NOTES: As always, everyone who's liking, following, reviewing... You have my heart. I've poured my soul into this and it's so rewarding to get feedback.

As for this chapter, it's definitely heavier than the ones previous but hopefully nothing too bad. I'll consider basing how detailed I write the coming chapters on your reviews but we'll see!

Also:

1.) Writing waking up from unconsciousness scenes—Hard! Especially if you want to avoid being cliche as hell! Found that out quick.

2.) Not including Barba in a chapter? Equally hard! What can I say, I love the guy.

But worry not. He will make a very emotional comeback next chapter, I promise. For now, let's see how Olivia is holding up... Enjoyyy! TW: semi-mild violence

Olivia didn't need to open her eyes to know she wasn't in her bed. The surface underneath her was too stiff and her cheek was pressed against something coarse, rough. What—Where am I…?

She felt sluggish, slow as she struggled to open her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy and—Fuckk… Olivia let out a small whine, squeezing her eyes shut. The sudden onset of pressure in her head was excruciating and worse, steadily mounting as she became more and more aware of her surroundings. Besides her head, Olivia's shoulders ached as well; she vaguely recognized that her arms were twisted behind her. Something was cutting into her wrists. Are those handcuffs? And her mouth. There was something covering her mouth. What… happened?

She stifled a groan, the most alert and rational part of her recognizing that she should probably take stock of her surroundings before potentially alerting anyone of her conscious state. Her eyes opened a crack.

They focused first on the straggly black carpet pressed to her face, illuminated by what appeared to be natural light streaming in through some window. She kept her ears open for anything that could give her any information on her situation before she slowly twisted her head up to get a sense of where this light was coming from.

She'd barely caught a glimpse when the floor jolted and sent her head falling back onto the carpeted surface with a sharp gasp of surprise and pain. The sudden movement worked twofold; it fully woke her up and confirmed what she'd been afraid of.

Olivia was in a car. A moving car.

Fuck.

Nick stared unseeingly at the file in his hand, deep in thought as he recalled Dr. Warner's words. No traces of ketamine in her system… Why? What had changed with this vic? Why deviate from his M.O. now?

His head shot up as the elevator doors opened with a ding, effectively interrupting his thought process, and pulling him out of his musing. He had no idea what to do with this new piece of information. Amaro needed to talk to his partner.

He'd listened to Olivia's voicemail in the car with interest and slight exasperation at her vagueness. Benson only did that when she was exceptionally focused, unable to verbalize everything going on in her mind. The fact she'd done this now was equally irritating and comforting. If she was doing this, she must've stumbled on something good. He'd called her back to find out but she hadn't picked up. Hopefully, that just meant she and Munch were knees deep in this new lead. He was about to find out, he supposed.

As Nick approached the bullpen, his narrowed eyes swept over the scene before they were immediately drawn to Munch who was at Benson's desk alone flipping through some papers. He frowned at the sight. Where was Olivia?

Munch straightened up at the sound of his voice, "Hey Munch, is Liv here?"

The man shook his head, "No, she went to re-interview Katherine. She should be back soon."

"She isn't back by now?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "She called me about 30 minutes ago saying she just had to get a file from her apartment."

Munch shrugged, "You know Liv, she probably started reading the file and got sucked in. Did she tell you what we got?"

"Not really but she said it has to do with the rental company?"

Munch nodded in response. "She was looking at the guy from the rental shop when she remembered how our fourth vic's husband, Cutler I think, said something about his rental car during the ID. That opened the floodgates."

Nick's eyes widened as he recalled the man's rambling. "Shit, that's right! He had been at a conference or something."

Munch pointed his finger at him, "Bingo," he pulled a page out from the stack he was holding, "With all the false leads so far, we weren't sure if this was just another dead end coincidence but what really cinched it was this."

Amaro immediately recognized Benson's handwriting as he took the paper from Munch. These were her notes. "I remember this. These are from when we interviewed the husband of our third vic." Amaro brought his hand up to his forehead as he read further, shaking his head a little, "How did we miss this?" He looked up at Munch pointing at the sheet. "The husband got in a car accident the week before his wife was found. Let me guess, he rented a car?"

