The lounge door slams against the wall with a loud bang, three men standing in the doorway as the rooms occupants silence.

"Where's Joe!?" The shortest man shouts, flanked by the other two who tower over him at varying heights. "I need to see him now!"

"Mr. Murphy," a heavy man in a well-tailored suit approaches with his palms turned outward. "We weren't expecting you this evening. How can I help you?"

"Get me to Stabler, now." The final word is emphasized as he takes a step closer.

"Unfortunately, he's in a meeting right now that can't be disturbed. You understand, don't you?"

"What I understand," his voice rises gradually. "Is that we had an agreement. Now, if I don't see him in the next 30 seconds, our deal is off!"

The door to Joseph Stabler's office swings open toward the back of the room and beyond it, the man in question sits at his desk with his hands clasped together. With a simple and silent gesture, he lifts his right hand to beckon them in with two fingers, the gold insignia ring, with the helmet of a knight engraved at the center, glints on his index finger.

"Ah," the heavy man claps his hands together. "Meeting's adjourned, please follow me."

Low murmurs creep across the walls of the lounge, members of the exclusive family alert from the sudden intrusion of such a high-ranking man. The two taller men, who have yet to speak, survey their surroundings as they pass through men whose hands rest close to their waists. A clear message that they were prepared to defend if necessary. A few women were scattered throughout the room, likely just as dangerous as their male counterparts.

As they approach the door, the man in front steps aside, ushering them in with a sweep of his arm. Murphy and his guys step hastily over the threshold, stopping in the center of the room, careful not to get too close to the man in charge. The door clicks shut behind them, but Murphy's eyes are glued to the elder Stabler behind the desk; leaning back in a careless manner.

Elliot watches from the corner as his father holds his composure, poker face unfaltering as always. If he didn't know him or the way that his mind worked, he'd assume that the patriarch was genuinely unbothered. But he knew that his father wasn't completely made of steel; he had chinks in his armor like the average man despite his status in their world. Joseph Stabler was caught off guard, but one thing he'd always taught Elliot was that you never let people see you sweat, especially not outsiders.

"You must take me for a fool," Murphy spits, pointing directly at Joseph Stabler.

"I don't do business with fools."

"We had a deal! Your boy and my girl stay loyal to one another, bring our families together and change the trajectory of our future."

"Have we not upheld our end of the bargain? What's this all about?"

Murphy snaps loudly in front of his lackey on the right, "Show him."

The man pulls his phone from the inner breast pocket of his jacket, quickly unlocking it and stepping forward to show Joe the screen. Instinctually, every member of the Stabler family present steps forward, never allowing anyone too close to their Don for obvious reasons.

Murphy's footman stops, stretching his arm as far as it will go until he's sure that the picture on the screen is visible.

"As you can see, your son is entertaining company that shouldn't be kept. Do you know how distraught my Kathy is?"

The man continues to drone on, but all Elliot can hear is the echo of his voice in his head as his pulse begins to race. His mind is moving at the speed of light, trying to figure out what he'd done to cause this ill-timed occurrence and how Patrick Murphy got ahold of any evidence. His eyes dart over to his father; he's silent, still leaning back in his seat as if he has nothing to worry about.

"Son," he finally speaks. "Come to me."

Elliot removes his hands from his pockets, attempting to wipe any sign of fear from his face as he walks slowly toward the desk, heart thumping with every step across the hardwood floor. He stops beside him, eyes trained on his father as he waits for him to speak again.

"Look at that picture," he tips his chin in the direction of the phone. "What's your connection to this young woman?"

Elliot turns his head, surprised to see a shot of himself and Olivia through the windshield of his car, smiling and looking a little more than chummy after their workout this afternoon.

"She's my classmate. We're in the same group for a project."

"And is there anything more between the two of you?"

"No sir."

"Then it's settled. You have nothing to worry about Mr. Murphy." Elliot turns to face the visitors fully, watching as Kathy's father makes an unsatisfied face. "Our deal is still on; terms are the same."

