she heard his voice. "But I also possess the power to help you. To give you relief. You will learn that."

She felt a sting in her upper arm. Then she slowly lost consciousness, but she welcomed the darkness and the promise that the pain would now finally subside.

/

"Joachim Landmans, aka Joe Landon, 49 years old. A Canadian who came to the United States two years ago. He's wanted in Canada for murder and for human trafficking.", Kim summarized, while pinning a photo of a bald man to the case board.

"How did he manage to get across the border undetected?", Adam threw the question into the room.

"New identity. He owns the warehouse and the hall we already found and another house in Wicker Park. That's probably not where he took Hailey, though," Kim continued.

"We'll send a patrol there anyway," Voight decided.

Jay chewed tensely on his lower lip and read carefully through the information they had gathered. There was something they were missing.

"Where did he get the burns Hugo mentioned? They don't show in the photo," he said.

"We're still trying to get access to his current medical records."

"Who is he working with? Who could hide him now?" he kept asking.

"His assistant is a man named John. But no one knew his last name," Kevin now said.

"Then we go through footage from around the warehouse. Somewhere Landon has to be seen with this John. That's how we'll find out who this assistant is."

"All right, let's get to work."

They downloaded the files from the traffic surveillance cameras and from surrounding businesses and began to comb through the files.

After a few minutes, they had a hit - the car Jay had seen had driven to the hall several times. After that, they knew the license plate and the name of the owner. It was Landon. They immediately put out an APB on the car to all patrols.

Then suddenly, Adam got up from his chair.

"Sarge, I just got an email with a video attached," he said. "Unknown sender. Subject: Don't track me."

Adam managed the Intelligence Unit's general e-mail address. If something was sent from the outside, it usually landed on his computer first.

Jay rose and immediately walked over to him. This was not good. He was suddenly shaking with tension again.

"Play the video," Voight said after everyone had arrived at Adam's desk.

Jay was standing behind him, and he was now reaching for the back of his chair to give himself a little more support.

The video started. The quality was bad, but he saw Hailey immediately. She sat on a dirty mattress in a corner. There she was, crouched, tied up, half naked. A bald man stood in front of her with his back to the camera; Jay had no doubt that it was Landon.

Landon briefly pointed a staff or a stick toward the camera. The video had no sound. Maybe that was a good thing, because what followed, broke his heart.

It was the worst thing Jay had ever witnessed...

/

As if wandering through a fog, Hailey slowly came back to reality. It took her a long time to come to and to remember where she was and what had happened.

After a few moments, the pain came back as well. She groaned softly and she tried to turn, but she gave up right away. Immediately the pain flared up so violently that tears welled up in her eyes. Her entire lower half of her body burned like fire, her skin was taut and hot, and she could barely move her legs.

She stayed on her stomach and breathed in and out slowly... maybe that would help with the pain...

She felt herself drifting away again - but she didn't resist. She was happy if she could escape the pain a little longer.

/

His whole body vibrated internally as Jay stood in the kitchen, staring out the window. Every single heartbeat throbbed simultaneously in his aching head. He propped himself against the windowsill.

He hadn't been able to watch the whole video. He had left the room and burst into tears as soon as he had left the others behind.

By now he had gotten himself back under control, but he couldn't block out the horrible images that played over and over again in his mind's eye.

"Jay? We've got something." it was Kevin who finally came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder even before he had turned to face him.

Jay looked at him, tired, scared, shocked and angry all at the same time. His emotions were going crazy.

"We got the assistant's name and we want to go to his house."

He just nodded, then he walked past Kevin to get his jacket.

"You're riding with me, Jay," Voight said.

He didn't protest; he didn't have the strength for it anymore. All that mattered now was that they got Hailey out of there, in case she was being held in the assistant's house.

Besides the physical injuries, how would she cope with this horrible attack? She would surely suffer psychological damage for a long time after this incident. Would he be able to help her and be there for her?

/

Hailey woke up with a start from a fitful sleep. Then she realized what had awakened her. The door to the basement room opened.

It was John who came in and put a plastic cup of water down for her. Next to it he put a pill on the floor. He paused in a crouch beside her.

"Painkillers," he said. "You better take these before he comes back."

Hailey lifted her head a little and she glared at him. Her whole body was shaking and she was sweating. She didn't know how to size him up.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Don't ask any questions. If he comes back, we have to get out of here. Then you have to be able to walk."

"We have to get out of here?" she asked, hope welling up inside her. "Why?"

"Go ahead." he took the pill again and held it out to her.

Hailey flinched and took the pill from him. At that moment, Landon entered the basement room in his mask. Hailey let the pill disappear in her fist.

"What's going on here?" he glared angrily at John, who immediately stood up.

"I-"

"Did I give you permission to give her something to drink?"

"No."

"I told you I would take care of her myself."

He kicked over the cup of water and Hailey now regretted not drinking some right away.

"Go and get the car ready," Landon now ordered and John disappeared without another word.

Landon looked down at Hailey and looked at the damage he had done. She was still curled up on her stomach, waiting to see what would happen now.

"Get up." he said suddenly.

She looked at him. There was no way she could get up. Not after what he had done. The soles of her feet were cracked in several places and were bleeding.

"I told you to get up."

"I can't," she returned.

If what John said was true, the team might already be on to them. Landon wouldn't leave this place unless he was forced to. So she had to stall for time.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her up until she finally knelt. She cried out. It all hurt beyond belief.

"Come on, get up!" he kept tugging.

She gritted her teeth and used all the strength she could muster. She buried the fingers of her right hand in the mesh of the wired fence and pulled herself up. As she put weight on her feet, she groaned.

Landon ignored her condition. "Come on."

Again he took her by the arm and he pulled her relentlessly along with him, though she could only limp. She left a bloody trail on the tiled floor.

They went through the door, back into the hallway. He opened the next door on the left. A small bathroom came into view. It had no window and there was no mirror hanging over the sink, but there was a toilet and a fixed shower head in one corner.

"Relieve yourself and wash up. Then put on the clothes I laid out for you. We're moving on. Make it quick."

He let go of her and Hailey braced herself against the doorframe. Everything was spinning and she was nauseous from the pain and exertion.

After a moment, she took the two steps, limping to the toilet bowl, which had no lid. She turned around a little. Would Landon be watching? She was relieved to find that he was leaning against the door, but he was waiting outside.

She carefully lowered herself onto the toilet, but groaned in pain as she touched the porcelain. She forced herself to relax for a moment so she could relieve herself. She dropped the supposed pain pill next to the toilet before flushing.

Then she carefully straightened up and she hobbled over to the small sink in the room. A piece of clothing lay on the edge of the sink.

She washed her hands briefly, bent down and also took a few sips of the water from the tap to quench her burning thirst. Then she dripped some water on the burning hot skin on her legs, but she winced as soon as the drops touched the skin.

She tried to lift her feet and see how bad the injuries were there. But she couldn't manage to shift her weight to just one foot. It hurt too much. She clung to the sink again. She waited a moment for the worst of the trembling to subside.

Then she unfolded the garment. It was a long, thin dress. It had probably belonged to one of the poor girls who had already suffered similar things here.

"Hurry up," she heard Landon's voice from outside.

Carefully, she pulled her T-shirt over her head. Now she clearly felt the puncture from the syringe he had given her earlier. What could it have been that he had injected her with?

She slipped into the dress and then looked around again. Was there anything in this room that she could use?

Landon came in. He took her by the arm and pulled her along with him.

/

For the entire ride, Jay was silent. Concentrating, he thought about what he would do to these men if he got his hands on them.

They parked the cars in front of the house and gathered. Kevin opened the front door with the door ram, while Adam and Kim guarded the back door.

Voight, Kevin and he stormed into the house. Methodically, they went through the rooms and secured them. Jay felt as if he was a machine that just kept functioning.

He was focused on only one goal - getting to the basement and freeing Hailey.

When they finally approached the door to the basement, he led the way. He took the stairs down as fast as he could. He worked his way down the hallway, which had three doors. He recognized blood on the floor and stored that information for later.

Door one - a boiler room.
Door two - a small bathroom, no windows.
Door three - he faltered.

Two cages with dirty mattresses. More blood...

They had found the place - but both cages were empty.

Wordlessly, he stormed out of the room, past Voight and Kevin.

They were too late. It was the room where Hailey had been abused. But she wasn't there anymore. The whole damn house was empty!

He went into the bathroom and looked around. The blood stains led here. Had Hailey been here? He spotted something on the floor and picked it up.

It was her T-shirt, the one she had picked out that morning.

"Oh Hailey..." he whispered and he unfolded the shirt.

Small blood stains were visible on it - blood from the lacerations he had seen on her face in the video. It had been littered with bruises and welts, dirt and sweat.

He crouched down and continued to hold the shirt in his gloved hands. He would like to press it against him, to be closer to Hailey, but it was now a piece of evidence.

Tears ran down his cheeks again, and this time he didn't even bother to hide them as the others entered the room.

"What do you have there?" asked Kim carefully.

"Her shirt," he said quietly.

"We found her pants and socks over in the other room," she said sympathetically.

"What now?" he looked up.

"We'll keep at it," Voight replied, and he held out a hand to help him up.

Jay grabbed it. He didn't move as Kim approached him and wrapped him in a hug. He felt empty and numb.

Hailey was gone and once again they didn't even have a clue where they could have fled to with her.

/

After Landon had bound her wrists behind her body with duct tape while still in the basement, he had lifted Hailey up in his arms. Again she had cried out in pain as he had touched her legs.

"Shut up!", Landon had murmured to her.

Then he had carried her up the stairs and Hailey had struggled to be quiet. She had groaned in exasperation, however, when she saw the car already waiting for them to leave.

It was another vehicle now, perhaps John's car. Landon had crammed her into the trunk and Hailey couldn't help crying out in pain once again as he squeezed her legs into the small space.

"I told you to be quiet!" he hissed.

Then he had reached into his jacket pocket and had pulled out the tape once more. He had torn off a strip and placed it on her mouth. Then he had slammed the lid of the trunk shut.

Now Hailey was struggling to stay conscious in the confined space. They had been driving for quite a while. It was warm and stuffy and she felt like she wasn't getting enough air. Her legs still burned like fire and she almost wished she had taken the painkillers John had brought for her.

/

"Okay, let's go over the evidence from the house again," Voight said after they arrived back at the precinct.

Jay still felt strangely numb, but he was following the events closely.

"We found a pill next to Hailey's clothes, next to the toilet," Kevin said. "We're assuming she put it there for us."

"Do we know what it is?"

"It was Oxycodone, we're still trying to figure out where it was bought on the street," Kim explained.

"The blood found at the scene is Hailey's," Adam now explained. "The marks indicate minor injuries, probably from the beating we saw on the video."

Adam's and Jay's eyes met and Jay realized how uncomfortable Adam felt while he was talking about this. He knew it wasn't easy for any of them.

"There were a lot of fingerprints in the house, but so far they've only been matched to the homeowner."

"Because Landon wears gloves," Jay said now, and they all looked at him. "On the video, we saw it. And Hugo said he had burns on his hands, too. In the meantime, do we know more about where the burns came from?"

Kim typed something on her keyboard.

"He was in a hospital in Rockford last year. They treated him for the burns. The doctor's report says it happened at a Fourth of July barbecue."

"Yeah, for sure..." Adam commented with little conviction.

Jay straightened up a bit. "What was he looking for in Rockford?"

"Maybe he has other contacts and connections there," Voight interjected. "Try to get traffic records from there from the days around the Fourth of July. Maybe we'll find something."

/

After about an hour and a half later, the car finally stopped and Hailey heard John and Landon open the front doors. She was by now so exhausted from the pain and lack of oxygen that she didn't even stir when the trunk lid was opened a few minutes later and John set about lifting her out.

She greedily sucked in the fresh air as John carried her toward a small, shabby house. By now it was getting light and Hailey tried to make out her surroundings. But except for some trees, she could see nothing. Were they still in Chicago? Probably not.

The front door was open and John carried her inside. In the living room was Landon, already waiting for them. John sat Hailey down on a chair and she groaned again as she touched the seat. Landon came closer and finally pulled the tape from her mouth. Hectically, she breathed in and out as she looked at him. He held a knife in his hand.

"We thought we'd better keep an eye on you. Be a good girl and we'll get you something to drink."

He walked around the chair and undid the tape on her hands. Gratefully, Hailey pulled her arms forward and she rubbed her aching wrists. John handed her a cup of water and this time she didn't hesitate. She drank it down in one gulp.

"Your people don't listen to what I told them. If they don't stop chasing us, then I'll have to make good on my threat and I'll slit your pretty little neck," Landon then declared.

Everything in Hailey tensed as he came closer with the blade. She clung to the armrests of the wooden chair with her hands and she pressed her back against the backrest.

"Here's what we're going to do," he continued as the tip of the blade touched her larynx. "We're going to record another video of you telling your people very clearly to stop following us. Are you going to be able to do that?"

Hailey swallowed and she felt the blade move against her neck. "Yes." she then whispered.

He took the knife away and she nodded. He signaled John, who then walked to the front door and exited the house. He left the front door open and Hailey feverishly wondered if she could manage to leave Landon behind.

