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Chapter Text

/

The attic

When the girl finally opened her eyes, he laughed for a moment. He laughed, because he was infinitely relieved and grateful. He laughed, because it meant she would probably live. He laughed, because it might mean that his brother would survive, too.

Then, however, his mood swung so suddenly, that he felt nauseous. The laughter turned into desperate sobs and he couldn't hold back the tears. He turned away, pressed his shoulder against the wall, and let himself sink into a crouch, while his thoughts swarmed out in all directions.

If the girl lived, he too would survive. At least if the men kept the promise they had made him earlier. But he didn't believe them. He didn't believe they would let him go. He had seen their faces.

Fatigue and exhaustion made his emotions go crazy. The fear and the silence between the guards' visits drove him into madness. The heat in the room made him sleepy, but he couldn't give in to the desire to sleep.
If the girl died, so would his brother. And if his brother died, he would die shortly after. They had said they would let him watch them kill him - and then it would be his turn.

A shudder made his body tremble. It couldn't come to that. He would never forgive himself if it came to that, just because he had failed. He had to keep an eye on the girl. Always. She wasn't out of the woods yet.

Wiping away tears with the back of his hand, he took a deep breath. He rose again, stretched his back and approached the dirty bed, where the girl lay.

He didn't know how long he had been here. How many days he had fought for her life. Since they had brought him here, he had not slept. The room they were held in had no window. A light bulb on the ceiling was switched on around the clock - it was impossible to tell what time it was or what day it was.

Tuesday. It had been on a Tuesday when they had kidnapped him and his brother and had brought them here. Since then he had been locked in this room, with her. He hadn't seen anything of the rest of the house, but it had to be secluded, because you never heard anything from outside. No cars, no planes - nothing.

The silence and the heat were getting to him. Maybe it was also the uncertainty he was forced to live in. He didn't know what was happening around him, his world had shrunk to this small space under the roof. This was now the environment, in which he existed.

The girl blinked and looked up at the low ceiling above them. He walked slowly and carefully closer now. How long she had been here, he could not say either. But it must have been several weeks since she had last taken a shower or a bath. Her clothes stared with dirt and were soaked with her sweat - just like his.

By now he was dirty and sweaty too, the floor was dusty and no matter where he sat down, he couldn't manage to brush the dirt off his clothes afterwards. Especially not with the handcuffs restricting his movements. They had a slightly longer chain, but still his hands had not been free since he had arrived here.

He longed to be able to move freely. For a cooling breath of air, for a refreshing gush of water. But all they got, were little plastic bottles with water and mostly fast food, wordlessly shoved through the flap on the door twice a day, when the guards wouldn't unlock the door.

He had used the water to cool the girl's body as much as possible, pouring it into her mouth while she had still been delirious. He had taken a part for himself, but only as much as had been necessary. He only took the food when he absolutely couldn't stand it anymore and even then it made him nauseous. He was much too tense to eat.

The man who was in charge here, instilled fear in him. He had spoken to him three times so far. Three times he had felt absolutely at his mercy and helpless. Three times his life and the lives of the others had been on a razor´s edge. The man was making the decisions here and he couldn't gauge his behavior.

When this man came in, he had to sit on the floor at the foot of the bed. To where he had first woken up. The guards would come in and then tie the handcuffs to the bed frame above his head. The man who had introduced himself to him as Domenico, was taking no chances. He laughed every time he sat helplessly on the floor, trapped like a lab rat.

"I could crush you like a cockroach, if I wanted to!" he had said the last time he had left. "So don't disappoint me."

Domenico's visits were nerve-wracking. But the guards were cruel, too. They wrinkled their noses when they came in, kicked and punched him when they felt like it. Although he didn't have to sit on the floor when they came, he still didn't feel any less helpless.

He could not stand up to them. They were tall, well-trained and always carried weapons. His cheekbone still hurt from their first "visit", when they had asked him what drugs they should get. Chip had hit him with the gun as a goodbye. A souvenir for being too arrogant in Chip´s opinion.

Chip and Chap - that's what he had named them. The two, who were responsible for the girl and him. He had hoped that they would eventually be replaced by other guards, but that didn't seem to be happening.

The girl looked at him now and immediately tried to move away from him. He raised his hands slightly in front of his body to signal to her, that there was no danger from him. She spotted the handcuffs and her eyes grew wide.

"Don't be afraid." he said, and he put his hands on his chest now. "My name is Will. I'm here to help you."

/

The basement

The cool air made him shiver and he pulled his knees a little closer to his body, until he could finally clasp them with his arms. His entire body still ached from the beating he had taken that first day. When he had tried to break free, to somehow get them out of here.

They had quickly put him in his place, beaten him half unconscious and thrown him in here, into this windowless, dark room where he had been locked up for endless hours and days.

The walls and floor were made of concrete, he had found out by now. The door had no handle on the inside and there was a flap at the bottom, that could only be opened from the outside. A flap through which something to eat and drink was pushed every few hours. A large plastic bucket without a handle served as his toilet. It had not been emptied yet.

No one talked to him and no one made demands. They just kept him alive. He was probably nothing more than a leverage. But leverage for what? Who had kidnapped them? And did his brother feel the same way as he did right now? Was he in a room right next to his and was he asking himself the same questions at that moment?