"What do you suggest I do about my daughter? She's heartbroken."

Elliot knows better than to roll his eyes, but he's sneering internally because the thought of Kathy being heartbroken is absurd. If anyone needed a reaming about remaining loyal and sticking to the plan, it was her. He knew about her sleeping with a bunch of frat guys, knew that she lied to him often about her whereabouts. But to be honest, he didn't really give a shit. He often prayed that one of those unfortunate souls would somehow help free him from the shackles of this shitty responsibility he held.

"Now, I'm in a particularly forgiving mood tonight," Joseph leans forward slowly. "So, I'm willing to move past the fact that you've got someone following my son around. But that ends immediately and if I hear otherwise from this moment forward, I promise you that your daughter will have far more to cry about than what you've accused my son of."

The room remains silent, everyone in attendance knew that the threat was certain.

"In regards to our agreement, Elliot will take Kathy out on some dates around town. When the other families see them together, they'll know that your family and mine are united. Think of it as a soft launch of what's to come."

Murphy still looks unconvinced, but he nods his head in agreement anyway. This wasn't the time for him to push his luck.

"Thank you for making this right," he says in a measured tone. "The Murphy family looks forward to our future together."

And with that, he turns on his heel and moves to exit the room. They watch as the three men slink further and further away, until they're heading back down the stairs outside of the lounge doors.

"Everyone out," Joseph says firmly, but when Elliot goes to move, he puts a hand up in front of him. "You stay."

Fin shoots him a sympathetic look before stepping out with the others and shutting the door behind himself. Joseph wastes no time once they're alone.

"I'm gonna to ask you this one more time. What is your connection to that girl?"

Elliot hesitates before speaking, "I didn't lie Pop."

"Maybe not outright. But by omission? Yes."

He opens his mouth to defend himself, then snaps it shut again, shoulders slumping in defeat. He hated that his father could read him like a book.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" His father stands, pressing his hip into the side of the large cherrywood desk as he crosses his arms. "What was she doing in your car? At your apartment?"

"We… we were just talking."

"Talking," the older man laughs harshly. He turns, moving slowly toward the window to look out at the growing half-moon. "You seem to be having trouble remembering who you are. What you are."

Elliot watches as he rests his hands behind his back, admiring the inky black sky beyond the double paned glass.

"You're not some common kid, yet you continue to run around the city drawing attention to yourself. I'm starting to wonder if that's intentional…"

"Of course not. I—"

"I've drilled it into your brain since you were a child that you are unlike your peers. You are my son… my successor. There are sacrifices that you have to make, hard decisions at nearly every turn. And whether you like it or not, you are the future of this organization and you will not disappoint me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," he whispers.

"Your inability to do what is necessary goes outta the window, you hear me? You better get a clue and get it fast."

Elliot stands there in silence, waiting to be dismissed.

"Go on, I'll be out in a moment."

"Olivia, it's your mother," she rolls her eyes at Serena's unnecessary introduction. "I just saw on the news that a young man's body was found burned and mutilated not too far from campus. I want you to be careful, stay alert, and try not to travel without Dana, especially after dark. And it wouldn't hurt to let me know that you're safe in your dorm every night. Ring me as soon as you get this."

The voice message ends and Olivia places her phone back into her pocket. Now wasn't the time to call her mother back; she would be in one of her hyper panicked states because of the gruesome information she'd just relayed and Olivia didn't have the mental capacity for that in this moment. She always tried to be compassionate as she understood how her mother's trauma completely altered how she operated in life, but it never got less exhausting. After a full day of classes and a five-hour shift, she wanted nothing more than to hop into a steamy shower, slide on some cozy pajamas, and relax her mind.

She slips her hands into the pockets of her letterman jacket and begins the walk to her dorm. She gets all the way to the quad when she feels a presence step into her vicinity and it makes her breath catch in her throat.

