The last 48 hours had been a nightmare for Ana the tape had been sent to all of her family and friends, but after that, the person had not leaked it to the internet as promised. She still couldn't believe that this was happening to her. Didn't she suffer enough? Why did someone just decide to torture her like this? She knew she would never forget the look on Ray's face when he arrived and pulled her into his arms promising to kill whoever had done this to her... and her mother... her mother had been rambling for over an hour on the phone while Ana had convinced her to finish her cruise before she could come to Seattle.

Truth be told, Ana just couldn't deal with her mother having a mental breakdown over this right now. Not when she was desperately trying to keep herself from a complete meltdown as well.

Now she was in her office working, while she knew that Christian had someone making sure that she was safe just outside the building. He hadn't been happy with her decision to go to work but right now work was all that was keeping her sane. In addition, she was really looking forward to her lunch because Jose was back from a photo job in South America and they wanted to have lunch together.

She had contacted him about five weeks ago and they had been texting back and forth for weeks now. Jose had worked for several magazines over the last four years and had managed to make a name for himself as a professional photographer. So, she was really looking forward to talk to him in person and hear about his jobs and all the traveling that came with it.

„Ana your lunch date is here." Hunter, her assistant, announced around noon and she got up took her purse and sent a quick text to Sawyer that she would leave for lunch now. She gave him the address of the restaurant and left her office to find Jose waiting for her.

„Ana!" he exclaimed and lifted her off her legs in a huge bear hug while she tried not to shove at him to let go of her. Ever since Jack had raped her, she had a hard time when it came to men touching her in any way. There were only three men with whom she didn't mind it namely her father, Gideon and Christian, but for some reason with Jose it felt wrong and she was glad when he put her down and left her personal space.

„You look great, Ana, I love the haircut." Jose said and Ana wanted to roll her eyes, she hadn't changed her hair cut at all, all she did now was to curl it a little bit and to use more expensive hair products so it looked shiny and healthy.

„You look great too, come my car is in the garage. The restaurant is a few blocks from here but their lunch menu is great." She explained and noticed the black SUV following them when she pulled her DB9 into traffic.

At the restaurant they got a table and started to talk, well Jose was talking and Ana did all the listening which was great for her because with all the drama in her life she didn't want to talk about herself.

After a while, she excused herself to use the bathroom and when she returned Jose went too. She glanced around quickly and emptied her iced tea in a flower pot before she ordered a new one. She wasn't sure if Jose had watched their drinks while she was using the restroom and right now she was way too paranoid to take any chances. She was just sipping on her new iced tea when Jose returned.

„Do you have a bit more time, Ana?"

„I still have an hour left, why?"

„I have rented a loft where I have all the photographs for my exhibition in four weeks from now, I would like to get your opinion."

„Oh... can you give me the address so I can check if I can get back in time?" She asked and he told her the address, which she checked on her phone. It wasn't really close by but if she didn't stay for more than fifteen minutes she could make it back in time for her next appointment. So, she sent the address with a quick text to Sawyer and then left with Jose.

„What's the theme for your exhibition?" Ana asked as she was driving.

„It's an ode to my muse." He smirked.

„I see, your girlfriend?"

„Love of my life." He simply said with a smile and Ana was happy that her friend had found love.

„When can I meet her?"

„Probably once we arrive."

„Oh, she lives with you?"

„No, but I hope for her to move in soon, we had a far distance relationship for a few years now but she moved to Seattle recently and we want to move in together soon." He explained.

„Well, I hope it works out for you." She said and slowed down a little because she noticed that there was a lot of traffic and the SUV had fallen behind a bit.

„If you drive around the corner over there we can use back entry. In the front is only a staircase, but I have a key for the service elevator in the back." Jose said when they had almost arrived at their destination, so Ana pulled up into the back alley and got out of the car with him where he led her into the building and into the service elevator.

Christian was sitting at his desk trying his hardest not to fucking lose it over Ana going to the fuckers place. He knew Ana wasn't interested in Jose but he had always disliked him, so this was driving him nuts.

„Sir we need to leave ASAP, I have already contacted Mr. Cross and Sawyer."

„Wait what... what is happening." He asked while he was following Taylor into the elevator.

„After Hyde got fired from SIP he moved to Portland where he worked for a publisher that fired him within five months after that he was hired by a magazine also located in Portland."

„So?"

„He worked there for a year editing travel articles and stuff like that. Now today I requested for Welsh to get me a background check of Jose Rodriguez... standard info just to make sure there are no red flags. At first I didn't notice it... then I looked at it again to make sure the loft he is taking Ana to really does exist which it does but then I saw that he and Hyde worked for the same magazine in Portland at the same time... could be coincidence but Rodriguez also lived in New York until very recently... in fact he moved back to Seattle a week after Ana did."

„Fuck... are you kidding me. Is there any other connection between Rodriguez and Hyde?"

„Not from the background check Welsh compiled this morning, but something about this just doesn't sit right with me. Could be nothing, but we are not in the position to take any chances. Especially because Rodriguez already has shown interest in Ana before, so it would make sense for him to lose his shit right after the picture of you and Ana have been all over the tabloids."

