Hot water ran over Jacob's back as he tried to relax himself. Steam rose in waves and clouded the small bathroom. The water temperature was scalding. It was hot enough to burn off skin. His skin though, was already burnt to a crisp. The scars on his body had been accumulated over several years. Most of them had come from the war. He had been shot at, been on fire, and had chemicals dumped on him. Bumps and scar tissue covered almost every inch of his body. It was truly gruesome to look at.

Women had never told him that to his face, but they thought the same. He had been with several women in between deployments. They were just flings, something to ease his pain for the night. Sometimes he would watch their reactions. He could see the disgust in their eyes as they roamed over his scarred and blackened chest. He didn't blame them, but it had hurt a little at the time.

No one wanted him. His parents didn't. His father had beaten him senseless almost every day. Old Man Seed got mad at him for countless things. Most of the time it wasn't even his fault. Jacob had never let him lay a finger on John or Joseph though. He fought his old man for years. That was until social services caught whiff of what had been going on at the Seed house. By then it was too late, the damage had been done.

After that, he and his brothers went to a foster home. They had all been together but it was awful. Their foster parents hadn't wanted children, they wanted workers. They didn't get to even sleep in the house. They slept in a barn, with the animals. They worked day and night for those people. One day Jacob had enough of it. He woke Joseph and John early that day and told them that they were leaving. He had already covered the house in gasoline. All Jacob had to do was throw the match and light the place ablaze. He could still hear the screams of his foster parents. That was the first time he had ever killed someone. He was 15 at the time.

He got thrown in juvy. It hadn't been too bad. His father hadn't been there to beat him. When he turned 18 they gave him two options. He could either go to jail for murder, or serve his country in the US Army. He chose the latter. The Army was the only thing he was ever good at. Everything was simple. There was always a mission or a target, something. He was injured and decorated several times. Eventually though, the Army threw him away. Just like everyone else had. He ended up back in his hometown of Rome, Georgia. His money ran out after a while and the only place left to go was the homeless shelter. He had nothing and no one…

Jacob had been lost in thought when he felt small arms wrap around his midsection. He turned his head to see her.

It was his little lamb, Liz.

What was she doing here? She shouldn't be here. They've never done anything before, she hated him. And part of him hated her in return. But there she stood with her naked form wrapped around him. This was out of place but at the same time it felt just, right. Like this was always how it has been.

Her hair was already wet from the stream of hot water. She wore her typical smirk. Her eyes didn't have the same glint of sadness. There was joy in her eyes. She was happy. Happy to see him.

"Hi Jacob." She pressed soft kisses onto his back, he groaned in response.

"What are you doing here little lamb?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

That was the last thing he wanted. There would have been a time in his life where he would have pushed her away. A time when he thought that having anyone he was close to was weakness. He didn't want to be alone anymore.

"No."

Her body squirmed around him until she was wrapped around his front. He looked down at her and his eyes grew wide. That wasn't right. Jacob backed away from her in a panic until his back hit the shower wall.

"What's wrong Jacob?"

"Jacob?" She gave him a puzzled look.

Blood covered her hands and face. Her lips were cracked and drenched in the thick red substance. The blood ran down her body and flowed down the drain. Her eyes were deep set and completely black in color. Bruises rested on her neck and collarbones. Her ribs were protruding from her sides. There was the tip of an arrow was stuck in one of her legs. On the other there were three long claw marks that showed raw flesh.

He tried to speak but the words were stuck in his throat. She didn't show any pain. There was a sweet smile on her face despite the blood that flowed from her mouth. She giggled. That was something she had never done before.

"Do I have something on my face, soldier?"

...

Jacob sat bolt right up in his desk chair, chest heaving. He wasn't in the shower. He was in his office. It was all a dream. He buried his face into his hands.

Nightmares were a frequent occurrence for Jacob. They prevented him from getting any sleep. He would sleep for 30 minutes here, an hour there. The nights were restless. Most of the time he slept in his desk chair, his bed always laid untouched. He saw countless horrors in his dreams. Most of the time it was with his brothers. He would have to watch helpless as John and Joseph were beaten, shot at, and lit on fire. There was nothing he could do to save them. Other times Miller showed up. Miller would always taunt him and tell him that he was weak. That he wasn't good for anything but killing.

Tonight was the first time she appeared in his dreams. It wouldn't be the last.