"Sorry," he chuckles. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Her shoulders slump in relief when she recognizes who it is. "Brian, you can't just sneak up on women like that. Especially not when it's getting dark out."

"You looked deep in thought, didn't wanna startle you by shouting your name. I tried to be cool."

"Well try harder." She smirks, giving him a sideways glance as she elbows him. "How are you, anyway?"

"Eh, same as usual. Made it to all my classes this week," he gives her a hopeful look and is rewarded with exactly what he was fishing for.

"Look at you," she smiles brightly. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," he looks down shyly and she can see traces of the little boy inside, vying for positive acknowledgement. "What about you? Seeing anyone lately?"

"Of course, that would be what you're worried about," she rolls her eyes.

She and Brian had an interesting relationship, unlike any other she's had with a guy before. She considered him her first male friend and despite their sexual involvement, he was someone she truly felt safe with. He wasn't particularly special; was quite simple actually, but he was sweet. He had his struggles in life just like she did and it was refreshing to be around someone who got it. They'd spent a lot of time together after her breakup with Dean, revealed secrets, and even helped each other heal with deep conversation and the occasional joint. So, she knows his heart, knows that his question doesn't come from a bad place, but she'd rarely pass up a chance to bust his balls.

"Nah, been playing it safe these days."

"Well, I'm still just a text or call away if you wanna hang sometime."

"I'll keep that in mind," and she genuinely means it.

No one knew about what the two of them had, not even her best friend. It was easier to keep him separate from the rest of her life, not that she was ashamed, but because being with him felt like an escape. The fact that he used to be close friends with Dean was also a major factor in their decision to keep this relationship under the radar. If he were to find out, all hell would break loose and she didn't think that their dynamic could ever recover.

She thinks back to the night when everything began for them, the night she finally ended things with Dean. At that time, both guys were living on the same dorm floor, so when Olivia left Dean's room still sobbing uncontrollably, she'd run directly into Brian. It was awkward at first; she was embarrassed that he was witnessing her blubbering like a fool and was sure that he'd report back to her ex. But he surprised her with his kindness and genuine concern. Apparently, he and Dean were no longer friends by then and he made it clear that he knew how much of a dick the guy was.

She knew that she wasn't the cause of the relationship turning sour, but it felt good, reassuring, to have someone that knew him validate her. And while it was clear that he was feeling more than just sympathy for her, he remained respectful and never stepped out of line. So, when she dropped off the last of Dean's belongings a few days later, she was happy to run into Brian again. He was still gentle and kind, checking in with her emotionally, and offering her his personal form of therapy.

"Wanna take a few puffs?"

She chuckles at the memory of his face as he waited for her to respond, the mixture of relief and surprise washing over him when she said yes. That night she realized how much she enjoyed his company; he was easy to talk to and maybe it was the weed, but they had laughed for hours. She became more comfortable as the time passed and eventually decided to make a move. That lasted until the semester ended, then things just fizzled out between them.

"Alright, well," he stops her walk down memory lane. "You be safe. Student went missing a week ago and everyone thinks that body they found is his."

It feels like her heart has dropped into the pit of her stomach suddenly. If he was talking about who she thought he was, then things were about to get hectic. He notices how she shoves her hands deeper into her pockets and shifts from foot to foot.

"You know the kid?"

"Uh, I don't think so."

"I can't remember his name, but I think he worked with the basketball team or something. Nothing's been confirmed yet, but it doesn't seem too far off."

"Wow," is all she can manage to whisper.

"Look, if you need me for anything, just reach out. I'm always available for you."

She nods appreciatively, "yeah, thanks."

"Night, Liv."

"Goodnight Bri."

She stands there watching him walk away but her feet feel glued to the spot, her mind throwing every interaction she's had with Elliot around faster than she can grasp them. This can't be a coincidence; she wholly believes him capable of the violent assault that has yet to be claimed. From the way that he dealt with her assaulter to the way he hesitated when answering her question in the car, she knew that he had something to do with this.