Then Landon pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and typed something. He was distracted.

Would she be able to flee? A shudder ran through her body as it crossed her mind that everything would only get worse if he got a hold of her. But then she decided that she had to try.

The next moment she jumped from the chair. She got to her feet, which immediately sent out unbelievable pain. She cried out, but at the same moment she ducked and she ran past Landon as he reached for her. She ignored the pain and limped down the hallway that led to the door. She ran as fast as she could and she actually managed to get outside.

Her ears were ringing and so she barely heard anything of what was going on around her. But she was sure that Landon was behind her.

She saw John, who was just leaning into the car to get something. She ran to the left, away from the car and away from the house.

The yard was covered with gravel stones that dug into the sore soles of her feet and she groaned. She gritted her teeth and kept running. On and on, toward the trees.

She had almost reached them, but suddenly she was pulled back. She felt arms around her waist and she was lifted up.

"No!" she cried desperately, and she began to flail.

Then John appeared in front of her. He grabbed her hands as she continued to be clutched by Landon and was dragged back to the house.

While the men were fully focused on her, Hailey saw something among the trees. There stood a man, a Hunter. And he was watching what was happening.

Hailey's gaze fastened desperately on him as she was pulled back to the house. The man stared open-mouthed in shock at the scene before him.

Hailey was sure he would call for help. So there was still hope...

/

"Landon has been to Rockford several times to do business with a man named Gomez. Gomez also took him to the hospital at that time," Adam explained as he taped a picture of the man to the board. "Several recordings show that Landon and Gomez were last together in Rockford about six weeks ago. He owns a house just outside of town."

"Do we have the actual traffic camera footage from the perimeter?" asked Voight.

"They're being sent over to us right now," Kim said. "This early in the morning, almost no one was available there."

Jay stared at his screen. If Hailey was in Rockford, they would have to give the lead to the authorities there. But he already knew that that wasn't an option for him. He would -

"Jay!"

When he heard his name, he raised his head. Voight was standing right in front of him.

"Did you hear what I just said?" Understanding that Jay had not been listening to him, the Sergeant continued. "I told you to lie down for a few minutes. We'll go through the material and call you if we find anything."

He immediately shook his head. "No Sarge, I don't need that."

"You're just running on coffee and meds right now. Don't think I wouldn't notice. Go to the kitchen and lie the hell down. If you don't do it, I'll drive you back to the hospital myself. And your brother will make sure you can't just walk away this time."

The threat worked. Reluctant to let the others take the reins, Jay rose and went to the kitchen without another word. There he sat down on the small couch and stared at the opposite wall.

He wasn´t tired... No, he wouldn't rest for a second until he finally knew how to find Hailey.

/

Landon pulled the ropes around Hailey's wrists extra tight and she gritted her teeth. After dragging her back into the house, he had lashed out at her in rage.

Blows had hit her in the face, in her stomach and in her abdomen. Now she was back in the chair and everything hurt. Her lip had split open and she ran her tongue over it.

John and Landon had her tied to the chair. Her ankles to the chair legs, her arms to the armrests. There was no way to escape now.

When the two were finished, they stood up in front of her. Hailey's left eye was swollen and sore, but she held Landon's gaze. She had torn off his mask and scratched his face when she had fought back. And she was proud of it.

"Stupid Bitch." he commented, and he pushed John aside as he left the room.

"He's going to kill you," John said now. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm not one of your products!" she replied, "And my people will find me and hunt you down."

After seeing the Hunter at the edge of the forest she was sure that he would notify the Police. It wouldn't be long now, she just had to hang on a little longer.

Landon came back and she looked at him again. He wasn't wearing a mask now and he had washed his face. He held up his cell phone and took a picture of her. She turned her head away, but it was too late. No doubt he would send it to CPD.

He held something else in his hand - it was a syringe with a liquid, which he gave to John.

"We're going to leave tonight. Until then, I want you to keep her sedated so we can rest. Set your alarm, give her some every two hours."

Hailey tugged at the restraints as John approached, but moments later he had sunk the needle into the crook of her arm. Immediately, she felt a warm sensation spread through her and her muscles began to relax. Her head fell back into her neck and her eyes closed.

/

"Jay." someone touched his arm and he startled.

Confused, he looked up into Kim's face. He was still on the couch. He had slid to the side with the rest of his body still sprawled out in front of the seat. Had he fallen asleep?

"How long was I out?" he asked as he ran his hands over his eyes.

"About half an hour," she said. "We found something, and we just got a sign of life from Hailey."

His heartbeat sped up. He immediately pushed himself up and groaned as pain flared up in his chest and his head. He reached out and braced himself against Kim's shoulder. She supported him and looked at him with concern. It took only a second for him to regain his composure.

"It's okay..." he muttered. "Show me what you've got."

She nodded and went ahead when he let go of her. They entered the office and the others looked at him tensely.

"What did you get?" he asked.

"A photograph," Voight replied. "She's not in good shape. Been hit again, apparently."

He felt a twinge in his stomach as he realized the words. His heart was pounding.

"Show me," he urged his colleagues. They hesitated. "Show me, now!"

Adam turned his screen so he could see the image file that he had already opened.

He blinked, trying to process what he saw. It was Hailey in the photo, but she was almost unrecognizable under all the blood and dirt. Her left eye was swollen shut, her lip split open. Her face was red, blue and green from the beating before. She was sitting on a chair where she was tied down. She wore a dirty, long dress under which her bare feet peeked out. The feet were red from her blood.

The image burned into his retinas and he was still seeing it when Adam turned the screen back to him. Jay remained motionless for a few more seconds before he could speak again.

"Tell me we have something," he urged those present in a trembling voice.

"We have an adress. A civilian saw Hailey being taken to the Gomez house. And we have them on a traffic stop in Rockford. They switched cars," Voight explained.

"There's a unit on the way to the house right now. They're going to get her out."

"Send me the address."

Jay started moving. He needed to get to his car and get there now. He stopped when Voight stepped into his path.

"You can't do that," he said. "Not in your condition."

He immediately became angry. "Get out of my way, Hank."

Voight grabbed him by the arm, but he wrenched free. He headed for the stairs and stormed down. Ignoring the other Officers who were in the garage, he made it to the car, unlocked it and sat inside.

His entire body shook as he clutched the steering wheel and leaned his head against his hands. He couldn't let his guard down now. He knew where Hailey was and she needed him. He needed to get to her. He reached into his pants pocket and squeezed another pain pill from the blister. After taking it, he took several deep breaths.

Then he started the engine. When he pulled out of the parking space he saw something looming in front of the car, he slammed on the brakes, startled. The car came to a stop just a few centimeters in front of the person who had moved into his path.

It was Voight. He stepped closer and banged furiously on the hood. Jay turned the key and shut off the engine. Then he opened the driver's door and slid off the seat. The door slammed shut behind him and Voight pushed him against the side of the car.

"Are you really that stupid to think I would let you go?"

Voight held him tightly as he continued to stand in his way. Jay was aware that if he continued now, it would ruin his career. If he attacked his Sergeant in front of witnesses, it would be over.

He looked Voight in the eye. "Then help me!" he said, agitated.

His Superior looked at him scrutinizingly for another moment. Then he let go of him and said, "I'll drive."

/

Hailey felt someone touch her, and she was lifted up. Had help finally come? Had she been saved?

But then she was carried on and on, then she got squeezed back into a tight space. The trunk? She wanted to open her eyes, but she couldn't.

"N-n-no..." she moaned.

She heard sirens, farther away. Landon and John were trying to escape with her again. She had to get away from these men.

As she heard the trunk lid slam shut, she sank back into the endless daze that held her captive.

/

Jay stared at the screen of his Smartphone. He could hardly believe the messages Adam had just sent him.

"The Gomez house was empty when the Officers got there!" he groaned.

Voight slammed his hand against the steering wheel and accelerated.

"This guy always seems to be one step ahead of us," he said.

Jay looked out the window in despair. How was it possible that these men had gotten away with Hailey again?

"They're still driving the second car. Everyone there is looking for them. Sooner or later a patrol is going to be on them," Voight said.

Jay remained silent. It was all conjecture. He sat back and again the photo of Hailey appeared in his mind's eye. What if that had been the last sign of life from her he was ever to get?

The minutes ticked by. It wouldn't be long before they arrived in Rockford. But what then?

His cell phone vibrated and a tone indicated a new message. He read it and looked over at Voight.

"You were right. A patrol car stopped them... but Hailey wasn't in the car with them."

/

"We have to get to Gomez's house," Jay suddenly said, after getting over the initial shock.

"But the house has already been searched," Voight countered. "We should drive to the Precinct and interrogate Landon. He'll tell us where Hailey is."

Something inside him resisted that suggestion, and he decided to go with his gut.

"Then it might be too late!" he said. "I'll search the house and grounds again. To take her somewhere else, there wouldn't have been time. I'm going into the house. You're going to the Sheriff's department."

Voight nodded. "Okay, fine - but you keep me informed all the time."

Jay nodded. He looked out the window as the surrounding area passed them by. He prayed he was right.

It suddenly began to rain heavily and it wasn't long before they had to slow down because of the masses of water.

Jay cursed inwardly. It couldn't go fast enough for him. He could hardly wait any longer until he could finally start looking for her.

Something told him that Hailey was still in that house. Maybe Landon had hidden her? He just hoped he wasn't too late and that he hadn't done anything to her before escaping with his assistant.

No, Hailey was alive. He believed it, hoped it. It just couldn't be any other way, he told himself.

After the phonecall of the witness, Units had been on the scene within minutes. Surely they hadn't wanted to linger with Hailey any longer, and that was why they hadn't taken her with them. That's just the way it had to be.

Shortly thereafter, Voight stopped the car and he got out. He stepped into the pouring rain and leaned back into the car again for a moment.

"Be careful and call me immediately if you find anything," the Sergeant said, and Jay nodded to him as the rain pelted down on his back.

Voight drove off and Jay stood outside the lot for a moment. He tried to brace himself for what he might find inside. The rain slowly soaked through his clothes and he began to shiver again. But he guessed it was more the excitement and tension than the cold. With an intangible fear inside him, he finally started moving.

He entered the courtyard, which was laid out with gravel stones, and he approached the dilapidated wooden building. The front door was taped off with forensics tape, but he ducked under it. His Sternum protested at the movement and the shooting came back to his mind. Carefully, he put a hand on the spot and paused briefly until the pain subsided.

As he stood in the entryway, he listened for sounds. Local officials had recently stormed and searched the house. They had declared it secure and they were convinced it was empty. Jay heard nothing either, except for the rain pattering on the thin roof.

He walked over to the living room where he discovered the chair Hailey had been held in. The chair he had seen in the picture. There were cut ropes and he saw remnants of duct tape hanging from it. Quickly, he averted his eyes.

He didn't want to imagine how helpless she must have felt. Sheer rage seized him when he saw the blood on the floor. It came from Hailey's numerous injuries.

"Hailey!?" he shouted now, as loud as he could. "Are you here? Hailey!"

Again he listened. His surroundings remained silent. His desperation grew.

He began to search every corner of the cabin. He opened every closet, every door, looked into every alcove. He touched the back wall of the closet. He moved the refrigerator from the wall, the bookcase. But there were no hidden rooms behind them.

"Hailey!" he tried again, but he received no response.

His heart was racing and he was out of breath. When he paused for a moment, a sharp, all-consuming pain shot through his head and he pressed his hands against his temples.

"Ahhhh..." he groaned.

It felt like all at once a rod was piercing through his right eye and into the back of his head. He blinked as he suddenly felt dizzy again. His vision blurred. He felt himself unintentionally stagger a step to the side. The next moment he toppled to the side and hit the ground hard.

Everything spun and he paused on the floor as he tried to breathe through the pain in his head. He opened his eyes, but only blackness greeted him...

Panic seized him. What was going on here? He blinked and then something flickered brightly. It took a moment, but then his vision returned.

Breathing heavily, he paused. He didn't know what was suddenly happening to him. He could not think clearly. All he could perceive now was this stabbing, persistent headache.

Desperately, he closed his eyes again. It had to be the stress, the fear of not finding Hailey. He forced himself to breathe more calmly. He couldn't have a panic attack now. His body would calm down...

He recalled the exercises he had learned during therapy. Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds. That almost always helped. It would work now, too. It had to.

How many minutes passed, he couldn't say. Maybe two or three... Then the pain subsided a little and the dizziness improved. Slowly he calmed down.

While he was lying there, with his ear on the floor, he heard it: a soft knocking and the sound of water.

He wrenched his eyes open. It came from below. From under the house!

/

The cold had brought Hailey back to reality. The drug John had injected her with was still having an effect, she was nauseous and dizzy and so tired. But at least she had come to enough, to understand what was happening around her.

She had been wrong. She was not in the trunk of the car. She was in a wooden box. So she was probably still in the house. In a hiding place so small that she had just fit in.

And this box was slowly filling with water! The water was pushed up from below and already covered half of her body. She was shivering. Above her were wooden beams that she could not push up. She simply lacked the strength to do so. Again and again she threatened to sink back into unconsciousness.

She thought she heard something from above, but the sound of the water coming in swallowed most of what was coming through to her from outside. She wondered if Landon and John were still there. Did they know she was about to drown in here?

