Ryan

by EirienGER

She had known him as Ryan Spencer while he had been spying on her family - while visiting a restaurant, Jay is recognized by someone he met while undercover. Quickly, he finds himself in a life-threatening situation.

While visiting a restaurant, Jay is recognized by someone he met while undercover. Quickly, he finds himself in a life-threatening situation.

Dislaimer: This fanfiction is just for fun. No money made, no Copyright infringement is intended. All characters belong to their respective owners.
Diese Fanfiction-Geschichte wurde lediglich zur Unterhaltung geschrieben und es werden keine materiellen Vorteile durch sie erlangt. Mit ihrer Veröffentlichung im Netz werden keine Verletzungen der Copyrights beabsichtigt.

/

Ryan

/

When Ricarda's eyes fell on the man that she had first loved and then hated for years, her heartbeat stopped for a moment. She had never expected to see him again. Yet here he was, flirting with the good-looking blonde across from him, laughing, oblivious to the world around him, so focused on the woman.

She stared at him, first startled and then full of hatred. How could he pay so much attention to this woman, but not to her? She could no longer take her eyes off of him. There was so much she wanted to do to him. So many things she had imagined in her cell. He was to blame for her being behind bars for almost ten years. He had betrayed her, betrayed her family. And what had tormented her most for all those years: She didn't even know his real name.

"Ricky, are you all right?" her uncle asked from beside her. He had noticed the change in her demeanor. "What's wrong?"

It took her a moment to get herself under control so that she wouldn't scream when she answered him. "That's the guy who broke my heart," she then hissed.

Her uncle's posture became more erect all at once. She saw him close his fingers around the edge of the table. He had spotted him now, too. And he too knew exactly who he was and what he had done. He knew as well as she, that this man did not deserve to live.

The hint of a smile now flitted across her face. She was glad that her uncle was with her. She knew she could always count on her family. That made Ricarda proud. The family would never betray her.

It was their first day off together in what felt like ages and Jay was looking forward to spending the remaining evening with Hailey.

They had slept a little longer and then had a hearty breakfast. As Jay had stood in the shower, Hailey had surprisingly stepped in and that had been the first time that they had made love that day. He found it exciting and he was still surprised at how often and how readily she took the initiative.

They had quickly cancelled their other plans, cancelled their meeting with their friends Mark and Fiora, and they had spent most of the day in bed.

Jay just loved lying next to her while she was indulged in her thoughts. Even silence was easy with her. On days like this, everything seemed easy with her. He could be himself, didn't have to prove anything to her or make any effort. They simply enjoyed their time together.

That, he kept thinking, was the advantage of knowing each other as long as they had. They had already been through so much together, and had also gotten to know each other's darker sides. And yet there was this inseparable bond between them.

He was aware that Hailey sometimes doubted herself. Doubted her ability to have a longer and healthy relationship. But the fact that she was willing to work on herself and that she had confided in him was enough for him to only deepen his love for her.

On days like these, everything seemed perfect and he enjoyed letting go and blocking out the outside world for a while.

"How about pasta?", Hailey suddenly brought him back to reality from his deep thoughts.

For a moment he was surprised at her rational musings, but then he realized that he was hungry too. They had skipped lunch, after all, and had certainly burned off enough calories to end this day with a really good meal. He smiled gently at the thought of their past activities, then he turned to her.

"Sounds good to me. Where do you want to order?"

She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. "The restaurants are open again, right?" she said.

She was alluding to the lockdown due to the pandemic still in effect. Briefly, he hesitated to leave the house. He didn't really feel like seeing other people today, had actually been quite glad they hadn't gone out at lunch.

"We haven't been out in a while. I've got a new dress in my closet," she then added, and she beamed all at once.

Her smile finally convinced him. "You want to wear fine clothing and makeup?" he asked, teasing her.

"Mmm." she nodded. "And I want to see you in that new shirt that I bought for you," she then added.

He frowned. "A shirt?"

"The shirt that happens to be hanging in the closet next to the new dress."

"So you planned this..." he murmured, and then he deepened his gaze into her blue eyes. "I can also put on the shirt for you. For your eyes only." he said seductively, and he bit his lower lip in a wait-and-see manner.

She laughed off at his rather poor attempt to seduce her and he joined in before she rolled over to him and finally climbed over him. She remained sitting on the comforter on his midsection and placed her hands on his chest. He enjoyed the tingling warmth that emanated from her touch and he felt the comfortable weight that was pressing him into the pillows. She leaned down a little toward him and whispered in his ear.

"Let's get in the shower again."

She wanted to move off of him, to go to the bathroom, but he grabbed her waist and held her back. She stopped and he pulled her to him. She approached his face now and he kissed her. She returned the kiss and ran her fingers through his short hair. Again a smile broke out on his lips as her hand now slid from his neck over his back, further down. With one fluid motion, he rolled to the side, taking her with him until he was finally above her. She looked at him expectantly.

"I guess the shower will have to wait," he said with a grin, as his breathing quickened.

/

"I'm so full. Good thing we have to walk back to the car for a few minutes.", Hailey reached across the table, took Jay's hand and he squeezed hers.

Now he was glad that they had taken it upon themselves to leave the apartment. He agreed with Hailey now that it had been far too long since they had gone out on a date. It was a different feeling to eat in a restaurant instead of eating on the couch in front of the TV.

Hailey had decided on a warm chocolate brownie with ice cream for dessert. He was glad that he had passed on something sweet himself, because he was full to the brim from his pasta.

"I still can't believe how much you can cram into you," he remarked.

"I need enough energy when I'm with you," she replied, as he waved to the waitress.

"Does that mean your reserves are replenished now?" he picked up on her innuendo as he turned back to her.

She wrinkled her nose. "Depends on whether I can move again later. For now, let's take it slow."

"Like swimming?" he teased her further. "No swimming in the pool with a full stomach, you know." He laughed briefly at his own lame joke and she rolled her eyes.

"Oookay." she just returned. "How much wine did you have again?"

He laughed in spite of himself for a moment. "I'm going to the bathroom," he then said and he pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans. "It's my turn to pay. Will you take care of that?" She nodded and took the wallet from him. "Credit card's right in the front."

He raised from his chair and approached the men's room. Maybe he really shouldn't have had that second glass of red wine. The wine was making him sleepy and he briefly considered letting Hailey drive home.

He didn't mind when two more men entered the restroom. He was just about to wash his hands to go back outside.

What made him nervous, however, was the moment when the two younger men approached the sinks to his right and left without relieving themselves as he had expected. Jay turned off the water and straightened up.

"Guys, what are you doing?" he asked when he realized the two had come in for him. "If you want money, my wallet is outside. My cell phone, too."

The one standing to his right grinned. "Giancarlo wants to have a talk with you."

Irritated, Jay looked at both of them and he noticed that the man to his left moved his hand to the waistband of his pants.

"You must be wrong," he shook his head and put on an apologetic smile. "I don't know anyone named Giancarlo."

The lefty now pulled a gun from his waistband, as Jay had feared, and pointed the muzzle at Jay's head.

"But he knows you, Ryan Spencer." the one on the right said, stepping closer.

Jay froze when he heard the name. Ryan Spencer was his alias, the identity under which he had already made a dozen undercover assignments. And someone named Giancarlo had to have recognized him. He cursed inwardly and clenched his teeth for a moment. He had to stay calm.

"You've got the wrong guy," he pressed out. "My name is not Ryan."

He felt the muzzle of the pistol against his temple now. Slowly, he tilted his head a little to the side and his heart began to race.

"Just come with us and I'm sure we can clear this up real quick. If you're not Ryan Spencer, then you can go back to your little blonde out there. You don't want anything to happen to her, do you? Would be a shame."

Jay glared warningly at the man now. If one of these guys so much as laid a finger on Hailey, he would kill them.

He now realized that they must have been watching them both for a while. That this Giancarlo had just been waiting for the right opportunity to get to him. If he made a mistake, then he was also putting Hailey in danger. So instead of resisting, he decided to play along for a while.

"Okay, where is this Giancarlo?" he asked.

The right hand man was now smiling again. "We'll take you to him. We'll go out the back."

He glanced at the one on the left, and the latter now placed the gun a little lower, in Jay's neck, while grasping his upper arm with his other hand. Then he pushed him along, while the right one approached a door at the end of the room, just behind the toilet stalls.

By rights, the door should have been locked. But to Jay's amazement, it was open and they stepped outside, into the now cool night air. The door slammed shut behind them and Jay was about to take them out, then run back inside to get Hailey to safety. But then a car with tinted windows emerged from the darkness.

Jay's heart beat faster. He didn't know how many people were in the car. Would this Giancarlo already have Hailey? What if she was in the car? He would not be able to bear seeing her in danger.

The limousine stopped in front of them and the rear, blackened side window was lowered. Jay now saw the man who had recognized him and he took in a deep breath. He knew who the man was and there was no doubt that the man knew him. Jay realized that he was in a hell of a lot of trouble and he swallowed. Now he knew which undercover operation it had been.

He noticed that the car seemed to be empty except for the driver and Giancarlo, and a brief wave of relief flooded through him. Or perhaps Hailey was in the trunk? Nervously, Jay's gaze darted there.

Giancarlo just glanced at him, nodded to his two men, and before Jay could wake from his brief stupor, the one on the left brutally slammed the barrel of the gun across his skull.

With a groan, Jay landed on the gravel-covered ground. He wanted to push himself up, wanted to finally fight back, but the guy had hit him awkwardly, causing him to slump back down, dazed.

The men seized their chance, pulled him up by grabbing him under the arms and dragged him to the trunk, They lifted the lit and Jay stared inside the trunk. It was empty, that much Jay still perceived with strange relief, before another blow hit him in the back of the head and he toppled forward. He could feel his legs being lifted, felt them pushing him down to fit his body into the tight space. Then the lid slammed shut and everything else went black around him as well.

/

Ricarda left the restaurant, wrapped thickly in her favorite coat. She circled the building, followed by her new bodyguard. She liked the young man, Franco - he was discreet and didn't ask stupid questions. He was good at his job and she trusted him.

She continued walking in the gravel-lined parking lot and approached the car waiting there. The rear window was lowered and she looked at her uncle. The latter just nodded and looked pleased.

"I want to see him," she then said.

"Nico?", her uncle asked the driver and a moment later she heard the trunk lid open automatically.

She walked around the car and the bodyguard followed her. Ready to intervene if the situation called for it. But it was not necessary for him to protect her.

The man she hated so much lay lifeless and crammed in the small space they had allowed him. Blood poured from a wound just above his temple and ran down his forehead before disappearing into his hair. She regarded him for a moment. He looked almost peaceful, as if he were asleep.

He looked older now, but that only made him more attractive to her. She had always found him handsome, had admired his even features, his symmetrical face. She liked the color of his hair, his scent. She had once wanted to count the freckles on his face, but had had to give up because it was impossible.

She broke away from those memories. She was torn by the sight that satisfied her so much and at the same time, by the hatred that blazed in her when she looked at him. Why did this man have such an effect on her? Maybe she would finally feel better once he was eliminated.

She slammed the trunk lid shut again, signaling the driver to drive off to the meeting place. She turned and nodded to Franco, who escorted her to her car.

/

Jay had been awake for several minutes. Minutes in which he had listened to the sounds around him and had assessed his situation. Minutes in which he had kept quiet so as not to reveal that he was already conscious again.

His head throbbed painfully and he had initially hoped the pain would subside, but it remained a constant companion with each and every one of his heartbeats. He knew he was sitting in a chair. He could feel the far too thin cable ties holding his wrists almost painfully to the outermost brace of the backrest on each side. His feet were bare, his ankles also tied to the chair legs with cable ties.

He knew he was in trouble and who he was dealing with. He knew it would get nasty as soon as they realized he was awake. There was still absolute silence around him. He suspected he was alone.

He wondered if he could dare lift his head to see what musty hole they had taken him to. From the smell, it had to be a basement or a warehouse. The smell of sweat and tobacco hung in the air, maybe there were workers in here. But his assumption would not be confirmed until he could look around.

Finally he overcame himself and he straightened up a bit more, opening his eyes. The movement sent new pains through his head and body and he gritted his teeth.

The room he was in was dimly lit, but he recognized enough. It was a larger warehouse, with several compartments attached to its sides, similar to the cage they had used in the precinct for some interrogations. He was in such a cage, sitting on a metal chair that was bolted to the floor so it couldn't tip over. On the concrete floor Jay now saw dried blood - he was not the first who had been brought here.

A noise behind him made him startle and move around, as far as his limited range of motion would allow. He glanced over his shoulder and his breathing quickened. Then he saw movement in the semi-darkness, outside the cage. Whoever was out there had been absolutely silent for quite a while.

"Hello Ryan." a female voice said at that moment.

Jay tried to turn a little more to be able to see who it was. But no success. Nervously he turned his head to the other side, but the person kept in the shadows behind him.

He briefly considered how to proceed. There was no way to deny his identity, Giancarlo knew him. He had spent months working for his brother Paolo during his undercover assignment. He had met the family several times.

They had eventually been able to prove Paolo´s guilt and of the others in his immediate circle that had committed the crimes they were accused of. Jay had known that the family had to be counted as part of organized crime. But he had trusted that the CPD and the FBI would bring Giancarlo behind bars as well.

He had had no idea that there was a risk that someone might recognize him from his previous assignments. Something had to have gone wrong. Somehow Giancarlo must have had escaped arrest or he´d been released earlier. Why hadn't the members of the undercover unit been warned?

"Who are you?" he now asked over his shoulder. "Show yourself."

He heard the person behind the cage start to move and shortly thereafter she appeared in his field of vision. She stopped under one of the dim lamps hanging from the ceiling. It took him a moment to recognize her. She had changed.

"Ricarda?"

She had grown up, he now realized. When he had last seen her, she had still looked like a child. A child with a strange expression in her almost black eyes, with unruly dark hair that she now wore in a knot on top of her head.

"Hello Ryan." she repeated as she smiled and let her gaze wander over him.

Jay looked down at himself for the first time. The shirt Hailey had given him had been ripped open in the front, and blood from his head wound had dripped onto his bare chest.

He remembered Ricarda staring at him like that back then, too. She had been maybe nineteen, and as far as he knew, she had first been sent to juvenile prison when the family's machinations had been exposed. Probably she had been transferred to regular prison after that. Ricarda had not been a blank slate for her age and Jay had always suspected that something was wrong with her. Now she almost seemed to him like a wild animal on the prowl, the way she looked at him.

"So you're out, huh?" he began, "How long have they sentenced you?"

"Nine years!" she hissed, her voice sounding angry all at once. "Nine years I've been in this shithole, them trying to bend me and influence me. But I can't be changed."

"Okay...", Jay tried to understand what that meant. Probably they had tried to treat her mental problems in prison. "How did you manage to get out?"

"I served my sentence. And if you play their games, someday you'll even be rewarded for it," she replied. "Will you play my games, Ryan?"

A brief shiver ran down Jay's spine when he heard her words. Something told him that there was indeed something very wrong with this girl, this woman.

"I thought Giancarlo wanted to talk to me?" he tried to avoid her question.

"My uncle will be here soon. But I'll decide what will happen to you. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with you. So many possibilities."

Jay just looked at her uncomprehendingly. He had not exchanged more than a few words with the young woman before that day.

He had heard the other men's comments back then, that Ricky would like the handsome new boy. That she would adore him. But Jay would never have gotten too close to her or would´ve taken advantage of her crush. That wasn't even close to being an option.

He was fresh out of the academy at the time, had done his time as a patrolman, and it had been his second undercover assignment when it had become apparent what direction his career with the CPD would take.

"What does that mean?" he asked her, therefore. "You're deciding what's going to happen to me? You know I was just doing my job then, right? And you are aware of what your family has done?"