What had appeared to be a peaceful dream, quickly turned into a nightmare. Why did she have to show up too? He had hurt her tonight. It wasn't something that he had wanted to do. But she was prepared to rip his throat out. If he hadn't done something, his men would have questioned him. She was always so insistent on fighting him, never giving in until today. He enjoyed beating Pratt, he hadn't enjoyed beating her.

It hadn't been the way he wanted that to go. Any chance of that was gone. She would probably run away from him now. The though of her pleads when he had thrown her made him uneasy. He had thought a lot about stopping. He should have stopped, but he hadn't. Jacob threw her into that cage until she was bleeding and begging for mercy.

He looked at the clock on his desk. It read 4:23 AM. There was no point in trying to get anymore sleep, everyone would be awake soon. He got up from the chair and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't meant to fall asleep in his chair but it had been a long day. Was it only yesterday morning when the Deputy was captured? It felt so long ago.

Most nights when he couldn't sleep he would pace across the grounds of the veteran's center. That was pretty much every night. He left his office, shutting the door behind him. It was quiet. Most of his men were asleep right now. There were still a few handful of his soldiers up though. They guarded the perimeter and kept this place safe.

He wandered the halls of the veteran's center. His heavy boots were silent on the tile floor. There were a million thoughts running through his head but he knew exactly where he was going. His feet carried him all the way to the barracks on the first floor. Her room was on the far end. She would be alone now. Jacob had made sure that she got put in a room with a few of the night guards. She never had to see them.

There were several hoops Jacob had to jump through to get her here. There were practically no women in his army, and for good reason. His men couldn't do their job if they were distracted. And she was a hell of a distraction. He had even allowed himself to get distracted by her. Joseph didn't allow any of his followers have sex before marriage but it was hard to control sometimes. When she first got here, a few of his Chosen were placing bets on who could get to the girl first. Jacob had put a bullet in all of their skulls. His only regret was not making them suffer more.

He slowed when he reached the doorway. He should just leave. Nothing good would come from talking to her. It would only make her cry again and make him be pissed at himself. He couldn't stop himself though. He stepped through the door-frame and he saw her.

She was curled up in bed, still wearing her dark coat and boots. Tear streaks stained her cheeks. Ugly dark bruises covered her neck, just like in his dream. Bruises that he had given her. She looked so small curled up there, so fragile. He didn't want to feel guilty but he did. He had been dreaming of her, while in reality she had cried herself to sleep.

Jacob thought about waking her up. He thought about taking her back up to his office and explaining to her that he was wrong. That he shouldn't have hit her. He wanted to so badly but he didn't though. If he did that would mean that cared about her. It would mean that he was weak. He let his back rest on the wall and watched her sleep.

Why did he care so much about this damn girl? She had been a thorn in his side from day one. She had tried to kill him several times and cussed him out at every possible opportunity. But she was a challenge, one he had never had before.

Despite her breakdown, she was strong. She was. She was smart too, that was where her strength came from. Physically she couldn't overpower anyone, but she could out-think them. She faced every obstacle strategically, always thinking about the options and the outcomes. He could tell by the way she was lost in thought sometimes. That strategy was what allowed her to escape for a bit at the church and helped her kill that bear.

If she wasn't strong she wouldn't have succeeded in the trials. His little lamb had blown through the first three trials like they were nothing. That was a feat that most people didn't even come close to. Liz wouldn't make her sacrifice though. He knew that from the beginning. There was still time to convince her.

He had been soft on her until today. He should have never been soft on her. A part of him didn't care though. Jacob could do whatever the hell he wanted. To him, his work was the most important out of all the heralds. The only person he ever listened to was Joseph. No one had control over him. If he wanted someone to keep him company, than he could.

She was a tool, that's all she was. He had to remember that but… she was his favorite tool.

Jacob liked having her around. She listened to him, most of the time. She was his little shadow, always around. He liked when she cleaned his weapons. It was nice having her to do things for him. He also liked their chitchat. It was something that has kept him sane for the past couple weeks. They didn't even have to talk most of the time though. Just her presence was soothing.

Truthfully though, he felt like an ass. Yesterday did not go as planned. Jacob had thought things were going to go very differently. He would have much rather kept the Deputy waiting while he spent time with her. That didn't happen though.

In the control room he was positive that she would have shot him. He would have let her. If he died fighting for Joseph than it wouldn't matter. Jacob didn't care if he died. He faced death time and time again but somehow walked away from it every time. Someday his luck would run out, and he was ready for it

He inched closer to her bed. Her face was still buried in the pillow. For some reason, he hated watching her cry. Jacob had seen hundreds of women cry, each time at his expense. He even killed most of them too. Each time he felt nothing. It was just culling the herd. This girl had managed to make him give a shit about her. How the hell was she able to do that?