Munch nodded, "We called him to check and he confirmed it. While his car is in the shop, he's renting a car from the same place Susie Cutler did. We called her husband, too," he elaborated.

"And the other vics? What about them?"

"They didn't pick up when we called but Olivia said something about Emily planning a road trip so we guessed that's how she's connected. We'll confirm of course but we thought it would be better to check in with Katherine first."

Nick had to actively tamp down his building optimism, not wanting to get ahead of himself, "And?"

Munch shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't heard back from Olivia."

Worry stabbed at his stomach, "When did she leave? To go talk to Katherine I mean?"

Munch checked his watch, "Almost an hour and a half ago." He frowned. "You said she called needing to get a file?"

"Yeah 30 minutes ago," Amaro said slowly. "She only lives 15 minutes away."

The sergeant nodded contemplatively, "I bet she's still there. Call her."

"Okay."

Both men waited as the call went to voicemail.

"She wouldn't have gone after that rental guy would she?" Munch asked.

"I doubt it," Amaro said as he called again. Voicemail. "This isn't like her. I'm going to check her apartment."

Munch nodded. "Do that on the way to Barba's. We're going to need a warrant. I'll call Katherine just in case she went back there. And Emily while I'm at it."

"Okay. I'll let you know when I find her," Amaro said, already turning to leave.

Munch placed his hand on Nick's shoulder reassuringly, "She's fine Amaro."

"Yeah. I know."

Olivia's eyes were wide, her breathing shallow as she focused on the small bumps and movements of the car floor beneath her. Her eyes flicked down to her legs. They were taped together. The light of the afternoon sky was flickering on the floor by her feet, disrupted by whatever blocked the sun as they drove past. She could feel it, she could see it. The car was moving.

Which meant someone was driving. The same someone who'd taken her.

She remembered it now. Flashes of panic, of her body hitting his, his hand in her hair. The smell of chloroform…

Every part of her wanted to know who had attacked her, who had knocked her out, but all she could see were the back seats looming over her and the back window if she subtly strained her neck. With her hands cuffed behind her, she was at a disadvantage. If she wanted to look at her attacker, she'd have to move.

Olivia's mind went into overdrive; should she stay still and maybe catch him off guard later? Or should she try and see who he was? Did she know him? Maybe she could talk him out of this. Or would it be worse to move? She didn't know what to do.

Her body chose for her.

"Welcome back."

Olivia's body reflexively jerked at the unexpected voice, her eyes widening in recognition. She knew that voice. She twisted her head around towards where he was sitting in the driver's seat.

Albert Jones glanced back at her with a grin. "You were out for so long. You had me worried there for a bit detective."

The shock had struck her dumb; Olivia could only stare back with wide eyes.

"Nothing to say?" he asked mockingly. "Ah, that's right. The duct tape. That's fine. You'll have your turn to talk later."

Olivia's throat reflexively closed up as he stretched his hand awkwardly behind him to pat her thigh while he drove. She lurched away from his touch, her heart in her throat.

Albert laughed at her, "Jumpy little bitch, aren't you?" To her relief, he drew his hand back to the steering wheel.

"You seem shocked detective. I'm surprised. When I saw you with that bartender from the other night, I thought I was a goner. But no. You actually walked in with your partner and handed me my own police sketch!" He let out a cruel laugh, turning to grin down at her. Olivia twisted her head away, hating his smug smirk. "Turns out, all you have to do is shave your beard off and you become utterly unrecognizable! Who knew?"

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut as he laughed again, her fear ebbing away as cold fury replaced it. This was the bastard they'd been searching for. The bastard that had brutalized five women. The one that had murdered two of them. She would NOT meet that same fate. Olivia may not have her gun but she had her mind, her training, her resilience. He'd chosen his downfall by choosing her.

She needed to catch him off guard and fast. The farther they got from the city, the harder it would be for her squad to find her. She needed him to stop the car, pull over, something! Her hands clenched, Olivia made up her mind and twisted her head around to face him again. He was humming to himself, a self-satisfied look on his face.