Although nothing was confirmed, she could feel the truth in her bones. It would mean that he had lied to her and who she thought she knew was actually a complete stranger. He'd tried so hard to convince her that he wasn't the man she met that night; violent and cruel, but the arrows pointed at him were chilling.

Eventually, she makes her way upstairs but she can't bring herself to do anything else. The more that she thinks about it, the angrier she gets; at him, at herself, at this sick thing called life. She's more upset with herself for believing him against her better judgment, it makes her feel stupid. She'd been protecting herself for her entire life, how could she let him slide by her defenses so easily?

The nature of the situation should have her fearful of being in his presence, but she's too pissed off to be afraid of him. She's more concerned with confronting him now.

Elliot hasn't spoken to Olivia since Sunday when he dropped her back at her dorm. Truthfully, he's been avoiding her since that debacle in his father's office. So, when her name pops up on his phone screen, he chooses to silence the ringing instead of answering her call. All week he's been confused about what he should do, unsure of whether he should tell her about the latest developments or keep that to himself.

Right now, he's sat at the desk in his room, working on the project with some music playing lightly in the background. He isn't sure how much time has passed, but he's a little startled when his phone vibrates with a new text message.

OB: I'm at your door.

He ignores it, thinking that she's accidentally messaged him when the phone vibrates again.

OB: I can hear your music, open up.

Although he'd love to avoid the awkward exchange, he can't just leave her out there. So, he turns the music down and heads slowly to the door to open it as she continues to knock as if there's a fire out there. When he pulls the door open, she pushes past him without a word, her fruity fragrance nearly transporting him to some mental paradise.

"What are you doing here, Liv?"

"You lied to me, Elliot. How could I have been stupid enough to trust you?"

"What are you talking about?"

He wonders briefly if she's run into Kathy somewhere.

"I knew you were full of shit, but for some reason I gave you another chance. You didn't fucking deserve it!"

"Olivia what's wrong!?"

He tries to get close to her, reach for her hands, but she pulls away before he can get to her.

"Where is he?"

His eyebrows drift inward, confusion evident on his face.

"Where is who? Fin?"

"Do you think this is a joke?! Where is he Elliot!?"

"Keep your voice down."

"Or what? You gonna kill me like you did that son of a bitch from the party?"

Suddenly, he can't hear anything but the rush of his own blood.

"What did you just say?"

This isn't what he thought she was here for. His mind has so been preoccupied by the Kathy dilemma that he's let his guard down on this front.

"He's still missing. The cops found a body this morning but it hasn't been identified yet. I'm sure

you know who it is though."

This is all news to him. He was sure that the situation had been handled discreetly, but it seems that he was wrong. She clearly knows more than she's supposed to, but he still can't admit what's been done.

"I told you I had nothing to do with him going missing. For all we know, the fuckers gone AWOL."

The way that he turns away and won't look her in the eye tells her everything she needs to know. She chose not to trust her gut before, but she wouldn't remain a fool for him. "I don't believe you."

Then it hits her; she's alone with a murderer in a place that he knows better than her. She has to get out of here. He looks back to her, seeing the shift in her posture, the way her pupils constrict and he knows that she's either going to hit him or bolt for the door.

He moves to catch her but she's too fast as she flies to it, tossing the heavy metal open and running down the hall to the staircase. He almost goes after her but he doesn't want to cause a scene, especially not where he lives. His father was already on his case about him drawing too much attention to himself, so he lets her go.

But no matter how much he wants to believe that he knows her, they're still virtual strangers. He can't take a chance and have her running to tell the cops about what she suspects. He runs to grab his phone from his room, quickly dialing his guard's burner.

As protocol requires, he answers on the first ring.

"What's up boss?"

"Any second now, the brunette is gonna come running out of the front door. I need you to follow her, she knows what happened last night." His hand grips his jaw. "Keep your distance and don't hurt her, but call me if she goes anywhere near a station."

"You got it."

Then the line goes dead.

