Pushing open the door, I entered the lobby of Jessica's apartment building. The elevators were at the back of the small space and I headed over, pushing the button and crossing my arms, waiting to see which of the elevator doors opened first.

The door to my left slid open a minute later and two people got out of the elevator–a young couple. The auburn haired woman glared at me as she dragged the man by his wrist out after her. I stepped back, giving them space to pass. The man smiled shyly, shooting me a small wave.

"Haven't seen you here before," he said softly.

The woman dragging his arm paused, turning around and rounding on him.

"Don't talk to her, Ruben!" her eyes darted back to me, her lip curling back as she hissed at me–actually hissed . "Stay away from my sweet brother, witch."

For a moment I just stood there, mouth agape, dumbfounded, before the elevator doors started to close. I jumped forward, slipping a hand in between the doors before they could completely shut and jumped inside when they began to reopen. I pushed the button for the fifth floor and then stepped back. As the doors began to close around me, I saw the young man glance back and openly stare at me as his sister roughly pulled him along.

"Weird," I mumbled to myself as the elevator rose.

Once I'd reached Jessica's floor, I made my way down the poorly lit, dingy hallway to the very end. I rapped lightly against the glass of her door and waited. Eventually I heard movement; the sound of shuffling feet, a light thud followed by an angry curse. Shortly after, I could make out a figure behind the door.

I was greeted with Jessica's half-awake frown as she swung the door open. She eyed me for a moment, one brow raised.

"I told you I'd come check on you and Malcolm after work today," I told her.

She shrugged and pulled the door open wider before walking back into her apartment. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. I was about to follow after her when I saw a blank envelope on the floor, as if someone had slid it under the door. I bent over and picked it up before heading towards the living room.

"Hey," a voice greeted me.

I turned and spotted Malcolm wrapped in a cocoon of blankets partially upright on Jessica's orange couch. His skin was still pale like it had been last night.

"Hey," I greeted him. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I'm going through withdrawal," he mumbled.

"He's been doing good," Jessica grumbled as she sat on her desk, grabbing a bottle of alcohol from beside herself and taking a drink.

"How're you doing?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "Not so good after failing horribly yesterday."

"It's not your fault," I told her. "Anything could have gone wrong. It was a good plan. It's not like we won't keep trying."

She scoffed, rubbing a hand down her face. "Yeah, he's just going to be ready for it now." Her eyes glanced down to the envelope in my hand and she nodded her head towards it. "What's that?"

"Looks like it was slipped under your door," I told her, walking over and handing it to her. "Not sure what it is. Have you been asleep all day?"

She eyed me blankly before grunting, "Sort of been up all night with him." Her head gestured towards Malcolm. "Been tired."

I nodded, watching as she began to tear open the envelope. She pulled a slip of paper out and began reading, her eyes suddenly growing wide before they landed on me.

"You said you told Kilgrave to leave last night," she shot.

"I did," I told her, brows knitting together in confusion. "Why? Is that…is that from him?"

She jumped off her desk and held out the sheet of paper for me. I snatched it from her hands and began to read.

Dearest Jess,

I expect you'll deliver this message to Olivia. If you both wish to save the addict and forgo his job of delivering your photos to me, I require Olivia to send a picture at the number below. Every day at exactly 10AM.

Or else our nosey little addict might take a little too much next time.

Be seeing you soon, little dove.

Mortified, I dropped the letter and watched as it gently floated to the ground between our feet. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"I thought you said you made him leave last night," Jessica snapped again before pointing a finger roughly at the letter on the floor. "What is that?"

"I did," I told her again. "I told him to leave and forget he'd come here. He must have, otherwise I don't think he'd have just had a letter slipped under your door." I ran a frantic hand through my hair a few times as I tried to think. "He left this for me at your place, which means he doesn't know where I live. Yet."

"Great, so he's making house calls for you here too now?" she quipped sarcastically. "Makes my skin crawl to know he was here while I was sleeping."

I shook my head as I turned back towards her. "No," I told her, "he could have made anyone slip this under your door. That's the more likely route. After last night we got too close for comfort for him. He's scared. I don't think he did this himself."

"How do you know?" Jessica asked, eyes narrowing at me.

"Because he's making threats and demands. He feels cornered. Trapped. He's trying to take back control," I told her slowly. "When he found me last night, he was weak. We weakened him. It's the only reason I was able to control him so well."

"So now is the time to hit him," Jessica said firmly. "He's feeling threatened, he's going to make mistakes."