He tugged on the chain that was attached to a hook on the wall, to regain a little more freedom of movement. He stretched his legs and leaned against the cold wall. They had put the chain around his ankle on the first day, when he had lain injured and motionless on the floor and when he had no idea what had awaited him.

The chain prevented him from walking further than to the door. It had been shortened to just the right length. Because of the chain, he had thought that they would ask him questions, that that damn door would open now and then, and that something would happen - anything. But he hadn't known then that they wouldn't care what he had to say. That no matter what he said or what he asked when the flap opened, would go unanswered. That this was obviously not about him. No, it was about something else. But what, he didn't know.

Jay was doomed to just keep breathing down here and to wait. To wait for the door to open again and reveal to him why he was being kept alive here in this room - or until it was opened to kill him.

/

Chapter Text

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The kitchen

"It's time, let's bring them their food," Jorge said and went to the refrigerator. "What food do we give to the one in the basement?"

"Give him the pasta that´s left over from the day before yesterday. It really has to go." replied Sam, who was sitting on the couch that was situated under the window.

He was playing Solitaire on his cell phone. Various newspapers and magazines were spread out on the round table in the corner. A lit cigarette fumed in the full ashtray.

This was their realm, where they stayed during the day, waiting for instructions.

"And what are we going to bring the one up there?"

"I'll make him a sandwich. We have to go back in today. See how the girl is doing. Domenico wants a report later.", Sam placed his cell phone next to him on the seat of the couch. "If she hasn't made any progress today, he wants to teach the doc a little lesson."

"I hope so! I´m bored. I need something to happen here!," Jorge grinned. "I'll take the noodles downstairs. I'm curious if he's come up with any new questions today."

"Stop playing with the guy, you´re a Sadist," Sam was annoyed.

"Oh come on, let me have some fun.", he put the square box of pasta on a tray and grabbed one of the small water bottles that were sitting next to the refrigerator. "I like it when his voice takes on a desperate tone."

/

The living room

"No, I want the shipment to arrive on time by tomorrow morning!", Domenico clutched his phone so tightly, that his fingers hurt. "Then get me a substitute somewhere else, but keep your damn delivery date, understood?"

He ended the call and let out an angry growl. He was beginning to think that he was surrounded by idiots! He turned his head when he noticed a movement behind the glass door. He saw Jorge walking to the basement, with a delivery box of chinese food and a bottle of water.

He snorted. Maybe it was time he took his bad mood out on someone else? The doctor wasn't seriously an option, though it bugged him that the girl still wasn't well. He still needed the doctor. Other than the guy in the basement. He had been taking advantage of his hospitality long enough, without providing any service in return.

Domenico put his cell phone on the glass coffee table and walked over to the fireplace. His hand closed around the handle of one of the iron bars, that were meant to position the logs and stoke the embers. He wondered if it would lift his spirits if he´d brake a few bones today. He admired the blacksmithing of the bar, weighed it in his hand. He was determined to find out.

/

The cellar

Jay knelt in front of the open flap. The man who had brought him the food, was waiting.

"Please, how is my brother?" he asked for a second time now. "Talk to me!"

But the man remained silent. It was like every other time. Jay knew he should have given up long ago, but he couldn't. Each time he tried again. This time, all he heard was a disdainful laugh before the flap closed again.
After that, normally there was silence for several hours. There was no distraction in here, nothing that would help him escape this void he was in right now. It was cold and it was dark, dead silent between visits from the guards. Jay wondered how long it would be, before he went insane.

But today was different. Shortly after the flap had closed, he heard voices from outside. He froze and waited. His heart began to race. Would he finally find out what all this was about? Or would they kill him now, because he was no longer of any use to them?

When the door lock was opened from the outside, everything inside him tensed. He pushed himself up and got to his feet, the wall at his back. A light was switched on and he squinted his eyes. It blinded him and hurt his eyes, which had stared blindly into the darkness for so long. He blinked. After a moment, he realized that an LED lamp was embedded in the ceiling. He looked around, seeing his prison in its entirety for the first time. As expected, it was a square room made of gray, rough concrete. The metal door had a metal plate where the handle should be, and the flap at the bottom.

The door swung open and one of the guards, one who had beaten him up earlier, was standing outside. Next to him stood a smaller person he had not seen before. The man was wearing a light gray suit. He held an elaborately forged iron bar with a wooden handle in his hand. Jay's gaze lingered on the bar for a moment, before their eyes met.

"Am I going to die now?" he asked.

His voice sounded hoarse because he hadn't used it in so long. Neither of them answered, but the big, muscular guy now stepped in and came toward him. Jay instinctively raised his arms and clenched his hands into fists. Because of the chain around his foot, he would not be able to escape, but he would fight back, that much was certain.

Just before the guy had reached him, he noticed that the man was also holding something in his hand. Too late he realized it was a stun gun - the weapon fired and two barbs drilled into his chest. The electrodes sent a charge of electricity through his body with such intensity, that he immediately went down. He wanted to scream, but his muscles tensed so that only a tortured groan left his lips.

Jay lay on his back and looked up into the bright LED light above him. Then the guard appeared in his field of vision. The guy ripped the electrodes from his skin and bent down to him before he could even stir again. He was grabbed and dragged to the hook in the wall, where the chain was attached. The man pulled something out of his pockets and one of Jay's wrists was grabbed. Then something wrapped around his wrist. With a whirring sound, his hand was lashed to the hook - a thick cable tie now held his hand there.