Olivia doesn't slow down until she's reached the first floor, bursting through the stairwell exit and rushing out of the building's front door. Her first breath of the crisp air outside stings her lungs and tears blur her vision. She doesn't know what to do or where to go right now, but she knows that she has to get away from here. So she begins to walk with no destination in mind.

It's been nearly an hour since she started walking, oblivious to the black car that lurks in the distance. She's still upset about what has transpired, but the time to think has her beginning to doubt her assumptions. After that night at the Basketball team's party, he'd been nothing but gentle and kind to her, but was that just for show? Was he that much of a manipulator that he could hide his true identity from her? Or was she losing her touch?

His inability to share information about his family and their 'business' only fuels her belief that he wasn't who he portrayed himself to be. She feels a pain in her heart that makes her blood boil. She shouldn't be feeling this way; hurt by some random guy that she barely knew. Who was he to come into her life and turn everything upside down anyway?

She stops to take a deep breath, looking up at the twinkling night sky just as a black van pulls up beside her. Before she can register what's happening, the door slides open and two figures jump out with masks covering the lower halves of their faces. One grabs her arms as the other smothers her nose and mouth with a wet cloth. Her leg swings in front of her, foot catching the man's shin, but the woman's grip only tightens against her face from behind. She struggles to breathe as she fights harder and harder, but her mouth only gets drier, her limbs more sluggish. The last thing she remembers before she blacks out is being yanked into the van and hearing the woman tell a third person to call his 'boss'.

Half a block away, the tail Elliot sent is panicked as he waits for his boss to answer the phone. When he hears the change in background, he doesn't wait for the other man to greet him before he gives him the urgent update.

"I fucked up boss, but you told me not to approach and everything happened so fast! These people came outta nowhere and just grabbed her!"

"Slow down! Who grabbed her?!"

"They had bandanas covering their faces, but two of them came out of a black van. There's a driver too."

"Follow them and do not lose her, you understand?!"

"I'm already on it, there's no plate on the vehicle."

"Just keep following them and text me a location when they stop. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Got it."

"And Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"If I'm not there before they try anything, protect her."

"Copy that."

They've been driving for about twenty minutes, finally slipping out of the Lincoln Tunnel into Jersey. Nick does his best to keep up with the van without being spotted, but they come to a transitioning yellow light that he contemplates blowing until he sees a police car waiting at the cross street. He can't risk being pulled over in unknown territory, so he slows to a stop and watches as the van makes a left at the following light. He immediately turns his left blinker on, planning to catch them up ahead and salvage his nearly failed mission. When the light finally changes, he makes a quick left hurrying to make up for the minute lost.

As he passes the next light, he shoots a glance to his right in search of his target on the next avenue over. The black van breezes through the street, quickly cut off by the buildings between them. He speeds up, hoping to cut through the next block to get behind them once again, but when he makes the turn, they're pulling into the lot of a seemingly abandoned factory. He parks the car at the other end of the street behind a box truck, then shoots the address to Elliot who responds immediately.

Boss: 10 min away.

He was actually twenty minutes away, but he knew he could cut his time in half if he drove like a bat out of hell. He'd stopped by Phoebe's dorm to pick Fin up an hour ago and filled him in on all of the details, including Olivia's early suspicions about Fin being the last person seen with the missing student. To his surprise, his best friend just makes a comment about how he knew she was tough all along.

In record time, they make it to Nick, quickly hopping out of the car with guns drawn. He fills the pair in as they survey the area, looking for the best way to get into the sketchy structure.

"We can't just go in there without some type of plan," Fin whispers.

"Just stay alert," Elliot says mostly to Nick. "I don't wanna waste anymore time with her in there alone."

Elliot takes the lead, creeping stealthily across the street, into the lot, and around the large van with Nick right behind him. Fin takes up the rear, always sure to watch his best friend's back in times like this.