There was nothing he could say to her or do for her. Nothing that would change either of their minds. He wanted things to be different but couldn't have her. He couldn't be weak. This is the path that they had been put on. Maybe in another life things could have be different.

The blanket on her bed had fallen down, he pulled it back up over her. He didn't touch her. If he did, he would only want more. The thought about killing her flashed through his mind. Not out of cruelty, but out of peace. Make it quick and painless. So, she wouldn't have to suffer with this life anymore. It would save him so much trouble and spare him from any feelings he might have. It would make him strong… but he couldn't. He didn't want to kill her.

Jacob fled the room with conflicted thoughts. She would be up soon anyways. The last thing he wanted was her to know that he had been watching her sleep. He paced the grounds until his soldiers woke up. When it was a little past five a.m. he made his way back inside. He leaned on the railing of the second floor. He could see the mess hall from there.

Most of his soldiers were groggy in the morning. How pathetic. When he was over in Iraq, he had to be ready in a moment's notice. He never got a warm bed or guaranteed food in the morning. He had to wake up every morning not knowing if it would be his last. His soldiers were weaker than he would like them to be. It would only take one example to get them back in line.

He looked down to see his little lamb awake. She had clearly tried to pull herself together. The tears were gone from her eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He was glad to see her not bawling her eyes out. She found Pratt and immediately flocked to him. Pratt ignored her and pulled his hand away from her.

'Good boy.'

Jacob couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The beating he had given the young deputy had been effective. Pratt was quickly learning his place. They were still sitting together though. He didn't like that. He gave Pratt a look. The deputy's eyes grew in fear and he pissed himself trying to get away from Liz. That was more like it.

A frown crossed the girl's face. The same glint of sadness in her eyes. She turned her head and locked eyes with him. Jacob gave her a big smirk. He wanted her to know what had caused Pratt to run away. The girl slowly looked around, checking who was around. He loved watching the wheels in her head turn. She was always planning out her next move. She gave him a sweet smile before flipping him off. He chuckled. That was his girl. Her fiery spirit had returned. There was hope for her just yet. She kept her eyes trained on the floor as she walked off.

Jacob went back to his office, shutting the door behind him. He felt so conflicted about Liz. What the hell was he going to do with her? The past few days had been confusing. He's thought about things that he hadn't in years. Felt things he thought he could never feel. The girl was a distraction, his weakness. He could either succumb to his weakness or dispose of her. He didn't want to do either, but he couldn't just sit on it forever. Tonight he would make a decision on what to do with her. He would try to convince her one more time. If she refused, he would be done.

He sat down at his desk and turned on one of the CB radios. All of the white Eden's Gate trucks were bugged. Jacob had figured out how to wiretap the trucks a few years ago. He could listen in to anything his soldiers said. Most of the time there were no problems. But he wanted to know what his men said when they thought they weren't being watched.

The CB he was holding went to her truck. He listened to her conversations some days. She talked a lot when she wasn't angry or upset. He'd heard lots of her stories. She mostly talked about her times growing up in Hope County. Jacob tuned the radio on and listened in.

"He didn't want you to know. I sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to disobey him. You know what he would do."

That was the girl's partner, Marcus. The old man was the perfect person to keep her calm. He had been with The Project since the early days. He was one of the first people to join the Chosen when the army was just starting in the mountains. Jacob had given the old man three rules to dealing with her: (1) Don't tell the girl anything about Eli and the Whitetails (2) Let her talk as much as she wanted (3) And to shoot her in the head if she tried to run away

"Do you know who I am?"

"Everyone knows who you are. Jacob won't let anyone forget that Eli Palmer's niece works for him. He uses you to intimidate Eli. That's all, I know that. Some people think other things happen."

It was the truth. A lot of people knew who the girl was. The video that played all over the mountains made sure of that. He's caught more Whitetails trying to rescue her than he ever had before. Eli was running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get her back. What Jacob told her that night in the cabin was all a lie. He just wanted her to be broken.

"What other things, Marcus?"

"You know…"

Jacob could picture the agitation that would be on her face. Her nose always scrunched up when she was angry or flustered.

"They think I'm sleeping with him? What the hell! That's… Why would they… No! Just no! I'm 20! He almost killed me! That's just disgusting…"

His grip tightened on the radio. That kind of hurt. Jacob knew he wasn't the most attractive man but it still wasn't something that he wanted to hear. He shut off the radio. He felt stupid. Of course she wouldn't want him. Why did he think any differently? His little lamb was no different than all of those other women. She would never look at him the way she did in his dream. That would never come true. But it was a good thing that it wouldn't.