She let a whine from behind the duct tape. Other then the way his lips quirked upwards, he gave no indication that he heard her.

She did again, louder this time. Come on you bastard. Don't ignore me.

He rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "Did you say something Detective Benson?"

Fucking bastard! She swallowed her pride and let out a pitiful whimper that she knew he'd like. She was right.

Cloyingly sympathy colored his voice, making it soft and mocking, "That tape's a bitch huh? Do you need my help?"

Her eyes closed briefly not wanting to betray her rage just yet. She nodded at him.

His eyes met hers before he gave a curt nod. The clicking of a turn signal and the way her body shifted on the floor as the car lurched told her he was pulling over. Good.

Albert gave her a lustful look as he parked and unbuckled. To her disappointment, he didn't open the door to come to her but instead opted to turn in his seat and lean over to grab her by the handcuffs. He violently jerked her body back towards him causing her to let out a very real shriek of pain as her shoulders were wrenched backward. His arms hooked underneath hers as he yanked her upright before one arm wrapped around her midsection to hold her in a vice. Twisting her around to face him, Albert let out a huff of amusement at her muffled protests. When he was satisfied by the way he held her, he pushed the hair off her face. She flinched away from his fingers to no avail; her body was flush to his. She could feel his breath on her face.

Albert's voice was low and dangerous as he fingered the duct tape on her lips. "Did you say something, Olivia?"

Before she knew what was happening, he viciously ripped the tape from her lips in one jerk causing her to gasp in pain as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"Well?"

Her eyes were dark with anger when she recovered enough to glare him down. He cocked his head to the side waiting for a response. When she spoke, her voice was low but steady, "You're making a mistake Jones. I am an NYPD detective. My squad will hunt you down. They'll find me."

His face twitched as rage flashed across his features before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. The hand wrapped around her waist wandering upwards as he smirked at her.

Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear, "Oh, they will, will they?" He let out a groan as he fondled her breasts. Other than a sharp intake of breath, Olivia gave him nothing, staring straight ahead. She refused to give him a reaction.

Her skin was crawling. "They will."

At her words, he pulled back, his other hand moving quickly to grip her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes.

His words were simple but sent a shiver down her spine. "I'm going to put fear in these eyes."

Olivia swallowed heavily, still glaring him down defiantly as her stomach dropped. There was no emotion on his face as he appraised hers.

"I wonder how long it will take you to break."

Flashes of his previous crime scenes swam before her eyes as her face screwed up in disgust, her stomach churning. Show no weakness.

Her voice sounded more confident than she felt, "You won't break me."

An eerie smile spread across his face, "Do you promise?"

He let go of her face only for him to flinch back in surprise as Olivia took the opening and pushed her head forwards, clipping his chin. He wasn't fast enough and his head snapped back causing him to grunt in pain as she tried to push off of him without the use of her hands. He recovered quickly, too quickly, his grip around her midsection becoming painful as he scrambled to keep ahold of her.

"You bitch!"

Olivia struggled against him before Jones changed his mind, shoving her to the floor of the car with as much force as he could.

"Wrong move Olivia!"

She bit back a scream as she landed with her arms trapped under her, immediately twisting her body in a desperate attempt to gain some traction, to get herself into an upright position where she stood a better chance of taking him out. The sound of a car door slamming caused her to jump and she redoubled her efforts, straining against the duct tape on her legs.

His voice was furious but muffled through the car door, "Where are you going, detective!?"

The door in front of her was thrown open and he stared down at her with a murderous expression, the sunset behind him a brilliant orange. Olivia was still writhing on the car floor, attempting to break free when her eyes were immediately drawn to the gun in his hand. It was pointed directly at her and she didn't doubt for a second that he would use it if she pushed him too hard.

"Stop. Moving."

Olivia froze. "O-Okay, okay. You're in charge," she placated, her voice shaky and scared.

Jones cocked his head to the side as his eyes ran down her tense but still body. "That's more like it," he drawled as he leaned into the car, looming over her, "But it's too late." Olivia's eyes widened, staring down the barrel of the gun. No... No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't!