Hailey raised her arm and she tried once again to tap against the wooden beams. After a moment, she sank back into herself. Her eyes closed again and she began to cry. She would die here. She would never see Jay again. Never hear his voice again, never hold their child in her hands. She had lost all of that.

She sobbed and as the next wave of fatigue overtook her she allowed herself to drift away again.

/

With difficulty, Jay pushed himself up onto all fours. He got to his knees and pulled himself up to his feet by one of the chairs that stood in the living room. He swayed dangerously, but managed to remain standing.

He tried to think. The house was wooden, probably made of a foundation of beams to keep out the cold and wet from below and to provide airflow in the summer.

But now it was raining so hard that water had probably accumulated under the house. And there had been a knocking too...where had it come from?

He searched the floor with his eyes. He spotted a rug by the doorway to the kitchen. He stumbled over and fell back to his knees.

Again, pain jerked through his head and he pressed the palm of his hand against his right eye. Damn it, why was his body going crazy right now?

Briefly he waited, but he didn't want to waste any time. He shook his head slightly. Then he pushed back the carpet and a hatch appeared in the floor.

He expelled the air. This had to be Gomez's hiding place for his drugs! With luck, though, there were no drugs in there now - he was hoping that he would find Hailey in there.

He crawled forward some more. A bolt prevented the hatch from opening from below. So he reached for it and he tried to pull it out. It was stuck pretty tight.

"Come on!" he pressed out.

He clutched the piece of iron with his fingers and put his weight into it. As the bolt gave way, he toppled backward.

For a second he lay still, but then he pushed himself up again and he set about opening the hatch. As he flipped back the wooden hatch, his eyes first fell on what looked like flowers floating on water. Then he realized it was the dress Hailey had worn in the photo. His eyes wandered to the left and there she was...

"Hailey!" he exclaimed anxiously.

Her eyes were closed. Hailey was almost completely covered by the water pressing up from below. Her blonde hair framed her beautiful face, which now showed so many injuries and bruises. But he could also see how pale she was. Was she even still alive?

Hectically, he reached into the hole to grab her. He had to get her out of there! When he touched her, she suddenly startled. He was startled also, but then he inhaled with relief - She was alive!

/

Hailey felt a touch on her shoulder and then, something tighten around her waist. Arms, hands! She stiffened.

Landon! It had to be Landon, grabbing her like he had earlier in the courtyard! She began to struggle. She didn't want him to touch her! She squeezed her eyes shut. Her ears were ringing. She heard nothing of what was happening around her. She felt herself being lifted, being pulled out of the hole. Blindly, she flailed.

"No! Don't touch me!" she cried, still half unconscious from the drugs.

Her hands were suddenly held and she became even more panicked. They let go of her and then an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She was pressed against a body, but she didn't want that. With all her strength, she tried to push away.

/

"Hailey! Hey, hey it's me! It's me!", Jay held her tightly as she struggled against him with all her might.

He realized she didn't know who he was. Her eyes were closed. She didn't seem to hear him.

What could he do? As carefully as he could, he tried to keep her under control. He didn't want to hurt her. Should he let go?

Then he remembered that he still had something on him. Something that might show her who he was, even if she couldn't see or hear him.

He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the wedding ring he'd been saving for Hailey.

She was still bracing herself against him, her eyes were still closed. He held her wrist with one hand while he tried to slip the ring over her finger with the other.

She kept trying to push him away, hitting his shoulder and chest. He flinched and it took his breath away when she hit the spot where his vest had taken the bullet.

After a moment, he finally managed to slip the black silicone ring on her finger and he finally let go. He fell back on his side and he pressed his arms in front of the aching spot on his Sternum. How could something like that hurt so much? Out of breath, he remained lying there.

His gaze lingered on Hailey the whole time, who was now curling up and making herself small. She moved away from him, completely unaware of who he was. The thought occurred to Jay that perhaps she had been drugged.

He waited, ready to intervene at any time if there was any change in her condition. She lay there, shaking and soaked, but when he stopped touching her, she seemed to slowly calm down.

Then it happened... her fingers carefully moved to the ring finger of her right hand. She felt that there was something there. And when she seemed to realize what it was, she finally opened her eyes.

Her gaze was unfocused and it took her a long moment to look him in the eye. Then, however, realization set in and fear turned to relief.

"Jay?"

He smiled, immensely happy that she had finally recognized him.

Then suddenly, everything happened very quickly. The pain in his head spread again, it seemed to take over his entire being, and he felt his body suddenly seized by an incredible tension.

/

In disbelief, Hailey looked at Jay. Was he really here? How had he found her? How had he gotten here?

She just lay there, infinitely tired and exhausted. Everything hurt and she was cold. She looked at him as he lay on the floor across from her, equally soaked and exhausted. But he smiled gently. She recognized so much relief and love in his gaze.

Then she noticed something else. All of a sudden, he seemed different. He seemed not to notice her at all. It was almost as if he looked right through her.

He did not come to her. Why didn't he take her in his arms?

She reached out and touched his hand. He flinched slightly, but his hands were cold and she felt that he was shaking too. No... it was something else. He wasn't just shaking, all his muscles were tense!

Now his facial expression changed as well. He rolled his eyes, clenched his teeth, and a low groan escaped his throat.

"Jay!... Jay! What's wrong?", fear seized her and with the last of her strength, she moved closer.

All at once she was wide awake as the adrenaline rush set in. She realized that he was having a seizure. She let her hands slide over his torso, she touched his face, his hair. She registered the band-aid on his forehead. Did he have a head injury that had triggered the seizure? She wanted to help him, but she was powerless. Was there nothing she could do?

"Breathe..." she said desperately, trying to support him as he squirmed beside her.

Tears welled up in her eyes. How much longer did he have to endure this? Then, after what seemed like forever, the spasm released and Jay closed his eyes. He slumped down, frantically sucking air into his lungs. Then, finally, he lay motionless. She took his face in her hands and watched his every movement. She was frozen inside. What was she supposed to do now?

Then, after what felt like an eternity, he opened his eyes again and a brief, relieved smile flitted across her face.

"Can you hear me?" she asked, "Say something!"

He blinked several times and his gaze darted around before finally going rigid.

He whispered something, but Hailey couldn't hear him.

"I can't hear you," she said.

She lowered her head and moved closer. Then she understood what he kept repeating. She froze. He said:

"I can't see."

/

After the seizure, Jay felt completely powerless. He even no longer had the energy to panic when he became fully aware of his condition. He saw only blackness when he opened his eyes. His head seemed to want to explode and he felt nauseous. He was probably going to throw up in a minute.

He felt Hailey move closer and how she lifted his head and rested it on something soft. Probably on her lap.

She meant well, but the movement triggered the dizziness again and he turned to the side. Then he vomited on the floor right next to them. His cramping stomach conveyed everything upward until there was nothing left of the little he had ingested in the last 24 hours. He felt Hailey's hand on his forehead and he turned back again, as the retching finally subsided.

"Shhht...," she stroked his forehead, holding him now.

It flashed through his mind that this should have gone very differently. He had wanted to save her, not the other way around.

"I'm... I'm sorry." he said, but his own voice sounded foreign to his ears.

"What happened?" she asked, "Is it the head injury?"

He nodded cautiously, swallowing to somehow keep the gag reflex at bay. If she found out he had been shot and that he left the hospital, she would be furious. Her hands touched his chest.

"Where's your cell phone?" she asked.

"Pants pocket."

He felt her pull it out.

"Who's here with you?"

"V-Voight..." he replied.

"Okay..." she sounded panicked and she was trembling under him, but she continued to hold him tightly.

She was so incredibly strong! He closed his eyes, it was useless to keep them open anyway. Hailey suddenly spoke to someone and he realized that it wasn't him who was addressed.

"No... no, it's Hailey...", she waited for the answer on the other end. "Sarge, I'm fine... No... No, listen to me! Jay had a seizure and we need an ambulance right now!", again a short silence. "I don't know where we are!"

"Gomez's house.", Jay said now and Hailey repeated the information.

"Hurry up.", Hailey's voice was shaking now.

"I'm sorry..." he repeated.

He wanted so much to be there for her. He was supposed to help her. She was hurt and had been tortured. It wasn't supposed to be about him right now, dammit! He felt her hug him even tighter, pulling him up a little, resting her head next to his on his shoulder.

"Help is on the way," she said softly. "Hang in there."

No. Help was going to be on the way for her. He didn't matter. She was all that mattered.

He would have loved to tell her all that, but he couldn't. His body failed him in the next moment.

/

Like as if she was drowning, Hailey clung to Jay. She held him in her arms, her head on his shoulder, while his upper body rested on her lap.

She felt his muscles go limp all at once and his head sink onto his chest and against her cheek. He had lost consciousness. Her despair grew. What was happening here?

Carefully, she ran a hand over his forehead and his hairline, looking up as her eyes filled with new tears.

She wanted to help him, but the adrenaline rush had worn off and she was now too exhausted again to even stand up. She didn't know how to help him. She didn't even know what had happened to him!

So she did the only thing she could do at the moment, while she waited for help. She prayed.

"Please, Father!" she pleaded, "I need Him!" She began to pray as she had learned it as a child.

„Πάτερ ημών ο εν τοις ουρανοίς, αγιασθήτω το όνομά Σου, ελθέτω η Βασιλεία Σου, γεννηθήτω το θέλημά Σου ως εν ουρανώ και επί της γης. Τον άρτον ημών τον επιούσιον δος ημίν σήμερον, και άφες ημίν τα οφειλήματα ημών, ως και ημείς αφίεμεν τοις οφειλέταις ημών..."

Before she had even finished praying, the front door in the hallway flew open with a bang and Voight rushed in. Hailey winced. She glared at him, her eyes filled with tears as she still clung to Jay.

Voight moved closer and looked her firmly in the eye. His face reflected compassion and pain as he saw them both. He seemed to contemplate their injuries for a moment, then his gaze rested on Jay's lifeless form. He slowly got down on his knees beside her and looked back at her.

"You can let go now, Hailey," he said softly, reassuringly. "The ambulance will be here in a minute."

She looked down at herself, only now realizing how much she was shaking by now and she noticed the force with which she clung to Jay's jacket. Her knuckles stood out white and now she felt how much her fingers hurt. She forced herself to let go. Voight took her hands and gently pulled them to him while Jay continued to rest on her lap.

"You're safe," he said.

She just nodded.

"What... What happened to Jay?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Later."

"No. I need to know now.", tears ran down her cheeks.

"A bullet grazed his forehead," he finally answered. "He left the hospital without permission to look for you."

"And you let that happen?"

Voight regarded her for a moment without answering anything. He seemed to be thinking about his next words.

"Hailey, you probably know Jay better than anyone else. But I'd say by now I know pretty well what makes him tick. He's got to follow his heart or he'll go down with it. If I had excluded him from finding you, it probably would have put more strain on him. Psychologically and physically."

She knew he was right. No one could have stopped Jay unless they had locked him up somewhere. And he couldn't have forgiven anyone for that.

"Did he..." she hesitated before continuing quietly. "Did he see what Landon did?"

Voight's gaze drifted to the injuries on her legs.

"He saw part of it, yes."

She heaved another sob and held a hand to her eyes. She had hoped he hadn't seen the video.

"Don't think about that now," Voight said. "You're both strong. And-"

The room suddenly filled with people and she realized that the Paramedics had arrived. There were two young women, one of whom immediately went to take care of her.

'"No." she said, "Go check on him."

The woman reluctantly let go of her, but she finally relented. It almost physically hurt her as they gently pulled Jay off her and separated him from her.

She felt naked and ashamed as now her injuries were even more visible under the thin and wet dress.

Voight explained to the two what he knew of Jay's injuries from the hospital.

Hailey heard all of this as if through absorbent cotton, and she was horrified when she finally learned fully what had happened.

"And this is where he lost consciousness?" one of the two asked.

"He had a seizure," Hailey explained. "And he said afterwards he couldn't see."

"He what?" Voight exclaimed in horror.

Hailey watched as the Paramedics continued to tend to Jay. Then she remembered Jay's cell phone, which she had put next to her after the call. She picked it back up and activated the display. She realized that Jay had ignored fourteen calls from Will.

"We need to call Will," she said, turning the display, so Voight could see it.

He rose again. "I'll inform him." then he turned to the Paramedics. "Where are you taking them?"

They told him the name of the local Hospital and he moved away to make a phone call.

Hailey continued to watch as Jay was given an IV and a neck brace.

She only registered in passing that two more people came in. The Paramedics must have alerted another Ambulance. When one of the two women touched her on the shoulder, she winced.

"We're taking him to the Hospital now. My colleagues will take care of you, and you'll join us right away after that. Okay?"

"I want to stay with him," she replied, "He's my husband."

The young woman nodded. "I understand that. But we need to take care of you for a moment now. You're right behind us, and you'll both go to the Emergency room. You'll see him there. All right?"

Hailey nodded, stunned. She glanced after the two as they pushed Jay out on a wheeled stretcher.

While the newly arrived Paramedics checked her over, her mind wandered. What if Jay retained permanent damage from the head injury? What if he was blind from now on? How would he cope? Could he live with it?