His muscles still twitched and he stared at the two men, while he sat on the ground. The one in the suit approached him. The stranger looked at him and brandished the iron staff in his hand. He seemed to be considering what to do with it. Jay did not like the expression on the man's face. He looked angry and displeased - and something told Jay, that this man was going to take his frustrations out on him.

"Take the bucket out, it stinks in here!" he ordered the guard. "I told you to change the bucket every day! And take out the trash!"

"Sorry, Boss."

Jay watched the guard, who was now picking up the packaging trash from Jay's meager meals and the empty small water bottles he had left next to the flap. Then the muscular man went outside. Jay looked at the "Boss" again, who now turned back to him.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt," the latter said.

Without waiting any longer, the man lashed out with the iron bar. Jay flinched. The metal swung through the air and hit his thigh with a dull sound. He cried out and clawed his free hand into the ground, as the first sharp pain jolted through his body. The hand with the cable tie formed into a bizarre claw, as he tried to pull free. He slid further back and brought his free hand forward to ward off the next blow. But the bar, now swung for the second time, only crashed on his palm and broke a bone, as he tried to stop it. Again he cried out and lowered his arm, which now ached and throbbed like crazy.

The man in the suit laughed and showed his bleached teeth, as he lashed out a third time, aiming the pole at his head. Again, Jay brought his free arm up and the bar collided with his forearm. The pain was indescribable. Suddenly he saw colorful dots and stars explode in his mind's eye. He sank backwards and his head hit the wall. Shocked, he slumped down a bit and expelled the air from his lungs. He was strangely aware that he was completely at the mercy of this guy right now, but still his body hadn't switched into defense mode yet. All of this had happened way too fast.

Fortunately for him, the man dropped the bar now and it landed on the concrete floor with a clanging sound.

"That was good!" the guy said, as he smoothed his suit. "We should do that again in due time."

The guard came back and picked up the bar from the floor, while Jay shivered from pain and shock.

"Time to pay the doctor a visit. Jorge, you finish cleaning this up. And bring him a new bucket, like I told you!"

Out of breath Jay followed the conversation. The words were now finally penetrating his confused mind. Pay the doctor a visit? Was the man referring to Will?

"Wait!" he exclaimed, and the man stopped, while the guard still held the iron bar. "My brother. Is he all right?"

The man showed the hint of a smile and looked at him for a moment without answering him.

"Please!" begged Jay, as he pressed his injured, aching arm to his chest. "Tell me if he's okay!"

Again, the man just glared at him before finally turning away. "Jorge, you´ll join me right after."

"Okay, Boss."

The man left.


"No!" Jay shouted now. He pushed himself up a little further with his uninjured leg. His gaze fastened on Jorge, who had stayed behind. "Where is he?" he asked. "Is he here? What's this all about?"

The tip of the iron bar approached his chest and he fell silent.

"Shhht.", Jorge now pressed the tip, that was forged into an arrow, against his sternum. „Don´t you want to beg a little more? I like that, I like it alot.“

Jay fell silent. Jorge waited a moment, then he pulled out a knife with his free hand. He passed the blade under the cable tie and freed Jay's hand with a flick of the knife. With a jerk, he cut the plastic and Jay's arm fell down. The muscular man stepped back and headed for the door again, while Jay looked after him in shock and bewilderment.

The guard stepped outside for a few seconds. The open door revealed a long, unfurnished hallway. Then he returned with a red, empty bucket. He tossed the bucket in the room, which bounced off the ground for a few times, before it landed at Jays feet. Then Jorge locked the door again. Shortly after, the light was turned off.

Jay stared in the darkness, letting the last few minutes pass before his mind's eye. His heart was still racing. He lowered his gaze and sank even further into himself, his upper body sliding back against the wall. Silence now surrounded him again. He shivered and tried to catch his breath.

Had this really just happened? Yes, the pain in his thigh, his arm and hand testified to what had happened.

The pain raged like a pulsating fire and would ensure for a long time, that he would not forget the men's visit.

/

Chapter Text

/

The attic

The girl said something in a language, Will didn't understand. He guessed she was from Eastern Europe, but he couldn't say for sure. He placed his hands on his chest again.

"Will." he repeated. "Doctor. Medicine. Okay?"

She glanced at him, blinked nervously, and finally nodded.

"What's your name?" he asked, pointing at himself. "Will - and you?"

He pointed at her.

"Elmira." she answered softly.

He smiled and nodded, as tears gathered in his eyes again. He was glad she was feeling better and that she was communicating with him.

"Hi Elmira. Good to see you awake. I was very scared for you."

She didn't understand him, but she seemed to realize that he wouldn´t harm her. As he continued to approach, she stayed still. He approached the bed and pointed to her lower leg, to the bandage where the wound was that had caused the infection and high fever.

"I cleaned the wound and you were given antibiotics for the infection. Antibiotics and saline infusions at first.", he took out a small box from under the bed. "Antibiotics, do you understand? You take three pills a day.", he showed the amount with his fingers. "In the morning. Noon. In the evening. Three."

She nodded.

"You'll have to take all the pills. And rest, drink a lot and sleep a lot, when I'm gone. I think they'll-" he stopped, contemplating for a moment. "I think they'll come for me soon. And they will kill me."