"We don't even know where he is," I reminded her.

For a moment we eyed each other in silence, and then slowly we both turned to face Malcolm. He was sitting fully upright on the sofa now, rubbing a hand across his nose. At the sudden silence he turned towards us and froze.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

"Do you know anything about where Kilgrave has been hiding?" I asked hopefully.

Malcolm shook his head tiredly as he scratched the back of his neck.

"He only ever had me go to that park," he told us. "At exactly ten every morning he would have someone tell me where to meet him. It wasn't always the same." He paused, running a hand down his face. "He never really said much. Just had me hand over the photos and he'd…he'd give me more heroin. Usually he uh…didn't need to use his abilities on me…the…the drugs were incentive enough and he knew that."

"Fucking Kilgrave," Jessica growled, slamming her fist on the desk. It shuddered at the gesture. "Is there anything you can give me that we can actually use to catch him?"

I bit my lip in thought for a moment, something suddenly not adding up with what Malcolm had just said.

"I mean, I don't know," he said slowly, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself. "Maybe if we pooled our collective information on him we could find something."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "If you want to discuss Kilgrave you should go to that survivors group, but if you want to help us catch him then give me something I can actually use."

Noting my silence, she frowned and abruptly turned towards me, nudging me with an elbow. I jumped, startling briefly at the gesture.

"You're thinking awfully hard. You got something?" she asked.

"It's just…that's twice now," I mused aloud.

Jessica's frown deepened as she raised a curious brow. "Twice for what?"

"The bodyguards yesterday? They were paid, not compelled," I told her. "Because he was afraid to lose his powers and be left without protection, right?"

Malcolm leaned forward on the sofa, interest rising at my words. Jessica's eyes remained narrowed as she listened.

"And with Malcolm…he must have compelled you at first. To do the drugs, get addicted, and stalk Jessica. He must have known eventually your addiction would be enough incentive so he wouldn't need to use his abilities to control you…" I paused, frowning. "There's something there. Twice now he's covered his ass in case he lost his ability. Why?"

"Because you're here?" Jessica pointed out.

I shook my head quickly. "No, he seemed genuinely surprised when he saw me yesterday. He had no clue I was here, I can't believe he faked that."

She shrugged. "He always has backup plans in case something doesn't go right. That's not new."

"Fearing the loss of his ability? That's new," I countered. "I was with him for almost two years and even knowing what I could do he never had done anything like that."

"Maybe he started after you left?" she suggested with a faint shrug.

"Maybe…but I don't feel like that's it," I told her slowly. "There's something there, I can feel it, but I just can't…I can't find the connection."

A knock suddenly came from the door and we all froze, the conversation coming to an immediate halt. A large, shadowy figure was visible behind the glass. I took a tentative step forward as Jessica slid off her desk and slowly walked past me. Malcolm rolled off of the couch and carefully looked around the wall between the living room and entry.

"Who is it?" Jessica asked cautiously.

"Luke," came a deep voice from behind the door.

Jessica tensed at the name, both Malcolm and I noticing and sharing a look.

"Who's Luke?" Malcolm whispered.

Jessica waved a hand at him before making her way to the front door. Both Malcolm and I followed. She hesitated a moment before speaking again.

"What do you want?" she called through the closed door.

There was a light sigh before Luke answered. "I want to hire you," he told her.

Malcolm's eyes widened in response. "This late at night?" He shook his head quickly. "He's been Kilgraved !"

Jessica hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob.

"Open the door, Jones," Luke called out.

"Don't!" Malcolm whispered harshly back.

"If he is… Kilgraved ," I whispered, "I can undo it."

Jessica nodded and then opened the door wide. Malcolm tensed beside me in anticipation of a fight as I surveyed the man at the door. He was tall, broad shouldered and even more built than Matt. He was handsome. And clearly confused to see Malcolm and I standing behind Jessica.

"Are you hurt?" she asked first. Immediately she shook her head and in a morose tone added, "Sorry that's a stupid question."

Malcolm was throwing off his bundle of blankets, his breathing heavy as he stared the man down. Luke raised a single brow curiously.

"Just keep your distance," he warned Luke. "Or else I'll have to kick your ass."

Luke's brow raised even higher as Jessica turned and shot Malcolm a look. I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and shook my head lightly.

"If he had been Kilgraved you'd be dead by now," Jessica told Malcolm. She looked between the two of us and then gestured her head towards the hall. "Go, I'll be fine."