She just smiled again and then she turned around as a door at the end of the hall opened. Jay saw three men come in. One of them was definitely Giancarlo and his pulse inevitably quickened.

/

Pleased, Ricarda registered that her uncle had brought his two strongest men. She had already entangled her prisoner in questions so that it would be easy to break his will sooner or later. But a little help from her uncle could never hurt. Especially since Giancarlo was also very angry with the man whose true name she would now finally learn.

"Have you welcomed our guest yet?" her uncle asked and Ricarda nodded.

The door to the cage was opened and the men stepped inside while Ricarda stood outside and watched.

The prisoner straightened up some more. He pressed his back against the backrest and she could see his muscles tense and his breathing quicken. He was afraid. Good.

"I would have thought the CPD would do a better job of protecting you puppets," her uncle opened the conversation. "Instead, I see your lying face in my favorite restaurant."

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon either, Giancarlo," he countered.

One of the two men accompanying her uncle punched the prisoner in the stomach. He collapsed, gasping for breath as the ties cut deeper into his wrists as he slumped forward. Very nice.

"You just answer my questions, okay?"

The second thug reached into the prisoner's hair and pulled his head up, making him look at her uncle again.

"Okay?", Giancarlo repeated his question.

"Mhm.", the prisoner only returned in confirmation, while apparently trying not to throw up.

Sweat was now glistening on the prisoner's forehead. The thug let go of him and he straightened up a bit. His gaze flitted briefly to her and then he looked at Giancarlo again. Ricarda liked how confused he seemed.

"You betrayed my family, mingled with my brother's people and gathered evidence against us. Do you know what we usually do with a rat like you?"

Her uncle waited for his answer. When it did not come immediately, one of the men punched the prisoner in the ribs. He winced and tried to double over, but his restraints did not allow him any protective position. He was completely at their mercy. He apparently forced himself to look at Giancarlo again.

"No, I don't know," he then pressed out in pain.

"You kill rats with rat poison, don't you?" her uncle began to list the various possibilities. "But you can also lure them into a rat trap and let them perish miserably. Or you can drown them.", he paused theatrically. "My niece will choose a method because you broke her heart."

His eyes darted back to her and disbelief was evident in them. The reaction satisfied Ricarda, he was so clueless.

"I never touched her!" he groaned out and he earned another hit in return, this time to the face.

Groaning, he hung his head, but one of the men grabbed his hair again and pulled his head up.

"If Ricarda tells me that you hurt her, I'll believe her," her uncle yelled. "You'll wish you'd never looked at her, you dirty piece of shit."

The prisoner's gaze was literally glued to Ricarda for a moment, and strangely enough, a very rare feeling crept up on her. He could not understand what he should have done. He thought he was innocent. She took a deep breath to calm her emotions. She hated him, but at the same time she just found him so breathtakingly beautiful that she didn't really want to give him up right away.

Besides, there was something like guilt nagging at her - something she hadn't felt very often in her life. She had lied to her uncle, she knew that. But the prisoner should have simply given her the attention she deserved. She was not to blame for all this, he was. Wasn't he?

"I never touched her," he repeated again, even though he knew he was going to take another hit for it.

His head flew to the side and Ricarda saw that his lip had split open with this last blow. Blood ran down his chin. The color of the fresh blood on his pale skin fascinated her.

"Uncle!" she exclaimed suddenly, before she could think further about her latest idea.

He turned to her and she smiled at him. Now it would be even more worthwhile to learn his name.

"He's certainly a detective with the CPD by now. They won't like it if one of their people is missing," she said. "I don't know if we'd be better off using him to get my father out of jail? Or at least get him some detention relief."

"I thought you wanted to get rid of him quickly?" her uncle asked.

"I think I'm after something long term after all," she replied. "We could at least try, before we poison him. Let's find out who he is and send a little message to his colleagues."

/

Jay tasted the metallic taste of his blood in his mouth. He tried to understand through the dizziness and pain what was happening. Motionless, he paused and he tried to catch his breath.

Ricarda claimed that he had hurt her during his undercover time and now she should decide what happened to him? Had he just heard correctly? Had she suggested using him as leverage and to poison him later? So was this her decision? He continued to breathe frantically, trying to clear his head a bit.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Giancarlo said after briefly considering Ricarda's suggestion. He stepped closer and looked at Jay.

"What's your name? What department do you work for?"

Jay hesitated for a moment. "Ryan Spencer." he then replied.

Again, a punch followed against his already throbbing cheekbone and the pain in his head exploded again.

"I know Ryan Spencer doesn't exist! Do you think I wouldn't have had that checked out?"

"Then your research wasn't very good," Jay replied.

Furious, this time it was Giancarlo himself who gave him a short, hard blow to the forehead. Jay's skull seemed to burst and he heard himself groan again. He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped that the worst of the pain would pass in a moment.

"I'd be happy to have the video of your torture sent to all CPD departments," Giancarlo's voice filtered through to him as blood pounded in his ears, almost swallowing part of the sentence. Jay forced himself to open his eyes to look at him. "Maybe it would be better if you told me where to have the video delivered? So, tell us your name and the department you work for."

"My name is Ryan Spencer. Born 3/18/84 in Springfield, Illinois. My parents are Helen-", another punch to his stomach ended his attempt to fully pray down the long rehearsed details of his second identity.

Jay again tried to slouch forward as much as possible while the cable ties cut painfully into his wrists, not allowing him to protect himself in any way from the blows.

"Again?", Giancarlo now merely asked.

Jay didn't even straighten up as he repeated his mantra. He was just trying to catch enough breath to say it, before his stomach would contract painfully again. "Ryan Spencer... Born 3/18/84 in-", another smack against his cheekbone made him stop and he slumped slightly to the side as he blacked out for a moment.

"Let me talk to him," he then heard Ricarda's voice. "Give me some time with him."

Jay couldn't lift his head to see what was going on. His body was not responding, his eyes were falling shut and all he could feel was pain all over his body. It took him a moment to understand what was happening. The men seemed to be moving away.

"As you wish, my love.", he heard Giancarlo say. "I'm tired anyway. I'll see you in the morning."

/

The prisoner, whom she hated so much and yet at the same time admired for his perseverance, now hung motionless on the chair, tilted slightly to one side. He was breathing heavily and blood and saliva were dripping from his mouth. Was he unconscious?

She moved closer and she was startled when, a moment later, he lifted his head to look at her. His face already clearly showed the marks of the beating, his pale skin began to discolor and showed several lacerations.

Why did he look so handsome right now? She swallowed and stopped as they looked at each other for a moment.

"Why did you lie?" he asked weakly before running his tongue over the laceration on his lower lip. "You know I never touched you."

She didn't answer, but moved a little closer. There was no way he could know that this had been his exact mistake.

At a safe distance, she circled the chair and she looked at him from every angle. His shirt was now covered in blood and some of it had dripped onto his jeans as well. His skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat and he was visibly shivering.

"Are you cold?" she asked as she now arrived back in front of him.

He slowly straightened up a bit and just looked at her with his lips pressed closed. He knew, of course, that she wouldn't give him any relief even if he admitted how bad he felt.

"If you talk, then I can make sure you are moved to another environment. You´ve heard, it's up to me," she tried anyway.

"I also heard that you want to poison me," he returned with a scowl.

She smiled again. "Yes... It´s postponed."

He held her gaze and she considered what she should do to him. Yes, she could poison him. Slowly, very slowly, so she would have him for as long as possible. That would give her revenge a very special charm. She would think about it...

"So, why all this?" he interrupted her thoughts. "Your uncle could have gotten rid of me without this drama for my alleged offenses. I have caused enough trouble for your family as it is."

"Trouble?" she had to laugh out loud all at once. "Trouble is what you call it? Traitor!"

"Some people use their time in prison to change their lives. You must be aware that your family's crimes can't go unpunished," he then said and she realized that he obviously wanted to provoke her. He wanted to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Tell me your name," she therefore urged him, trying to get the upper hand. "Give it to me and the men will leave you alone."

She did not mention that she would never leave him alone from now on, until the time of his death. Meanwhile, a small but doable plan was forming in her mind and she was sure she could convince Giancarlo of it. He would let her have the prisoner when he would no longer be of use to the family.

He remained silent, so she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, unlocked it and turned on the video function. She walked around him and he lowered his head as he realized what she was doing. That she was filming him.

"Ryan Spencer, born 3/18... 1984 in Springfield, Illinois." she repeated his words. "Doesn't sound like the truth to me." She had slowly walked around the chair and now stopped in front of him again. "Tell me your name."

He raised his head and looked defiantly and disgustedly at the camera. She laughed briefly and stopped recording.

"Well, the video goes on the big CPD trip, then," she put the phone away.

/

The thoughts in Jay's head raced. He had to play for time, that much was clear to him. Hailey would have quickly noticed that something had happened at the restaurant. She would have followed the tracks and notified the team. They were surely already looking for him. They would have viewed the video footage from the restaurant and would spot Giancarlo and Ricarda with their people. They had certainly already picked up the search and they would find him.

Perhaps a video with demands would actually improve his situation. It would give the team clues to his whereabouts. Ricarda had walked around the chair. So the team would be able to see that he was in a warehouse, see what surrounded him. A man like Giancarlo surely had many different properties and buildings, but sooner or later they would track him down, of that he was sure.

So he made the decision to reveal his true identity, and he hoped to provide valuable clues directly and quickly to his team.

"Hank Voight, Intelligence," he said first.

Ricarda frowned and looked at him in surprise. "Your name is Hank?" she groaned in disbelief.

He shook his head carefully, not wanting to add to the pain.

"My supervisor," he said. "The video."

She stepped even closer. Briefly, he considered taking the chance to hurt her, to thrust his head forward, perhaps knocking her out for a brief moment. But he had no way of getting to the phone, it might be better to wait for another opportunity and to try to gain her trust. After all, his life was obviously in her hands.

As if she had read his mind, she now placed a finger under his chin and almost gently lifted his head a little. Jay now pressed his back against the back of the chair again, pulling away from her as far as he could. She noticed his reaction and smiled again. Still, her face came closer to his.

"How I hate you for this..." she said softly as she stopped just inches from his lips and looked into his eyes.

Jay didn't understand what he had done wrong, so he just remained motionless while she eyed him. She now straightened up again and stepped back a little.

"I still need your name?" she then asked him matter-of-factly.

/

Ricarda crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at him. She had just been closer to him than she had ever been before. He could have hurt her, but he hadn't. That much, after all, she had to give him credit for.

But he had backed away from her when she had approached. Of course, his heart belonged to this blonde... they should have taken her as well and should´ve eliminated her. Then she might have had a chance. She could have kissed him anyway, but maybe it was too early for that. She wanted to know his name before she went any further with her plan.

"Your supervisor's name isn't much use to me," she said.

"My name is Jay." he finally began, looking at her. "Jay Halstead."

It was almost an intimate moment for her. From now on, she didn't have to call him her prisoner or use his fake name. So from now on he was Jay.

Her facial muscles twitched with pleasure and she felt that annoying desire towards him again. Her body was playing tricks on her. She wanted to go on hating him, but her heart had always said otherwise. Why was it doing this to her?

"Jay Halstead?" she repeated, and she continued to try to sound composed. "At Intelligence?"

He nodded once in acknowledgement, then he lowered his head. She regarded him for another moment. Then she turned and left the cage. She closed the door and then she walked down the hall to see her uncle.

/

As soon as Ricarda had gotten what she wanted, she had left him alone. Because of the pain, it hadn't taken long before Jay had drifted into a sort of stupor. A shudder went through his body. He couldn't tell if it was from the injuries or if he was cold. But even though he had his eyes closed, he was aware of his surroundings the whole time and so he immediately jumped when the door to the hall opened again.

He wondered if the CPD had already received the video. They would never get involved in any claims for Paolo, of course. But they would analyze the footage and locate him for sure.

Jay recognized Ricarda, who returned with three other men. Giancarlo was not with them. How late in the night might it be by now? Maybe the head of the family was actually sleeping peacefully somewhere nearby, not giving him a second thought.

Ricarda opened the door to the cage and stepped inside. Again she let her eyes wander over his body and he immediately felt uncomfortable. The three men she had brought with her stared at him, waiting.

"We're changing locations," Ricarda said. "We're going to my house."

No!, it flashed through Jay's mind. This couldn't be happening. If they took him somewhere else now, the team would come to the wrong place.

He thought feverishly about what he could do. He had to buy more time. Maybe they would show up before they took him away.

"I really need to go to the bathroom," he therefore said to Ricarda, even though it made him uncomfortable. "I won't make it if you take me somewhere else now."

It was the truth. His bladder was sending stabbing pains into his lower abdomen by now, and for him to relieve himself, they had to cut him loose.

"You can take care of that here, too," one of the men said. "You already stink anyway."

"No.", Ricarda intervened. "I agreed to get him off that chair if he gave me his name. Untie him and take him over to the staff restrooms. You guys can make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Astonished, Jay looked at her. He hadn't expected that. One of the men pulled a jackknife from the pocket of his jeans and within seconds Jay was free. When the zip ties no longer held him upright, his body slumped forward and he landed on his hands and knees before he could catch himself. The beating had hurt him more than he had thought after all.

Two of the three men grabbed him under the arms and pulled him up. They dragged him along for a bit until Jay finally managed to get to his feet and stumbled along with them. They crossed the hall and approached a narrow door that must led to the workers' restrooms. One of the men pulled him inside with him while the other two stayed outside. The man dragged him to the urinal and finally let go of his arm.

"Go ahead." he urged him as he took two steps back and waited behind him.

Jay noticed his hands were shaking as he undid the button and zipper of his jeans. He glanced around for a moment. The room was small, had only one stall besides two urinals, and a small glass block window under the ceiling. No way to get out of here quickly. He glanced briefly over his shoulder and saw that the guy had a gun tucked into his waistband. Could he possibly get to the gun somehow?

"What now? I thought you had to take a piss?" the man said impatiently.

Jay tried to concentrate and think as he emptied his bladder. As soon as he had closed the button on his jeans again the man was back with him and Jay felt the barrel of the gun against the back of his head.

"No stupid ideas, Amico." the guy pressed out and then he pulled him back outside.

Beside the two men, Ricarda was now waiting for them to come back outside. Jay was pushed rudely against the wall next to the restroom door.

"Turn around, put your hands behind your back," one of the men demanded.

Jay realized that this was perhaps his only chance to do something. Maybe this was the only moment when he would not be tied up and when he could use his hands.

So he decided to take his chances. In the next moment he pounced on Ricarda...

/

The three men kept their eyes on Jay as he stood hesitantly in front of the wall and finally started to turn around so they could tie his hands behind his back.

But then he suddenly moved so quickly and surprisingly fast, that Ricarda cried out as he wrapped an arm around her neck and pressed her tightly against his body. He pulled her with him a few steps back, away from the men.

He had his arm wrapped so tightly around her neck that she had trouble breathing and then she felt his other hand on her forehead. He pulled her head slightly to the side and she froze as the joints in her neck cracked at the involuntary stretch.

"I'll break her neck!" he shouted as he used her as a shield, the men having drawn their weapons by now.

After the initial shock, Ricarda realized that she had longed to be so close to him so many times before. To be in his arms. This was something different, but surprisingly she found it arousing. He was strong, even though he had already taken so many blows. And he was fast. He had certainly trained to make the moves.

"Let me go and nothing will happen to her," he continued to speak.

Ricarda imagined for a short moment that she wouldn't mind being his prisoner for a change. She would like it if he had power over her. But he would immediately hand her over to the police and her erotic imaginings would quickly be a thing of the past.

While she kept one hand on his arm, trying to pull it away a bit to get more air, she reached into her pants pocket with her other hand.