Jacob had never thought of their age difference before. She was young, he knew that. Was it wrong that he wanted her even though they were 27 years apart in age? He was old enough to be her father but honestly… he didn't give a shit. He just wanted her to make her sacrifice. Anything else could be figured out later. If she did, all of this confliction could go away.

She would get one more chance. If she didn't listen to him, then it would be out of his hands. Jacob would try to make it as painless as possible. Tell her that it's nothing personal and that he wished it could have different. He wouldn't take joy in it but it had to be done.

Boom!

Jacob perked his head up and walked out onto the balcony. He could see the fiery explosion from his office. It was one of his wolf beacons. That was the one Liz had gone to. He ran out of his office, stomping down the stairwell all the way to his truck.

As the tires sped along the gravel road, he couldn't help but wonder if she was dead. She might have been too close to the blast and burned to death. That was a fate he wouldn't have wished on her. Being on fire was not pleasant. It was one of the worst ways to die, he knew firsthand. Only when it happened to him he didn't die. He just got to live with the pain.

Jacob had thought about killing her tonight but he would have given her a choice. He hadn't wanted that choice made for him. He didn't want to stumble across her body. Not when there was still a chance she would join him.

When he reached the beacon it was still burning. The orange glow of the flames carried through the dark forest. He braced himself for the worst. This was no doubt the Deputy's doing. He had already blown up two of his other beacons. That cowboy really had a way of pissing Jacob off.

There were two dead wolves laying a few feet away from the beacon. The gray fur turned an ugly black. There was also a body, it was still smoldering from the flames. It was Marcus. What a shame that he was dead. He was a valued member of his Chosen. He served his purpose though. Nothing could be done. Jacob searched the area but didn't find a second body.

Liz was gone. The Deputy had taken her.

She was gone, not dead. She was probably with Eli right now. Jacob could feel the anger boiling inside him. Now he had nothing, no leverage to taunt the Whitetails with and he didn't have her…

Jacob's fist collided with the passenger side window of his truck. The force put a large crack down the center. He punched it two more times before it shattered into a hundred pieces. The shards of glass covered the seat inside. His fist was bloody and there were two pieces of glass wedged in between his knuckles. He pulled the shards out. His bleeding hand didn't bother him, he had endured worse pain. He never broke out in anger like this, but the Deputy had stepped over the line.

He pulled out his radio to call his hunters. "Find the Deputy. He's taken one of our own."

"Sir, do you want us to capture him?"

"No. Just find out where he went. I'll handle it myself after that."

The Deputy was going to pay for taking her. Cowboy could play his little games but this was one too far. Jacob still needed him, but he had to be punished for this. He made a call out to him.

"Y'Know Deputy, I had such high hopes for you. But I have to say that I am disappointed. The girl was not yours to take. She understood her role, that's something you still need to learn. I am willing to overlook this though… if you just bring her back to me. She stays with me and you go free."

Only static came from the other end. He didn't expect the Deputy to respond. Cowboy was practically a mute and hadn't spoken at all.

"Yeah that's not gonna happen. She's safe with the Whitetails. Besides, I'm sure she enjoys being with her family more than she enjoys being with you."

Jacob quirked his eyebrow. So he does speak and so boldly. It was only yesterday that Jacob had the Deputy strapped to a chair. Now he thought that he could just talk to Jacob like that.

"If you refuse my offer Cowboy and continue to support Eli, that hope will cease to exist. But I have confidence that you'll make the right choice in the end. If not, you'll all pay in blood."

He shut off the radio. The Deputy wasn't going to bring her back. That's okay, his hunters would find him. He would pay for this. She would be home soon. He flexed his hand. Punching that window was not a good idea. He didn't know what had come over him. Most of the time when he was angry he could control himself. Not when it came to her though.

He climbed back into his truck and sped back to the compound. His men would deal with the destroyed beacon. What was he going to do now? Eli had the girl. That made matters much more complicated.

Jacob paced around the grounds of the veteran's center once again. Walking kept him calm. It kept him from doing anything else irrational. Most of his Chosen were on edge as well. Things were changing for them. It had been silent for years and all of a sudden this Deputy shows up and threatens The Project. Cowboy wasn't a huge threat, but if he wasn't taken seriously he would destroy everything Jacob worked so hard to build.