"Hailey.", Voight directed her attention back to him. "Will said he's coming here. He's bringing Jay's records from the Med and is sending everything to the local Hospital in advance."

"Did he say anything about how serious it is?"

"He said the pressure in Jay's brain could have increased and there may have been a buildup of fluid that caused his symptoms. That's what he had diagnosed before Jay escaped from the Hospital."

She nodded. Will shouldn't have let him go. But even he would have been powerless against Jay's willpower. Jay would have somehow prevailed in a self-destructive manner. She was aware of that.

All they could do now, was hope for the best and wait. If necessary, they would have to learn to live with the consequences.

/

Jay opened his eyes, but nothing but darkness and blackness greeted him. He turned his head and blinked, but it changed nothing. He was leaning against something soft, it was warm. His fingers closed around the fabric that covered him.

He felt strangely heavy and sluggish. He heard sounds, but they came through to him only softly and muffled. His restlessness grew and his breathing quickened.

Where was he? Was he at home, in his bed? No, he was sitting almost upright; this was not his bed. And it had never been this dark in their apartment, had it?

Then suddenly, the memory returned with a thud. The shooting. His head wound. The house in Rockford.

He jolted up, now coming fully to a sitting position. "Hailey!"

He called after her, but there was no answer. After a moment, he realized he was alone. But where was he?

Blindly, he looked around as his breath now came in frantic bursts. The sounds around him grew louder, clearer. A persistent, almost painful beeping filled the room.

A Hospital, it flashed through his mind. He was in an examination room. Now he was feeling the effects of the drugs, too. He felt dizzy, strangely dull and sluggish. But the pain was gone now.

His fingers told him the dimensions of the bed he was lying on. He brought one hand to the other and he now also felt the cannula stuck in the back of his hand and the hospital bracelet. So he was right.

Then he heard footsteps approaching quickly.

"Hailey?" he groaned breathlessly though it was painfully clear to him that it couldn't be her.

Where was she? Was she also lying in a bed somewhere? How was she doing in the meantime? Had her injuries been treated?

Restless, he looked around again. The darkness began to frighten him. He suddenly felt lost and helpless. At the mercy of others. Panic rose in him.

Something touched him on the upper arm and he jerked back, startled. What was that?

Then a muffled female voice came through to him and he tried to concentrate on it. He turned his head in the direction the voice came from, but he couldn't see anyone. There was only blackness.

"Mr. Halstead... Mr. Halstead!" the voice spoke soothingly to him. "Breathe evenly. Calm down."

He reached out and was startled when he immediately touched someone. The person was so close! The woman now took his hand in hers and continued to speak to him.

"I know this must be frightening for you. But you are safe."

For some reason, the touch helped him. It grounded him and brought him back to reality. He swallowed and tried to get his breathing under control.

"Very good." the woman said. "Everything is fine, we'll take good care of you."

There was only one question burning on his soul.

"My wife, Hailey Upton." he began as he continued to struggle for breath. "Is she here? Is she okay?"

To his relief, the answer came immediately.

"She's here, too. She's fine."

"I... I have to go see her," he said.

Something suddenly clicked right in front of his face and his head jerked back. What was that?

"I have a light here to shine in your eyes," the woman explained when she noticed how confused he was.

He hadn't noticed any of it. He couldn't see the light. He didn't know if the woman was a nurse or a doctor, but he allowed her to gently push him back. He lowered his head back onto the pillow.

"Mr. Halstead, your wife is in good hands, believe me. Right now, you can't go to her. She's still being treated."

"But how is she?"

"I'm not her doctor. But physically, her injuries are probably superficial, from what I've gathered. She's been through a lot, hasn't she?"

Jay lowered his gaze and nodded mutely.

"Your pupils don't react to the light. I assume, that you still can't see anything?"

"No, I can't see anything," he said dully.

The woman seemed to straighten up beside the bed as she was convinced he was beginning to calm down. Jay heard someone else enter the room and he raised his head again.

"This is nurse Eve. Don't worry." the woman informed him. "I'm Dr. Hansen, by the way. Is it okay if we take a quick look at the wound on your forehead?"

"Dr. Hansen." repeated Jay, and he turned his head back in her direction. "Why can't I see?"

After a brief pause, the doctor began to explain.

"When you were admitted, you had just suffered a severe seizure. We immediately did an MRI and CT. It showed that your brain pressure had increased due to swelling and caused edema. This is due to the gunshot wound to your forehead. Among the consequences is possible vision loss."

Jay tried to let the information sink in first. Dr. Hansen continued speaking.

"Elevation and administration of Cortisone may reduce the pressure. Since the edema hasn't led to bleeding yet, we thought it is best to try the noninvasive approach first."

He had been aware of the risk when he had stolen out of the room at the Med. Will had filled him in on all that. But he had just trusted that his body would somehow be able to handle it all.

"Is it permanent?" he asked.

"We still have some options to discuss with you," she replied evasively.

"Tell me," he urged. "What are my chances of getting my sight back?"

"We'll have to wait for the next few hours," she finally said without making a statement.

He opened his mouth to say something. But he knew he wouldn't hear anything right now that would further upset him.

"I... Can I...", he tried to get a clear thought and formulate a sentence. "My brother. Can I call him? He's a doctor. I don't want to question your diagnosis... But..."

"It's okay," she said, and he felt her hand on his arm. "I understand. Your brother is already here, in the Hospital," she replied.

Astonished, he raised his head. "He's here?"

"He's talking to the doctors in the Neurology department right now. I'm sure he'll be with you soon."

Jay nodded. Slowly he realized that he had a serious problem. And he had no one to blame for but himself.

But finding Hailey, saving her, had been worth all that. If he hadn't gone to that house, she would have died in the crate under the floor. He didn't regret his actions for a second.

"Hailey." he said with conviction. "I need to talk to her."

"As soon as we get you taken care of, I'll check on her," Dr. Hansen promised. "And as soon as it's possible, I'll have your wife brought over to you, okay?"

He nodded in agreement, while suddenly feeling very exhausted and powerless again.

/

With mixed emotions, Hailey sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

Her external injuries had been tended to. Her feet had been bandaged with gauze bandages and the painkillers she had received dulled the burning and throbbing pain that had plagued her for the past few hours. An X-ray had shown that no ribs were broken. Now she was just waiting for word that she could finally see Jay.

At her request, the young doctor in the Emergency room had checked if it was possible that Hailey was pregnant. But that hope had been dashed.

On one hand, Hailey was relieved and grateful that the experiences of the last few hours had not led to an abortion for a new, innocent life. On the other hand, it meant that they still hadn't succeeded.

Now she was dejected, but at the same time she was nervous and excited about what would happen next with Jay. She was exhausted and tired, but of course sleep and rest were no option now.

"How are you holding up?", Voight suddenly stood in the doorway of her treatment room.

"I'm all right, Sarge." she replied, smiling wanly. "I'm actually just waiting to see Jay."

"I'm sure it won't be long now."

The case came back to Hailey's mind. "Has Landon talked in the meantime?"

"Don't worry about that right now. We have everything we need to close the case. Landon is talking right now. There will be more arrests. We've got him and we're getting his partners."

"And a lot of people will hopefully be saved as a result," she added.

Her supervisor nodded. "This all didn't go the way we planned. But it wasn't your fault, and I'm sorry for what you had to go through."

Hailey swallowed. She tried to block out the horrible events for now. Just as she was about to say something evasive, she noticed a nurse come up with a wheelchair. The woman smiled encouragingly.

"I'll take you to your husband."

Grateful, Hailey slid off the bed, but she winced in pain as her feet touched the floor. Voight was at her side immediately, and together with the nurse, they supported her and helped her sit down in the wheelchair. It would probably be a few more days before she could walk again without pain.

/

Jay kept his eyes closed and tried not to sink into the feeling of powerlessness and hope. He needed to talk to someone who would give him options, who would tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Where was Will? When would he hear news about Hailey? It was frustrating to be doomed to wait.

Then he heard footsteps that seemed to be approaching his room. But whoever it was, was just passing by. He took in a disappointed breath. He really longed to talk to Hailey or Will now. With anyone who would free him from this endless blackness.

Again he heard something and sure enough, this time someone entered his room. It sounded like something was being pushed in.

"Jay!"

He recognized Hailey's voice and he smiled involuntarily. Then he felt someone touch his arm and goosebumps started to cover him. Hailey was finally there. He had never realized how much a simple touch could mean.

"I'll leave you alone now," said a strange voice, probably a nurse.

Suddenly his heart pounded with excitement. "How are you feeling?" he asked. He only heard a quiet sob. "Are you crying?"

"No.", she answered, but he could tell she was lying.

"Hey...", with his free hand he reached across the sheet and their fingers found each other. He took Hailey's hand and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Tell me about it... How are you?" he said softly.

She sobbed once more, ignoring his request. Instead, she asked, "You still can't see?"

He understood that she obviously didn't want to talk about what had happened to her.

"No. But it'll be fine," he therefore tried to reassure her, although he didn't believe his own words. "Tell me how you're doing. Have you been taken care of? Is anything broken? Are you in bad pain?"

Her voice sounded tired and sad as she answered him. "No Jay, im not in pain right now."

She continued to evade his other questions and he wished he could see her face at that moment and make up his own mind about her condition. A brief pause arose.

"I had no idea what was wrong with you," she said then. "You scared the hell out of me."

"I-"

She interrupted him. "I'm not done yet." He heard her take a deep breath. "I understand why you fled the Hospital. But damn it, Jay... You could be dead."

"I didn't think it would come to this," he returned. "And if I hadn't found you, you'd probably be dead by now," he replied. "I don't regret what I did."

Again, he wished he could see her, interpret her reaction. This blindness made everything so hard and complicated.

Hailey was silent for a moment before she continued. "Should I have aborted the mission when Tamara offered me the pill?" she then asked.

Jay was surprised. "Are you blaming yourself for this?" he asked.

Again, he didn't hear a direct answer and he didn't know if she nodded or what was going on with her right now. It unsettled him that he couldn't interpret the mood in the room. But he somehow sensed that she needed his full support now.

"Listen," he began, "the risk you took was big. And out of fear for you, I wanted you to abort at that moment. But Voight decided to let you make the decision and let it run," he hesitated for a moment, thinking about his next words. "And you were right. If the other Unit hadn't wrecked our plan, you would have succeeded. You were with Landon. You were in his inner circle. We could have proven his crimes. You would have provided the evidence. So your decision was right."

"But where did it get us?" she still sounded devastated. "If you could see yourself now... I'm sorry."

Again she began to cry, and he felt a new wave of insecurity wash over him. Tears welled up and he closed his eyes to hide them. He fought down his emotions and tried to stay strong.

"Hailey, you can't tell yourself that any of this is your fault," he said. "It was my decision to leave the Hospital early. And I know we can do anything. I'm not giving up yet. What's important now is that you recover and-"

She withdrew her hand from him, and it felt awful to lose contact with her. Jay curled his fingers and clutched the covers again.

"I don't need to recover," she said firmly. "I need to know what we can do to help you see again. Where is Will? Have you been able to talk to him yet?"

Jay shook his head. "A doctor said he's still talking to colleagues."

"That was at least two hours ago," Hailey replied thoughtfully. "He should be done by now."

Jay thought he knew what was going on. He knew his brother. "He's mad at me," he said. "He'll come here as soon as he calms down."

Suddenly, a feeling came over him that his brother might not forgive his stubbornness so easily this time.

/

Now that Hailey was with Jay she felt how exhausted she was. Not just physically, but mentally. And it hurt her that they couldn't give each other the support they both needed right now.

She didn't want to burden Jay with her feelings. She didn't want to deal with her feelings herself. She didn't even want to think about what had happened. She just wanted everything to go back to normal.

Thoughtfully, Jay gazed into nothingness, his fingers buried in the bedspread. He had told her what the doctor had said after he woke up.

She looked at him. He looked so vulnerable and lost. She couldn't even imagine how scary it must be not to be able to see anything.

Had she been able, she would have gone to search for Will. She felt that Jay needed his brother's advice now. But all she could do was sit here and wait with him. Couldn't she?

She could ask Voight if he would go in search of Will. He'd told her he'd go to the Cafeteria for some coffee.

Spontaneously, she reached out and touched Jay on the arm. He jerked.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I just... I just had an idea and I wanted to share it with you."

His eyes drifted to her, but as before, he just looked right through her. It was frightening. She longed to catch his gentle gaze again that he sometimes showed when he looked at her.

It was true when people said that the eyes were the gateways to the soul. With Jay it was like that. And she could see that he was about to drown. He was scared. He just didn't want to show it.

"What kind of idea?" he asked when she didn't speak further.

"I'll put Voight on the search for Will. I still have your phone here."

"Oh, you have it? Good!"

Of course, he probably didn't know what was in the room or where all his stuff was. Hailey looked around.

The nurse who had brought her here was just appearing in the doorway.

"Miss Upton, the doctor would like to speak with you. I'll take you back to your room," she said.

Hailey nodded and once again, she gently squeezed Jay's arm. "I'll be back soon," she promised, "and I'll ask Voight to go out and find Will."