They had actually wanted to drug him at the car, before they drove to her house, but the plans had obviously changed. She felt for the syringe filled with liquid. With two fingers she loosened the cap from the needle and then she slowly pulled the syringe out of her pocket. He was so focused on the men that he didn't notice what she was doing.

With a quick motion, she sank the needle into his thigh and she immediately pushed the fluid into his muscle before he could react. He winced and loosened his grip slightly in shock.

"Arghhh." he groaned, before removing his hand from her forehead and grabbing his leg.

The Propofol her uncle had been prescribed by his very special family doctor for supposed insomnia, was working fast. It took only seconds for his grip to loosen and he slid unconscious to the floor behind her.

She turned around with her heart pounding and she looked at him. He was lying lifelessly on the floor like a broken doll, looking so impossibly beautiful once again...

/

For a brief moment, Jay felt no pain as he woke up. But then it came back with a thud and he doubled over. He pressed his arms in front of his stomach and he took deep breaths. Until his ribs began to ache and he winced again.

He opened his eyes and it took him a moment to realize that absolute darkness enveloped him. Only a faint strip of light filtered in from under the door, which was a little farther away from him. He was lying on the bare floor. Tile, he guessed.

Jay felt something encircling his wrists, and he realized a moment later that he had been handcuffed. As he moved further, he also heard the sound of steel on the floor and he continued to touch his surroundings. The handcuffs were attached to a chain.

In pain, he pushed himself up and he felt further along the chain, slid on his knees until he reached the end of the chain. It was attached to a pipe, secured with a lock.

Slowly he made his way along and explored the room as far as the chain would allow. He could not reach the door, the chain was too short for that. In one corner he found a bucket from which the handle had been removed, so that he could not use it to free himself. Otherwise the room was empty.

Fear came over Jay all at once like a wave and he pushed himself back into a corner as he gazed blindly ahead. His situation was bad. The team would not know where to look for him since they had taken him elsewhere.

The CPD would not agree to any demands and Giancarlo wanted him dead. Ricarda, on the other hand, he could not assess. How much influence did she really have and what was she going to do with him?

Startled, he put his hands in front of his eyes when suddenly a bright light blinded him. Someone had switched on the ceiling lamp from outside and now the door was being unlocked.

Ricarda stepped inside. A man remained outside the door while she left it open.

"I figured you'd be awake by now... Jay." she said.

He just looked at her after he´d brought his hands back down and he watched, as she brought in a small bottle of water and apparently a sandwich, wrapped in a napkin.

Jay tried to make out something in the hallway, but all he saw were bare walls and the back of the man who stood ready to intervene if it became necessary. He then looked around the room, becoming aware of his surroundings for the first time. The pipe to which the chain was attached looked sturdy. Still, he would try to break free somehow.

"As it is, the CPD doesn't want to negotiate with us. We're going to keep trying. So you'll be my guest for a while.", Ricarda continued to speak and he focused on her again.

"You're not going to let me live anyway," he said as he looked at her, exhausted. "So what's the point of all this?"

She said nothing, but now she placed the sandwich on the floor and put the bottle down so he could reach the things if he wanted. Her cheeks were flushed when she looked at him again. He could have sworn he recognized something like lust in her eyes.

"Ricarda, what do you have in mind?" he asked more briskly now, and he straightened up a bit. "Whatever you have planned, I'm not going to give it to you. Do you understand?"

She blinked and turned around. Quickly she left the room and the door closed again. The light went out and Jay was left in the dark with his heart pounding.

/

Ricarda froze outside the room, breathing rapidly, her heart pounding. She felt anger welling up. He had seen through her. He had seen that she desired him. And she hated him for being so smart.

She glanced at Franco, who was waiting for her instructions or he was simply waiting to follow her, when she went back upstairs.

"I want to be alone for a moment," she said then. "Go ahead to your room, I'll call you if I need you."

Franco started moving and she finally let herself slide to the floor after he was out of sight.

She had hoped that she could slowly convince Jay to trust her. That she could take care of him down here for a while and get to know him better. But he was stubborn, disobedient.

Maybe it had to be enough just to watch him, to watch him slowly perish in this cellar. She would be able to visit him every day and to admire his beauty. That was better than nothing, wasn't it?

If she felt like it, she could hurt him and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. What if she added the right medication to his food and water? She knew her way around medications. She still had so many unused packets in her drawer. Doctors were always generous in helping her with her supposed illnesses.

In prison, they had sometimes forced her to take the pills or had given her an injection when she had gone off on a fellow inmate again. She had spent a lot of time in solitary cells and padded rooms. But whenever she could, she refused to swallow the pills they tried to give her. They made her weak.

But she wanted to see him weak... Yes. She wanted to be able to approach him without him being a danger. Therefore, she would put together the right mix for him. After all, he had to eat and drink if he didn't want to die. And if necessary, Franco would have to force him.

Strengthened by her new plan, she pushed herself up and got to her feet. She unlocked the door once more, turned on the light and went inside. He was still sitting in the corner. The dried blood on his skin and in his hair pleased her. He would probably wash it off if it occurred to him to use the water for this purpose.

But he hadn´t yet touched the water, nor the food. Good. Without saying a word, she took the things and went back outside. She locked the door and turned off the light.

The next time he saw water and something to eat, he would surely pounce on it without hesitation.

/

In the darkness, Jay eventually lost track of the time that might have passed. He had spent what felt like hours trying to pull on the pipe and the chain, had tried to get out of the handcuffs. But it was hopeless. Exhausted, he had fallen back into a doze, sitting in the corner. At some point he could no longer stand it on the hard floor, so he got up and moved a few steps, as far as the chain on the handcuffs would allow. There wasn't much room to move. He changed positions as often as possible, as much as his injuries would also allow.

At some point he fell back into a restless sleep and when he woke up, his head felt wadded up. He had the feeling that he couldn't really wake up at all. The pain, the darkness and the limited options were starting to get to him.

In the meantime, he was so thirsty that he now longed for the water that Ricarda had taken from him. His stomach also growled at regular intervals, but he wasn't sure if he should dare to eat something after he had taken so many blows. First, he wanted to wait and see if he could keep the water in.

But for that he had to get something first... What if Ricarda let him die of thirst in here? Giancarlo had included the possibility when he had called him a rat. Was he now the rat, that had to die miserably in the trap?

But Ricarda was different. He could clearly see how torn she was when she had to decide how to proceed. And the way she looked at him was unmistakable.

But maybe he had pushed it too far when he had told her quite clearly that he would not give her what she had in mind. Whatever that might be exactly.

He tried to estimate how long it might have been since he had last had some water with his wine in the restaurant with Hailey. Certainly more than 24 hours. A young, healthy person could survive about three to four days without water. But would Ricarda really do that? Did she have any idea how excruciating that was?

He reflected and lowered his eyes in the darkness. Did he himself have an idea of how agonizing it would be?

/

Ricarda had spent the day at her uncle's company and now Franco drove her home.

She had had to resist, but she had managed to stay away from Jay the entire time. Almost three days had passed since her uncle had snatched him from the restaurant. She was sure that Jay would now gobble down everything she´d put in front of him. And she had already thought of a nice cocktail for him.

Once home, she sent Franco to his living area and she went on to the kitchen. The small bottle of water was still sitting there untouched and she now opened the cap. From the kitchen drawer she picked out some pill boxes and then she started crushing some pills with a fork. She added the powder to the water and shook the bottle, so that everything dissolved as well as possible. Then she pulled out a package of toast from the cupboard and she wrapped two dry slices in a napkin.

She went downstairs without saying anything to Franco. She wanted to be undisturbed with him when she saw him again. She opened the lock and swung the door open before turning on the light.

The sight that presented itself startled her at first. Jay was lying on his side, with his back to the door and he didn't respond when she walked in.

"Are you dead?" she asked in a firm voice, but she was almost a little afraid that he had actually died while she had been gone.

But then he stirred. With an effort, he turned onto his back and the chain clanked as it was dragged a bit across the tiles. His eyes were closed and his skin was even paler than she had ever seen it before.

The room smelled unpleasantly of sweat and urine. He had used the bucket. Something that she should have been obvious about when she had locked him in here. It wasn't particularly sexy, unfortunately, as she now realized.

"If you'd been a little kinder to me, it wouldn't have had to come to this," she said, then she wrinkled her nose.

She would get used to his smell. She stepped a little closer and he opened his eyes. With a glazed look, he gazed at her.

"You have a fever." she then stated.

Of course, if the body didn't get enough water it reacted that way. Maybe she didn't have to mix so much medicine into his water, but now it was too late.

"Drink this.", she put the bottle on the floor and put the bread next to it. "It will help."

Jay didn't move or make any effort to get to the bottle. Maybe, she thought, he was already too weak for that? Or was he just playing her? She had to be careful, maybe she should call Franco.

"I'm sorry," she then heard him say in a raspy voice. "I didn't mean to hurt you with what I said." She could hardly believe her ears and stopped. "Can you help me?" he asked. He tried to sit up, but the handcuffs made it visibly difficult.

He seemed really weakened. Could she trust him not to hurt her?

"I don't have anything on me that you could use to free yourself or call for help," she informed him. "And if you kill me, you will surely die of thirst down here."

"I just want the water." he said, and he now leaned carefully against the wall. "Please."

He looked truly pathetic. She hesitated for a moment as her heart hammered excitedly against her rib cage. He was actually asking her for help. Maybe there was hope of getting to know him better after all? Tense, she stepped closer and crouched down beside him.

/

Attentively, Jay watched Ricarda's every move as she hesitantly approached. His eyes fell on the bottle in her hands. He needed this water so much... he couldn't upset her, that much had become clear to him by now.

The small bottle would not be enough to satisfy his needs, but at least it was a start. His circulation was going crazy, his heart was beating much too slowly, and he felt his body burning from the fever. In addition to the lack of water, he was still weakened by his injuries. At the moment he did not feel able to do anything to her.

Especially since that would not really free him from his situation. He could save that option for when he wished for a quicker death at some point. Ricarda's bodyguard or one of her family would make short work of him if he should actually hurt her. No, for now he would play along and hopefully regain some of his strength.

She squatted down next to him and loosened the cap from the bottle. Jay raised his hands and he grasped the neck of the bottle, but his hands shook all at once. Ricarda helped him to bring the opening to his lips and greedily he drank a few sips before he coughed and she took the bottle away again.

Jay noticed the bitter taste and realized that she had mixed something into the water. Briefly he glared at her, but then decided it was better than dying of thirst, no matter what it was. He lifted the bottle again and she helped him again. Quickly he had emptied the 500 ml and he looked into her eyes.

"I need more."

"I'll bring you more if you can keep this in," she said as she now sat down on the floor in front of him. "If you trust me, you'll feel a lot better soon."

"Okay.", Jay nodded as he felt himself getting sleepy.

Whatever had been in the water was working fast. But the downtime was almost welcome to him. He closed his eyes and he felt his battered body relax.

/

Ricarda watched as Jay's features slowly relaxed and his breathing became deeper and more even. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep. She looked at him for a while longer.

He was so beautiful like that and she could look at him for hours. She could even actually count his freckles now, if she felt like it. She smiled to herself. She would do that, but first she would wash the blood from his face and actually bring him some more water. When he came to later, he would find that she could take care of him. Yes, it could still work.

She got up from the floor and went back upstairs to the kitchen. She took a fresh kitchen towel from the shelf and filled a small bowl with water. As she stood at the window and looked out for a moment, she noticed a black car parked across the street. Shortly after, the front doorbell rang.

Franco appeared and she nodded to him. He went and opened the door, while she stayed in the background listening to the conversation.

"Chicago Police. We'd like to speak to Ricarda Russo, please," a male voice said.

"She's not here," Franco replied quietly. "Can I take a message for her?"

There was silence for a moment, then a woman spoke.

"Look, unfortunately we already saw Ricarda through the window when she was in the kitchen. So why don't you go get her for us?"

Ricarda now stepped forward. She put on a smile and stood next to Franco.

Immediately her anger flared up again when she realized that the woman who had spoken, was the blonde from the restaurant. So Jay's girlfriend was also a cop, a detective? How unimaginative. Were they partners at work?

"Ricarda Russo?" the cop next to her now asked, a tall muscular man. "We have a warrant to search your house."

„And you are?", she asked.

„Officer Atwater. Intelligence." He handed her a document and walked past her. Franco stood in his way. "Wouldn't recommend it to you...," the cop threatened him while keeping an eye on Franco's hand, that was hovering over his gun. "We have a warrant, understand? There are a dozen more cops waiting outside, and they're going to be coming in here any minute."

As if on cue, more people approached and Ricarda was pushed aside while Franco also stepped out of the way.

A police officer approached Ricarda. He was tall and wore a beard. He took her arm and led her to the side. Next to him, an older cop followed, eyeing her with piercing eyes.

The rest of the people swarmed into her house, the blonde and another bitch disappeared through the door that led to the basement. Damn.

"I'm Seargent Voight." the older man now introduced himself. "Where's Jay?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ricarda said defiantly as she raged inside, wondering how this could have just happened.

How had they been able to track Jay down so quickly? Had someone betrayed them again? Did her uncle know about all this? They had sent the video anonymously and without sound, after all. How the hell was it possible for them to be here so quickly?

"We got him, Sarge." a female voice was now heard over a radio the cops wore on their bulletproof vests.

The sergeant now looked at her with suppressed anger and took another step towards her. Ricarda withstood his gaze.

"If there's anything wrong with him, I'll make your life in prison hell, do we understand each other?" he threatened her.

"I... I helped him." she replied, pointing to the utensils still on the kitchen counter. "I wanted him to get better."

The older cop merely nodded to the younger one, and he murmured promptly. "Adam."

The next moment Ricarda was turned by strong hands and she felt handcuffs wrapping around her joints.

"Ricarda Russo, you are under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used against you..." the younger cop began.

Ricarda didn't hear the rest of the words. The blood was rushing in her ears, and she was almost consumed with rage inside, cursing herself that she hadn't been smarter.

She should have taken Jay somewhere else. Somewhere far away, where they would have been alone. Where no one would have found them.

And she would have taken care of him. Until he finally trusted her. Until he finally realized that he loved her as much as she loved him...

/

Hailey had been beside herself with worry for Jay during the last few days. She was a mere shadow of her former self. She hadn't slept or eaten a thing.

As she walked down the steps to the basement, with her heart pounding, gun raised in front of her and followed by Kim, she had had to pull herself together so she would not keel over from tension at the most important moment.

They walked down the hallway, from which a total of three rooms led off. The first two rooms were empty and Hailey's hopes of finding Jay were fading.

It had taken them far too long to reach this estate, owned by Ricarda among many others.

They had quickly gotten on the trail of Giancarlo Russo's family after reviewing the video footage from the restaurant and from the parking lot. When the extortion video came in, it solidified their suspicions against the family and they had obtained the necessary permits to take action against them. Little by little, they had searched the properties and buildings and had finally ended up here.

When Hailey had seen the video showing Jay's injuries, she had felt as if someone was ripping her beating heart out of her chest. She had burst into tears in front of the entire team. By now it was no secret that she and Jay were a couple, even if they had agreed to be professional with each other at work. Everyone could understand how much it had hit her and so they had all talked reassuringly to her and they had done their best to find Jay as quickly as possible.

Hailey walked toward the last door, which had a key in the lock. She first tried to open the door, but it was locked. With a shaking hand, she turned the key and then she swung the door open as she raised her gun again.

The smell of stale air and human excrement hit her and she faltered in her movement, as she spotted Jay slumped in the far corner of the room in the glow of the bright overhead lamp.

He wasn't moving and he was chained up like a dog. Despite all the bruises and blood on his face, she could see how pale he was.

"Hailey!" Kim exclaimed behind her and she pushed past her, because she was still frozen in the doorway.