"What's a Kilgrave?" Luke asked curiously, his eyes darting between the three of us.

"Doesn't matter," she answered him.

Malcolm hesitated, clearly not trusting leaving Jessica alone with this stranger. I pulled lightly against his shoulder, trying to lead him towards the hall.

"Come on, she's okay," I told him. I glanced at Jessica and shot her a serious look. "Call or text if you need anything."

I pulled Malcolm down the hall towards his own place, all the while he kept side-eyeing Luke as we went.

"She's fine , Malcolm," I assured the man as we stopped in front of his door. He was still glaring at Luke. "But hey, how about if I give you my number? If you need something or Kilgrave shows up you can call me. I'll try to come help."

"Yeah…yeah, okay," he said, pulling his eyes away as Luke followed Jessica into her apartment.

We exchanged numbers quickly, and as I was putting my phone into my jacket pocket I noticed the look he was giving me.

"What?" I asked him curiously.

"You should go to that survivors group," he suggested. "I uh…I'm thinking of going."

I glanced away, swallowing hard. That group wouldn't be a place for me, not with what I'd gone through.

"We could go together," he offered. "If you'd feel more comfortable. I just…I think it would be good. To help…heal."

"Yeah," I answered quietly. "I can think about it..."

"I'll text you when they meet again," he told me.

I nodded, glancing back up at him and smiling softly. "I'm glad you're doing better, Malcolm. I'm sorry for what he did to you."

"It's not your fault," he replied.

Sure feels like it.

"Make sure you call or text if you need something," I reminded him. "I'll see you later."

I headed back down the hall towards the elevator, fighting hard to push the guilt down.

A few minutes later, I left Jessica's building and began walking without a particular destination in mind, my mind mulling over and over the question that had arisen in Jessica's apartment: What could possibly have Kilgrave afraid of the loss of his powers? Surely he didn't know I was in New York City? The look when he saw me crossing the street before Simpson used his dart gun had looked like genuine shock and surprise.

Quickly I began to work up a mental list of possibilities:

Kilgrave is somehow an amazing actor and knew I was here and trying to take him down. It's possible…considering I'd been at Jessica's before Malcolm stopped spying, but my gut still didn't believe it.

Kilgrave has become overly cautious with protecting himself ever since I left. Also a possibility, knowing he might someday run into me again.

There's someone else here who's immune to him, someone else who could get close enough to take him down. Someone he's afraid of besides me. Someone who might have him concerned that his powers can be overcome.

Of all the possibilities I could think of at the moment, the second one seemed the most likely. There's no way Kilgrave could fake surprise like he did; the man has never needed to lie in his life.

And as for someone else immune…it was possible. Meeting Jessica and Matt, with their different abilities, had opened my eyes up to the fact that there are others like me out there. But neither Matt nor Jessica had been immune to Kilgrave's commands, so the likelihood of there being someone else on Kilgrave's radar with abilities more like mine seemed…slim.

My phone ringing in my pocket caused me to jump slightly. The harsh noise effectively pulled me out of my thoughts as I dug my hand into my jacket pocket, digging the phone out. I smiled despite myself at Matt's name on the screen. He'd stayed over last night after changing out of his vigilante costume. Not much had happened; when he came back I was beat and ready for bed. He refused to sleep anywhere but on the couch. By the time I woke up, he was getting ready to head back to his apartment to get ready for work. We hadn't had a chance to speak since.

"Hey Matt," I answered the phone, the smile still on my face.

"Hello Olivia," his smooth voice came through the phone. A moment later he asked curiously, "You're not home?"

My eyes narrowed as I crossed a street. "Uh no? How'd you…?" I paused, shaking my head. "Nevermind. No, I just left Jessica's. I wanted to check on her and Malcolm."

"And how are they?" he asked over the sounds of shuffling on his end.

"About as good as can be expected," I said, stuffing my free hand into my jacket pocket to keep it warm. I headed towards the corner of the street and paused, frowning at the street signs. "Jessica is upset we messed up yesterday–I don't blame her. Malcolm decided to quit the heroin cold turkey; he seemed better than last night at least."

"You lead a very interesting social life," he joked.

"One could say the same about you," I told him distractedly, scratching the back of my head before turning right and continuing on. "So I'm guessing you called for a reason?"

"Hearing your voice isn't a reason?" he teased between the shuffle of what sounded like papers.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't fight the grin at his words.

"That's the only reason?" I pushed.

