" Bodhi, freeze! FBI! "

The time had come to finally break my cover. I couldn't let him go on with this and murder all the people carrying gold from the mines just because of his obsession with the Ozaki Eight and saving the ecology. All the masquerade was over. I was an FBI agent, he was a criminal and it was my obligation to arrest him.

Why was it so hard? Why was it so hard to point the gun at him? My hands were shaking.

" Can't let you do it, brother! " I yelled, watching him still holding the detonator. " Damnit, Bodhi, drop it! "

Bodhi watched me strangely, fearlessly. I believe he knew I could never shoot at him. Without blinking an eye, he hit the button and dropped the device, as if obeying my order ironically. Loud blasts thundered somewhere in the mines and I knew it was too late. Enormous rock blocks were rolling down the mountain, about to bury the upturned cars and people inside them.

In one fluent movement, Bodhi put on a helmet, hopped on his dirt bike and raced away. He managed to do what he wanted. He always managed everything and I knew that if I let him go now, he'll be nowhere to be found. I couldn't save those unfortunates who happened to cross Bodhi's path today, but I could still stop him from harming more people.

I leaped on the other bike and dashed after him. Through the thick cloud of dust and dirt created by the falling stones behind us, I could barely see his black bike. For a single second, he turned his head and sped up, apparently noticing me behind him. We ended up on two separate rocks further away from the place of the disaster and I thought I had him trapped. I confronted him with the truth that had always been in the back of my mind.

" It was you the whole time! Mumbai, Africa, Mexico. Every time! "

Slowly he turned his head to look at me. There was still no fear in his eyes, his voice muffled by his helmet.

" If you really wanted to know, all you had to do was ask. "

He twisted the throttle swiftly. The bike sprang to life and jumped over the cliffs into the forest. I couldn't lose him. Motorbiking was my strong point, but here everything slowed me down. The branches of trees whipped my body and shielded my vision, the moss, soft soil and wet leaves kept the bike from going as fast as I wanted it to.

Our bikes bounced over the stumps and other forest obstacles, Bodhi still ahead of me. I saw his tense figure controlling the bike as if it was a part of him, his leather jacket glistening when hit by the few sunbeams that were able to pass through the dense forest. Never once did he look back again to see if I was still following him.

The following things happened so fast that I'm not sure I remember them correctly. The front wheel of my bike got caught in twisted roots standing out of the floor of the forest. I flew and sharp pain arranged itself in my body – head first, followed by elbows, knees and back. Through the cracked face shield of my helmet, I could see the tops of the trees.

Something warm was streaming down my neck. I lay motionless between bushes and fallen branches, unable to get up and follow Bodhi, so he was gone. He still had two ordeals left to complete all eight. My mind circled rapidly. Maybe somebody will find me, this was the last thought I can remember before passing out.

My head seemed to be split in half when I opened my eyes. The wet, muddy forest was gone and I was lying in dry and clean sheets. The wooden bed was comfortable and for a minute I thought that I'm at my home and everything that happened was nothing but a bad dream. However, the pain that followed every movement was clear evidence that it was reality.

There was a bandage around my head and I didn't know the place I was in. Walls, ceiling, floor and furniture, everything was made of wood. Through the window, I could see the darkening horizon, apparently, it was evening.

The place was quiet and before I could figure out whether or not I was alone, my tossing and turning were heard. The floorboards creaked, somebody was coming. The door opened and I didn't expect to see what I saw.

Bodhi stood in the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched me with a dark gaze. I stared back without saying a word.

" FBI, huh? "

His voice was quiet and coarse. These words made me forget about the injuries for a minute. The realization came over me like a lightning. The reason he brought me here. He didn't want to save me. I was a traitor. I had to pay for it.

" You disappointed me, brother. A lot. "

I swallowed saliva to clear my dry throat.

" You're going to kill me, aren't you? "

" No. "

" Isn't that why I'm here? "

" You're here because you fell hard while chasing me. "

I breathed deeply. Really? I betrayed him and now he was going to nurse me back to health?

" I thought you left. "

Bodhi moved and came closer to me. He was dressed in shorts and a grey tank top that revealed his tattooed, muscled arms.

" Come on, Johnny, if I really wanted to run away from you, I'd do it and you know it. I turned back when I saw you landing on your head. "

He checked my bandage carefully, I could see he was trying hard not to hurt me. With him leaning over me, I could see some dark hair on his chest.

" Where are we? "

" In a place meant for emergency necessities. "

I sighed. These guys were clever as hell. They did everything near perfect, I should have guessed they had such secret hideouts in case something went wrong. I sat up and threw the sheets away, realizing I wore nothing but my boxer briefs. I glared at him.

" Did you undress me? "

" Of course. I had to see what else was injured, besides your head. Gave you a sponge bath too. You were dirty from head to toe. Did you want me to put you in the bed like that? " Bodhi calmly answered. " And lie down. You need a rest now. " He gently pushed my shoulders back down on the pillow.

" I need to use the bathroom, " I insisted, wriggling out of the sheets. " There is a bathroom here, right? "

Bodhi nodded and gripped my elbow, helping me to stand up. Everything in my body hurt, as we left the room and made our way toward the bathroom. Then I saw this was a small wooden cabin. It was dead quiet, except for the burning wood crackling in the fireplace.

" Where are the others? "

" We decided to separate for a while. But they are angry with you, I can tell you that. "

This didn't surprise me. Roach and Grommet had always been reluctant about me being part of the team. I always felt like they could see right through my disguise and only tolerated me because Bodhi wanted them to. I didn't even want to imagine what did they think of me now when they knew my true identity.

The bathroom was very narrow. It only had a small bathtub and toilet. On the wall, there was a medium-sized mirror. When I was about to close the door, Bodhi held it.

" What is it? "

" You might be dizzy. I don't want you to fall. "

" So you're just going to stand there? "

" What's the problem? Got something I haven't seen? " He looked at me with a poker face expression.

Probably seeing my annoyed face, he didn't leave but turned his back on me. I took a leak as fast as I could, trying not to think about him being right there, less than two feet away from me.

When I was done, Bodhi guided me back to bed. He tucked me into the sheets like a caring mother.

" Why are you doing this? " I asked. " I betrayed you. All of you. "

" That's not something you should worry about now. " He opened the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed and took out a small, white bottle. I looked at it suspiciously.

" Don't be afraid, I'm not trying to poison you, " Bodhi said, placing the bottle on the nightstand next to a glass of water. " It's a painkiller. You might need it. "

He walked to the door and stood there with his back on me.

" Call me if you need anything, " he said without turning around. Then he closed the door quietly and I could hear his footsteps walking away.

I took a pill of the painkiller and lay back on the pillow. This was weird. I thought I'll never see him again. I thought he hated me for taking advantage of his desire to help me find my path. And now here I was, lying in his bed with him taking care of me as if I was his best friend I knew I wanted to be. Even when he did terrible things, I always considered him my friend.

A sweet, narcotic relaxation came over me. The painkiller kicked in and slowly I drifted away into sleep. The last thing I heard was the wind howling outside the windows of the cabin.