The flick of a lighter igniting alerts them to someone standing on the other side of the vehicle. This makes Elliot pause, back flat against the rear of the van before quickly advancing around the side to strike the man in the head with the butt of his gun.

The freshly lit cigarette falls from his lips as he stumbles to his left, dropping the lighter and giving Elliot the opportunity to hit him in the head again. This time the man falls to his knees, slumping forward to hit the ground face first.

Before going inside, Elliot has to know the identity of the bastard who had the audacity to snatch an innocent woman off the streets.

"Help me," he says as he bends down, shoving his hand under the unconscious man's shoulder.

Fury rips through his veins when they flip the man onto his back and see his face. Fin and Elliot recognize him from the Don's office last Sunday; the shorter of Murphy's two lackeys. They slowly look at one another.

"You gotta be kidding me," Fin says.

Elliot scrunches his nose and bites his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Kill him."

So as he turns to push the slightly ajar door open, he hears the satisfying fwip of Fin's bullet exiting his silencer and entering the man's head. Once inside, he looks down the narrow hallway in search of the rest of Olivia's abductors. He can hear the voices of a man and woman discussing where to place her body, nearly storming in guns blazing at the thought of her hurt.

"Sit her in that chair and tie her up," the woman says. "Hurry, before she comes to."

A gentle relief washes over his body at the confirmation of life, but his head is still fuming. If he were in one of those old cartoons, his ears would surely be steaming right now. He continues to listen as the woman reassures the man that this wouldn't be for nothing, that whoever was paying them just needed them to hold her for the next forty eight hours and then they'd have their money.

The echo of her voice lets them know that the room is spacious on the other side, probably wide open like the standard factory. Fin cuts ahead of Elliot, moving quickly to the other side of the opening in the wall. With his back against it, he has a clear view inside the room from the reflection in the glass of the door in front of him. He counts the man still tying Olivia's limp body to a chair and the woman hovering in the background.

He lifts two fingers, signaling across to Elliot who jerks his head in the direction of the room. Fin charges in and before they have a chance to react, the man and woman are shot down.

Fin and Nick continue to look around for anyone else that may be in the building, while Elliot runs to untie Olivia. He drops to his knees behind her, slipping her slender wrists out of the incomplete knot before crawling around to her side.

He's frantic, checking every visible part of her body for bruises or wounds as she begins to stir. When he's satisfied, he palms her cheek to support her heavy head when she struggles to hold it upright.

"Olivia, it's me. You're safe now."

She moans, weakly wrapping her fingers around his arm and he thinks that she's holding onto him to keep her balance. But as the seconds pass, she begins to regain her strength and starts to push him away.

"Liv, just let me help. I'm not here to hurt you."

Her eyes open fully, looking over his shoulder to the woman's body laying with her head in a small pool of blood. The crimson liquid makes her stomach lurch and her mouth overflows with saliva, and suddenly she's doubled over releasing the contents of her unsettled stomach. His hand flattens against her spine, rubbing soothing lines up and down it but she swats him away.

"Don't touch me," she chokes out.

So he backs off, but remains kneeling beside her.

"Hey, El. We should probably call your uncle and get this cleaned up."

He looks around at the lifeless bodies, then over his shoulder at Fin, reluctant to approve. He weighs their options; get their asses handed to them or get caught. He begrudgingly nods the affirmative, knowing that they absolutely cannot risk a repeat of last night.

Suddenly, Olivia stands on wobbly legs, eyes staring daggers into Elliot. She faces him fully and begins to back away, looking around for the third man from the vehicle. She starts to panic.

"There was another one, he could be—"

"We got him."

Her breathing slows, but her white-knuckled grip on the barren table beside her doesn't loosen.

"I… I knew you were bad. How did you even know where I was? Were you following me?"

"That's an interesting way of saying 'thank you'."

"Because I'm not saying 'thank you'. What do I have to be thankful for, huh? Switching from one group of sickos to another?"

"I thought you knew me better than that by now."

"Yeah, I thought so too. But you're nothing more than a liar and clearly a fucking murderer!"