He looked at her and fear rose inside him. She had no idea what he was talking about, of course not, so he forced himself to an encouraging smile.

"You're going to be okay." he said, now handing her an open bottle of water. "Drink. Your body needs it. I hope you´ll get home soon."

She took the bottle from him and took a tiny sip. She glanced at the door.

"Domenico?" she asked.

Will looked at her in amazement. So she knew the name of her captor.

"Domenico is here." he replied. "Here in the house."

He recognized new fear in her face now. Again she said something, a rapid succession of words he couldn't follow. He felt for her. She was so young, still a child in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I´m so sorry, I don't understand you."

They both turned their heads as they heard sounds coming from the door.

"Domenico!" she whispered frightened, her eyes now filling with tears as well.

"I'm sorry," he repeated softly. "I wish I could protect you from him."

She moved away now, sliding across the mattress.

Someone pounded on the door.

"Over to the bed!" came Chip's or Chap's instruction from outside - he couldn't tell the voices apart.

Will started moving and approached the foot of the bed. After he sat down, an electronic sound rang out and the door to the room opened. There was an electronic lock and several more locks on the outside.

With a pounding heart, Will looked up and he watched as Chip entered the room first. He was followed by Domenico.

Today, he was wearing an expensive, light gray suit. His dark hair was slicked back and a gold Rolex watch decorated his hand.

Chip fastened the handcuffs to the bed, while Domenico immediately saw that Elmira was awake. She had moved off the bed and was now huddled in a far corner. Domenico smiled and glanced at Will.

"Well, well! You actually did it! Now I'm going to get my money after all!"

He walked further into the room and Will tensely watched every move he made. Elmira made herself small and raised her hands above her head, to hide from him. Domenico continued to walk toward her. Will couldn't bear to watch how frightened the young woman was. Domenico first gazed at her, then he touched her chin, grabbed her hair. He acted like he was her owner - which he probably was.

"She's still very weak and not out of the woods yet!" Will exclaimed because he couldn't stand it anymore.

Chip kicked him hard in the leg with the toe of his shoe. Will winced as Domenico now turned to face him. He swallowed dryly before he continued to speak. He turned slightly and clenched his hands in the cuffs above his head, because he was incredibly tense.

"She needs more medication, lots of rest and water. You guys need to give her a lot more water. Or broth. She needs to get her strength back." the words were gushing out of him now. "Give her real food, not just sandwiches and fast food. And the bandages need to be changed regularly. She can't live in this filth any longer. She must have the opportunity to wash!"

"Did I ask for your opinion?", Domenico approached him again and Will looked up at him.

"You brought me here to help her, and that's my advice as a doctor. She could relapse if-"

"Quiet!" the young man now shouted.

Will fell silent and looked him in the eye, waiting what would happen now. Domenico closed his eyes. He breathed in and out slowly, probably to cool his temper. Then he turned to Chip.

"Get her the things that he mentioned."

Nervously, Will´s breath hitched with tension. Would they kill him now? He started to shiver. After a moment, Domenico spoke again.

"I've booked a flight for me and the girl, leaving in 24 hours," he told him now. "If she's not fit to travel by then, I'll kill you. All three of you."

Will opened his mouth to say something, but the young man didn't give him a chance to answer. He landed a punch in his face that came so fast and hard, that Will didn't see it coming. His head was thrown back, while pain exploded in his jaw.

For a moment, his body tensed. But the shock and lack of sleep of the last few days probably caused him to slump after a second. He fell into a restless state between wakefulness and unconsciousness.

/

The basement

Motionless, Jay lay on his back, his aching arm resting on the floor beside him. He stared at the ceiling, wondering how long it would be before someone came down the next time. They wouldn't bother to treat him. That much was clear to him. There would be no painkillers, no bandages or anything to support his arm. So he tried to move as little as possible and use the pain management techniques he had been taught a long time ago. But thinking about what he was taught many years ago, also brought back memories he didn't want to deal with.

He closed his eyes and hoped that sleep would eventually release him from this state, but the pain was still too strong. He tried to distract himself. His thoughts wandered back to the younger man who seemed to be in charge here. He had no accent, but he looked like he was of Italian descent or similar. The suit had been high quality and expensive, the watch on his arm probably genuine. Everything here indicated that this wasn't the first time a person was held in here. And the man felt perfectly safe, otherwise he and Will would have been taken somewhere else long ago. No, this house seemed like a safe place for the man, to do whatever he wanted.

Did they even know who Will and he were? They had taken all his things. His jacket, wallet, watch, shoes – and his wedding ring. That his ring was gone, was what bothered him the most. He wondered if he would get it back, if he survived this.

Did they go through his wallet? Probably not, because he was sure they would kill him immediately, if they knew he was a cop. And they probably had no idea that the CPD was looking for them right now. At least he hoped they were looking for them.

/

The attic

When Will regained consciousness, he was lying on his side, still at the foot of the bed. They had loosened the handcuffs from the bedframe. He pushed himself up. His face hurt, just as the rest of his body ached here and there, reminiscent of the older injuries as he moved.

Elmira slid off the mattress and slowly came to him. She spoke softly to him, but as before, he couldn't understand her.

"I'm okay." he said more to himself, and he got into a sitting position. "It's okay."

Again she spoke at him, but he just looked at her, exhausted.