She watched as Kim rushed to Jay and felt his pulse on his neck. Teary-eyed and terrified, Hailey waited until Kim finally lifted her head and nodded at her.

"He's alive."

Kim reached for the radio and informed the rest of the team, that they had found Jay.

Now, finally, Hailey also woke up from her stupor and she now ran to him as well. She dropped to her knees, put the gun on the ground next to her and carefully ran her hands over the sides of his face. He literally burned with a fever under her skin and she shuddered.

"5021 Eddie, I need an ambulance at our scene immediately," Kim was already informing dispatch. "I'll go back up and inform the others. Are you going to be okay?" she then asked.

Hailey nodded in a daze and Kim gave her shoulder a quick, encouraging squeeze before rising and hurrying upstairs.

Carefully, as if Jay were fragile, Hailey ran her fingers over his skin and now she couldn't hold back the tears. She was so terrified of losing him. He was the best thing in her life and she couldn't bear to see him like this. Silently she cried, as her hand now rested in the crook of his neck and she could feel his heartbeat here. The other hand she had placed on his hands, which were cold though the rest of his body was burning.

What if they hadn't found him here? She could not imagine a life without him.

"Hey.", all at once she heard his voice softly and his fingers moved barely noticeably under her hand. He tried in vain to close his hands around hers, so now she did it instead. She lifted her head and looked at him, but he did not open his eyes. He seemed to be somewhere very far away, but seemed to sense her presence. "S´okay..." he murmured, before his features relaxed again and he drifted away deeper once more.

Hailey's tears dried up as she realized he could apparently hear her, and she now gently placed a hand on the back of his neck. "Yeah, everything's okay," she said now. "It's going to be okay, we're going to get you out of here."

He didn't move anymore and Hailey could now already hear the arriving ambulance upstairs. In a moment it would be swarming with people down here and they would ask her to get out of the way. So she leaned her forehead against his for a moment before breaking away from him.

"I love you." she said softly, and she gently kissed his lips. "I love you, so much."

The next moment, the paramedics rushed downstairs, followed by the rest of the team. They all wanted to check on Jay. Hailey looked up and the two paramedics, a young man and a woman, stepped closer.

"Can someone remove the handcuffs, so we can work?" the woman asked.

Dazed, Hailey looked back down at Jay's hands, which she still held clasped. Before she could react, Adam was on hand and he opened the two locks with his key, while Hailey let go. Jay's hands now slid lifelessly to the floor and only now did she see the red welts under the metal where he had been tied with the cable ties they had seen in the video.

"Hey, come with us.", Adam gently urged her and reached a hand to pull her up.

She allowed it and he briefly enclosed her in a hug, as he led her to the others. Kim took over and kept an arm around her shoulders while Hailey watched anxiously as the paramedics worked. She could feel herself beginning to shake with tension. Then, finally, the young paramedic looked up.

"He's stable so far," he said. "He's obviously under the influence of some medication, pulse is a little low. He has a fever and is probably dehydrated. But nothing life-threatening at first glance. We're taking him to Chicago Central now."

"No, take him to the Gaffney," Voight said now, and Hailey was grateful to him for that. "His brother is an ER doctor there."

"Okay. Off to Med then," the woman now added and they lifted Jay onto a spineboard, to take him upstairs.

They all followed them, and Hailey was grateful for all the helping hands and arms that took turns wrapping around her. Her concentration was all on Jay, and so later, she couldn't even tell how she had gotten into the ambulance that was now taking Jay and her to Chicago Med.

All at once she thought of Will, who had also been worried about his brother for days and who was waiting for her call. She should give him a heads up that they were on their way.

"I'll make a quick call to the Med," she informed the young paramedic who had stayed in the back of the car with them. "To let his brother know."

The man nodded, then refocused on Jay's vital signs.

After two dial tones, Will picked up. "Is he all right?" he asked, not waiting for anything.

"We've got him and we're taking him to Med," Hailey said, and she realized her voice was shaking. "He's stable. Dehydrated and has a fever, but otherwise stable."

"Thank God," Will said. "When will you guys be here?"

"How long until we get to Med?" Hailey asked the paramedic.

"About four minutes."

"I´ve heard him. Alright. We're ready... Thanks, Hailey." Then he hung up and Hailey put her phone back in her pocket, as tears now flowed down her cheeks.

"He's going to be okay," the paramedic said now, trying to reassure her.

She nodded and ran her hands through her hair as she looked at him gratefully and as she continued to cry quietly.

/

"... damn lucky to find him so quickly. One more admission and they'll name the west Wing after him."

Jay heard the voice of Dr. Choi. These were the first words he could clearly understand as he regained consciousness. He heard his brother's polite laugh in response.

Will was here...

Then the two doctors seemed to notice a change on the monitors, because a moment later, Jay felt a hand on his chest.

"Are you awake?" Will asked.

It took Jay some effort to pull himself out of this almost crushing state of sleepiness, but he finally managed to open his eyes and he looked into the face of his brother, who was leaning straight over him.

"You're awake." the latter stated with satisfaction and smiled. "Welcome back."

"I'll leave you to it," Ethan said, and Jay saw Will glance over his shoulder and nod.

"How do you feel?" Will asked, while his gaze probably wandered to the monitor that was next to the bed.

Jay's eyes fell shut again and a moment later he felt a hand on his cheek, but it touched him gently and carefully.

"Try to stay awake, Jay. We need to get your blood pressure back up a little, okay? Look at me, come on."

Will's voice was gentle, but urgent. So Jay opened his eyes once more. He never imagined how exhausting even this small task could be.

"Hailey?" he only whispered the name, but Will understood immediately.

"She's outside waiting for me to call her back in. We wanted to run some quick blood tests and change your catheter," Will informed him, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Jay groaned in frustration as he heard the very thing he could have gladly done without. He was glad that he hadn't witnessed this procedure and he wanted to know as little as possible about it.

"How are you feeling?" asked Will now.

"Tired."

"I can imagine that. But that will change quickly now. You already have a few units of saline attached. Those will dilute the drugs in your system and work against the dehydration. But you should drink a lot additionally, your fever is not completely down yet. You have some bruises and two cracked ribs, so you should take it easy over the next few weeks."

"All right." that was a lot of information at once, but Jay made an effort to remember it all.

"Let's move the bed a little, so you can sit, okay?"

Jay nodded, grateful that Will was taking over that task for the moment. Only now did he look around the room, as the headboard of the bed slowly rose.

The curtain at the entrance to his room was drawn and next to the bed was a cart with a monitor, as well as a stand with several IV bags. His gaze wandered to the back of his hand and there, of course, he immediately saw the hated cannula that was supplying him with the fluids and medications the doctors had intended for him.

"You gave us a big scare. Again," Will continued. "But from what I hear, this time it wasn´t your fault, for a change."

Jay looked at him flattened. "Like I could have done anything about it the last few times I ended up here?"

Will smirked. "True. Anyway, I'm glad we got you back."

He handed Jay a cup with a straw and he gratefully took a few sips. It was some isotonic mix that tasted horrid, but he didn't care at the moment. All too soon, Will took the cup away.

"Slow down... Or you'll get sick."

"I could drink a whole lake," he muttered.

Will looked at him thoughtfully. "Are you going to be okay, or do you want to talk about what happened?" he offered.

Jay thought back briefly to all that had happened to him. But he didn't want to talk about it now.

"Later, maybe," he replied therefore. "Thanks, Will."

He was actually starting to feel a little more awake, and he saw his brother nod in agreement without pushing him further.

"Can you send Hailey in, please?"

"Yes!" the thought didn't even seem to occur to Will. "Of course you'd rather see her than me."

"Haha.", Jay smiled weakly. "Thanks, man."

"Always at your service.", Will patted him on the forearm and then he moved. "I'll check back in later."

Will slipped through the curtain and Jay heard the sliding door to the room open.

A moment later, Hailey appeared and a smile spread across Jay's face. He ignored the slight pain the smile caused and the tug on his chapped lower lip.

This was just a too good moment and he couldn't hold back. Hailey beamed as well and came closer to the bed.

"Hey." she said, and she gently ran her hand over the hair on his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a little tired, but other than that I'm okay," he answered truthfully.

She nodded and her gaze rested on his for a moment, before she looked around and spotted a chair in the corner that the doctors and nurses must have pushed aside. She retrieved it and sat down. Then she carefully took Jay's free hand and she eyed his fingers.

"I'm sorry," Jay said.

She lifted her eyes again and he recognized tears in her eyes. "What are you sorry for?" she asked.

"For disappearing. That you were worried," he replied. "I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything about it, they surprised me and-"

"Jay, there is absolutely nothing for you to apologize for."

"I was afraid they'd do something to you if I didn't go, and then it all happened so fast."

She lifted his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to it. He fell silent at that, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Stop apologizing," she said.

"Hailey..."

"It took us way too long to find you," she then said softly. "Three days, Jay. We didn't know if you were alive after the video. And when I saw you in that basement, I wanted to kill that woman."

"Who, Ricarda?"

Hailey's gaze hardened. "I'm making her life hell."

"She's sick," Jay said immediately. "She needs to be treated. She doesn't know what she's doing."

"Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing when she didn't give you water or food and drugged you!" Hailey groaned angrily.

"Hailey." he glared at her urgently. "I'm just glad to be back with you. Forget about her. She'll spend the rest of her life in a locked psych ward and will never be able to hurt anyone again. Let it go."

She shook her head slowly, as more tears gathered in her eyes.

"I love you." he said, bringing her back to him. "I heard what you said to me in the basement. I love you so much, too."

She nodded, then wiped her eyes. With a hint of a smile, she looked at him.

"And I´d love you even more if you´d get me out of here as soon as possible," he then added.

A real smile snapped her out of her gloomy thoughts this time, and he was glad that he'd managed to get through to her.

"I'll talk to Will and do my best," she promised. "And on the next day off, we're not leaving the house," she then said.

"Not one step. I'll become a couch potato for you," he replied.

She rose a little from the chair. Carefully, she leaned on the edge of the bed and kissed him.

"I don't want to have to go through something like that again, Jay," she said then. "I just can't be without you."

"You won't."

They both knew neither of them could really make that promise to the other.

Their jobs were too dangerous for that, and too much depended on other people and other factors. They were aware of that. But still, they both loved their jobs.

So they both just nodded to each other in silent agreement and Hailey kissed him again.

/

Ricarda sat in her cell and stared at the wall.

The light had long since been extinguished, but the hatred inside her burned so brightly that she didn't need a light to see the face in front of her that she would one day cut with a knife.

The blonde. The moment hope had sprouted in Ricarda, she had taken Jay away from her.

But she wanted him for herself. She vowed to herself that she would get out of here and that she would fullfil her plan. She just had to be patient.

The blonde had to disappear, and then Jay would be all hers...

/

Weeks later...

Escaping from the psychiatric institution had been easy. Ricarda had only needed a little patience. It had taken a while for her family to get the right staff into the clinic and for them to get her out. Ricarda could always rely on her family.

After that, she had gone into hiding at her cousins for a few weeks, outside of Chicago. She had waited until the dust had settled about her disappearance and until she could dare to mingle with people again.

Now she was back and she felt stronger than ever. Her hatred for the blonde was still unabated and she now knew what she would do. She had come up with a plan. She´d have revenge for taking Jay away from her.

And Jay... he would realize that once the blonde was messed up, it would have been better if he had chosen her.

He could have had a life with Ricarda, a good life. All she had needed was a little more time... She would never forget that he had lied to her. She had known him as Ryan Spencer while he had been undercover, spying on her family. But she could have forgiven him for that because he was special.

But now he had fallen for the blonde. He wouldn't turn to anyone else. She had realized that by now and it was there for all to see.

So now they would have to pay the price for what he had done to her family and for the fact, that she couldn't have him for herself.

/

"I thought Voight would kill you. The way he looked at you..." Adam laughed softly and sipped his beer. "He's been having a hard time with us lately."

"It's not us. It's because of the reforms. We can't keep doing what we've done in the past," Hailey interjected. "We all have to change, including Voight. Jay was right to put him in his place."

Jay followed the conversation between his colleagues in silence. It had been a busy day and he was tired. He hated it when he clashed with his Sergeant, but he felt it was his duty to advocate for the right course of action. Too much was at stake right now. Too many eyes watched their Unit. However, he didn't know how much longer Voight could be contained or how far he could venture.

He would have preferred to go home that night. Still, they had decided to have a drink at Molly's with Kim and Adam so they wouldn't have to turn them down. Jay had no idea how the relationship between his two colleagues currently stood, but apparently they needed this distraction tonight.

Kim had a lot on her plate with Makayla, and Adam had also had some setbacks in the recent months. Jay had noticed that sometimes, there was a tension between him and Kevin. And the relationship between Adam and his father had also become more difficult. Adam had become quieter and more introvert in the recent weeks.

Jay had experienced enough disappointment from his father himself in his life. He knew how much that feeling could keep you in thrall. So Hailey and he had decided to be there for the two of them, making their weekly visits to Molly's, when the colleagues asked.

"Can we stop talking about work until tomorrow?", Kim interjected at that moment and Jay was grateful to her.

"You're right," Adam rose. "I'll get us some refills."

"No shots!", Jay now said, giving him a meaningful look. "We have to work tomorrow."

Adam hesitated a second before answering. "Wasn't planning to."

"Yes, you were," Jay grinned and Adam finally joined in after a brief shake of his head.

Kim and Hailey laughed. Adam finally turned and walked over to the bar counter. Jay smiled to himself and lowered his head, as he held the empty beer bottle in his hands and tugged on the label.

"You okay?" he suddenly heard Hailey next to him and he turned his head to look at her. "You're quiet."

"I'm just tired," he replied.

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. She leaned against his shoulder and he bent his head to bury his nose in her hair for a moment, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. He loved the way she smelled and he couldn't wait to finally get home and fall asleep with her in his arms.

"After this beer, we'll leave, okay?" she promised him softly, before turning to Kim and talking to her about Makayla's upcoming school trip.

/

Ricarda sat at her usual table, watching her targets carefully. They came here almost every Wednesday. Always sat in the same place. Sometimes there were five of them, sometimes four. But the blonde was always there. She hated watching Jay pull her close and the way he smelled her hair. The blonde smiled at him and whispered in his ear. That stupid bitch!

Ricarda took a sip of her drink to hide her tension.

Hailey. She had to force herself to use her name more often. Because by now, she was a blonde herself. She had bleached her dark hair and had cut it short, to change as much as possible.

She now wore contact lenses that made her dark pupils appear blue. Also, glasses gave her a completely different look. She liked her new look. It made her inconspicuous, almost invisible. She fit beautifully into the image she wanted to portray. Just an ordinary girl in an ordinary bar...

"Can I get you anything else?" with this sentence, she was pulled out of her thoughts and she turned angrily to the interfering person.

It was one of the bartenders. She had seen him behind the counter many times before. Maybe he was the owner of the bar. Otherwise, she couldn't explain why he just chatted up like that.

At such times she missed Franco, her bodyguard. But he was still behind bars somewhere. Before she had ended up in the psychiatric ward, he had always been at her side and he would have removed this guy immediately. But she couldn't afford that now. A bodyguard would draw too much attention at her.

"I'm good. Thank you.", she therefore replied and raised her glass.

She expected him to disappear, but instead, he remained at the table and leaned over to her a bit.

"It hasn't escaped my notice that you've been here a lot lately. And that you're always looking over at that table.", he pointed his finger to the corner, where Jay and the blonde were sitting. "Looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right?". Anger immediately flared up in Ricarda and she sparked a warning glare at the man. What was this all about? Was he out to blow her cover? "I mean, it's none of my business. But unfortunately, they're all in a relationship," he now added.