"Well, no…" he admitted slowly. "I was just wondering…" he paused and cleared his throat. "I was working late with Foggy and Karen, getting ready for the actual trial tomorrow for that first paying customer of ours. You know the one we were talking about the other night?"

"Yes," I prompted.

"Well we are just leaving the office now–I mean, not together, Foggy and Karen already left a minute ago," he continued rambling.

"Matt?"

"Hmm?"

I laughed lightly as I paused at another street, brows furrowing at the street number. How had I gone in this direction without realizing it?

"Is there something you're trying to ask me?" I pried, focusing on our conversation again.

He cleared his throat again and I waited patiently for him to continue.

"I was wondering if you've eaten dinner yet? I didn't get a chance and I was wondering–I mean I know it's kind of late and you usually eat dinner before now–but I could pick something up on my way back home, we could…eat…together?" he asked in a rush, sounding a little unsure.

"No, I haven't eaten," I told him. "I rushed to Jessica's after work so I haven't had a–wait," I said, stopping abruptly on the sidewalk, "how do you know when I usually eat dinner?"

"Well," Matt said, chuckling nervously, "I can usually smell when there's food being made at your apartment. Or…delivered."

I groaned into one of my hands at his explanation. "Of course that's why," I mumbled. "But yes, I would like that. On one condition," I told him.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"You let me buy dinner," I told him. "I'm already out, too. I can just grab something."

"Absolutely not, it was my idea," Matt replied immediately.

"Then we shall eat dinner in our own respective places of residence this evening," I teased back.

There was a groan on his end of the line before he said firmly, "Fine. But next time it's on me."

I bit my lip, smiling at the thought of there being a next time.

"Deal," I agreed. "So what're you feeling like?"

"You pick."

"Okay uh, well you're the one who's lived here for forever so maybe some recommendations?" I asked. I glanced at the street sign nearby. "Preferably something near forty-seventh and eleventh."

There was a long pause on the line as I crossed the street before Matt finally spoke again.

"Why are you way over there? I thought Jessica lived on forty-eighth and ninth?" Matt asked curiously.

"I may have, in my pensive walking, gotten a little…turned around," I admitted sheepishly.

Another long pause over the line as I picked up my pace, scanning the shops for something I recognized.

"Do you need me to come help you?" he asked seriously.

"No, no," I assured him. "I can find my way back from here…"

Matt sighed lightly. "Take eleventh north, you'll find our street in…probably fifteen minutes if you walk fast. As for restaurants…" he trailed off in thought. "There's a pizza place on fifty-fifth you'll pass called The Forge that's usually pretty good."

"Pizza it is," I told him. "Anything in particular?"

"Whatever you like," he answered.

My eyes narrowed as I continued to walk at a brisk pace, trying to not get back too late.

"You're the one with heightened taste buds, you really would eat anything?" I asked him curiously.

"...okay, maybe not mushrooms. Or…pineapple," he told me.

I laughed hard, ignoring the people staring at me as I passed.

"Yeah I figured you were just being polite," I said. "I'll hopefully be back in a bit, I'll call in an order as I'm walking to speed things along."

"If you need a guide just let me know," he teased.

"Ha ha," I shot back. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Looking forward to it," he said and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"So I thought your first actual trial was yesterday," I told Matt as I finished cleaning up the dishes at my sink.

He shook his head, a half smile on his face. "No," he told me, "that was just the preliminary hearing. Tomorrow is the trial. Doubt it'll go past the one day, though."

"Because you guys are just that good?" I quipped.

"No, more like the guy he's hiding behind is," Matt answered dryly.

I wiped my hands on the dish towel and turned, leaning against the counter. Examining Matt, I noticed his mouth was in a tight line and his nostrils were flaring a bit. He seemed tense, his back pin straight in the bar stool. I tilted my head to the side, wondering why he was so angry.

"You're not happy with this case," I mused aloud. "Why? Or are you not allowed to say?"

His lips twitched before he grabbed the beer off the counter, one he'd brought from his own apartment because I didn't drink, and took a long pull. When he set it back on the counter, he was frowning.

"I can just say I took the case not because I wanted to, or wanted the money, but I needed to get some details–information." His fingers tapped agitatedly against the dark green bottle. "There's…something happening in Hell's Kitchen, a lot of participants coming together, and I can't…" his jaw clenched, the muscles working in his cheeks for a moment. "I can't pinpoint who's behind it. I want a name."