"How long was I asleep?" he then asked, but they couldn't communicate properly. "Okay, you need to lie back down."

She made no move to do so. He began to struggle to his feet. Swaying slightly, he came up. He saw that some things had been placed next to the door. More water, baby wipes, and a small square styrofoam food container. Next to it, a larger cup.

"Did they leave that there?" he asked.

She followed his gaze and nodded.

„Okay, please lie down.“, softly he guided her to the bed and she sat down on the matress.

Then he slowly walked over to the things at the door. He must have been unconscious for a while, because he hadn't noticed any of this. He propped himself against the door frame, when he reached it. Food smells caused him to feel slightly nauseous again.

Slowly, he squatted down and reached for the cup with his hands. Soup. So they seemed to be sticking to what he had said. He put the cup back down and reached out for the other food container. In it were noodles in a tomato sauce. Will took the soup and stood back up. He walked to the bed.

"Here." he said to Elmira. "This will do you good."

She shook her head.

"Please. I know you're not well and you're scared. But your body needs all the nutrients it can get right now."

As she hesitantly took the cup of soup, that had gone cold by now, he thought about Domenico's words. He would be flying somewhere with Elmira the next day. And he had said that he would get money.

What was he going to do with her? Was she a hostage to be released for a ransom? Or was this a case of human trafficking? Both would be terrible. He wished that he could help her escape her fate. But how could he do that?

Domenico had said if she was not fit to travel the next day, he would kill all three of them. All three of them... that meant that Elmira would die too.

/

Chapter Text

/

The living room

"Is the girl ready?" asked Paulo, Domenico's father, a little later.

He entered the room and took a seat in one of the two armchairs, while Domenico stood in front of the large window that faced the garden. He then went to the small bar next to the fireplace to pour his father a drink.

"Things seem to go to plan," he said as he picked up a crystal glass. "I made it clear to the doctor that if she's not able to travel tomorrow, he won't survive this."

"I had told you how important our customer was. And you still risked her getting sick. He is not pleased with the delay."

Domenico looked at his father for a moment. He was one of the few people he had respect for and wanted to do right by. He poured the drink, walked over to him and handed him the glass.

"I'm sorry, Father," he said. "The doctor knows his business. We had one of our men treated by him before we brought him here."

His father raised his eyebrows in interest. "Who is he?"

"He was once the head doctor in the hospital's emergency room."

Domenico sat down in the second chair.

"Really?" his father's eyes turned into little slits as he pondered. "And you had someone else kidnapped?"

"Yes. He happened to be there. Apparently it's his brother."

"Brother?"

"I thought he'd be good leverage, if the doctor had refused."

"Did you look at the papers they had with them?"

"Why would I have done that?" asked Domenico.

"Son, I've told you often enough that you have to know your enemies. But you also need to know the people who work for you."

"He doesn't work for me, he's my prisoner."

His father smiled briefly. "That´s the same. He works for you. Just not willingly."

"What do you hope to gain by knowing his identity?"

"I think I've heard something before, about a doctor at the Med whose brother is a cop."

Involuntarily, Domenico became nervous. Had he made a mistake not checking out the men?

"A cop?"

"Not just any cop. He's one of Hank Voight's closest."

Domenico's nervousness turned to anger. "You mean that scumbag who put Uncle Carlo in jail?"

"That's the one. Assuming I'm right, we should have them both brought to my house. Voight is good at what he does. They could be on to you. We shouldn't keep them in one place all the time."

"Tomorrow I'm going to take the girl to our client anyway," Domenico said. "You could have them brought to you."

Paulo nodded. "Bring me their things. I want to look at them."

/

The attic

Elmira had been sleeping for a while. She had been keeping food down and seemed to be steadily getting better. At least, as far as Will could tell without monitors and the usual tests.

He paced restlessly up and down the room, while pressing a hand against his aching chin. He racked his brains over and over about how he could manage to keep the man from leaving with Elmira the next day. Could he maybe buy her time if he claimed she was still too sick? But then Domenico would kill her.

Maybe he could make some kind of deal? What if he signed up to be a doctor for them, in exchange for Domenico letting Jay and Elmira go? He wondered if that would be interesting to the man. The way all this seemed to him, Elmira wasn't the first and perhaps not the only hostage being held here.

He ran both hands through his wet sweaty hair, then he pushed the cuffs up a bit to massage his aching wrists. He couldn't take all this anymore. What if he tried to overpower Domenico and the guard - and Elmira made it out of the room? Could she run fast enough in her condition, to somehow make it outside? Would he be able to make her understand? And then what? Jay and he would almost certainly be as good as dead.

Sounds outside the door suddenly made him pause. Elmira woke up fully and sat up in bed.

"Quiet. It´s all good." he said to reassure her, though he was nervous himself. "I'm sure they'll just bring some more food."

The door was unlocked. Since Will had not been instructed to sit down, he assumed it would be one or both of the guards. Sure enough, Chip and Chap entered the room shortly thereafter.

"The boss wants to see you," Chip said.

Unsure, Will paused in place. What was this all about? Domenico had said he still had time, so he could take care of Elmira. Chap approached him and reached for the handcuffs.

"You won't need those from now on," he said as he held a small key in his hand. "We'll put the handcuffs back on her now. She´s already used to them."

Perplexed, Will watched as Chap opened the locks and as he took the handcuffs off.