„God damn it, has Sawyer reported back?" Christian asked while Taylor was now driving.

„Yes, he managed to get into the building but it has twenty floors and Ana didn't tell him which floor the fucker's apartment is on." Taylor said grimly, he would not allow for any harm to come to Ana, not under his watch.

Ana stepped out of the elevator and followed Jose into the loft.

„Do you want to sit, Ana?" He asked watching her intently which kind of creeped Ana out.

„No, I have to leave in a few minutes, is your girlfriend here?"

„Yes." He simply said and went to the fridge in the corner.

„Soda, Ana?"

„No thank you, where is your girlfriend?" She asked because she couldn't see or hear anyone, so how would Jose be able to know that she was here.

„Do you want to see her... it's all over there." He said and pointed to the wall at the end of the great room.

Ana walked closer and while she did so for some reason the hair on the back of her neck was rising. She took her phone out to text Sawyer to come up but found that she had no reception.

„Everything alright, Ana?" Jose asked and she nodded as she slowly stepped closer to the wall that was filled with pictures which had not yet blown up and when she looked at them she took a step back. There were so many pictures of her. Here in Seattle with Kate and Mia, with her friends in New York, her going to and leaving work, at the gym.

„Have you been following me, Jose?" Ana asked trying to sound calm while everything inside her was getting ready to take his stalker ass down.

„Yes, you just left without a word, so I had to find you, especially after Jack shared some of his home movies with me." He said and suddenly she was mad but tried not to show it.

„So, you sent that video file to my family and friends?" She asked.

„Ana, it was for your own good, you are my girlfriend, you can't be with Grey he is not right for you. Did you know that he likes to hurt women?" Jose asked and Ana took a step back, Jose was clearly delusional.

„Jose I'm not your girlfriend, we are friends, remember and you hurt my feelings when you sent that video file, why would you do that?"

„Because you hurt me first, Ana. You chose Grey over me and then you ran without telling me if it wasn't for me stopping by at Ray's one day and hearing him talk to you about him visiting you in New York I would have never found you, but as it was I just had to follow Ray to find you. Do you even know how hard it was to get close to you with Cross having you watched?" He yelled at her.

„Why didn't you just call me or approach me when you knew where I was?"

„While you were fucking Cross? I get it, Ana you like rich guys who can spoil you rotten..."

„I never had a sexual relationship with Gideon, he is my friend just like you were my friend and I don't need anyone to spoil me!" She hissed at him, she knew this was not the time to get angry but Jose was making her so mad she couldn't see straight.

„I should have been more, Ana. I was supposed to be your boyfriend and then Grey came along and ruined everything!"

„Please calm down, we have always been just friends, we had known each other for four years and I never fell in love with you, Jose. Can't you see that we were not meant to be more than friends?" She asked while slowly trying to get some distance between them always making sure that she wasn't getting closer to the walls because the last thing she needed right now was to find herself backed up against a wall. She didn't want to do it, but inside she was getting ready to take Jose down.

„No, you loved me, Ana and I will show you soon. You know, I didn't like what Jack did to you, but it had me thinking all it needs for you to see how right I am for you is one night with me... so I put a little something into your iced tea while you left the table. Soon you won't be able to move and I will make you mine."

„You brought me here to rape me?" She gasped relieved that her fear of getting drugged had made her dump her iced tea and order a new one.

„No, I brought you here to make love to you, Ana, you are my girlfriend I would never hurt you, I just need to make you see how perfect we will be together." Jose said getting closer and closer to her and when he finally reached out to touch her years of self-defense and martial arts training kicked in for Ana and she reacted purely on instinct.

„Twelveth Floor." Taylor shouted at the men who were going through the building with him when Welsh finally called in with the information he needed. All four men ran up the staircase and when they reached the right floor Taylor and Sawyer only needed seconds to knock the door down just in time for all four men to find Ana standing above a moaning and clearly terrified Jose Rodriguez.

„Don't you ever dare to touch me again! I'm not your girlfriend nor will I ever be and if you move one fucking muscle before the cops arrive I will make you regret it!" She hissed at him looked up and saw Taylor, Sawyer, Gideon and Christian look at her with a mix of disbelieve and pride.

„There is no reception here, can someone please call the cops?" She asked them before she walked over to Christian and wrapped her arms around him.

„Are you ok, did he hurt you?" Christian asked.

„No, good thing I didn't trust him to watch my drink while I was using the restroom and got a new one, he was trying to drug me." She murmured still needing to hold onto Christian just a bit longer because it made her feel safe which was exactly what she needed right now.

She wasn't happy that she would have to open up to the police now but there was no other way to deal with Jose and she just wanted him locked up, so she could finally move on.

This was just one more piece of proof that she needed to learn to trust her instincts, because they had told her right away that something about Jose wasn't right, still she had ignored it but from now on she made a vow to herself to listen to her instincts more and trust to make the right choices...