What kind of weirdo was this? Or was he just trying to be nice? In any case, he was annoying her and she didn't want to attract the attention of the other guests, let alone Jay and his friends. Ricarda decided to calm the situation and get rid of him as soon as possible.

"No. I'm not searching, but thank you." she said, a little friendlier and she made an effort to smile.

The older man looked at her sympathetically and twisted his mouth into a wry grin. "A pretty lady like you will find someone new pretty quickly, believe me. Those four over there have been colleagues forever."

"Oh really?" she returned. "Well, then it's a good thing I'm not interested in them."

She just wanted to be alone again, but the man wouldn't budge.

"They come a couple times a week. Depending on how their day went. They're cops, you know. Tough job."

The guy was a chatterbox. Maybe, she thought, she could learn something new through him. But she had to act carefully.

"I can imagine," she replied, therefore. "Do you know many of your customers? Do you spend a lot of time here?"

"Sure," he smiled. "Molly's is like one of my kids, after all. I have four... this is my fifth. Sometimes it´s my getaway place, when the family gets too loud. Hard to believe, huh?" He laughed and she forced herself to smile politely.

So he was the owner of the bar. No wonder he had noticed a new face, that suddenly had appeared once a week. She was annoyed that she had been so careless.

"Come on, tell me, which of the four do you like? You can't convince me you're not interested. I´ve got eyes," he said meaningfully, tapping his temple and then he grinned again.

Ricarda looked at him in surprise. This man was downright unabashedly curious. Still, she hoped to get more information from him. So she decided to play along.

"The one in the corner." she finally admitted. "But I know he has a girlfriend."

The man laughed softly. "Yeah. I thought so.", he leaned over to her a little again and lowered his voice. "His name is Jay. But I'll tell you something: he has a brother. He's a doctor... and single." He looked at her with bright eyes. Did he think he was Cupid or what was wrong with this guy? "Pretty sure he's coming over for a drink soon. Might not be a bad catch either, right? I'll give you a sign when he shows up."

Then he winked at her and finally moved away from her table. Ricarda stayed behind, somewhat confused. She certainly hadn't expected such an encounter tonight. But it had been worth her while to engage in this banter.

Jay had a brother.

/

Tonight's shift had dragged on interminably, and had brought Will some strange encounters. One woman had even almost attacked him, and so, he headed for "Molly's" for a drink. This would most certainly give him the right bedtime buzz and make him forget the craziness of the day.

When he entered the bar, he immediately spotted Jay sitting at a table in the far corner with Hailey, Adam and Kim. Apparently everyone had already drained two beers, so he quickly realized that he was a little late to join them. Still, he walked over to the four of them and greeted them.

"Hey, you want to sit down?", Jay asked him politely, but Will shook his head.

"I'm going to grab a quick drink, then I'm going to head home."

"Us honestly, too," Hailey now added. "I'm sorry, Will. But we'll be happy to keep you company until you've had your drink?"

"No, that's okay," he smiled at her and waved it off. "Been a long day with a lot of talking anyway... See you on Sunday?" he then asked the two.

"Sunday stands. We'll order pizza and watch the game," Jay said with a grin.

"Great. See you this weekend then. Take care guys.", Will then walked over to the counter where, to his delight, he found an empty seat.

"What can I get you, Doc?", Christopher Herrmann asked him after catching sight of him.

"Whiskey soda, please."

"Tough day, huh?", Herrmann set about filling a glass with ice cubes.

"You have no idea..." Will muttered. "How are Cindy and the kids?" he then asked.

"Good, no illnesses or accidents to report lately," Herrmann grinned. "What do you think of Jay and Hailey, anyway?"

Will raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What do I think of them? I think it's great. Why? Anything I should know about those two?"

His counterpart laughed. "No. I'm just glad the lovebirds finally found each other. Had you had any idea about this? I do have a theory that there was something going on between the two of them for quite a while. I should have taken bets."

Will gave a short laugh. "I´m sure you would have won a lot of money." He accepted his whiskey and sipped. "Wow, you didn't skimp on the booze today."

"Correct. I think you need it today.", Herrmann grinned and then he moved away from him, to go to another visitor.

Will watched as Jay and the others got up to leave. They said goodbye to each other as they passed, and as he looked after his brother and Hailey, he couldn't suppress a smile.

He hadn't seen Jay this happy in a long time.

/

Ricarda lowered her head and sipped her drink, as the four cops walked past her table to leave the bar. No one had taken any notice of her, she noted with satisfaction. She watched as Jay put his arm on the blonde's back and as he led her outside. She squinted her eyes and felt the twinge of jealousy again. What a gentleman he could be...

"Whiskey soda." her head snapped up and she looked into the bartender's eyes again. Damn, this guy was more annoying than a mosquito! He had set a glass down for her. "On the house." He smiled and his head gestured to the counter before he left again. "Good luck."

Ricarda followed the hint and she spotted a tall, red-haired man. He had the same drink in front of him. Apparently, the bartender expected her to hit on him. She watched as the bartender went back to his place behind the counter and as he started talking to the man.

The redhead seemed to be completely absorbed in his conversation with the owner. So this was Jay's brother? She didn't think they looked particularly alike. Jay was considerably better looking, to her taste.

There was no one who could come close to him. His symmetrical and even face, his eyes, his pale skin, his voice... she sighed softly and forced herself to concentrate on her task again.

The brother was not ugly. He was tall and well-built. As he talked to the bartender, laughing briefly every now and then, she realized that there was definitely something about him.

She began to ask herself how he could be useful to her.

/

"My God, why am I so tired tonight?" Hailey asked as she slipped into bed and moved closer to Jay.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. She took her usual position at his side, turned to face him and put one leg over his.

"We're getting old." he replied sleepily, and she immediately lifted her head to look at him.

"Hey. You don't say things like that to a lady!"

"Mhm... didn't say you were getting old. Said we are..." he mumbled with his eyes closed.

"You'd better shut up before I prove to you that we're a long way from being old," she ran her foot along his leg.

He opened his eyes and blinked to dispel the fatigue. She laughed and stretched to kiss him. She knew she should leave him alone. She herself was desperate for sleep, too. She wanted him, but she forced herself to be sensible. They had to get up early the next morning.

"Good night.", she therefore said and put her head down on his chest.

"Good night?" she heard him ask reproachfully. "Now you're seriously going to sleep? Since when did you become so cruel?"

His hand slid over her stomach and she giggled, happy that he apparently felt the same way she did. She looked at him again. Before she could say anything else, he kissed her and pulled her further toward him. She returned the kiss, as she climbed over him. All at once the tiredness seemed to have vanished from both of them.

/

The brother had just emptied his glass and had put some bills on the counter, before he stood up. Ricarda had no idea whether her plan would work, but a try could not hurt.

She picked up her two empty glasses from the table and pretended to take them back to the counter to pay. She headed for the brother. Just before she had reached him, she pretended to stumble. She dropped and landed on her hands and knees.

One glass skittered across the floor and shattered, as it slid against a chair leg. She clutched the other glass so tightly, that it shattered as her hands hit the floor. She brought her hand up and squeezed her palm some more. She felt splinters penetrate her skin.

She had always been impervious to pain and she could take more than anyone else. The pain Ricarda felt inside, in her soul, had always been greater than the physical one.

Maybe that was the reason why she was so fascinated by watching others suffer in pain. There was something aesthetic about it, something erotic...

Satisfied, she saw blood seep from her fist before she raised her head und looked around. Everyone was staring at her. She was kneeling in a mess of shards and blood. Very good.

She had to be careful not to give herself away by smiling. She had to look absolutely helpless and pitiful and of course the brother was the first of the bystanders, to react. He was a doctor, after all. Her plan was working.

He crouched down next to her. "Woah, careful. That looked nasty.", he carefully grasped her wrist and turned it, so that the palm was facing up. Their eyes met briefly. His eyes were almost as dark as her own. "Can you stand up?"

She nodded and his other hand traveled down her back, then to her upper arm. With practiced grips, he helped her stand. He led her to the counter, where he pulled up a chair for her.

"You okay?" he asked, as his gaze traveled over her hands, then to her knees.

He was looking for any other injuries. But Ricarda was sure that he also noticed her slender and long legs. He raised his head and once more they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I'm such a klutz!" Ricarda now said, as she raised her eyebrows and then looked at the pushy bartender. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to come over and pay."

"Don't worry about it, Sweetie." the man replied, looking at her bleeding fist.

Ricarda refocused herself on her hand, which was carefully cupped by the brother.

"Can you open your hand for me? Very slowly and carefully. I'm a doctor and I need to take a look at the injury.", he turned to the bartender. "Herrmann, I need some water, tissues and tweezers, if you have any of those here?"

"Coming right up."

Herrmann, so that was the name of the pushy guy. Ricarda continued to look at the brother while he was completely focused on her hand. Slowly he guided his thumb to her fingers and he helped her to open her fist. He was very gentle and cautious in his approach. She liked that, it was something new.

Herrmann brought the water and the cloths. The brother placed her hand on them and let some water flow over her palm to rinse the blood away. Now it could be seen that several small splinters had pierced the skin. A larger shard was stuck in the ball of her hand.

"This is going to need stitches," he said. "Better we go to the hospital."

"No, I don't want to be any trouble," Ricarda replied. "Just get these things out and then I'll drive to my doctor. I'm sure you'd like to go home yourself."

"It's way after ten o'clock." the brother replied, as he looked at her again. "I think you're a little confused, aren't you?"

Ricarda pulled off her glasses and wiped her forehead with the back of her uninjured hand. She wasn't confused. This was all part of her plan. But she was pleased that the brother was responding exactly as she had hoped.

"Can't you take care of this here? Haven´t you just said you were a doctor?" she asked, her eyes flicking open hopefully as she looked at him again.

She knew the effect she had on men when she wanted it. It was usually how she procured her satisfaction when she needed it.

The only man who seemed to be immune to her charms, was Jay. That damned, stubborn guy. If her new plan worked, she would get a different kind of satisfaction, though. Revenge was almost as sweet as passion.

"If Herrmann has a well-stocked first-aid kit here, I can stitch it up. But it's going to hurt. I can't do anesthesia here. And you have to promise me that you will show it to a doctor tomorrow."

The bartender was storming off to get what was needed.

"Where do you work?" Ricarda asked.

"At Gaffney Medical Center, here in Chicago. I'm an emergency room doctor. Will Halstead." he finally introduced himself.

Ricarda smiled at him. "My name is Nicky. And I promise to stop by your hospital tomorrow." She hadn't come up with anything better on the spur of the moment. She had simply modified her nickname and had jumped at the chance to see him again. "What time does your shift start?"

"At noon.", he smiled in surprise when he realized that she was interested in him. "But you'll have to be brave now, Nicky.", the brother looked at her hand again. The cuts were still bleeding profusely.

"I think I'm in good hands.", she replied and he returned her smile.

Ricarda was satisfied. She had to figure out how to get new papers, but her cousins would take care of that for her.

He had taken the bait. The next day, she would land the catch.

/

Hailey walked back to the couch with a bowl of popcorn and she sank into the cushions next to Jay, as she passed the bowl to him. It was Sunday and they were spending the day at Jay's apartment.

Will had come over to watch the game with them. He was all fired up, so she gave him a sideways glance after he once again made a heated comment about the game.

"You're in an amazingly good mood today, Will," she said, glancing past Jay at him.

"Oh, really?" he asked, but he couldn't hold back a grin.

"Yeah, Will...", Jay joined in as well, looking at him. "Is there anything we should know about this?"

"Not really," Will shook his head, fixing his gaze on the screen.

"Nothing new in your life?", Hailey echoed. "You can tell us anything, you know that, right?"

Will audibly expelled his breath and he looked first at Jay, then at her. They both stared at him, waiting. "What is this, an interrogation?"

"Just tell us!", Jay urged his brother with a laugh. "It's a woman, isn't it?"

Will hesitated for a moment, but then gave up. "Yes. It's a woman."

"Heeyyy!" they both shouted. Hailey and Jay were overdoing it beyond measure, she was aware, but they were just happy for him.

"She's great. Really..." he began, as he slightly blushed.

"But?", Jay echoed.

"I'm afraid she's a little too young for me."

"How old is she?"

"Late twenties. But she's great... we get along really well. We've only been out to dinner once so far, but I'd love to get to know her better. And it's kind of nice to see someone you don't work with," he finally came out with the whole truth.

Jay and Hailey glanced at each other. They both enjoyed being able to see each other every day at work. After all, that's how their relationship had grown in the first place.

"There's not that much of an age difference, Will," Hailey now supported him. "If you guys get along, just see how it goes. I wouldn't let that stop me."

Briefly, she glanced at Jay. She had been in relationships with older men, but she hadn't talked about that with him yet. Fortunately, he didn't elaborate, instead he stayed focused on his brother.

"What's her name? Where did you meet?"

"Her name is Nicoletta... Nicky. She's Italian and she works in the office of her family's catering company. We met at Molly's."

"Don´t tell me you met on Wednesday? Hailey, why didn't we stay longer to witness this?"

She smiled at him meaningfully, and that was enough to remind him that they had experienced quite something else on Wednesday night, after the visit to Molly's. He fell silent.

Then he turned back to Will. "Keep talking."

"I think I'll call her and ask for a second date," he continued at that moment.

"That's great. Have some fun.", Hailey took a sip of her beer. "And if it turns into something serious, bring her along sometime soon. We want to meet her!"

/

The last few weeks had been nowhere near as awkward as Ricarda had feared. Will had turned out to be extremely charming and affable, and she had the feeling that he really liked her. It was just too bad that he only got to see the person she was pretending to be.

It had been well worth it to keep up the game. Not only because of the information she had received from Will about his family. About both brothers' parents, about Jay's past in the military. Part of her enjoyed being pampered by Will.

And the sex... the sex was good, even if he was a little too gentle with her to Ricarda's taste. If she let her true self shine through, she would do very different things to him. Will, however, was willing to carry her on his hands and he would never hurt her.

For this reason it would be a pleasure to see how he would react when she revealed her true identity at the right time.

"Would you like to spend the day with me and my brother next weekend?" he addressed her at that moment, as they lay side by side in bed.

Ricarda froze and she tensed for a moment before she came up with a lie.

"Next weekend? I have to help out at the company. Sorry, Will," she feigned regret. "We've got a big job and we all have to pitch in for once."

There was no way Jay was going to see her at Will's side. Not until the big reveal, anyway.

"Busy in the catering business, huh?" he asked, pulling her a little closer to him. "It's okay," he then added.

He kissed her forehead and didn't inquire further. He was far too understanding. Ricarda had had very different men. Men who had set the tone and who hadn't allowed any argument.

"What have you planned?"

"Oh, maybe a day at the beach. Hailey's out of town by saturday afternoon, so I thought it would do Jay and I some good to get out for a bit, too. We see each other way too rarely lately."

Ricarda smiled to herself. She could hardly believe how much fate was playing into her cards. Now she knew how her plan would work out. She just had to get Will to spend the weekend alone with Jay.

"I have an idea..." she began, "I can't be there... but my family owns a beach house right on Lake Michigan, over by Pier Cove. Since we all have to work, it's empty this weekend. Why don't you two go there for a day or two?"

Will laughed softly. "Seems like a very lucrative catering company, doesn't it?" he teased her.

He already knew she didn't need his money. Her family would always support her. Even now that she couldn't really work in the family business since she was officially wanted.

"There are bigger houses than ours in Pier Cove." she replied with feigned modesty.

He laughed again and shook his head. "No, I can't accept that."

"Why not?" she sat up and looked at him. "It's fine, believe me."

"Nicky... I don't even know your family yet." he said with a guarded smile. "What would they think of me if I just went to their beach house like that?"