The sight was nearly his undoing. Now there's that fear.

Her eyes were trained on the gun so she was caught off guard as he lunged, letting out a shriek of pain when he grabbed her by the hair, yanking her towards him. As his arm wrapped around her neck and her body was dragged out of the car, she tried to slip out of his grasp once more but only succeeded in smashing her head against the side of the door. The blow disoriented her and gave him the opportunity he needed to drag her towards the back of the car.

The world was spinning around her and her vision was becoming spotty but Olivia knew a car trunk when she saw one. She also knew the feeling of a gun barrel pressed against her neck.

There was nothing she could do. He left her with one promise before his hands wrapped around her neck, before the trunk closed. Her death wouldn't be so kind as a bullet to the head. He'd make her suffer.

"Before you go, detective, one of the other residents found some papers scattered on the stairs. We're pretty sure they're Detective Benson's." The building super relayed the information casually to Nick as they headed away from Olivia's empty apartment. "They looked important so I've been keeping them safe for her in my office if you'd like to get them for her. I've called her several times but she still hasn't answered."

The man glanced to his left expecting a response only to startle as he didn't find Amaro next to him. He spun around confused to find Amaro a couple of paces behind him; he apparently had frozen in place at his words. Nick's face was almost pale as he spoke, "When were they found?"

The man looked unnerved by his unexpected and visceral reaction, "About 20-30 minutes ago? I'm sorry, am I missing something here?"

Nick's temper flared, "I don't know, you tell me!" He ran his hands through his hair to calm himself. When he spoke it was with careful control. "Sorry. And no one has seen her? Or anything suspicious?"

"No...? What's going on here detective?"

He ignored him. "I need the security cams from that staircase and the papers that were found. Now."

"O-Okay, just—" Amaro's eyes narrowed and the man swallowed heavily, "Yes, right away. I'll get them all just to be safe. If you could give me a moment."

He nodded, pulling out his phone to dial Munch, relieved as he answered on the first ring.

Munch got right to the point. "Did you find her?"

"No she wasn't in her apartment and her papers were found scattered all over the stairs, Munch." Amaro's voice was clipped and strained as he clutched the phone tightly, "Something happened to her. I can feel it in my gut."

The sergeant sounded troubled, "Okay, okay, Nick, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. She still hasn't answered her phone?"

"No, and it wasn't anywhere in her apartment, I checked."

"Damn," The worry in his voice was palpable. "Okay. I'm going to call the captain. In the meantime, get any security cam videos, check her apartment. Get back to me the second you have anything."

"I will." Before he could add anything more, he heard the sound of the super coming back; he had a stack of papers in his hands. "I need to go, Munch, I'll keep you updated." As he hung up, Nick turned to the man expectantly.

"Here are the papers. I can have the security tapes on a hard drive in 20 if you want to watch some of the tapes while we wait."

Nick only nodded, following the man with rising apprehension. What the hell was he going to find here? He sunk into the chair in front of the video monitors, blocking out the super's words of explanation as he pulled up and maximized the fuzzy video from the stair cam. Hands clutching the arms of the chair, Nick watched intently as the video rewound, the staircase flickering on the screen. His eyes widened at a flash of color.

"Wait stop! There!"

The super nodded and the video froze, successfully capturing the horrifying image of a masked figure dragging his partner's prone body up from the ground. The super's eyes bulged at the sight and he immediately started talking a mile a minute but none of it registered over the panic Amaro felt. His movements were robotic as he rewound farther back and watched the entire encounter. He winced as the man grabbed her hair, swallowed bile as he recognized the effects of chloroform. This couldn't be real. It couldn't. His hand rose to cover his mouth as he watched her collapse on the floor.

Oh god no. Olivia...

As she was dragged out of view, he turned to the flustered man beside him. His voice was deadly soft. "Where does that hallway lead? Where is he taking her?"

"I—There's an alley. I'll pull up that cam."

As he stepped aside, Nick pulled his phone with shaky hands, immediately dialing Cragen.

He only had one thought as he listened to it ring.

They had to find her. They had to.