/

Someone had been here and adjusted the dose of his medication.

Jay tried to fight off the soporific effects of the painkillers, but he kept nodding away.

When something cracked in the room, he startled. He listened. Immediately he had the feeling that he was not alone. He was sure he heard someone breathing.

"Is someone there?"

It took a full two seconds before an all too familiar voice answered him. Jay winced as his suspicions were confirmed.

"You're damn lucky you look so desperate right now."

"Will!" he exclaimed in relief.

He sat up a little further. Immediately his brother was at his side and he felt himself being pushed back onto the pillow.

"I'm so mad at you," Will said softly as he kept a hand on Jay's shoulder.

He remained silent. He knew that anything he would say now would be a lie. He wasn't sorry that he had disobeyed the doctors' orders. All that had mattered to him was finding Hailey.

"I should have taken your calls," he said instead.

Will let go of him and seemed to move away again. He heard the latter take a breath. He seemed to want to keep his anger in check.

"You're-" another deep breath. "Don't you think your colleagues could have found Hailey in time, too?"

Of course, that thought had crossed his mind as well. But he could clearly answer that question in the negative.

"Nothing would have made me call off the search for Hailey," he replied.

"This isn't okay, Jay," Will moved closer again. "Now... I warned you from this!"

"It was worth it."

"Goddamn it! Stop it!", he suddenly felt Will's hand on his arm and he flinched slightly. "Do you have any idea what your chances are of being able to see again?"

Suddenly Will no longer sounded angry, but desperate. Jay tilted his head.

"What do you mean? I thought the medication could help the swelling go down?"

"Honestly? I'm not counting on it."

Jay's heart began to beat faster. "You mean it could be permanent?"

Will pushed the air out of his lungs. "We'll have to wait and see. If the meds don't change anything within the next few hours, then I'll arrange for your transfer to Med."

"Will, give me a break."

"No!" now his brother's suppressed anger flared up again. "For once, you do what I say!"

Realization was slowly seeping through to Jay.

If he indeed did not regain his sight, his life as he knew it would be over. He would have to quit his job. He would have to relearn so many things. And he would never see Hailey's face again, her smile and her glow...

He realized that he had been hoping for some redemptive news from Will. He had thought that his brother would feed him with confidence, with the hope and promise that all would be well again. But the reality was different. Tears came to his eyes and he blinked.

He felt Will squeezing his arm now. Apparently he did feel sympathy, now that he had finished his tantrum.

"There are still chances," Will said quietly.

"How high?" asked Jay.

"About thirty percent."

Jay closed his eyes. Thirty percent. So it was that bad?

"As I said, the next few hours are critical. I've been on the phone with Dr. Abrams. If it gets worse, he'll operate on you. He's one of the best Neurosurgeons in the country."

Surgery? A shudder passed over Jay, but he merely nodded.

"No matter what, I'll be there for you," Will added now.

"Thank you.", Jay replied absently.

/

Three weeks later

"Are you sure you have everything you need?" asked Hailey as she slipped into her most comfortable sneakers.

"Water, phone, remote. Everything here.", Jay replied.

Hailey ran back to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"If you need me, I'll be with you in within a few minutes," she said. "Mrs. Miller downstairs is at home, too."

He smiled weakly. "Get going, will you?" he said. "I'll be fine."

Hailey didn't want to leave him alone. They had spent the last week together in their apartment after Jay had been released from the Hospital.

An exhausting time lay behind them. Nothing had changed in Jay's condition.

After his initial time in the Hospital in Rockford, Will had arranged for him to be taken to Chicago Med. Dr. Abrams had looked at his results and eventually performed a minor procedure. But Jay still hadn't been able to see anything afterward.

The first few days had been difficult. Hailey had been afraid that she wouldn't be able to get Jay out of his slump. Fortunately, after he had started working with a Therapist and had Occupational Therapy scheduled every other day, his mental condition had temporarily improved.

She was still amazed at how quickly he had found his way around in their apartment. For most things, he no longer needed help. Still, she worried about him.

The doctors at the Med had said his condition would almost certainly improve. The surgery by Dr. Abrams had greatly increased his chances. Now it was just up to Jay's body until, hopefully, normalcy would eventually return.

They had called it a Cerebral Perceptual Disorder. But no matter what they titled it, it was weighing on Jay more with each day it lasted longer.

Hailey herself was finally back on her feet properly. Her injuries and bruises had healed and she could walk again without pain. Today was her first day back on the job.

"I'll come in between and bring you food," she promised. "Do you still have the audiobook from yesterday?"

Jay rose from the couch and came toward her. He held out his hands and she walked to him.

"Go to work, Hailey," he said. "You don't have to bring me anything. When you return tonight you can report to me about the ongoing cases. Say hi to the others for me."

She put her hand on his cheek. "Of course."

"See you tonight.", again he smiled bravely, but she knew how he felt inside.

/

The day alone at home had been long and dull. Jay had quickly lost interest in the audiobook that had saved him over dry spells the last few days in between. Listening to the news on TV only upset him, and so at some point, he had decided to lie down in bed.

He woke up when he heard a key in the lock of the front door. He quickly rose from the bed and groped his way to the door to meet Hailey.

She laughed softly. "Hello Sleepyhead."

"Hi." he greeted her and he leaned against the doorframe.

"Your hair needs a trim."

Her hands ran through his hair and when she placed them on the back of his neck, he leaned forward a little. She kissed him.

"I have a lot to report," she said then.

She sounded relaxed and he was pleased that she had obviously had a good first day on the job.

"I'm curious.", he walked further into the living room.

His foot bumped into something standing on the floor.

"Oh stop!" exclaimed Hailey. "That's our dinner. I brought Chinese."

Now he smelled the food, too, and his stomach began to growl. He groped for the couch and oriented himself to find his way to the kitchen. Hailey approached him and pushed past him.

"I'll disappear into the bathroom for a minute and then we'll eat."

Then he heard her call out from the bathroom, "Did you know Platt and Mouch celebrated their wedding anniversary on a Yacht? And I'm supposed to say hello to you from everyone at the Station. Platt has threatened to visit you soon."

Jay couldn't suppress a grin. "She's just curious about our apartment."

Hailey reappeared in the open living and dining area.

"That's what Kim suspects, too. Oh! Adam showed up with painted fingernails," she giggled. "Makayla had a field day on him and he didn't have any nail polish remover left at home! Then he'd overslept and never made it to the drugstore. Guess what his first stop was, as soon as we drove out?"

He felt how good it made him feel to finally hear news from his friends and colleagues.

"What color?" he asked.

Hailey whirled around him as he took out plates, glasses and cutlery.

"Pink!"

They both laughed and Jay felt her hug him from behind. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she rested her head on his back.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"Okay.", he returned, although a certain emptiness settled in him at the question. "Really, it was okay."

He felt her take the items from him and then he heard her place them on the countertop. Her hands ran over his back, then he turned. She pressed against him and kissed him.

"Shall we make your day a little more exciting?" she asked.

He was surprised. They hadn't made love since they had been home. He didn't know if he was ready for it now. Too many things were bothering him right now. An underlying fear gripped him. What if he would accidentally hurt her because he couldn't see? What if he did something wrong?

"Hailey... I don't know..."

Without an answer, she took his hand and pulled him with her. A moment later, he felt the carpet in the living room under his feet. She continued to touch him, pulling at his t-shirt. Suddenly he felt how intense all this felt and he began to breathe harder as lust took hold of him after all.

She pulled on his hand and he let himself slide to the floor. He felt her body under his and he let his hands slide over her chest and her hips. Hailey began to breathe harder as well. Then suddenly, she braced her weight against him and he slid onto his back. She was instantly above him. Her hands settled into his as if automatically and she pressed them to the carpet above his head.

"Trust me." she whispered before she covered him with more kisses.

Goosebumps ran through his entire body and he brought his arms back down to hold her against him. But she beat him to it and she pressed his hands back to the carpet.

"Leave them there." she said, out of breath.

What followed was one of the most intense and sensual experiences they had ever shared. It was exciting and tingling not knowing what she would do next when she paused for a moment. He felt himself begin to tremble as his lust increased. It seemed to take forever for her to caress and explore his entire body. He didn't know how much longer he could hold back.

"Now." she breathed eventually as she pushed herself over him again. "Touch me."

His hands slid over her body, exploring every inch in a new way. It was as if a new world was opening up to him.

When they finally joined, this time the fulfillment seemed like an explosion and he enjoyed this liberating, all-overwhelming feeling that spread through him.

/

The days passed and before Hailey knew it, her first week of work was done. She was looking forward to the weekend with Jay. They planned to get cozy that evening and try out a movie with audio description.

As she stepped off the elevator and walked toward the front door of the apartment, however, another idea occurred to her. Something they could squeeze in before they would hole up in their apartment.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" she asked impulsively after greeting Jay.

He frowned. "And what would that look like?"

"The weather is nice outside. We could walk over to that little bakery and get something for dinner. I will lead you."

She waited as he hesitated.

"I thought you wanted to cook something?"

"Mmmmm. They have those bagels you like," she tried to entice him in a seductive tone.

He gave a short laugh. "Stop coaxing me."

She walked closer to him and stopped very close.

"The air outside smells like winter because of all the fireplaces people are starting to light because it's getting chilly. And if we take the shortcut through the little park, then we can walk across the fallen leaves."

/

Jay closed his eyes and smiled as Hailey whispered in his ear. He could see the park in front of him.

He didn't really feel like leaving the apartment and plunging into this overwhelming world full of loud noises, hustle and bustle, and the unknown. But she was eager to do so.

He went over the route from his memory. It wasn't far and they only had to cross a few streets. And it was actually a change of pace for once, not just getting out of the apartment for doctor's appointments or therapy sessions.

He trusted Hailey. She would steer him safely through it all.

"Okay." he said. "Let's do it."

He heard no response.

"Are you nodding?" he asked.

She laughed out. "Yes. Sorry!"

She gave him a hug and he grinned. "We'll have to work on that."

He felt a kiss on his cheek.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" she said enthusiastically.

A few minutes later, they stepped out of their apartment building. The air that hit Jay was actually pleasant. It was cold, but not too cold. One of the autumn evenings he loved.

He knew that the leaves of the big maple tree near the precinct were starting to turn colorful now, and that the sunsets were insane at the moment. He sighed. He missed all of that.

She obviously noticed his sudden melancholy and tightened her grip on his side. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Let's go."

He clutched the blind man's cane he had received from his Occupational Therapist after long discussions. It actually helped him, and as Hailey went off, pulling him along, he focused on what he had learned in therapy. The concentration helped him block out the noise of the road and Hailey guided him with absolute confidence.

"There's a road coming up ahead, high curb," she informed him. "Two more steps."

It was spot on and he smiled slightly. She was doing a good job. They hadn't gone far yet, but he was amazed and relieved at how well it worked.

Suddenly she stopped. Then she pulled him back a little. He felt her grip tighten around his arm.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Three men are coming toward us." she answered quietly, and he could hear the tension in her voice. "We're going to the right, now. Across the street. Go."

Jay slipped off the curb a little, but he managed to keep up as Hailey pulled him across the street. He stumbled upward as they reached the other side.

"Shit." cursed Hailey.

His heart began to pound. What was happening? Who were these guys? Were they following them? Were they trying to rob them?

"What's going on?" he asked.

"They're following us. Stop right there, I'm going to call for help."

They stopped and Hailey broke away from him. Immediately he felt lost and helpless. He clutched the cane and tried to hear something of what was going on around them.

"I wouldn't do that," a deep, masculine voice made him freeze.

Everything in Jay tensed as he now heard footsteps that were suddenly very close. Then a chill ran down his spine as he heard the cock of a gun being moved. Nervously, he turned his head in the direction from which the sound had come.

"The phone, please," the voice now said.

"Who are you?" asked Hailey in a cutting voice.

Jay didn't know what was happening, maybe the guy had stepped closer or into the light. Maybe he was pulling off a hood.

But suddenly Hailey said a name. "Tedesco."

He felt Hailey push against him, shoving him back a little. Jay became uneasy.

Then he darted around and he reached into empty space, when someone touched him. It took him a moment to understand that this someone was looking for his phone. A moment later, someone pulled it out of the pocket of his hoodie.

He knew the team had identified Tedesco's people as one of Landon's partners. Hailey had kept him up to date with everything. They were currently searching for anyone involved in the case and the Patrol Officers were required to search the entire city area for the suspects. If possible, they wanted to prevent them from leaving the city.

Restless, he took a step back as he realized that these people must have been watching them. He turned his head as Tedesco spoke again.

"It's not hard for me to believe that you almost managed to infiltrate Landon. You're just his type. Maybe a little too old.", Tedesco's voice sounded almost amused, but had a dangerous undertone.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"When I got the tip on where I could find the Undercover Cop who wanted to infiltrate and break up our very lucrative business relationship, I just had to jump at the opportunity... Detective Upton. My plan got solid when my men found out that your husband wasn't doing so well right now. Isn't that right, Detective Halstead?"

Jay let go of the cane, which fell to the floor, making a clattering noise. He touched Hailey's shoulder and shifted slightly in front of her.

"I'm still well enough to punch you in the face if you don't leave us alone," he threatened.