"She doesn't need this," he said. "Let her be, please."

As Chap stepped back, Chip came closer and grabbed him by the arm. He was pushed toward the wall and Chip pulled his arms back. The next moment, a cable tie wrapped around his wrists and his arms were secured behind his back.

"You will see your brother again," Chap said, still walking toward the frightened Elmira. "I'm going to see for myself how well the girl is doing by now."

"No!" exclaimed Will in despair. „She's still very sick. She needs rest! Don't touch her!"

The man with him, now grabbed his chin roughly and Will squeezed his eyes shut as the man touched the already bruised area.

"One more word and I'll break your jaw! Do you understand?"

Will didn't dare to say anything else. Concerned, he looked to Elmira, who was moving away from Chap. At that moment, Will once again became acutely aware that Jay and he were going to die. He had done everything these people had asked. He had kept the girl alive - and yet, now he and Jay would lose their lives.

Chip finally let go of him and stepped back a bit. Will heard a cry from Elmira and turned his head now. Chap had reached her and grabbed her hands. He made her put on the cuffs. It hurt his heart to know the young woman was in the hands of these guys.

"No..." he said again softly, more to himself.

Too late he saw that Chip had now raised his arm above him. Something hard collided with his temple and he blacked out again.

He heard once more a short, glaring and frightened scream from the girl. In his last waking moment, he wondered if it might not have been better for Elmira, if he had just let her go...

/

The cellar

With his arm pressed tightly against his chest, Jay was now leaning against the wall, when the door was surprisingly unlocked another time. After all these days without any real human contact, the second disturbance meant that something must had happened. Jay instinctively knew things were getting serious now.

The lights came on, the two guards came in. Jorge and the other guy, whose name he didn't know. The Suit was missing this time. One was holding the taser, the other a couple of zip ties.

"My arm is broken," Jay said. "So I´d suggest you don´t need these."

"Shut up.", Jorge pointed the taser at him. "Do I have to use this again?"

Jay shook his head and looked up at him.

"Then stand up now." the other urged him.

With difficulty, Jay rose and sucked in air as he put weight on his right leg. His thigh ached with every movement. The iron bar had certainly left a large bruise under his jeans. The movement dragged the chain across the floor with a clanking sound. He hated that sound by now.

"Turn around, face the wall."

He obeyed, knowing he had no choice at the moment. The second guard moved closer, now pulling his arms back. Jay cried out, as his broken arm was moved. As two cable ties wrapped around his wrists and were lashed tightly, even more tension was placed on his arms. His legs almost buckled, as the pain was now almost overwhelming. He breathed quickly and deeply to combat the dizziness and nausea that suddenly gripped him.

"Turn around, look at me." the second man now commanded.

Jay did his best, but he was too slow. The guy grabbed his upper arms and turned him around now.

"We're going to open the chain and go upstairs. You do anything stupid and I'll break your other arm too, okay?" threatened Jorge.

He nodded and swallowed, as he tried to stay on his feet. The guard put a hand on his chest and pushed him against the wall, while Jorge now put the taser away and tampered with the chain.

"I'm opening the lock, Sam," Jorge said after a moment.

Jay felt the chain come off and his leg finally come free after all these days. But it was not relief, it was rather the promise of an even greater evil.

"Let's go.", Sam buried his fingers in his shirt and pulled him forward with a jerk. "Follow me."

He let go of him and Jay limped along behind him. He couldn't put full weight on his leg, it hurt too badly. The movements also kept sending new pain down his arm and in his hand.

He was more focused on himself than paying much attention to the surroundings. Barefoot, he followed Sam, as Jorge walked behind him. They went through a hallway, up a flight of stairs, and then to the left, into another hallway.

A door led to the right and there he was now pushed to. Sam opened the door and Jorge gave him another push forward. Three steps led down and Jay stumbled, as the bruised muscle in his thigh cramped at that moment. He fell down and landed on his already bruised left shoulder. The shock of the impact tore at his arms. He couldn't even scream, so much the pain overwhelmed him at that moment. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned in agony.

"Oops.", Jorge laughed.

"Stop it already, man! I don't feel like carrying him." Sam moved closer and tugged on Jay's shirt collar. "Come on."

Jay struggled to get back on his knees and to his feet, as he breathed haltingly through the pain. Sam led him on. They walked through a supply room, toward another door. Jorge walked forward and unlocked it.

When Jay realized that it was a garage they were leading him into, when he saw that foils had already been laid out on the floor and taped to the walls, naked fear gripped him.

/

The garage

Shivering, Will sat on a metal chair in the middle of the room. He felt tickling fresh blood running down his cheek from a laceration on his head, dripping onto his soaked shirt. He had a headache and his arms ached. His cuffed hands were now tethered to the back of the chair, his ankles to the chair legs. His mouth had been sealed with duct tape.

The floor and walls had been covered with large sheets of foil. Will could imagine why they had done this. The garage he was in was where they disposed of their prisoners. Further away, he saw large, blue plastic barrels with their lids open. The barrels were large enough to make a person disappear inside. Would Jay and he end up in one of these barrels?

A second chair stood not far from him. Anxiously, he looked around and breathed faster when he heard noises coming from the next room. He felt dizzy and blinked. He had to calm down, force himself to keep a clear head. But how should that work in his situation?