"Trust me, I know how this looks. How everything looks. But you don't understand."

"I don't understand this," she gestures to the bodies on the floor, "or you killing that student?"

"Both."

"So you did do it! And you continued to lie to me even when you knew you were caught? How fucking calculating."

He steps forward and she nearly trips over her own feet trying to get away from him, still off balance from the effects of the chloroform that knocked her out.

"Look, I can explain all of this later, but right now we need to focus on getting you out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You don't have much of a choice right now. Do you even know where you are?"

"I'll figure something out."

"You are so fucking stubborn," he scoffs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, excuse me if I don't want to be alone with a murderer right now."

"Hate to interrupt this love fest," Fin says. "Unc's half an hour out, wants us to hold tight and not touch anything."

Elliot's eyes are on his friend, so Olivia takes the opportunity to run for the nearest exit. She realizes her error as soon as her foot hits the cement; she's not at her physical best right now so there's no way she could outrun any of the men in this room.

Elliot catches her in a bear hug, lifting her and bringing her back in the direction of the table. She starts to scream and he nearly drops her to cover her mouth with his hand.

"I'm sorry, but I need you to stop. I'll tell you anything you wanna know now, just please don't do that again."

She briefly contemplates biting his hand and making an attempt at escape again, but if they really wanted to harm her they would've done it by now, so she relaxes. His hands creep away from her, making sure that she doesn't try anything else before he steps away.

She folds her arms as she walks around the table, still wanting something to separate her from the murderous men before her. She looks over to Fin and the guy who looks too young to be wielding a gun, satisfied that they've kept their distance thus far.

"Tell me that you killed him. I wanna hear you say it plain as day."

"I hope you understand the position you're putting yourself in by asking me this. I need to be sure that you understand."

"I think we're past that. As far as I'm concerned, I could die any moment now."

"You won't, just don't try anything stupid, especially not in front of my uncle. He's not as forgiving."

She can't help but to glance at the bodies growing colder by the minute on the ground.

"And you are?"

"I try to be, but some situations don't warrant it."

"Say it."

"I did it. I killed him."

She didn't know what she expected to feel, but relief was nowhere on her radar. It washes over her, brings her some level of peace within and all she can do is shake her head.

"But let me tell you why before you make up your mind about me."

Her eyebrows jerk upward, silently telling him to start talking.

"I planned to let him go, I really did. But he just wouldn't stop and I blacked out. When I finally refocused, it was already too late."

After everything with Kathy's father and his, Elliot's been so on edge. So when he showed up at the warehouse tonight, he was displeased to see that his captive still hadn't made any positive progress.

While he wasn't Elliot's first difficult prisoner, he certainly was one of the hardest to break. No matter how many blows he was dealt, his vile words about women never ceased. But tonight, he would take it too far.

"Why are you doing this, anyway? Tryna prove yourself worthy of that whore?"

Elliot's scowl deepens, hands readjusting the sleeves of his grey crew neck above his elbows.

"I'm guessin' she turned you down too, the stuck up bitch."

"Watch yourself."

"Listen man, you and I are in the same boat. We're not enemies to each other, she's an enemy to us."

Elliot turns away from him, slowly pacing to try and walk off his rising anger.

"I wouldn't be opposed to working together to get what we both want. I don't mind sharing."

Elliot's fists flex, the veins in his arms and neck bulging with the heavy flow of his blood.

"I'd love to tap that sweet ass of hers and I can tell you would too. Bitches like her need to be taken down a few pegs, can't fight the both of us."

"Shut your fucking mouth, you disgusting pig."

"Woah," he chuckles. "If you wanna go first, just say that. I can hold her down while you—"

And then he loses it.

"Next thing I know, I'm looking down at the blood on my hands and his lifeless body on the floor."

She has no idea what to say to him. He'd killed a man with his bare hands. Had he done this before?

"Look, I don't want you to think that I was trying to prove anything to you or do this so that you'd owe me anything. This is just something that's necessary."