The men laughed. So someone had warned these criminals that they were coming after them.

He took another step forward.

"Jay!" whispered Hailey warningly beside him.

Then he froze as he felt something at his temple. The barrel of a gun, he guessed. Tedesco laughed softly.

"Detective Halstead. You don't seem to be in any condition to threaten me right now."

The blow that suddenly landed in his face was completely unexpected. The force sent him staggering backwards and his back collided with Hailey. Another blow followed, now hitting his jaw. He stumbled against a wall.

Pain set in the next second and he shook his head in a daze as he tried to hold himself upright. He braced himself against the wall and straightened up again. Breathless, he turned forward again, but then another blow was already hitting him.

"Stop it!" he heard Hailey shout, but it continued.

Jay instinctively put his arms up and tried to protect himself from the blows that were raining down on him. But then the Perpetrators started punching at his ribs.

He tried to grab hold of someone, but it was useless. He slouched forward and gasped for air as a punch or a kick caught him in the kidney area. Another kick to the back of his knee inevitably sent him to the ground.

Everything hurt as the beating stopped all at once and he was left on the floor, breathing heavily and with his heart racing.

"Listen to me carefully.", Tedesco's voice penetrated through his booming skull to him.

He realized the man was now talking to Hailey.

Was she all right? Had he touched her?

"If you want to see him alive, make sure we can leave town. You have 48 hours. Inform me when you have found a solution."

Something clattered next to Jay's ear and then suddenly someone grabbed his upper arms. Roughly, he was pulled back to his feet. He was dragged along and he didn't manage to brace himself. He tried to break free, but he was apparently being held by a man on either side.

"No! Jay!", Hailey's desperate voice almost broke his heart. "Tedesco! Wait!"

He realized he had no chance of breaking free.

"Hailey! I love you," he groaned as they pulled him along. "Talk to Voi-"

Something hit him in the head, sending him into unconsciousness.

/

After Hailey watched in horror as Tedesco's men dragged Jay into a shabby old van, she remained on the spot. She lay on the ground, Tedesco had pushed her down after whispering his demands in her ear. Her elbow hurt, but she didn't want to imagine how Jay must be feeling right now.

She forced herself to start moving. With trembling hands, she first picked up the flip phone Tedesco had tossed to her. Then she pushed herself up and got first to her knees, then to her feet.

She shook her aching arm. Then, as if in a trance, she walked over to where the van had parked. They had thrown their phones on the grassy strip beside the road before driving off. She picked them up. Then she looked around.

It was already getting dark and no one but her was on the road. No one had seen what had happened. Maybe a neighbor or two had furtively looked out the window - but in Chicago, most people preferred to stay out of such trouble.

She realized that tears were running down her cheeks. She blinked and wiped them away with the back of her hand. She was still shaking as adrenaline pumped through her body.

Then she spotted the cane that Jay had dropped. She walked back again and stopped beside it. A deep, loud sob escaped her throat at that moment, as her despair made its way out. It seemed to come from the depths of her soul. She lowered her head.

Why was all this happening to them? Hadn't they been through enough? It was so hard to get through each day right now, with everything that was going on. And now this?

She had worked so hard on herself to keep Jay from slipping into another emotional low. She hadn't said a word about what Landon had done to her. How much he had humiliated her. She had done everything she could to get back to Jay as quickly as possible. She had fought down the pain after her injuries with medication. He had needed her and she had given everything to make him feel better.

They had found a way to deal with this whole scary situation - but now this? It was just too much. It was unfair, it was wrong! No, it couldn't be true.

She kept crying, unable to keep her emotions under control. It was as if everything she had suppressed during the last weeks was now bursting out of her.

Her chest suddenly felt heavy and ached as she struggled to breathe. She was shaking. She felt nauseous.

Absently, she put the phones in her jacket pockets and she leaned forward to keep herself from throwing up right there. She placed her hands on her hips and she was now convulsively trying to steady herself.

But her thoughts wandered back to Jay. He was now in the hands of these men, injured, blind and disoriented. How was he going to get through this? What would they do to him? What was she supposed to do now? What could she do?

Tedesco expected her to sabotage the investigation and to provide a way for him to escape Chicago with his men. But that wasn't so easy. How was she going to do that? The city limits were under surveillance, with every Cop on the lookout for suspicious cars and people. And she couldn't betray her team. Oh God...

She gagged briefly as her stomach heaved after all. Fortunately, the contents of her stomach stayed where they were. As she tasted the bitter bile in her mouth she spat out, then coughed. Desperate and at a loss, she straightened up again. She put her flat hand on her breastbone and rubbed it, as she continued to struggle for breath. She needed to calm down. She needed to get off the road and think about how to proceed.

After picking up the blind man´s cane, she started moving and headed back toward her apartment. Her tears slowly dried up. Her thoughts were taking over now, but they were a mess.

Then, halfway there, she stopped. What was she doing? She was leaving a crime scene, the scene of a kidnapping. And to do what? To think about how she could commit a crime? How she could deceive her team?

She remembered the last words Jay had said before they had knocked him unconscious. She shuddered at the thought of how he had suddenly collapsed and how the men had dragged him on. Oh God, what fear he must have when he regained consciousness?

New tears sought their way up. Then she made a decision. She would follow Jay's instructions. She had to call Voight. He would know what to do.

First, she pulled out the flip phone Tedesco had tossed her. Only one number was stored in it - the number where she was to contact him if she could meet his demands.

She then pulled her own phone out of her other jacket pocket and without thinking any further, she picked out Voight's number.

She hesitated for a moment before pressing the symbol with the green handset. But it was already clear to her that she would have to rely on his help.

After another second, she activated the call.

/

Rocking movements brought Jay back to reality. He felt a vibration beneath him, heard a roar. An engine... he was in a car.

Then came the pain. Everything hurt and with a groan he turned to his side and curled up.

"Merda. Egli si sveglia. Cosa dovrei fare?"

The voice came from his right and he opened his eyes in horror. Where was he? Blindly, he groped around. The men! Tedesco. He remembered what had happened.

"Tieni duro. Ci siamo quasi." came the reply from his left.

Jay turned back on his back and sat up, sending stabbing pains down his right side. The next moment, someone was with him, grabbing his wrists. The guy apparently moved over him and pushed him back to the ground, trying to hold him down, but Jay wrenched free. He got his hands free and braced himself.

He had to get out of the car, he suspected it was a van. So the doors had to be against the direction of travel. He didn't care that the car was still moving. He would have a better chance of surviving if he made it outside. He would get someone's attention.

Using the strength from his legs and his body weight, he managed to push the man off of him. The man fell backwards and Jay pushed himself up with a painful sound. He began to randomly punch the man lying on the ground. All he had to do was land one good punch and knock the guy unconscious. Then there would be only one left.

The second man lunged at him now, grabbing his upper arms from behind and yanking him back. But Jay spun in the motion and punched with all the force he could muster in the direction he thought the man's face was. His fist hit something hard and he could hear the breaking of bones.

"Sta Minghia! Tu... Diavolo!" the guy immediately cursed.

Then suddenly blows hailed down on him and he was thrown backwards again. His head collided with something and he slid back to the ground. The blows were hard and came in quick succession. The guy knew what he was doing.

Before Jay could counter-strike, a blow hit him in the temple and knocked him out for a moment. He felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time, his ears began to ring. His arms fell uselessly to his sides.

Strangely clearly he perceived that the car stopped at that moment and that the men now proceeded to detain him. Only a moment later the doors were opened while he was held on the ground by the two men, leaning on his arms and legs. It hurt and he knew it would get worse once the adrenaline wore off.

"What the hell is going on here?" the deep voice of Tedesco shouted angrily.

Jay tried to get enough air into his lungs to breathe against the rising nausea. The guys were digging their fingers into his skin and muscles, it was a sickening feeling.

"He was getting away!" one of the men replied, maybe in his twenties from the voice.

"We still need him alive, so get him in the basement!" ordered Tedesco.

They let him go. The pressure on his extremities disappeared and Jay felt himself being pulled up. They first grabbed the collar of his hoodie and then the hood to put him in a sitting position. Then they grabbed his arms and they pulled him out of the car. His feet dragged across the floor of the van, then he slumped down when they dropped him to the ground. He came to rest on his front side on the stony ground, which forced the air out of his lungs. He coughed involuntarily.

"Faccia di culo!" one of the men murmured in his ear in a nasal voice that testified that Jay had at least landed one good hit. "You broke my nose, you'll pay for that."

Again he was pulled up and again he was trying to get air back into his aching lungs. A pitiful gasp for air could be heard. Had that been him? Immediately a fist landed in his already battered stomach.

"Cretino!"

He was pulled further. After a few steps, he managed to gain his footing and stumbled along with the two men to relieve his aching shoulders.

He was pulled to the right, then to the left. Then, all at once, he stepped into a void space and slumped back into the men's relentless grip. The movement almost seemed to dislocate his arms and he groaned.

He realized they were on a staircase. Then the two let go of him and all at once he fell. His shins and knees hit the steps hard and he cried out as he continued to tumble down, being tossed back and forth.

His hands instinctively broke the last fall and he finally remained trembling at the bottom of the stairs on all fours. A second later the men were with him again. He was grabbed by the wrists and pulled further.

The last bit he didn't manage to get up. So they dragged him on before he was suddenly grabbed by the ankles as well. He was lifted up. What the hell were they doing?

Before he realized what was happening, he was rocked to the side once, then the men let go of him. The momentum carried him down in free fall. Everything in him tensed. How high were they?

Full of panic, a cry of fear escaped him, but it was quickly stifled as his body collided with a wall. He slid down it, tore his palms open, and finally landed on a hard floor with a thud.

He groaned softly as gravity now seemed to pull him into the ground. Completely exhausted and in indescribable pain, he remained lying on his side as he continued to struggle for breath.

The men laughed. Then he heard a door being closed. Apparently he had arrived at the place where they would hold him.

He was left alone in the sudden silence and the now all too familiar darkness.

/

"And you're sure it was Tedesco?" asked Voight after arriving on the scene.

Hailey nodded. "He had two men with him."

"What do you remember? Did you see the faces of the men? What kind of van was it? Did you get the license plate number?"

She was almost ashamed of how much she was failing right now. She was a Detective. She should know what details were important in tracking down the Perps.

But right now there was such chaos in her head, that she could barely get a clear thought. She ran her hand over her forehead.

"Um... the van didn't have license plates. It was an old, dark blue van. Maybe a RAM 250, poorly painted, dull, welded in many places."

"Good," Voight agreed with her. "The two men next to Tedesco?"

"Italian. I guess," she replied. "I think I'd recognize them."

He nodded. "Then we'll check the traffic footage in the immediate area, and you look at the members of Tedesco's organization who are already in the database. We'll work that off the books. No reports. But we need to get the team involved so we can move quickly."

Hailey hesitated. "Sarge, what if they're monitoring our actions? What if it puts Jay in even more danger that-"

"Stop.", Voight stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "There's no other option. We need to find out as much as we can about where they might have taken Jay. At the precinct, we have the best sources for that. And if we don't find anything, then we'll figure something else out. We'll get him back. They're not going to hurt him until they get what they want from you."

"I don't think they will spare him," she pressed out as she began to cry again. "If you´d seen how they beat him. And he... he couldn't fight back. I've never seen him so helpless. If he doesn't get his eyesight back soon, Sarge..." she gasped. "I don't know how much longer he can hold on. And...", her voice trembled. "I don´t know how much longer I can hold on?"

She suddenly felt Voight's hand on her back, and for some reason it calmed her down a little.

"You can't give in to these feelings now, Hailey," he said. "I know you can do this. We need your skills now, we need your mindset. You're a very good investigator. That's what will help Jay the most right now. Okay?"

She nodded and spent all her willpower on fighting down her current feelings. He was right. She needed to get her head back on straight and think about what was the best course of action now.

And then they would get Jay back. No matter what.

/

For several minutes Jay lay motionless until his breathing slowly calmed down and until the very worst of the pain had subsided. He tasted the metallic taste of his own blood in his mouth. His lip had split open and he had bitten his tongue.

After a while he could figure out the pain. For sure he had one or more broken ribs. His breathing was shallow, but he had no trouble getting enough air. He interpreted that as a good sign. He felt his left eye start to swell shut, but since he couldn't see anything anyway, it didn't matter.

Cautiously, he began to move. There didn't seem to be anything else broken besides the ribs. The rest of his body felt like it was bruised. His entire body must have made acquaintance with the fists of the men, a wall, the floor or something else in most places.

He groaned softly as he finally rolled over onto his back. For another moment he paused, and he breathed through the pain as best he could. The restlessness drove him on. He had to get up, had to know where he had landed.

Gritting his teeth, he turned to the side where he suspected that the ribs were just bruised. Then he drew up a knee and pushed himself up with his hands. He suppressed another cry of pain until he finally staggered to his feet.

Dizziness gripped him and he waited briefly for his circulation to stabilize a bit and for his body to allow him to move on. He stretched out his arms and stumbled forward a step. He touched a rough wall and braced himself against it. Slowly he moved to the right and felt his way until he reached a corner. Then he turned around. It was four larger steps to the next corner. Then he continued walking. Three steps in width. Back on the other side. Again four steps to the end of the wall.