"And this case will give it to you?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "This guy will get off on self-defense. His case gave me some information but just not the name. So…"

I nodded my head in understanding. "So the man in the mask will be paying him a visit tomorrow night afterwards?"

"Yeah," he answered simply.

I exhaled a slow breath, pushing off the counter and crossing the kitchen towards his tense form. His head tracked my movement through the room as I walked. Eventually I stopped when I'd reached his side, resting a hand on his shoulder. His body unconsciously leant into my touch, his head turning up in my direction as his unseeing eyes stared towards my cheek.

"You need to go out and…do that again tonight?" I asked him hesitantly.

"I don't think so," he answered gently, placing a hand over mine. "I uh…already was out last night. Had to knock some sense into a man who was black mailing a juror. And stopped a mugging before I…found you."

"Right…" I said, shuddering at the memory of Kilgrave controlling Matt.

"So what's going on with…that?" he asked carefully. "Am I allowed to ask?"

I cleared my throat, squeezing his shoulder before removing my hand. He frowned at the loss of contact and raised his brows at me.

"How about we move to the couch? It's more comfortable," I muttered, grabbing his beer. "I'll put your beer on the coffee table."

He rose out of the chair, following me silently. I set his drink down, informing him of where it was now located, before we both sat on the couch with only a bit of space between us. I curled my legs up under me, hugging my arms around myself as I let out a shaky breath.

"You're allowed to ask, yes," I finally answered him. "I just don't want you involved. If telling you things ends up getting you involved though–I won't talk about it anymore. Are we clear? I don't want you in the middle of this."

Matt looked grim at my words but nodded.

"Our attempted kidnapping set him off-balance," I admitted, running a hand down my face. "I could feel last night the Sufentanil weakened him, so we were on to something with that. But…now it's not a surprise. And neither is my being here. He's going to be more cautious but he might be more prone to making a mistake out of fear. It's just…we don't know how to find him." I rubbed tiredly at my eyes, feeling the drain of this past week hitting me. "I've been…been considering something but I just don't know…it doesn't feel right."

"What?" Matt asked, reaching out to grab onto my hand.

My eyes darted down, watching as his thumb gently brushed back and forth across my knuckles. I smiled faintly at the gesture.

"There's a survivors group," I eventually answered him. "For people who have been…Kilgraved, or whatever. They met when Jessica helped Hogarth gather testimonies from people who have… experienced Kilgrave's powers. Now they get together like once a week or something. Discuss their experiences and struggles. That sort of a thing." I frowned, tugging at the fabric of my shirt with my free hand. "Malcolm invited me. Thinks it would help me to heal–which it won't. What I went through for almost two years with him–the…the things he did, the things I saw –talking about it would just upset them. Talking isn't going to change anything and it certainly won't help me."

"But you think they might have useful information?" Matt murmured, continuing to stroke his thumb across my hand. "You think it might be worth going to see if they have anything you can learn to find where he is?"

"Yeah it's just…that feels wrong ," I said, glancing up to meet Matt's eyes. "It's wrong isn't it? Using them, their pain, like that? Even if it…possibly helps save others?"

Matt shifted beside me on the couch, his attention turning towards the coffee table. His mouth tightened into a thin line as silence fell around us. I swallowed hard, waiting for his response, intensely focused on the feeling of his thumb still dancing along my knuckles.

"I might not be the best one to question about morality for things like this," he finally answered, voice soft. "But if they might have information that could help you catch him and free that girl while saving future lives…I would say that's the next step." He turned back towards me, his soft eyes falling almost on my own. "It's not like you're going to aggressively interrogate them," he added with a smirk.

I laughed half-heartedly, but it broke on a sigh as I slid back against the couch. Matt squeezed our intertwined hands and I glanced back at him with a questioning hum.

"Something else?" he pushed.

"Yeah," I answered slowly, my free hand rubbing at my tired eyes. "There's something that has been bothering me since I went to visit Jessica," I told him.

"The something that had you wandering the wrong way back home?" he questioned lightly.

"Yeah," I answered him distractedly.

"What is it?"

"I just…" I stopped, shaking my head before sitting up a bit straighter. "When we went after Kilgrave, he knew about it ahead of time. Because of Malcolm spying on Jessica. So he'd hired bodyguards."

"Yeah?" Matt prompted when I didn't continue.