A gust of air caused the suspended foil to move, and he could now make out shadowy movements behind a foil. A hand slipped between the foil and shortly after, someone stumbled forward. The person kept his head down, but Will knew immediately who it was.

"Mhmm!" he tried to call Jay's name, but his mouth was firmly shut.

His hands balled into fists and he leaned forward a little, toward him. At last Jay raised his head and looked at him. Will recognized fear and pain in his brother's expression. Half-healed bruises and lacerations covered his face. They had hit him, too. He was wet with sweat and he was limping.

"I'm all right, Will," Jay said, noticing the look on his face. "I'm okay."

Will shook his head and stared at him. His brother was not okay. Not okay at all. Damn it, what had they done to him?

"Sit down.", Sam pushed him toward the second chair.

Jay slumped down on the chair and Sam immediately began threading another cable tie through Jay's bound hands. This one he connected to the back of the chair, just as they had done with Will.

"Listen. Look at me, Will.", Jay had turned toward him. He was out of breath, his voice also testifying to the fact that he was in a lot of pain. "None of this is your fault, okay? No matter what, I love you and you-"

Jorge was now pressing a piece of tape to Jay's mouth as well. Will groaned in horror, but Jorge just smiled in satisfaction.

His brother looked at him again and Will's eyes filled with tears. Then Jorge grabbed Jay's chin and forced his head back to look at him.

"Did I just hear that right? You love him?"

"The two are brothers. Remember?", Sam fastened zip ties around Jay's ankles. "Leave him alone."

Jorge let go with a laugh. "Finally, some action here! I'd love to get started right now!"

"We'll wait, like the boss said."

Will was still shaking, while the two were now paced up and down in front of the two chairs. He kept glancing over at Jay, who continued to struggle with pain. Then they heard footsteps, someone was walking over the laid out foil. Domenico was coming in. Everything in Will tensed. An older, burly man now entered the garage as well.

"Everything ready?" he asked the two men.

"All set, boss," Sam rose and stepped back.

The older boss looked at the two brothers. Even Domenico was staying in the background now.

"I understand you've done a good job, Doctor," the man began. "You've kept our guest alive, and I understand she's apparently well enough to travel tomorrow."

Will looked over at Jay, who just eyed the older man intently.

"Sam, get the tape off."

The guard did as ordered and Will squinted, as the tape was now pulled off. It hurt and his lips burned. He looked at Chap, who had stayed behind with Elmira and who's real name he knew by now.

"What did Jorge do to her?" he asked. "I don't think she's strong enough to travel tomorrow. Please, don't do this to her - whatever you're planning. And please don't hurt her."

The man came closer.

"You're brave, I'll give you that. But what happens to the girl is not of your concern. My son will take care of her."

"But -"

"Don't push it," he warned him.

Will swallowed, trying to concentrate. He realized that this might be the last chance he had to fight for their life.

"Sir please... Your son," he began in a suddenly shaky voice. "He said he would let us go if I saved the girl's life. I did."

The older man nodded. "He has made that promise to many men. But you should´ve realized by now that we can't let you go."

Will's gaze darted among those present. That hadn't been a question, but a statement.

"Please..." he said again. "We won't say anything to anyone. Let my brother go. He has nothing to do with any of this."

Domenico rolled his eyes in annoyance and the older man laughed softly.

"I've heard that too many times. And do you know how to make sure no one is talking? You just kill them."

Will swallowed, glancing over at Jay, who continued to watch the men tensely.

"I... I could keep working for you. I will guarantee that my brother won't say anything. Please!"

The man raised a hand and Will fell silent. His heart pounded violently in his chest. After a nod, the guard now approached him again. The tape was pressed over his mouth again. The time for pleading, was over.

"Fortunately for you, I still oversee my son's business for the most part," the older man now said. "And I decide who lives and who dies. After all, I'm responsible for what happens here, in my business."

Wide-eyed now, Will looked at him, waiting what would happen now.

"I found out that you two are acquainted with an old friend of mine. And that he," he pointed to Jay now. "is an extremely valuable hostage."

Will's eyes widened even more. This guy knew who they were? So far, no one had asked him his last name. He'd assumed the guys had just randomly picked up a doctor outside the Med. That Jay had also been there that night to pick him up, had just been bad luck.

But they'd gone through their stuff, of course, and this guy had to have eventually made the connection as to who they were. Jay tried to say something under the tape, but the boss raised his hand and commanded him to be quiet.

"I don't like being interrupted. I thought the tape made that clear to both of you?"

Jay was glaring angrily at him, and Will was now dealing with a new kind of fear. What was this guy going to do with them now?

"The fact that I know who you are now, means good news for both of you."

Will didn't believe a word he said.

"My son had instructed his men to kill you after the job was done. But your brother has become too valuable, to just dump your bodies at the shore of the lake.", he smiled. "Now I will finally have, what I have been demanding back for a very long time." He turned to his son now. "Domenico?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Let's go back inside the house. We need to talk."

/

Chapter Text

/

Another cellar


"Are you all right?" asked Will.

Jay just nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. He sat on the floor, still sweating from pain and tension, but slowly his body calmed down. Sitting still was the best option at the moment.

A van had taken them to another place, they didn't know where they were now. They had put a hood over their heads and led them out. They had been tied up the whole time, their mouths still sealed with duct tape.

Since about a minute, they had finally been alone. They had been locked up and left behind. But at least they were together.