"Will.", Ricarda put her hands on his bare chest and looked at him seriously. She decided to corner him a little. "It's my house, too. If I tell you it's okay, then it is. We are a big, loud, Italian family and we are very hospitable. It's bordering on a miracle that the house is ever empty! And as long as you don't burn it down, everything is fine. Someone is always bringing someone, as long as the weather is good. My God, just seize the moment!"

She shrugged and looked at him, waiting.

"You'd really do that for us?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course! The house is yours and Jay's on Saturday and Sunday. Okay?"

He looked at her enthusiastically. "Thanks. That's really great."

She smiled. Satisfied, she let her gaze slide over his face. Nothing would be the same after the weekend.

As he began to kiss her more intimately, she thought of the days ahead and what she would do with him and Jay, once they were in the house. The thoughts increased her lust and so this time it was she, who took the lead as they made love. Will seemed to enjoy it and he gave himself completely to her. Ricarda gasped in satisfaction as they broke away from each other.

It would be a treat for her to see his heart break.

/

"Are you sure you're okay with me being out with Kim and Makayla this weekend?", Hailey exclaimed, as she put their dinner on two plates for herself and Jay.

They had grabbed fried noodles from a Chinese restaurant since they were both way too tired to cook anything else that night.

Jay was in the bedroom getting changed. They were spending the night at her apartment, but he had already stored some of his clothes at her place.

"Will asked me if we wanted to see each other on Saturday," he replied, as he stepped back into the living room. "He said we could drive to a house on the lake. So..."

"Oooh.", Hailey looked at him and frowned. "Sounds romantic."

Jay gave a short laugh and walked up to her. "It will be. Drinking beer, watching TV, hopefully not talking about family..." He grabbed the package of egg rolls and while looking for small plates, he continued talking. "Apparently Nicky owns the house... but she and her family have to work on the weekend."

"I'd really like to meet her."

"I'll make it clear to Will that it's about time.", he placed the plates on the countertop and fished the egg rolls out of the box, using a fork.

/

Viktor entered the large factory building on time for the agreed appointment. Two armed men stood in the entrance area. He knew how people reacted to him who saw him for the first time. He was taller than average and muscular, his snow-white hair and blue eyes attracted attention. The men reacted immediately and became restless, when he entered.

"I'm here to see Ricarda. We have an appointment," he informed the two. "I'm Viktor."

One of the men nodded and their expressions relaxed. The man started moving. He followed him down a long hallway. They stepped through a glass door that led into the office area of the building.

Ricarda's office was light-filled and spacious. She sat behind a desk and smiled at him as she stood up and walked toward him.

She had changed. Besides the obvious new hair color, the haircut and contacts, she had gained quite a bit of weight. Now she possessed an extremely sensual body, that showed under her tight dress.

She had always been a beautiful woman, but now she was more attractive than ever. For Viktor, however, there had never been any attraction. He knew how ice-cold and cunning she was. After all, she had hired him more than once to practice his art for her.

"I'm glad to see you again." she said as she embraced him and they kissed each other on both cheeks.

"I feel the same way." he replied politely before settling into one of the two visitor's chairs. "It's been far too long."

A young woman entered the room and brought them drinks. Viktor noticed that Ricarda had remembered which was his favorite.

"Very considerate." he said, as he took the glass from the desk and sipped the vodka lemon.

"Are you currently taking new orders?", Ricarda quickly got down to business. "It's a little short notice. I´d need you this Saturday."

"Depends," he said. "What did you have in mind?"

"Not a murder. Just a job in an apartment building. A woman, alone. You'd have to get her under control quickly, so she can´t call for help."

"Sounds doable." he wanted to know more and leaned forward. "Tell me about it."

/

Will parked the car. When Jay saw the house, it took his breath away. It was a modern, stylish house with a white facade and an inviting, big staircase. Behind the house he could see the beach and the water of the lake. Narrow glass windows completed the modern look of the square building, and a visibly mounted alarm system deterred burglars. The interieur probably hid plenty of security technology and luxury. The property was out of sight and there were no direct neighbors.

"What is that?" he asked, laughing.

"Apparently our house for the weekend." Will exclaimed, as he looked at the house with equal disbelief.

"Is this the right address?"

"The navigation system led us here... if the key fits, it is."

Will opened the driver's side door and Jay got out of the car as well. First he stretched out a bit, then he breathed in the fresh sea air. It definitely smelled better out here than it did in the city.

"Catering, huh? Did you ever meet Nicky's family?" Jay asked, as they walked slowly toward the stairs.

"What are you implying? That she's lying to me?"

"I just want you to be careful," Jay replied.

Will stopped and looked at him angrily. "You think the family is criminal because they can afford a house like this? Damn it, Jay. Can't you stop seeing something bad in everything for once?"

Jay felt he had hit a sore spot.

"Let's see if the key fits," he said now, trying to placate him a bit.

"It will fit." a female voice behind them made them both startle and Jay turned around.

It took him a second to recognize her, but then it felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. It was Ricarda, smiling, walking toward them with two men at her side.

While he was still staring at her, more men approached, who must have been waiting behind the house and who were now encircling them. They all carried pistols with silencers, which they pointed at them. Jay tried to assess the situation as he froze in his movements and looked around.

"Nicky, what's going on?" he heard Will ask incredulously beside him.

Jay turned his head to look at him.

"My God..." he muttered as he realized, what Ricarda had done.

/

Will didn't understand what was going on. Startled, he looked around and watched as the men came closer toward him and Jay. He raised his hands when he caught sight of the guns. He registered Jay freezing beside him and looking at Nicky.

There were six men circling them and they had almost reached them. Will winced, as Jay suddenly came back to life and when he began to struggle. He rushed toward two of the men and before Will could react, he managed to snatch the gun from one. But in that next second, four men had lunged at his brother and pulled him to the ground.

The rest of the men each grabbed one of Will's arms and held him tightly. He was in complete shock. Jay seemed to be buried under the men, when suddenly a shot rang out and Will flinched again. Fear gripped him and he braced himself against the grip that held him in place.

"Jay!" he shouted, and he pushed forward. But he did not manage to break free.

The four men moved away and stood back up, their weapons pointed at his brother, who lay on the ground, breathing heavily and with his face contorted in pain. Will immediately saw the wound on Jay's upper arm, from which blood was continuously oozing.

"Jay! Let go of me!" again, he tried to get to him.

Then Nicky stepped into their midst and she looked angrily at the men.

"You idiots!" she shouted. "Bring them inside, now!"

Will was turned around, dragged away and along, as the two men now took the stairs up. He glanced over his shoulder, but could no longer see Jay, as the remaining men and Nicky blocked his view.

"Jay!" he shouted once more in fear, before he was taken inside.

/

Hailey was just getting out of the shower and tying her hair up. She enjoyed being alone in her apartment in between times, so she went into the living room, dressed only in her underwear to check her purse to see if she needed to pack anything for the trip with Kim and Makayla.

When she was sure that everything was there, she went back to the bedroom. She wanted to quickly freshen up the bed. Jay would be happy when he got back. He loved the smell of freshly laundered linens and he would notice it immediately, when they snuggled back into bed together.

She went to the closet and, humming a song, picked out a sheet and bedding. When she turned back around with the linen in her arms, she wrenched her eyes open in fright. A tall figure in dark clothes and with a black mask stood in the doorway to the bedroom.

/

Will had been forced to sit down on a chair that was placed at a large dining table in the living area. The men did not take their eyes off of him and he did not dare to get up again. So he stared, frightened and worried, at the door that led from the hallway into the dining area.

His heart pounded loudly against his chest and it took what felt like eternities before more men entered. The next two dragged Jay with them, who was half unconscious.

Now nothing held Will. He jumped up and tried to rush to his brother, but the men grabbed him and pushed him back down.

"He's hurt! I have to get to him!" he shouted.

He watched as Jay was taken to a second chair. Maybe he had received a blow to the head. He slumped at first, before blinking his eyes and half-raising himself. Then he contorted his face in pain and he brought the hand of his uninjured arm to the bullet wound to press on the wound, which was still bleeding.

Concerned, Will registered every one of Jay's movements and at last the latter turned his head and looked at him. He could see fear in Jay's eyes as well. He realized at that moment that he had made a huge mistake. Jay had been right. Nicky and her family had to be criminal...

While they were still looking at each other, Nicky stepped forward.

"Well, that wasn't the introduction I was hoping for, but welcome," she said.

/

It took only a split second for Hailey to react. She dropped the sheets and jumped onto the bed. She wanted to get over to the other side, because she kept a spare gun in the nightstand.

But the intruder also reacted quickly. Because of his size, he managed to get hold of her. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to him. Hailey pushed herself off the bed, hoping to overpower him with momentum and with her body weight. She yanked her arm free and punched him in the masked face. He flinched briefly, but then grabbed her wrists and encircled them in an iron grip. He didn't go down, instead he flung her against the cabinet, with which her left side collided painfully.

Briefly, Hailey sank to the floor, but she immediately righted herself and got back into fighting position. She had to make it out of the bedroom or reach one of her weapons. She ducked and then she took a step forward. She was about to ram a knee into his abdomen, but he was faster. With his long arms he was superior to her. He grabbed her neck and flung her to the side again. Her shoulder and head hit the bed frame.

Dazed, Hailey remained on the floor. Inside her, everything screamed to get up, to defend herself. But her body did not obey and the pain in her head caused an unpleasant nausea. Then she felt herself being lifted up.

/

"Ricarda, what are you doing?" Jay groaned as he continued to press his hand on the bullet wound.

The pain radiated down his arm and throughout his upper body. He was shaking and sweating and he knew that once Ricarda started torturing him like last time, it would probably get much worse.

He knew that she had been on the run, that she had escaped. The police had been searching for her. But after several weeks, it was assumed that she had absconded abroad.

He couldn't believe that she had pretended to be someone else and had approached Will like that. What had been her purpose? To get information? Or to ultimately lure them both here? To do what? To torture Will in front of him? By God, this wasn't supposed to happen.

"Ricarda?", Will repeated incredulously at that moment when he heard the name that Jay had used.

She looked over at Will, who was staring at her, completely distraught. Then she slowly approached him and stroked his cheek. Anger awoke in Jay.

"You used him!" he said, but she ignored him.

She continued to focus on Will. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart... my name is not Nicky."

"Who are you?"

Jay could see how hurt his brother was and it fueled his anger even more...

/

Ricarda took in every one of Will's reactions. He looked at her with that completely adorable look of a kicked puppy. His heart was broken, and it was almost better than she had imagined.

He had been so damn good to her that she was almost a little sorry. She smiled at him and then she walked around the chair.

"You didn't think I actually felt anything for you, did you?" she whispered in his ear. "You were just a tool to get to Jay."

The expression on his face was heartbreaking - if Ricarda had possessed a heart, she would have felt sympathetic. His shoulders slumped forward.

"My name is Ricarda Russo and I'm sure you remember how they got your brother's stinking body out of my basement!" she enlightened him.

Will's gaze went cold all at once as he realized, who she really was. They were finally playing on the same level. She glared at him challengingly.

"You did this to him?" he tried to get up, but the men guarding him were alert and immediately pushed him back into the chair. "How could I have been so fooled by you?"

"Because you like to fool people yourself, Will. You felt so alone and abandoned when we met, that it was easy to get into your life. You fooled everyone around you into thinking you were fine. But if we are honest, everything around you is falling apart right now. You have no one in your life that you can really trust and your work is not valued. You're a failure."

He stared at her, obviously not knowing what to say. He shouldn't have told her all the things from his past and from work. It had been far too easy to see through him. She knew she had hit him hard.

"Will, don't listen to her. The woman is sick!" Jay shouted. "Don't let her get in your head!"

Ricarda smiled and turned to him now. She walked slowly over to him. The brothers were still sitting next to each other, but not for much longer. Soon, she would separate them.

"I was so looking forward to our reunion. Don't ruin it, Jay," she urged him thoughtfully. "You don't want to make me mad, trust me."

He hesitated and finally remained silent. He probably remembered too well how she had made him wait in her basement. She could have let him die down there, but at that point she had still had hope. Hope, that he would realize that she could take care of him.

But that was over now. She would go back to her old plan and make him pay for his actions against his family. She would treat him like the traitor he was. But this time she would add to his suffering by putting the most important people in his life in danger as well.

Her thoughts drifted to Hailey. Viktor should have invaded her apartment by now. Jay hadn't the slightest idea that she was now in as much danger as he was.

She wondered how it felt when Viktor peeled the skin off her face with a scalpel?

/

Viktor was satisfied. His victim had not surrendered defenselessly. She had fought. He liked it when it wasn't too easy. The petite, small woman was pretty. Her blonde hair framed her face as he placed her in the center of the bed. She had already taken down the pillows and blankets, so he now had a clear workspace.

She wasn't really unconscious, so he had to move quickly. First, he pulled a strip of cloth from his pocket to gag her. He couldn't have her screaming for help as soon as she fully regained consciousness. If necessary, he would replace the gag with duct tape, but he wanted to wait and see how she reacted...

After he was sure the gag was tight enough, he pulled one of the ropes from the other pocket of his jacket. He liked using ropes because they were easier to adjust to the existing conditions than handcuffs or zip ties.

The bed in the room was not ideal for putting someone in the position he preferred. It had a carved headboard and no posts, but that's why he loved his ropes. He could also attach them to the legs of the bed and spread the woman's arms so she couldn't move.

He hurried and just as she began to struggle again, he had tied her wrists tightly and had secured the knots. Now there was no escape. She kicked at him as he approached her ankles, but he quickly had looped a rope around both feet and tied them together. He pulled the ends of the rope right and left down to the legs of the bed, so that she was finally lying there just as he wanted to have her.

She watched him intently as he walked around the bed and positioned himself next to her. He detected no fear in her eyes, only anger and a determination to resist him. But that would do her no good. He had a job to do, and he would fulfill it.

He pulled the small, oblong silver box from the inside pocket of his jacket and opened it. Then he flipped open the razor. It was as sharp as a scalpel. The blade would glide effortlessly through her skin.

He looked at her flat, naked belly while her breathing quickened and fear took over in her now after all.

/

With his heart pounding, Jay stared at Ricarda. The situation was dire. The last time only he had been in danger. But now this lunatic had managed to sneak into his family. He had to do something to get Will out of here.

His brother had been with Ricarda for several weeks without him knowing anything. She could have hurt Will or worse at any time. But she had only been waiting for the right moment.

"Ricarda." he tried again. "I understand why you did this. You are not finished with me. I won't fight, whatever you have in mind. But I need to be sure you´ll let Will go. Haven't you hurt him enough already?"

Her eyes drifted back to him as he spoke. She seemed unimpressed with his words.

"Oh, you want to cooperate all of a sudden? I'm going to finish our business from last time right here, right now. Only this time, it will be different than you think."

Jay shook his head slightly. "What does that mean?"

"Do you remember what my uncle said? You kill a rat with rat poison. But you can also lure it into a rat trap and let it perish miserably. Or you can drown it."

Before Jay could say anything to that, Will got up. He managed to take two steps toward Ricarda, but then he was grabbed by the collar and was yanked back. He didn't see the blow coming. One of the men rammed the pommel of the gun into his face, sending him backwards to the ground. He landed hard on his back and gasped for air.

Jay wanted to do something. Despite the pain, he pushed himself up, but he was held back. An arm was wrapped around his neck and he felt the barrel of a gun against his temple.

A second blow followed at Will. His arms and legs fell powerlessly to the floor, as he fell unconscious. Jay could do nothing but watch his brother being abused.

"Will!" with his uninjured hand he tugged at the arm around his neck that held him in place. "Will!"

"Easy...", Ricarda placed herself in front of him. "He'll be fine." She turned to her men. "Take him downstairs. Make sure he doesn't bother us again."