The sun was slowly coming up. All the operations at his compound were in full motion. He glanced over the judge cages, expecting to see golden hair, but saw nothing. She was gone. Jacob couldn't believe himself. He spent the whole morning trying to decide what to do with her. Now that the choice was out of his hands, he just wanted her back. He didn't like it when choices were made for him. Jacob needed to be in control all the time.

He kept himself busy by intimidating some of the Whitetails they caught the other day. Man, was it fun to watch them piss their pants. Some would try not to act scared, but deep down they were cowards. That's all the Whitetails were, children. They couldn't run and they couldn't fight. All they did was hide. He thought that having the girl would break Eli. It did, somewhat. But now she was back with him.

Maybe this wasn't too terrible though. Eli probably took her to the Wolf's Den. If Jacob could get her back, she would able to tell him everything. She was much chattier than the Deputy was. It would only take some persuasion. He had actually given her a job here, a purpose. Her Uncle would probably just stuff her in the bunker to keep her safe. If he got Liz back, he could make her talk.

Jacob could lure his little lamb back home. It would take some time. But when she came back to him, she could crush the Whitetails with a single blow.

There was still no word from his hunters. They hadn't contacted him on the radio. The Deputy hadn't been able to avoid them the first time, so what was taking so long now?

After awhile, He spotted one of his hunters approaching him. Speak of the devil. A few of the others stood back. This was going to be good.

"Sir, I have some bad news… The Deputy and the girl are gone." There was fear in his voice. There damn well should be fear in him.

"What do you mean they're gone? Where did The Deputy go?" His didn't raise his voice but his tone was still cold.

"They vanished. We followed his tracks for a while but then they just stopped."

Jacob sighed. His hunters were supposed to be better than this. He didn't want excuses, he wanted results. It was just one damn deputy, how hard could it be to find him? In one swift motion, he drew his knife and jabbed it into the gut of his hunter. The man cried out in pain.

"Shhhh. Don't fight it. You served your purpose."

He pulled his knife out. The blade was the exact same shade as the handle. The man fell over on the ground, still holding his insides. He bled out on the ground. The other hunters stood frozen in fear. It only took one. Using one person as an example could always get everyone else back in line.

"You come back with results, or you don't come back. If you have excuses next time, you'll all meet the same fate."

The hunters scurried away, with the fear of god in them. Good, they needed to stop being weak. There weren't many places that the Deputy could go, he would be found eventually.

Jacob walked around some more and went back up to his office. He used a rag to clean the blood off his knife. It wasn't as enjoyable as having her do it for him. His little lamb was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

There was a million things he needed to do but he didn't feel like doing any of them. His men could survive without him. He milled around the compound all day, not wanting to go anywhere. Not without her. He needed his distraction. He was surprised by how dull things seemed without her. Jacob had the same routine for years, doing the same things every day. All it took was one stupid girl to come and screw the whole thing up. He didn't miss her. Why would he? When they were together they barely even talked. They were practically strangers, but he wanted her back.

Day turned to night as he kept himself busy. He paced around for hours, trying to plan his next move. His body only stopped to rest when the stars were shining in the sky. He turned on one of the radios at his desk and flipped through the frequencies. Sometimes he would be able to pick up conversations from nearby resistance members.

"This is a shout out to my girl Liz Palmer. The Whitetails are real glad to have you safe and fighting with us. This song's for you."

It was that teenager that was always with Eli. He was always yammering on the radio about stupid shit. That kid was annoying as hell.

Jacob recognized the song instantly. It was by Van Halen, it came out in '79.

'Have you seen her? So fine and pretty. Fooled me with her style and ease.

And I feel her from across the room. Yes, it's love in the third degree.'

The music carried through his office. It had been a long time since he had listened to something that wasn't related to The Project. The 70's had the best music though, by far. It was the music of his childhood.

'Oh, baby baby. Won't-cha turn your head my way?'

He was around eight years old when this music was popular. There were a lot of terrible times in his childhood but some things weren't so bad. He would steal money from his father's wallet and go to one of the stores in town. There would be records to listen to that he could never afford to buy. Sometimes he would steal some of them for his brothers. It would be a little something that made life easier.

'Oh, baby baby. Ah come on take a chance.

You're old enough to Dance the night away.'

There couldn't be a better song to describe her. She was so fine and pretty. And sure as shit fooled him with her style and ease.

'Whoa-oh (ah) come on g-girl, dance the night away.'

His little lamb was probably dancing the night away somewhere. It just wouldn't be with him…