"He hired them. Not compelled them," I reiterated. Matt hummed curiously as I continued on. "And Malcolm told us that Kilgrave mind-controlled him initially to take the drugs and stalk Jessica, taking her photos and delivering them every day to him. But he said after a bit he didn't do that anymore. The mind-control part. Because the desire for another high was enough to get him to keep doing it. I mean, Kilgrave must have known that, right? Which means that's twice he's done something in case of an inability to use his powers." I shook my head, closing my eyes in frustration. "I just can't find the link. Can't figure out what he's afraid of or what the connection is."

"I thought you said he couldn't control you? Unless he drugged you," Matt pointed out.

"Yes, but he found out I was here after getting Malcolm addicted to heroin and after hiring those bodyguards." I shook my head again firmly, opening my eyes and staring at our still intertwined hands. "It's not me. It can't be."

Matt leaned back, his eyes drifting upwards toward the ceiling as his head tilted back against the backrest of the couch. He adjusted our joined hands so they were on his thigh now, my one hand suddenly held between both of his as he absently stroked my fingers and massaged my wrist. My eyes began to drift close, relaxing into his touch.

"Then it would seem…the connection is Jessica," Matt slowly pointed out. "You said he's here for her. And that she'd gotten away from him six months ago."

I paused, thinking over what he'd just said. Then a thought struck me and I sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening.

"Holy shit," I breathed out.

"What?" Matt asked, his head turning towards me as I pulled my hand back

"Jessica has super strength," I rattled off quickly as I grabbed my phone out of my pocket.

"She what now?" Matt asked, sitting forward abruptly with furrowed brows.

I scrolled through my recent call list and found Jessica's contact. Pressing the call button, I held it to my ear as it began ringing.

"Like she's ridiculously strong," I told him offhandedly. "It's the reason Kilgrave took an interest in her initially."

The phone rang a few times before I finally heard Jessica answer.

"Please tell me you've got Kilgrave and you're not calling for a slumber party," Jessica grumbled in greeting.

"Neither," I answered her quickly. "I think I've figured out the connection."

"Connection? About his backup safety plans if he lost his powers?" Jessica clarified skeptically.

"Yes and I think it's you."

There was a long pause on her end of the line at my words. Chewing my lip, I looked over towards Matt who seemed very focused on the conversation. He had an ear tilted towards my phone, his focus landing along my lap.

"How?" she asked slowly.

"I don't know, but you're the only connecting piece," I told her. "You said you got away from him six months ago. How? Did he let you? Did he tell you to go? Did his powers wear off and you managed to escape?" I swallowed hard, my heart speeding up as I asked, "Or did you defy his command?"

"I…he made me…do something awful and I…" Jessica recounted, struggling to recall. "I did what he asked and I walked away."

"But he let you walk away?" I pushed.

"He–I….wait." Jessica trailed off before a slur of curses left her. "No. He told me to come back. And I…I walked away," she told me breathlessly. "Jesus Christ, am I immune?"

"I don't know," I told her, my mind racing.

"Am I still immune? Is it from my super strength?" she fired off questions.

"I'm not sure. But Jess–that means there's at least two of us now who he can't control. Maybe there's a way to stop him from doing it to others. Or–or maybe there's a way to become immune to him?"

"Okay…so what do we do next?" she asked.

I glanced over at Matt who seemed to have noticed my eyes on him because he smiled softly.

"We go to that survivors group," I told her. "Hear their stories, search for any clues. See if they can help us locate him–a restaurant he repeatedly visits, a coffee shop. Something. And while we are working on that…we need to find his parents."

"What?"

"I don't know much, but he told me in the past that they experimented on him. Tortured him," I told her. "Maybe…maybe what they did to him had something to do with his powers. If we can understand them…maybe we can undo them. Or at least prove he has them. For Hope."

"That's…that's great." Jessica said, her resolve wavering at the mention of the girl.

"What, what is it?" I asked her.

Jessica exhaled a long breath before finally answering.

"Hope is pregnant. It's…it's his. She uh…paid someone in jail to beat her last night," she told me. My jaw clenched tight at the information. "Hogarth called me a bit ago. Hope couldn't get a doctor to come out for at least two months, that's why…why she did it. But Hogarth promised she'd get it taken care of in a day or two."

"How is she?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Still breathing."

I felt Matt's hand slide back over my mine, gripping it firmly in his own.

"We're going to stop him, Jessica," I assured her. "Both of us–were going to make that asshole pay for what he's done."

"That's what I'm counting on," she agreed. "He's going to regret the day he fucked with us."