Present Day

This was definitely intentional. Drew and Liam figured that out at the same time but while they rushed outside to join his Sergeant who patrol was all but screaming for now, quickly followed by his team who had realized what, if not how, was happening. He was actually the last to move, even Knox had whipped out a pistol he hadn't realized had been tucked into the back of his jeans, guarding Tess's rear as she finally pulled herself out of her own stupor and shakily took his hand, the other clutching the site of her newest scar. Both grips that got a lot tighter when they realized what was going on.

That one of the surrounding buildings Voight was ordering patrol to breach held a projector.

That a video was being displayed on the building directly across from them, taking up nearly the entire brick wall.

A video of Tess, naked and strung up by her arms, bleeding from what looked like hundreds of cuts all over her body. Including a vicious one across her thigh. And then he got to watch as a man stepped into frame, whistling as he swung her around so her back was to the camera before he gave her the one on her spine. A cut so deep Jay could see the white of her bone. And her screams… Pain yes, but not fear. Not even an ounce of it. That was rage.

The kind of rage that was a promise.

Wrath.

"Go in pairs."

It took him a second to realize it wasn't her recorded self speaking but the actual woman, not to him but to his team who had managed to mastered their horror faster than he had. And who now looked very ready to return the violence they'd just witnessed.

"Do not engage physically. Kill shots only." Tess said quietly, but firmly, holding each of their stares before giving a short nod that had them breaking away and hurrying to join patrol.

But they weren't going to find who they were looking for. Nor would Liam and Drew who while also clearly furious were coolly coordinating with Voight to have their men secure a perimeter outside what pd had already set up. And Tess… she was still holding onto him but after a reassuring squeeze, for herself or for him he didn't know, she stepped away. Towards the video still being projected, outwardly impassive as she watched herself writhe and shout- was she reliving this moment? Or wondering what he would do if he caught her again?

Myasnik.

The Butcher.

One of the Bratva's most brutal enforcers, a job that was supposed to keep him on the other side of the world. Jay didn't know if he'd been sent here or had come of his own free will but what he did know was that he wasn't going to lay another finger on her.

Over his dead fucking body.

But fierce as he felt he was frozen right now, unable to do anything but watch until the video finally cut off, his gaze immediately snapping to Tess as she turned and stared into the allegedly empty streets around them before finally settling on one. Try as he might he couldn't see what had caught her attention and his own kept flipping between the back alley and the knife she took out of her boot, the one she used to slice open her left palm, squeezing her fist until blood dribbled onto the pavement. He recognized the action instantly and his own blood went cold, not with fear but with resolve. A blood oath.

Whatever havoc he wanted to wreak here, she would pay it back.

They would.

Together.


He'd gotten away.

Through a manhole into the sewers in the very alley she'd fixed her gaze on and though he hadn't seen him Jay knew the man had seen them. And that he'd left pleased with himself, having accomplished what he wanted which was to humiliate and denigrate her in front of as many people as possible. Too bad Tess wasn't the kind of woman who could be shamed. He was the one getting frustrated with everyone staring at her, cowardly from the corners of their eyes, except for a particularly kind crime scene tech who'd gone right up to her and offered to clean up her hand, which she'd accepted. And Caminetto. He'd caught the young officer staring at both of them quite intently but he'd been quick to look away once caught and since he waved the rest of patrol back to their posts he decided to let it go. It wasn't often the kid saw the kind of violence they just had.

Wasn't normal for any of them save for those who were used to working on the other side of that line.

Or people like him who were used to seeing the aftermath.

Even Voight was disturbed by what he'd seen, ready to do something about it but still disturbed, but already he could see he had a greater appreciation for Tess which he always liked to see. And as much he didn't enjoy his teams distress he was grateful for how seriously they were taking this; they'd all gotten a lot better at understanding what she was capable of but when it came to what she'd been through that was harder to grasp. And seeing was always better for believing. Jay just wished it hadn't been so public. Or such a vulnerable moment that had been shared. But the woman herself didn't seem bothered at all, but then she had a great poker face, rivalled only by Nysa, but her silence and the way she played with her injured hand as they drove back to the precinct told him she was unnerved. The hard set of her jaw told him she was mostly pissed and while he understood that, and was ready to use it to their advantage he also knew her ire wasn't just directed at their attacker. The other person she was mad at was herself, because the way her hand kept flitting to and away from her stomach made it clear she knew she wasn't in prime fighting condition.

And she might be getting better at accepting that the rest of them were going to fight beside her but that wasn't the same as people fighting for her. As being unable to fight for herself. Which was why he also stayed silent, because he was very much looking forward to finally getting to pay someone back for all the pain that had been done to her. But when Tess didn't move to get out once they parked he forced himself to suppress those urges and look her over more closely, taking her hand when he realized she was intentionally not meeting his gaze.

"Tess-"

"I didn't know." She said quietly, steady but too damn quiet and though he squeezed her fingers she still didn't look at him.

"No one could have-"

"I didn't know he filmed it."

Oh.

Oh.

Shit. It was bad enough to be tortured, bad enough to have that experience shared with over a dozen strangers but to have it recorded? To not know, but to have a pretty good guess of what… personal purposes that footage had been used for?

How many more times and how many more ways could she be violated?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't care about the video. Or what he did." She replied with a shrug and though he didn't feel the same he had the sense she was telling the truth, he might not like it but Tess hadn't ever really taken torture personally but she was clearly upset about something. "I just… I didn't want you to think I was hiding it from you."

Now that was shit.

"I wouldn't care if you had. What you went through is yours to process and yours to share. When and if you want."

Finally her eyes flicked to his and immediately the tightness in her shoulders deflated, though her eyes were still darting between his, her mouth twisting until she at last pushed out what she was actually worried about. "What… what would you do, or think… if we didn't find our way back to each other by chance?"

It took him a minute to understand what she was asking, what it inferred about the last year and a half and Jay couldn't deny it made him angry to think they'd been manipulated. But did he really care? Could he regret anything that had brought her back to him?

No.

"I think it was their biggest mistake. Second biggest because going after you was the dumbest thing they could have done." He said easily, relaxing when she let out a sad but relieved laugh. "As for what I would doWe are going to make them regret those choices."

Tess took a deep breath in then nodded and pushed her head against his, quiet for a few minutes until she pulled back and looked him over with that impish smirk. "They're so fucked."