/

After Will was taken away, Ricarda signaled to the man behind Jay, and finally the arm around his neck loosened.

"Cuff him," she then said. "I don't want any more surprises."

Jay gritted his teeth, as one of the men stepped forward, holding a pair of handcuffs. His injured arm burned like fire as it was pulled forward. The next moment his hands were cuffed in his lap and he bent forward in pain, to find a tolerable position. The bullet wound was now radiating into his shoulder and back. He looked up as Ricarda continued to speak.

"Will has told me some things about your family... About your mommy... your daddy. Sad. Really sad..." she took her time, savoring his every reaction to her words.

Jay was trembling in pain, but now he forced himself to let his mine stiffen. With a slight smile on his lips, he looked at her. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of humiliating him in this way.

/

Ricarda enjoyed the sight that presented itself to her. Jay was pale, sweating and he was visibly suffering from the pain of the gunshot wound. However, he tried to remain calm. But she picked up on the subtle nuances as she had begun to speak of his family. Every blink, every look told her that her words were doing something to him.

"Will also told me that you were in Afghanistan. And that you struggled with the memories for a long time. What happened there? Mhm? Were you injured? Or did they catch you? Were you their prisoner? Have they tried to get informations?"

He lowered his head now, not wanting to give anything away. But she moved closer. After a glance at her men, who would intervene as soon as he made a wrong move, she positioned herself in front of him and reached into his hair. She pulled his head back so he would have to look at her again.

"They caught you, didn't they?" He held her gaze, not moving. "What did they do, mhm? Is that scar on your neck a souvenir of that time? Tell me!"

She pulled at his hair, but he remained silent. This was his way of resisting and it made her angry.

"Did they beat you until you wished you were dead? Or did they torture you? What was it? A knife? A hammer? Electricity?"

He blinked and the corner of his mouth twitched. Only briefly, but she had noticed it. She was on the right track. Very good.

"What was it? Oh, or was it something else entirely?" all at once she was excited. "Was it... water?"

The corner of his mouth twitched again and his breathing quickened at that moment. She knew he was trying to suppress it, but to control such subtle reactions of the body in a stressful situation like this, was nearly impossible.

"Water it is, then." she released him and he turned his head to the side as he visibly swallowed.

He was scared.

/

Hailey cried out as the man pulled the blade of the razor across her stomach a second time. It was an excruciating, horrible feeling, followed by searing pain that wouldn't subside. The gag swallowed most of her sounds and she tugged at the bonds that would not give. She didn't know why the man was torturing her.

When he stood beside the bed again and looked at her with his blue, piercing eyes, she began to cry in pain and despair. He regarded her in silence for a moment, then his gaze slid over her body again. He searched for the next place to continue.

When he approached her face with the blade, she froze and her breath caught. She sucked in air only intermittently as he placed the blade on her cheek. He squeezed and Hailey felt her skin give way. Whimpering, she let out a cry of pain as he moved the blade down a bit further and cut into the muscle.

At that moment, her front doorbell rang and the man startled. Hailey winced. He took the blade away and stared at her. She realized that it must be Kim and Makayla, coming to get her for their trip.

As loud as she could, she screamed against the gag in her mouth and she prayed that Kim would hear her...

/

Jay braced himself against the two men and his restraints as they continued to push him forward. He had no chance. Ricarda had him taken to one of the bathrooms, where she was running water in a tub. Hadn't she said that a rat could be drowned?

He was forced to his knees and was held down by the men. With his heart pounding, he watched as the water in the tub slowly rose higher. Memories from his time in captivity flashed before his mind's eye. He had never expected to find himself in such a situation again.

"Ricarda.", he tried again. "Do you realize what punishment you will face if you kill Will or me?"

"Oh, yes." she replied. "But I'm not going back to prison."

She slid her hand through the water. Again, he braced himself against his guards.

"Damn it, you can´t be serious!"

She rose from the edge of the bathtub and came toward him. The grip on his arms and shoulders tightened, the wound aching more and more.

"What did you just say?" she leaned down and looked him in the eyes. "That's the problem here. You don't take me seriously."

She poked his wound with a finger and he groaned. For a moment, his vision faded and his head slumped backwards. He felt nauseous. He didn´t know how much time had passed but when he came to, he clenched his teeth and waited until the worst of the stinging and throbbing subsided, while Ricarda had turned back to the water in the meantime.

/

Viktor pressed a gloved hand to the blonde's gagged mouth. Damn. He hadn't expected to be disturbed. The doorbell rang again and he took his hand away. He stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him to block out the sounds she was making.

There was now a knock on the door.

"Hailey? It's us! Are you okay?" he heard a woman's voice.

Now the woman pounded on the door.

Viktor briefly considered whether he should kill the second woman. But that was not his mission. He decided that this time, he would have to disappoint Ricarda. It was unsatisfactory, but he was not in the mood for trouble.

He folded the bloody razor closed and stowed it in it´s small box. Then he approached the window through which he had entered the apartment. Without looking back any further, he left the scene.

He knew that he had left no traces.

/

Ricarda waited another moment until the water had almost reached the edge of the bathtub. It was clear and cold. Jay should think that he would end up in a cold and wet grave like this.

"Get started." she said, and her men dragged him up.

As expected, he resisted. He was visibly afraid. He braced himself against the two mercenaries, but it was easy for them to drag him along. While he squirmed and stiffened his body, they pulled him over the edge and submerged him.

He continued to struggle, kicking his legs, tearing at the cuffs, trying to get up. The blood that had already soaked his clothes and was still flowing slowly and steadily from the wound, stained the water red.

Ricarda waited until his resistance subsided before she gave a signal.

"And up." she said calmly.

The men pulled him out and Jay gasped in panic. He coughed, then he sucked the much-needed oxygen into his lungs.

It sounded like music to Ricarda's ears.

His wet hair seemed much darker now, his face was reddened from the cold of the water and from exertion.

His breathing had not calmed down, he kept coughing and struggling for air. But she would not leave him in peace yet. It was far too early for that...

"Go on."

The men submerged him again, and Ricarda felt the satisfying sensation of having power over someone.

/

Will's nerves were close to breaking point. He had regained consciousness some time ago and had realized that he had been taken somewhere else. He was in an empty room with a round steel post in the middle, probably to support the statics of the building. They had handcuffed his hands to the post, behind his back.

He still could not believe what was happening here. Nicky had lied to him from the beginning. She had used him to learn more about Jay. Now that he knew her true identity, of course he knew what she had done to his brother last time.

It pained him that he had been so stupid and that he had not realized what had been going on. He felt guilty about their situation.

But how could he have known? How could he have known that the woman he had fallen in love with was the Ricarda who had almost killed Jay?

He was sitting on the floor and his head was throbbing from the blows he had taken. The door to the room was only ajar and he had heard noises. Sounds that made him shudder.

He could imagine what Ricarda and those men were doing to Jay. However, he was absolutely certain about this last thing: they were torturing him by submerging him under water.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he imagined what his brother must be going through right now. He knew about Jay's fears.

He was one of the few people Jay had confided in. To whom he had spoken to, after a long wait and after many hours of therapy. He had told him what had really happened during his captivity in Afghanistan.

Waterboarding had been one of the torture methods. What was done to him now certainly triggered flashbacks in him.

The men had also drugged him repeatedly at the time. They had tortured him with needles, poked his skin and muscles, made his veins burst. Will felt sick just thinking about what these people had done to him.

Jay had almost died from the torture back then. Or from the aftermath, after he had been back home.

Jay's comrade Greg had been his brother's best confidant back then and it was probably thanks to him, that Jay had somehow survived.

Thinking back, he felt ashamed that he hadn't been more involved back then. That he hadn't been there for Jay and his family.

He therefore had to do something now. Somehow it had to be possible, to free himself.

Their belongings and phones were still in the car. If he could manage to get to the car, he could call the police...

/

Blood and tears ran down Hailey's face as she continued to tug at the shackles in panic. The man had closed the door. She didn't know what was going on outside. What if he did something to Kim and Makayla?

Her heart was pounding up to her throat when the door suddenly opened again. But she let out a relieved sound when Kim stepped inside. More tears now followed.

Of course, her colleagues knew where she hid her spare key for emergencies! When she hadn't opened the door, Kim must had assumed that something was wrong.

Her friend's eyes widened in shock when she caught sight of her on the bed. Kim immediately turned around and went back outside.

"Makayla. Go to the couch and turn on the TV, okay?" she called out. "Go on, get over there, Sweetie. I have to go look for something in the apartment for a minute and then I'll be right back for you, okay?"

Hailey knew Kim would have to secure the rooms first to be sure that the intruder was no longer in the apartment. She hoped that she had a weapon with her.

She waited, shivering, until she returned. Kim pulled the gag out of her mouth after she had closed the door to the bedroom behind her.

"My God... are you okay? What happened?", Kim groaned in panic. "There's blood everywhere..."

"Is he gone?", Hailey couldn't stop crying. The cuts hurt with every movement and she was probably in shock.

"There's no one else in the apartment. A window by the fire escape was open. I locked it. I'll call an ambulance."

Kim reached for the fresh sheets that were still on the floor. She laid them over Hailey's stomach. Hailey wondered how deep the cuts were.

Kim pulled her smartphone out of her pocket to call for help. Hailey felt herself black out for a moment. The relief that she was now safe hadn't quite reached her yet.

"An ambulance and the police will be right here," Kim said as she dialed another number. "I'll cut you loose in a second." She headed for the door. "Adam. I need your help. Can you come to Hailey's apartment right now and pick up Makayla?" she asked in a shaky voice, as she stepped outside.

Briefly, Kim was gone, then she returned with a knife in her hand.

"Sorry, but I have to get Makayla out of here. She can't see you like this. All that blood..." she muttered, as she started to cut the ropes.

Hailey was far too confused to think clearly. She was just glad when she could finally move her arms. They ached as she pulled them forward.

Then she gently touched her cheek, where the man had cut her. Her fingers were full of blood when she took them away. Trembling, she straightened up a bit while Kim freed her legs. She looked at the bloody sheets that lay across her stomach.

She was sure that if Kim hadn't shown up, the man would have killed her...

/

Jay was unconscious. His head hung limply back and rolled from side to side, as her men carried him back down to the living area. His soaked clothes left a wet trail on their way down and Ricarda was careful not to slip.

Once downstairs, she gave the order to her men to lay him on the floor. It was time to say goodbye to Jay.

Afterwards, she would go down to Will and give him a little souvenir. A pretty scar would always remind him of her.

"You can go now," she said to her people. "Go back to Sandro, he'll give you your pay for today's assignment. Good job."

The house emptied and Ricarda was left alone with her two prisoners. She went into the kitchen and opened one of the wall cabinets. She took out a small vial that was filled with a liquid.

Jay was to believe that she had left him alive. But he would eventually realize that he was doomed. And by then, it would be too late.

She walked over to him. For a moment she was once again blinded by his appearance. There was nothing she could do about it. Seeing him lying here, helpless and innocent, excited her.

But her plan stood. She would not deviate from it anymore. She clasped his chin, pulled his head back and opened his mouth. After loosening the cap of the vial, she dribbled the liquid onto his tongue. The poison tasted sweet and it wasn't long before he unknowingly swallowed it.

She let the vial disappear in the trash. He stirred, but the poison would stun him again, even before he could open his eyes.

She leaned down and kissed him. He didn't seem to notice.

"Lips, O you. The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss..." the words of Shakespeare from "Romeo and Juliet" went through her mind at that moment.

She had indeed just sealed something with her kiss... Jay Halstead's death sentence.

She ran her hand over his cheek and regarded him one last time. Why hadn't they been able to spend at least a short, happy time together?

Her thoughts drifted back to Hailey, the blonde. She, too, would soon have nothing left of Jay when he lay still and cold in a grave. Then, finally, justice would prevail.

She stood up and pulled her smartphone out of her pocket. She dialed Viktor's number as she made her way down to the basement to see Will...

/

Tensely, Will listened to the footsteps approaching. He had not succeeded in freeing himself. He had no idea what would happen next.

With a pounding heart, he looked at the door, which was pushed open at that moment. Ricarda stepped in. She seemed upset. She glared at him and stopped a few steps away.

"Don't stare at me like that!" she shouted while holding her smartphone in her hands.

"How am I supposed to look at you after everything that happened?" he asked her. "Where's Jay? What did you do to him?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she stared at her smartphone and exhaled audibly. The next moment, she suddenly screamed angrily and threw the phone against the wall. It shattered, and Will wrenched his eyes open in fright.

Ricarda pulled something out of her pocket. After a moment Will realized what it was. A jackknife, which she now unfolded. Everything in him tensed.

"What are you going to do?", fear and panic seized him. "Ricarda, after all we've been through together..."

"You mean nothing to me.", she interrupted him gruffly as she walked around the post and approached him sideways.

Will shifted uneasily, turning his head to see where she was going. She was behind him. Suddenly he felt the knife at his neck. He froze.

"Would you like a pretty scar on your neck like your brother?"

Will closed his eyes as she buried her fingers in his hair and pulled his head back so he was leaning against the post. Then the knife moved to his cheek, under his eye.

"Or a scar on your face, like dear Hailey?"

What did she mean by that? Will was about to say something, but Ricarda jerked her hand and the knife cut into his cheek. Will sucked in a startled breath. The cut was burning.

The knife continued to travel down to his stomach while he felt blood flowing down his cheek to his chin. She was still behind him, but she did not move on. She waited...

"What have you done to Hailey?" he asked therefore.

"The question is, what haven't I done to her?" she groaned sullenly.

She pushed herself up, then she positioned herself at his side so he could see her again.

"What does this mean?"

She fingered the jackknife, wiping away his blood. "I'm angry."

"I can see that," Will said quickly. Maybe if he talked her through it, he could somehow keep her from hurting him. "What happened?"

She looked at him again. He noticed that her eyes were now dark, almost black. Had she been wearing contacts all the time she'd been with him?

"An old friend let me down. He should have taught Hailey a little lesson. I didn't want her to be attractive to Jay when he came back."

Will hardly believed what he had just heard. But more importantly, her words told him that Jay was still alive.

"And it went wrong?"

"He was interrupted. By that stupid cop bitch who always hangs out with them."

"Okay..."

"So maybe you'll have to be a substitute," she looked at him thoughtfully.

Will froze again and he swallowed. The direction the conversation was taking was not good.

"You... You would kill me? After everything we had together?" he asked, worried.

"I told you, this means nothing to me!" she retorted, upset.

She rushed at him and jammed the knife into his shoulder. Will cried out, then he lowered his head and he watched as she slowly pulled the blade from the wound.

Blood gushed out and a hot pain spread from the puncture site into his torso. He lifted his head to look at Ricarda again. His breath caught in shock.

Her arm jerked forward once more and he felt the blade enter his pectoral muscle. He was now gasping for breath, then suddenly he had to cough. The pain was much more intense as she withdrew the blade. He tasted blood in his mouth.

Then she sank the knife into his abdomen.

"Ricarda! Stop it!" someone shouted at that moment.

Will could hardly believe it when all of a sudden, Jay was standing in the doorway. He held a large kitchen knife in his hands, which were handcuffed in front of his body.

Ricarda straightened up. She first took a step back. But then she rushed forward and she lunged at Jay with a scream.

/

Since Jay had woken up, he felt weakened. His lungs were burning and his entire body was aching from the exertion after trying again and again to reach the surface of the water. His clothes were still soaked. His arm throbbed with pain with every heartbeat.

He had no memory of how he had gotten back down to the living area. Had he lost consciousness at any point? He had thought he was going to die.

While Ricarda's men had submerged him, at some point the visions had set in. He had not been able to distinguish what was happening in the present and what had already happened in the past.