"That's what we have a justice system for, Elliot."

"Tell me how well that worked out for your mother."

"Don't you dare talk about her," she points a stern finger in his direction. "I trusted you with that information when I believed that you were someone else."

"I didn't mean any disrespect by that, but think about it. How many times does the system favor men over women? How many of these sick fucks get away with violating women and minors?"

She looks down at the old paint stains on the faded wood, struggling to grasp a number too vast. He was right; the system was doing a piss poor job of protecting women and children. So many of them never got justice because people didn't believe them or there wasn't enough evidence. And even when there was, certain men could wield their power like a shield to protect themselves from consequences that they deserved.

"So yeah, I take matters into my own hands sometimes, but I won't apologize for it."

She'll need a moment to process this, already conflicted about his actions and his reasoning. He can see it on her face and he doesn't want to overwhelm her, so he walks over to Nick, telling him to keep an eye on her while he talks to Fin.

"So what's the plan?"

"We gotta tell him the truth. He's gonna be pissed, but I'd rather him handle this than for us to fuck up like I did last night."

Fin puts his hand on Elliot's shoulder.

"Hey man, that asshole deserved it. Don't beat yourself up. Just another lesson learned."

"Yeah," he huffs.

"Now about the dead guy outside," Fin pats his shoulder then folds his arms. "That's Murphy's guy. You think he set this up?"

"I don't put it past him, especially not after Sunday."

Olivia's ears perk up at the mention of the day she last engaged with Elliot before today.

"Any chance Kathy holds weight like this?"

"I've never gotten the sense that she did, but ya never know. She's got her father wrapped around her finger and he'd do anything to solidify his family's allegiance with ours."

"If it helps," Olivia chimes in with a sudden memory. "Before I passed out I heard her tell the driver to call his boss."

"Murphy," both friends say in unison.

When Elliot's uncle arrives with two men in tow, he offers no pleasantries. He's a solid man, about the same height as his nephew, but the look in his eyes is haunting. A chill runs down Olivia's spine and she feels the sudden urge to hide in his presence.

"He's not as forgiving."

Elliot's words ring in her head and she decides it best to keep her mouth shut, stay out of the way. She can tell that this man is dangerous and she's had enough of that for the year.

She watches from the sideline as he instructs every man in the room on what will happen next. The men that he's brought along begin placing the deceased into body bags then cleaning the blood off the floor. They move quickly and efficiently and she knows that they've done this before, it may even be their specialty.

Then it dawns on her; the reason Elliot couldn't tell her about his family's business, his mother's disdain for the work becoming crystal clear. It wasn't a legal business they ran.

Her heart skips a beat when the oldest man in the room looks her dead in the eye, analyzing the expression on her face. Elliot's eyes shoot up when he begins walking toward her.

"You," he says. "What's your name?"

"O-Olivia."

"Olivia," he nods slowly. "You're the one my nephew's been seeing despite his prior obligations."

She isn't sure if that's a question to be answered or an incorrect observation, so she remains quiet.

"Well, miss Olivia. Did you touch anything other than that chair over there?"

"Um, just the table."

"Good." He looks over his shoulder, calling Elliot to them. "Take her home, we've got it from here."

"Okay."

"Give me a call when you get to your apartment."

"I will. Are you gonna tell my dad?"

And it's the first time Olivia sees a glimpse into Elliot's vulnerable side, it makes her heart melt a little for him.

"I have to," his uncle shakes his head. "He has to know that this alliance cannot move forward. We have to cut the snake's head off before it bites again."

Elliot nods but says nothing else, finally looking at her.

"Let's get you home."

She follows him and Fin out of the building to his car, slipping into the backseat.

"You okay?"

She looks up to find him staring at her through the rear view mirror, just like he did the night that he'd driven her and Dana home. Her eyes brim with tears as she nods unconvincingly. She wasn't right now, but she would learn to be. She always did.