The room he was in was small. He was in the basement. The men had thrown him into it. Maybe some kind of storage. So the door he had heard must actually be a flap they had closed from above. With a suppressed cry of pain, he stretched an arm upward. How high was the room? His fingers touched nothing, so at least 7 to 8 feet.

"Great!" he pressed out.

He walked on, crossing the small room now inch by inch, scanning the walls once more. It was empty, no windows. So there was only the hatch above him. He realized that in his condition he would not manage to make an escape attempt.

Exhausted and sweating from this little round, he let himself slide back to the floor in a corner. He leaned back against the wall and gazed into nothingness as the pain raged on in his body.

/

"We've got the car here and here," Kevin pointed to the screen and Hailey leaned forward a bit to get a better look at what they had found.

"It's driving west," she said.

Kevin nodded. "It disappeared after that. No other cameras in the area picked it up again."

"There are some areas in West Englewood where the cameras keep getting sabotaged," Adam said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "They probably knew where to loose us."

"Let's be honest," Hailey rose and ran a hand over her hair. "They can hide anywhere there. In a house, in a warehouse, in a factory. Without another sign, we'll never find them."

"What then? Are you going to give in to their demands?" asked Kim.

"You know that's not an option," she replied.

"What if we trap them?" interjected Voight. "We make them think they can leave the city, but then we hit them at the city limits."

"Then they will kill Jay," Hailey took in a breath. "They'll cover themselves. Besides, I want to get Jay out of there as soon as possible. If we're going to this, it's going to take time. It's got to be believable. I can't wait that long."

"We want to get Jay out of there as soon as possible, too, Hailey," Voight returned. "We'll keep looking for clues. But if we don't find any, this is our only chance to at least arrange a drop or something like that."

Exhausted, she looked first at him, then at the rest of her colleagues. He was right.

/

Jay pulled his feet in closer and everything in him tensed as he heard footsteps and a conversation from above. A moment later, the flap above was opened.

He tried to get up, but he didn't make it to his feet in time before something rattled in the room and before someone came down. They had probably lowered a ladder.

"Did you miss us?"

The guy with the nasal voice was back. Jay registered that another person was also coming down. It was probably the two men who had beaten him up in the van.

He kept silent and pushed himself further up the wall until he was leaning against it.

"You reek of fear," the other guy said. "Tu puzzi come un cane morto." he added in a condescending tone.

The one with the broken nose laughed. "Si. Un cane brutto."

Again they laughed. Then Jay heard them coming closer and he put up his fists.

"Ha! No fight this time!" one shouted.

His forearms were grabbed and he was jerked forward. The movement carried him to the ground and he landed on his hands and knees. Immediately they were on him and they were now pushing him all the way down to the floor.

Jay felt a knee in his back holding him down and he gasped while his arms were pulled back. There were too many hands and there was too much pressure. Everything was happening so fast that he couldn't do anything about it. Something wrapped around his wrists and then he heard the startling, unmistakable sound of cable ties being pulled closed. They did the same to his ankles.

Then the knee disappeared from his back and the two seemed to step back. He tried to free his hands, but it was useless. The plastic dug into his skin and he paused. He suppressed a groan and realized he had to admit defeat. After less than five seconds he lay in front of the two. Tied up, he was completely at their mercy.

The one with the broken nose spoke next. "We'll do it like in ancient Rome," he said, out of breath. "A broken bone for a broken bone."

The next moment, Jay felt one of his fingers being clasped. The ring finger.

"No!" he shouted, but by then the guy was already wrenching the finger backwards and the crack of the bone could be heard loudly in the small room.

The pain came immediately. It was sharp and hot, throbbing, and it took over Jay's entire being for that moment. He cried out in agony. Unconsciously he turned back onto his back. Blood pulsed in Jay's ears and he felt tears running down in his hair from the corners of his eyes.

The guy gasped in satisfaction and laughed as he rose. Then he spat on the ground beside him.

"Vaffanculo!"

They left him without removing the cable ties and probably without taking another look back.

/

Holding a cup of cold coffee in her hands, Hailey stood at the window of the small kitchen. It was already light outside. So Jay had been in the hands of these men all night. She had wanted to give her eyes a moment's rest and fight her fatigue, but she hadn't taken a sip from her cup yet.

"Hey, mind if I come in?"

Adam entered the room and walked over to the coffee machine as well. Hailey turned to him and watched as he poured himself a cup.

"You guys have found anything new?" she asked.

"We're still combing through the material of surveillance cameras of the various businesses in Englewood. The car can't have disappeared into thin air. Sooner or later, we'll find him."

"Maybe they replaced it," Hailey said, as she did take a sip of her coffee now. She screwed up her face. "Who made that one?"

"I did.", Adam grinned and sipped his cup. Then he, too, screwed up his face. "Okay, definitely too strong."

Hailey went to the sink and poured out the cup.

"What else can we do? What are we missing?" she asked without turning back to Adam.

He leaned against the countertop beside her and looked at her. "A grid search."

"We can't. We're working off the books."

"We'll go out and interview people," he suggested further.

Hailey shook her head. The area was just too big. Then an idea occurred to her.

"Where is Landon now? Which prison?"

Adam raised his eyebrows. "Stateville. He was transferred here and is awaiting trial."

"I need to talk to him," she said firmly, and she turned. "I'll be back in two hours. Keep me posted."

"Wait.", Adam reached out for her arm and she stopped. "We'll let Voight know and then I'll come with you."

/

At the moment his world consisted of darkness, pain, and heat. He had turned back onto his side and now he tried not to move since any movement immediately sent new pain into his body. The position he was forced into by the restraints restricted his breathing and after a while he drifted into a state somewhere between wakefulness and unconsciousness.

He regained consciousness when he heard noises in the small room again. He remained motionless while someone descended. Footsteps approached him, then he felt something cold slide along one of his hands. With a " click " the cable tie was cut, releasing his arms.

Jay groaned as one hand slid to the floor and the other lay powerless and twisted on his back. Whoever was with him, now took his arm and pulled it forward. His shoulder exploded in pain and he groaned.

His hand was placed next to his face and Jay winced as the person touched his broken finger. He felt how the tissue around the lower joint was swollen and his wedding ring pressed into the flesh.

The person was now cutting the cable tie around his ankles as well, then it moved around the room before coming to a stop next to him again.

"I apologize for the brutality of my men," Jay recognized Tedesco's voice but did not respond. "They are young and hot-blooded. I have instructed them to stop coming to you while you are our guest."

Jay swallowed, and had he been able, he would have replied something sarcastic. But at the moment he lacked the strength to do so.

Something was set down in front of his face.

"Water and something to eat," Tedesco informed him. "There's a bucket in the corner. You should fix your finger as soon as you are able to.", A short pause arose. "I'm told your wife is working with Sergeant Voight to solve our little problem. You should pray she doesn't make a mistake that forces me to kill you."

Jay closed his eyes. There was just no end to this nightmare.

/

After signing countless sign forms, stepping through several bar doors and walking through endless hallways, Adam and Hailey entered the visiting room at Stateville Prison, located about a 45-minute drive outside of Chicago.

A guard was ushering Landon in and was making sure he sat down at one of the empty tables.

Hailey's breathing and heartbeat quickened as she caught sight of the man who nearly killed her. She struggled to keep her emotions under control. She gazed coolly at him as she approached and took the seat across from him. Adam sat down next to her and began the conversation.

"How do you like your new home?" he asked mockingly.

Landon smiled humorlessly and his gaze drifted to Hailey.

"Detective Upton. On your feet again already? How are you?"

She didn't respond to his insinuations. "You somehow managed to warn your partners that we were coming after them," she said.

"I was talking exclusively to my lawyer," the bald man replied with a smirk. "Check my transcripts."

"Then your lawyer is corrupt and he passed on the info," Adam said.

Landon leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. He was wearing handcuffs.

"What do you want?"

Hailey leaned forward a bit as well. "I know you cut a deal when you gave up the names of your partners. I want you to tell me where we can find Tedesco and his people, or I'll make sure your deal is off."

Landon laughed. "You have no authority to do that."

"I wouldn't test it if I were you," she returned threateningly. "One call to Superintendent Harringer and you'll disappear in a hole so deep in this prison, that you'll wish you might one day see the sun again."

Her counterpart hesitated. She realized she had convinced him.

"So, Tedesco?" she asked, and she leaned back a little again. "And don't give me his normal whereabouts. We've already searched those."

"I don't know what you want from me then!" the older man groaned.

"Englewood.", Adam now rejoined the conversation. "More like your stomping ground, isn't it? Where is he hiding out there?"

"He doesn't work in Englewood."

Hailey slapped the metal table with the flat of her hand. "Don't play with us!"

The guard in the room took a step closer, but when Hailey gave him a warning look, he stopped.

"Landon, come on. Your time is running out. As soon as we get out of here, we'll make the call," Adam said. "Last chance."

Hailey watched this monster closely. Landon seemed to be weighing what would be worse. Spending his prison time in solitary confinement or dealing with what Tedesco would do to him if they ended up in the same prison.

"There's a warehouse," he finally began. "He mentioned it once. He stores some of his merchandise there. It's on his ex-wife's mother's name."

Without another word, Hailey rose from the bench and turned away. She didn't acknowledge Landon another glance.

Within seconds, she was at the door that led outside. The guard set about letting her out.

A moment later, Adam joined her. "Superintendent Harringer?" he asked.

Hailey smiled triumphantly. Her bluff had worked.

/

The smell of the food right in front of him disgusted Jay. It was some kind of seasoned meat or sausage - probably a sandwich.

After Tedesco left him alone, he had drifted off again for a few minutes. Now, however, he wanted some of the water his captor had mentioned. He was terribly thirsty.

He gritted his teeth and pulled his other arm, that was still behind him, forward. His entire body protested. His hand throbbed.

He knew he had to straighten that finger. It was probably sticking out at an unnatural angle and would have to be broken again if he waited any longer. He laid his injured hand as flat as possible on the floor and used the elbow of his other arm to push the finger back down.

"Arghhhpphh!" he hissed.

It hurt so much! He was shaking. Tears came to his eyes again. Then he turned onto his back and he stared upward while he was already completely out of breath again.
He blinked when he suddenly saw something. A strange flashing.

"What..." he whispered to himself in amazement.

Then his heart began to beat even faster. What was that? He barely believed it when he realized that there was suddenly a bright circle in the center of his field of vision. It got brighter when he blinked. It was almost like looking too long into a bright lamp or in a flame.

His breathing continued to quicken and he gulped. Did that mean his body had now decided to take the perceptual disturbance to another level? Now that he had received several new blows to the head?

He looked around him and continued to blink. It was not as if he could recognize anything. No, only this luminous circle was there. Jay waited and concentrated on it. The circle seemed to flicker and he had the impression that it was enlarging, that it was slowly moving outward.

In disbelief, he paused and he hoped that what he was experiencing did not mean a worsening of his situation.

/

"Tell me you have something!"

Hailey clutched her phone far too tightly as she spoke to Sergeant Voight. Adam and she were already on their way back to town. They had immediately relayed their new findings to the team.

"74 th Street, corner of Damen," Voight now replied.

Hailey's smartphone vibrated, announcing to her that the team had sent her the exact location.

"We're heading out now. If you get there early, wait for us. Got it?" he said.

Hailey ended the call without answering him. If she got there before the team with Adam, she certainly wasn't going to sit around idly.

"Drive faster." she instructed Adam.

"Calm down." he returned. "We're not going to run headlong into that building."

She just gave him a sideways glance and he fell silent.

/

His perception changed continuously. The glowing circle had worked its way outward by now and now he thought he could see something gray.

The edges of his field of vision were now flickering in various garish hues, almost like looking into a kaleidoscope made of electricity. That had to mean that his optic nerves were sending out some kind of stimulus, right?

While Jay was still trying to figure out if he was getting better, he heard footsteps from above. Tedesco's voice came through to him.

"Landon just had a visitor. I'm sure he's been talking."

"What do you want to do?" another voice asked.

"We're going to try getting out of town in the truck. I'm not going to wait any longer. It may have been a mistake to blackmail Upton. Finish him off as soon as we leave. Take this. And then come to the rendezvous point."

The footsteps moved away and Jay looked up. This was not good. Tedesco had just handed the man a weapon to kill him.

He pushed himself up and got back into a sitting position in the corner of the room.

/

Hailey's heart pounded wildly against her chest as they drove down Racine Avenue toward their destination.

"It's up ahead," Adam said, and he slowed down.

Hailey glanced around, "The team's not here yet."

"Sarge, how far away are you?" asked Adam over his radio.

"Two minutes."

"Pull over.", Hailey unfastened her seatbelt and then she opened the passenger door.

"Damn it, Hailey!" cursed Adam as he slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a stop. "Hailey, stay here!"

But she was already outside. She drew her gun, crossed the street, and walked in a slightly crouched position toward the old brick building.

The grounds and the property appeared to be abandoned. Nothing would indicate that anyone would be inside. She heard Adam catch up with her and she glanced over her shoulder.

"This means trouble with the Sarge," he murmured to her.