He had seen them in front of him... the men who had pressed wet rags on his face. They had poured water over his face again and again while he had tugged at his bonds. He had seen the men who had talked in a foreign language and had laughed while they had done this to him. The ones who had taunted him when he had gasped, coughing and shaking, when they had allowed him to breathe.

Then he had woken up here. On the floor, next to the dining room table. In Ricarda's house.

He had wondered if he was alone. Then he had heard voices coming from the basement. He had realized that Ricarda was with Will. As quickly as he had been able to, he had looked for something that he could use as a weapon and had made his way downstairs.

Ricarda rushed at him after he had entered the room. She pulled him to the floor with her body weight. The knife slipped out of his hands.

At first he didn't really notice it, but she stabbed his shoulder several times with her knife before he managed to grab her wrist with his cuffed hands and roll around. Because of the handcuffs, he could only hold on to one of her hands. He was now sitting on top of her, as she squirmed underneath him and pounded him with her free arm.

She turned her hand with the knife so that it cut in his hands. He didn't know any other way to help himself, so he let go of her and she cut into his arms. She continued, she was acting like a lunatic. The knife whirred through the air once again and he felt a cut stretch across his chest.

He spotted the knife that he had dropped next to him. He turned to the side to reach it. Ricarda sank her knife into his side, just above his hip, then into his thigh. A cry of pain escaped him, but he was finally able to reach his knife.

As quickly as he could, he straightened up. She was now aiming the knife at his chest. He didn't think at that moment. He knew that it was a matter of life and death right now. It was a pure reflex, a survival instinct.

Before she reached him, he had already sunk his knife into her chest. The large blade pierced her sternum and sank into her heart as he shifted his weight forward.

/

This time, Ricarda felt the pain as the knife penetrated her heart. It didn´t feel as she had expected it. It was agonizing. She stared in Jay´s eyes and she knew, that this was the end. She wanted to scream, but only a muffled sound escaped her lips. She wanted to say something, last words, but she couldn´t. Slowly everything became quiet around her und her vision started to fade. Calm surrounded her. Maybe, she thought, it was fate that he was the one who ended her life full of inner pain. And now she could finally rest...

/

Jay shivered. The feeling when the knive sunk in, was terrible. Startled, Ricarda groaned as her arms went limp all at once. The knife she had been holding slithered across the floor. She looked at him with glazed eyes, while Jay stared into her face, equally startled and out of breath. It seemed to take an eternity for her features to lose all tension and for her gaze to become rigid.

It had all happened so quickly. Only now he realized, that he had killed her. It had been self-defense, he told himself, he had had no choice... Slowly, he released his bloody fingers from the knife handle that he was still clutching. Gasping in pain, he moved off of her. His whole body was trembling. He couldn't tell how many times she had cut him with the knife.

There was blood everywhere. His. Hers.

He lifted his head and looked at his brother, who appeared to be unconscious.

"Will!" he groaned distraught, tears of despair welling up in his eyes.

Slowly he crawled across the floor, over to him. He didn't have the strength to get up, his thigh burned like fire.

He recognized several wounds on Will, bleeding profusely. His brother was breathing shallowly. Jay knew he had to get help quickly.

He looked around. Pieces of a destroyed smartphone lay scattered in the room. It would be no help to him. Then he remembered that their own things were still in the car. He knew exactly where his phone was...

He had to get up. The post... He raised his arms and groaned, as the various injuries seemed to explode with pain. He clutched the post Will was leaning against with both hands and pulled himself up. The pain was suddenly everywhere, but he continued to struggle to his feet. As he put weight on the injured leg, he thought he was about to sink to the ground again. But he clenched his teeth and waited. Everything was spinning and he was shaking so badly, that he was afraid to move. Breathing heavily, he held on to the post and waited until he had calmed down at least a little.

With unsteady steps, he made it to the next wall. He slumped against it and braced himself before he was slowly working his way forward to the door. Everything seemed to take an eternity and he was afraid that he wouldn't make it in time to get help for Will.

Later, he had no memory of how he had made it up the stairs and to Will's car. But he must have made it, because when he regained consciousness, he was lying next to the open passenger door. He had thrown up, still holding his phone in his cuffed hands. An ambulance just came to a stop next to him... then everything went dark again.

/

"Damn it!" frustrated, Hailey lowered her phone to the bedspread.

She was in a hospital room at Chicago Med by now, and her wounds had been tended to. The cuts had been stitched and she had received a blood transfusion to make up for the blood loss. She was still plenty shaken up and in shock, but she was glad to be alive.

For what felt like hours, she had been trying to reach Jay or Will. Everything in her longed to talk to Jay, to tell him what had happened. She just wanted to hear his voice...

But again and again, only voicemail answered when she dialed his number. Kim entered the room, followed by Kevin.

"Did you have any luck?" Hailey asked immediately.

Shaking their heads, the two denied her question. "Neither Jay, nor Will are available. No useful evidence was found in your apartment to track down your attacker. Voight is continuing the search."

"Something's wrong," she said thoughtfully.

At that moment, her cell phone rang. An unknown number was displayed. Quickly, she answered the call.

"Jay?"

"M'am, this is the Sheriff's Department in Holland, Michigan. You are the emergency contact for a Jay Halstead. I'm Officer Clarke," a male voice informed her.

Hailey froze in shock and it took her a moment to respond. Fear spread through her.

"Yes, that's right," she then said quietly.

"Mr. Halstead and his brother were found with various stab and gunshot wounds in a house near Pier Cove. They were taken to Holland Hospital. They will be at the hospital for a few more days. It is my understanding that Mr. Halstead is a Detective with the Chicago Police Department?"

"Yes... So am I." replied Hailey tonelessly.

First, she had to comprehend what the officer had just told her.

"Does the name Ricarda Russo mean anything to you?"

Hailey blinked and gasped.

"Detective?" the Officer asked.

"Did she do this?" now fear gave way and anger gripped her. "How badly are they hurt?"

"They haven't regained consciousness yet, but they should be better soon. I'll send you the number of the hospital. It might be better if you came here. I'd like to talk about the case with you."

"Where is the hospital located, exactly?" Hailey asked, as her mind raced.

"In Holland, on Michigan Avenue."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," with trembling hands she clutched the phone. "Officer?"

"Yes?"

"Have you arrested Ricarda Russo?"

"The suspect was DOA, Detective."

Without another word, Hailey ended the conversation. She stared at the bedspread in front of her. She couldn't feel any satisfaction. She needed to know how badly Jay and Will were hurt. She would get the number of the hospital herself. She had to call them right away...

"What's wrong?" asked Kevin anxiously, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Has Ricarda Russo shown up again?"

"Are Will and Jay okay?" Kim added, wide-eyed.

"No." Hailey replied. " They're not okay. They're in the hospital. Ricarda is dead. I think the attack at my house is also her doing." She raised her head and looked at the two. "I need to get out of here now."

/

A few hours later, Hailey was sitting with Officer Clarke in a small waiting area at Holland Hospital. He had just informed her in great detail about what they had found in the house.

He had showed her photos of the basement room and the bathroom. Of the blood-stained stairs and walls. It looked like a battlefield, and it brought tears to her eyes when she realized, that most of the blood, was Jay's.

She had endured to this point with strong painkillers. She had already talked to Will as well. Jay still hadn't woken up and that was steadily increasing her concern.

"Do you have any leads on the people in the house? Ricarda couldn't have done this alone," she said.

"We're evaluating traffic surveillance images," the Officer replied.

"Good.", Hailey carefully leaned against the back of the chair. "Thank you. My colleagues will send the excerpts of Ricarda Russo's latest case file to your office."

"That would be very helpful, Detective." the young man replied, as he stood up. "I wish you all a speedy recovery," he then added.

Hailey smiled weakly. "Thank you."

When she was alone, she remained seated for a moment. She was so infinitely tired and so upset at the same time... she hadn't had a chance to process what had all happened today. And now she forced herself to just keep going.

Kevin and Kim were with Will, and she would go right back over to Jay to check on him. First, though, she would take another pill. She wanted to stay strong, but everything that had happened was wearing on her.

She pulled the small packet from her pocket and squeezed a pill from the blister. There was a water dispenser in the corner, from which she filled herself some water and took the painkiller.

Then she went back to Jay's hospital room. He was still asleep, so she headed for the small couch that was situated under the window. Carefully, she settled down on it and leaned back. It wasn't long, before she finally fell asleep from exhaustion after all.

/

Will woke up long before sunrise. Kim and Kevin had checked into a hotel that evening. Hailey was probably with Jay.

He had been shocked to learn what had happened to Hailey in Chicago, while they had been away. Ricarda had indeed known no bounds.

Part of him regretted her death. But after all she had done, he knew that Jay had acted in self-defense. There was no other way they could have stopped her; she would have killed them both.

He wondered if his brother had woken up by now. He himself felt quite well and he had also already gotten up to go to the bathroom. He therefore decided to look for Jay's room and check on him himself.

Jay´s room was not far. Will clung to the stand of his IV and slowly moved forward. He entered the room and discovered Hailey being asleep on a small couch.

Then he turned to the bed, where Jay was lying. He was asleep, so apparently had still not come to. The others had told him that the bullet had been stuck in his bone, which had explained the severe pain that Jay had felt after he was shot.

Ricarda had inflicted six stab wounds and several cuts on him. He had lost a lot of blood.

Will looked at the vital signs on the monitor, that stood next to Jay's bed. His oxygen saturation was a little low. So was his pulse and blood pressure.

Will moved closer to the bed and placed the back of his hand on Jay's forehead. He was noticeably cold. Slowly, the feeling was creeping up on him that something was wrong.

Ricarda's words in the house came back to him. He went back to the door and flipped on the light switch. Hailey opened her eyes in wonder, before immediately squinting them shut as she was blinded.

"I'm sorry," Will said. "I need to check on something."

"What are you doing here?" she straightened up cautiously, her face contorting as her movements caused her pain.

"I came to check on Jay."

He walked back to the bed and took one of Jay's bandaged hands in his. He pulled the gauze bandage a little back, so he could look at Jay's fingernails. He could hardly believe his eyes. The nails showed several bright horizontal stripes.

"Mees´ Stripes..." he muttered.

Then he straightened up and looked for the button to ring for the nurse.

"What are you doing?" by now, Hailey had gotten up and she had come over to him. "Is something wrong?"

"Jay's been poisoned," Will replied, agitated. "Probably Thallium."

"Oh my God.", Hailey moved closer and took Jay's hand.

Will breathed in. Ricarda had listed the possibilities: A rat could be poisoned, caught in a rat trap, or be drowned. And apparently, she had tried all three options on Jay.

When the nurse stepped in, he told her about what he had discovered. The doctors needed to run a blood test on Jay as soon as possible.

He hoped it wasn't too late.

/

"Dr. Halstead was right," the attending Physician said, as he re-entered Jay's hospital room.

Hailey looked at him with concern. Will was back in his own room, but she would let him know immediately.

"So, Jay was poisoned?" she asked.

"We tested blood serum and a urine sample. If Dr. Halstead hadn't noticed, it could have ended bad."

"Can you help him?"

The doctor nodded. "Since he's not awake, we'll put in a feeding tube and administer a substance called Prussian Blue. It is a solution of iron salt and blood lye salt, that binds the heavy metals in his body so he can gradually eliminate them. We have to continue to monitor his electrolyte balance while doing this, but he will be fine. I think he will wake up soon after we start the therapy."

Hailey breathed a sigh of relief and the doctor smiled at her. "Thank you so much." she said with tears in her eyes.

She stayed sitting with Jay, until the doctor and a nurse came, to place the feeding tube that was inserted through his nose. She was glad he wasn't awake during the procedure.

In the meantime, she went to tell Will the good news.

/

When Jay regained consciousness and opened his eyes, he realized that he was in a hospital. He felt incredibly exhausted and tired.

Memories of what had happened flooded into his consciousness and he closed his eyes once again. As he took in a breath, trying to suppress the rising panic, he felt an oxygen mask on his mouth and nose. He wanted to lift his hand to pull it away, but something held him back. He turned his head slightly and looked down. Soft Velcro straps held his hands where they were. He didn't understand why.

Slowly, he looked around and when he turned his head to the other side, he spotted Hailey, who had fallen asleep next to his bed. A wave of relief and gratitude flooded through him. She was here, was with him. Her presence alone soothed him. Her head rested on her bent arm on the edge of the mattress.

"Hailey?" it was no more than a whisper, but she woke up immediately.

Slowly, she straightened up and he saw a large white band-aid on her face.

"What happened?"

She waved it off and shook her head briefly, before smiling at him. He tried to raise his hand again. The straps held him back again, he had already forgotten about them. Confused, he looked down again. Then he felt Hailey's fingers gently stroking his forehead and he looked at her.

"You're finally awake..." she said softly. "How do you feel?"

He just nodded without saying anything, as he continued to look at her. She took the oxygen mask away and set about undoing the Velcro on the side where she sat. Now his arm was free and she gently took his bandaged hand in hers.

"The doctors had to put in a feeding tube. The restraint was just there to make sure that you didn't accidentally pull it out," she said. "But it'll come out soon, don't worry."

Jay frowned. Feeding tube? For what? Now he felt the unfamiliar pressure, too, and he realized there was something stuck in his nose. He tried not to think about it further. All these things would otherwise feed his panic again.

He closed his eyes. Then he saw her... Ricarda, who he had stabbed with a knife. By god... he had stabbed her. He tried to repress the horrible images that now came up again.

Then his brother came back to his mind.

"Will? How's Will?" he asked, startled.

"Shhh, he's fine," Hailey said reassuringly. "He's already back on his feet. He figured out what was wrong with you."

"I don't understand..."

"Ricarda had poisoned you," she said, and he suddenly recognized tears in her eyes. "But it's going to be all right. It must have been terrible..." she whispered in a tear choked voice, as she stroked his cheek.

He lowered his gaze and swallowed. He didn't want to talk about what had happened yet. He focused back on Hailey.

"Why the band-aid? Are you hurt?" he asked.

Tears were now running down her cheeks and he sensed that something bad must have happened. He waited while she apparently prepared to tell him what had happened.

"A man came to my apartment, while you were gone," she began, and Jay noticed how she began to tremble.

He clutched her hand tighter to let her know he was there.

"I was in the bedroom," she continued. "I was fighting, but he... he knocked me down and..."

Jay couldn't take his eyes off of her and waited for her to continue to speak. He could see how hard it was for her to tell him about it. His breathing quickened.

"When I woke up again, I was tied to the bed."

"Hailey..." he was shocked and he didn't know what to say.

"He cut me with a razor. My face and... my stomach."

She began to cry harder and it hurt his soul to learn what had happened to her. Pain and anger began to mix.

"My darling... are you in bad pain? I'm so sorry.", he said and he felt tears making their way up inside him as well.

She shook her head.

"Did they arrest him?"

Once again she shook her head. "That was Ricarda. Will told me that she told him she hired the guy, He was supposed to disfigure me. If Kim hadn't come..." her voice broke and she fell silent.

"I'm so terribly sorry.", Jay raised his hand and wiped her uninjured cheek with the bandage. "My brave Hailey... I can't imagine what you've been through. I'm sorry..."

"There will remain scars," she sobbed.

He shook his head slightly and looked at her full of love and emotion, while tears were now running down his cheeks as well. "I don't care about that. Hailey, I love you. I will always love you."

She lowered her head and continued to cry softly.

"I love you and I'll never leave you alone again," he continued to speak.

He wanted so much to help her and searched for words.

"Move in with me," he said then. "Or let's find a new place together. A place where we won't be haunted by bad memories."

Her head snapped up. He could tell that she was ready for this, too, and that it was, what she wanted.

A soft smile spread across his lips. "Everything will be all right," he said.

She nodded and brought his hand to her lips.

He would make her feel safe again. He would protect her. From now on and forever.

- END -