"Shht.", she listened, but she could not hear any sounds around them.

It seemed they were alone. Had Landon been lying to her?

/

Pressing his back against the wall, Jay waited. What would happen next?

If the man had a gun to kill him, then his chances were slim to none. But what if it was something else? Then the only thing left for him to do, was to fight.

And no matter how battered he already was, no matter how bad his pain was. Jay would fight for his survival, that much was certain.

Meanwhile, he thought he could make out something at the edges, but he couldn't quite interpret it. Was it dark down here?

He heard someone tampering with the lock of the hatch and everything in him tensed. Then a bright light actually hit his retina and blinded him with stabbing pain. He raised his hands in front of his face and blinked.

It was so irritating to perceive something again after all this time. He heard the ladder being pushed down and looked in the direction.

He couldn't see it directly, it was more like indirect vision. The center of his field of vision was still filled with that impenetrable gray and flicker. But at the sides, the images somehow pieced together and gave him an idea of what his surroundings looked like.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a shoe, now moving onto one of the rungs. Without thinking further, Jay lunged forward and with his uninjured hand clutched the ankle of the man who was about to come down.

Jay pulled at his foot and the man tumbled downward, where he landed on the ground with a gasp. Immediately Jay lunged at the guy, but he was quick and countered his attack with a kick from the ground that caught Jay square in the chest.

He was thrown backwards and slammed into the wall. Dazed, he slumped down as his legs gave way beneath him.

"Sei un pezzo di merda! ", the man cursed as he stood back up.

Jay realized that something was approaching him. He could not see what the man was holding in his hands. Something wrapped around his neck and he just managed to slip his uninjured hand between it.

It appeared to be a wire and the man pulled it straight taut as Jay convulsively tried to protect his neck. The metal cut into his fingers and the skin on his neck and he gasped for oxygen as his air supply was suddenly cut off.

Panicked, he tried to discern where the guy was. He was standing over him, pinning him against the wall with his leg while he tugged on the wire with both hands. Jay thought he was going to pass out from the pain as he clenched the hand with the broken finger into a fist to punch the guy in the unprotected stomach.

The guy cringed and loosened the wire briefly, which now allowed Jay to pull his other hand back out from under it. He managed to take a painful, short breath, then the string tightened again and Jay felt his strength slowly leaving him.

Once again he punched the guy in the stomach, in the ribs. He tried to get up, to push him off of him. But the adrenaline seemed to keep the guy upright and give him superhuman strength.

Jay realized he was about to lose.

/

"Do you hear that?" asked Adam quietly, and Hailey nodded.

Sounds of fighting came from further back in the building. They approached as fast as they could without losing sight of their surroundings.

"... Sei un pezzo di merda!" a male voice echoed through the room.

Where did it come from? The fight seemed to continue and Hailey could finally make out the right direction. Quickly, she ran on while Adam followed her.

At the far end, a staircase led down. That's where the sounds were coming from. Quickly, Hailey took the stairs while holding the gun in front of her, ready to fire.

At the bottom, a hallway led to the left. There were several doors there, but it was the one at the very end of the hall that seemed to be ajar, with a bright neon light shining out from behind it.

She ran on and approached the door. Now the sounds were loud and clear. After a moment, she pushed open the door open and stepped into a room with two chairs and a table.

Then she looked to her right. A ladder had been lowered into a pit in the floor. The flap that usually closed the pit, had been swung open. And down there a drama was audibly taking place.

She ran on now, gun at the ready. When she could finally look down into the unlit pit, it took her breath away.

Two men were down there and they were fighting with each other. It took her a second or two to recognize one of them as her husband. Jay's face was bloody and swollen, his hair wet with sweat and blood.

Another man stood over him, his back turned to her. In the semi-darkness, she hadn't been able to see the metallic wire immediately, but when she spotted it, she hesitated no longer.

"CPD!" she yelled in a shrill voice.

The guy didn't respond, seeming completely engrossed in his killing spree. She saw Jay's hands slump lifelessly to the ground beside him. The man now pulled out a knife and jammed it into Jay's side.

She gasped and aimed at the man's back. She pulled the trigger. Once, twice, a third time. Then finally, the guy stumbled backwards and the knife fell out of his bloody hand. Then he toppled over.

"Hailey!", Adam appeared beside her.

"Secure him!" she exclaimed to him.

Then she rushed to the ladder and put her gun away. She slid down the ladder without even putting a foot on a rung. She hit the ground hard.

Within moments she was with Jay, whose eyes were now closed. His head had sunk forward onto his chest. There was so much blood! That son of a bitch had pulled the knife out of the wound! And the metal wire had cut deep into Jay's skin. Her first thought was that he looked dead.

Was she too late? An irrepressible fear gripped her and she searched for the end of the metal wire that was still wrapped around his neck. She found it and unwound it from him, then she threw the bloody, tangled mass on the ground beside her.

With a trembling hand she now pressed on the stab wound the guy had inflicted on him. It was bleeding profusely. Then she brought two fingers of her other hand to his bleeding neck. She thought she felt a slight pulse.

Then she heard a whistling and strained puff of air coming from him. Then another. He was trying to breathe. She looked around and realized that Adam had also arrived downstairs by now.

"Ambulance!" she barked, then she turned back to Jay. "Breathe!" she said in a shaky voice. "We're here, Jay. Keep breathing!"

/

Fluttering, Jay's eyelids opened. Someone was touching his neck and talking at him. He didn't know why it was so exhausting to stay awake.

He wanted to know who was with him. Again that bright, unpleasant light blinded him and he squinted his eyes. When he slowly opened them again, he recognized a strand of blond hair, and then the voice also blended into the overall picture.

"Can you hear me? Jay!"

Hailey! It was Hailey who was with him. He smiled slightly.

Again he opened his eyes and this time he looked directly at her. Everything still seemed strangely shifted and as if through a veil, but he recognized her blue eyes that were now anxiously eyeing him. He saw her blond hair framing her face. And he saw the tears running down her cheeks.

Then her hands came into his field of vision as she moved away from him. They were full of blood. Where did the blood come from? Was she injured? And why was she walking away?

His gaze broke away from her and he realized that the small room was suddenly full of people. Two strangers approached him; they were Paramedics. He looked past them.

Where had Hailey gone?

Something suddenly pulled him back into that deep, all-suffocating sleep. A wave flooded through his body that seemed to wash away all the pain and that lay on his consciousness like a heavy, warm down blanket.

/

"I think we've got the bleeding under control now," Dr. Marcel stated as he moved away from the bed. "The wound looks good. His CT scan was unremarkable. There was no damage to the kidney, no blood in the sac."

Hailey looked at him gratefully. When she had come into the Med with Jay, there had been a great deal of confusion at first. She had been sent outside while four or five people had been working on him at the same time.

Will had been eager to help, but his colleagues had also kept sending him away. Together they had waited outside the treatment room. It had been especially bad when the curtain had been pulled closed so they could tend to Jay's wounds.

Will had been by her side the whole time. Hailey turned her head and she now gratefully looked at her brother-in-law. Will observed the lines on the monitor that stood next to Jay's bed. Eventually, the excitement had died down and they had allowed them to approach Jay. Dr. Marcel had agreed that Will could assist him with further treatment from this point.

"EEG looks good, too," Will noted. "The lack of oxygen doesn't seem to have caused any damage."

Dr. Marcel nodded in agreement. "The trachea was not injured by the cuts, and no artery was perforated. He was very lucky."

Hailey was incredibly grateful for the good prognosis she was now receiving.

"He was awake on and off briefly," she then said. "And I could swear he was looking at me."

The two doctors raised their eyebrows.

"That would be desirable. After all this time. But we won't find out until he wakes up," Dr. Marcel said.

"He'll sleep for another hour or two," Will informed her. "He was given morphine on the spot, and we think it's better to keep him sedated for a little while longer."

"Okay.", Hailey nodded and she was glad that Jay was spared the pain and horror of having ended up in a hospital again, for a little while longer.

"I really hope you're right and that his condition has improved. You've been great all along," Will said with a smirk. "I couldn't even stand two hours with him while he sulked away on the couch."

"I know you really tried," Hailey returned, and she smiled slightly. "You didn't leave us alone, that was the most important thing. And Jay appreciates that, too. He just can't show it."

Will nodded in agreement. "Did you find all the people who threatened you?"

Hailey crossed her arms in front of her torso. "Looks like it. Voight called earlier and said Tedesco and his people were found in a truck with a double outer wall. I'm glad they didn't make it out of town. You never know with people like that, they might try again."

„That's good. Is the team coming here soon?"

"Yeah, as soon as they can get away at the Station."

"What do you say I grab us a coffee and a bite before all hell breaks loose around here?" Will suggested.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he squeezed her arm and left her alone.

She was sure the idea had just been an excuse to give her some time alone with Jay. She was grateful that Will was so empathetic.

Slowly she moved to the side of the bed and she looked into Jay's battered, pale face. At least he looked peaceful now, and the sedation allowed his body to recover for a while longer.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered as she gently stroked her finger across his right cheek. "I'll be here when you wake up."

/

It was the white and green hues that first caught Jay's attention, as he regained consciousness and opened his eyes. A wave of gratitude flooded through him and he closed his eyes again to check if the colors and light were still there when he opened them again.

He felt that his left eye was still swollen, but he didn't care. All that mattered at that moment was, that he could see. The blurry image slowly became clearer and then he heard voices that seemed to come from a little further away. He lifted his head slightly.

First he spotted Will's red hair, then Hailey's blond hair falling wavy over her shoulders. They stood with their backs to him in the doorway to the treatment room. Several Police Officers in uniform stood outside and the remaining members of their Unit were spread out in the anteroom. Kim was the first to notice he was awake and a wide smile broke out on her face.

"Hailey.", Kim nodded to her colleague and she immediately shot around.

She saw him and came running into the room. "Jay!"

Within a second she was at his side and she touched his arm.

"It's all right, you're in the hospital," she said.

Will followed and Jay looked from one to the other. He was happy they were here and a wave of love flooded through him at that moment. He smiled slightly.

"You can see us, can't you?" asked Hailey in a soft voice.

She was beaming. He had missed that sight so much.

"Yeah... You're so beautiful."

Jay screwed up his face and squeezed his eyes shut again. Speaking was straining and his voice sounded somehow foreign. He remembered the guy's attack with the wire.

"You should take it easy on your larynx for a while. The swelling will go down," Will said now. "It's good to have you back. Are you in pain?"

Again he looked at the two and then he shook his head slightly.

No, he wasn't in pain. He felt fantastic.

/

Hailey was happy. Jay had looked at her with that unmistakable look that she loved so much. She was grateful that he was awake and that things could finally get back to normal now.

Will leaned over slightly and whispered in her ear.

"I'd be surprised if he was in pain. With all the drugs he's on," he murmured to Hailey. "Look at him, he's high as a kite. But don't tell him. Let him have his peace for a while."

She smiled. Will now moved away and headed for the exit.

"Okay guys, let's give these two some time to themselves." he then called out louder and he pulled the curtain closed behind him after stepping outside.

Hailey stayed behind with Jay. She pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down. He didn't take his eyes off of her.

"Are you always going to look at me like that from now on?" she asked with a laugh.

"I've missed you so much," he replied softly.

A shiver went through her body. Gently, she continued to look at him.

"Are you really okay?", she asked.

He nodded and raised the thumb of his uninjured hand upward. She giggled. Will was right. Jay was definitely high.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked.

"I'm just glad to have you back," she replied, and she stroked his arm.

She let her eyes wander over him once more. Over all the injuries, the stitches and the bruises. He had a bandage on his hand. It would be forever before he could return to active duty because of the broken ribs and the stab wound. He probably wasn't even aware of all that now.

It would be a long road ahead, before they actually got back to normal.

But she would be by his side, supporting him with every step of the way.

/

Two weeks later

"Are you going to come out of there within today?" Jay exclaimed. "I'm sure you look perfect. As always."

They had actually wanted to leave ten minutes ago. The colleagues were meeting at Molly's to celebrate the conclusion of a major case. And Jay was looking forward to getting back to desk work the following Monday. So they had two things to celebrate at once.

The door to the bathroom opened and Hailey stepped out. She had tears in her eyes. Jay saw it and immediately came closer.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She nodded, then a smile broke out on her face.

"I'm pregnant." she said in a tear choked voice.

His eyes grew wide. "What?"

"We're pregnant!" she exclaimed now, and she laughed.

His mouth dropped open. It had certainly been three or four weeks since they had last made love. After Tedescos attack, his injuries hadn't really allowed it.

It had been the evening of her first day at work, when she had seduced him. He remembered how vunerable he had felt, still blind, so insecure. But then, it had been one of the most intense experiences he´d ever had.

"You're...? We...?", he was at a loss for words.

"Yes!" she hugged him stormily.

He winced slightly as his broken ribs protested, but he kept silent and held her tight. Quickly, he kissed her. A wave of joy flowed through him and he wanted to hold her forever. She snuggled against him.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

He looked at her. "I love you, too. Both of you."

He released her and his gaze drifted to her belly.

"You can't see anything yet," she smirked.

„But it's there. In there.", he placed his hand below her belly button. "And it's already a little miracle."

- END -