He looked around. Another basement, again no window and no way to reach the door. Metal bars had been drilled into the wall at ankle height to the right and the left of the oblong room. Handcuffs held them in place, Will on one side, Jay on the other side of the room. One of their hands had been chained to the bars. Jay was glad they had chosen his uninjured hand. A decrepit light bulb illuminated the room.

"What did they do to you? Where have you been all this time?" asked Will.

Jay was trying to find a tolerable position. Will tried to reach him, but the walls were far too far apart and the handcuffs gave him a margin of only a few inches.

"I told you, I´m fine," he tried to signal him not to worry about him. "Just sit down." The pain made him react irritably, but he was glad to finally see and talk to his brother again. "I'm sorry," he added.

"Please tell me what happened. What's wrong?", Will didn't give up.

"It's nothing."

"Damn it, Jay! What happened???" he looked at him tensely.

He raised his eyebrows. "I was locked in the basement the whole time. The guy's son, Domenico?", Will nodded. "He hit me with an iron bar. That's what happened."

"Shit...," it escaped his brother. "Your leg? Your arm? How bad is it?"

"I guess the thigh is bruised, the arm is broken. One or more bones in my hand, too."

"Tell them and let them help you!"

"They know," he replied. "And they're not going to help us. We're just leverage for the boss to get to someone and blackmail them with something."

"Who do you think is it?"

"I don't know. Maybe Voight, maybe someone else on the police force. Or maybe some other criminal he's going to turn me over to."

"My God."

"What happened to you? Why did they kidnap you?" asked Jay now.

"I was supposed to rescue a young woman. Blood poisoning, some infection, high fever. I didn't know if she was going to make it."

"You saved her," Jay looked at him. "They beat you. How's your head?"

"Good, I think," Will glanced at him. "What do we do now?"

"We'd better stay the hell quiet. Because to make this deal, they only need one of us."

Will turned a shade paler, and Jay was sorry he'd been so direct with him. His brother didn't know situations like this. He, on the other hand, did. It all had to be worse for Will than it was for him.

"Sorry, man - I can't offer a sugar-coated option right now," he muttered.

"Who are these guys? Did you recognize them?" asked Will.

"No.", Jay once again carefully shifted his weight and leaned against the wall. Slowly, the pain subsided somewhat. "I suspect organized crime. Drugs, human trafficking, something like that."

Will listened up. "Human trafficking? Jay, the girl I was supposed to take care of, she didn't even speak our language. Domenico said he would get money for her."

"So we might have our answer.", Jay closed his eyes and tried to keep blocking out the pain, but he couldn't.

"We have to get her out of there!", he opened his eyes. Again Will looked at him urgently. "She's no older than sixteen or seventeen!"

"First we have to get ourselves out of here, then we'll take care of this girl. Okay?"

"How are we going to do that?"

"I have no idea," he admitted at that moment. "But I'll think of something. And we have to trust that the team is looking for us."

"You think so?", Will sounded desperate.

Had he believed no one would be looking for him? Jay looked at him in surprise.

"Of course. Will, I´m convinced they have been looking for us for days. None of us showed up for work, Hailey was going to cook for us that night. Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?"

He smiled weakly and bowed his head. "It's probably the lack of sleep, nothing more."

Concern crept up in Jay and he looked at him again more closely. "Do you have a fever?"

Will touched his forehead with the back of his free hand.

"I don't know. It was always so hot in that room - and now I'm cold."

"It's not cold in here," Jay pushed himself up a little. "The girl. What infection did she have?"

"I don't know. I couldn´t take tests. I don´t know where she came from or what she went through to end up in that house. It could be anything.“

„Maybe you are also infected?“

„I don´t know. The conditions in the room are bad. She didn't have a chance to wash properly, had probably been locked in there for a long time."

Jay nodded.

"Okay. Try to get some rest," he said. "I'll think of something to get us out of here."

Will nodded and leaned his head back. "Okay."

Concerned, Jay looked at him. No arguing? Now he knew something was indeed wrong.

/

The office


"While you are here with me, you will be in charge of Detective Halstead."

Jorge and Sam nodded as Paulo revealed the plans for the next few days.

"You will stay with the others and be at my disposal at all times. Domenico, in the meantime, will meet with the buyer of the girl from Lithuania."

"When do you want to get rid of the Doctor?" asked Sam.

"Tonight, if it's possible. Find out if Voight is in his office. And then leave my little message for him."

"Will do, boss," Jorge smiled. "Any more instructions on how to deliver him there?"

"Exactly, as I said," Paulo sounded annoyed. "No deviations. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir.", Sam approached Jorge and took his arm. "We understand." He pulled his longtime colleague toward the door with him. "You're going to get us in real trouble!" he murmured to him. "Back off."

/

The cellar

"Jay, stop it!", Will couldn't stand to watch his brother struggle anymore. "Even if you get your hand out of there, there's still the door! And you can barely stay on your feet!"

He had a headache and was tired, but until Jay stopped implementing crazy ideas, he couldn't rest.

"It's the only thing I can do," his brother pressed out.

"I told you to stop!"

"If I manage to dislocate my thumb, then I'll get out of the handcuffs. Then I'll get to the pipe in the corner. See that screw there? It seems to be loose. If I can get that screw out, then I can open your handcuffs," he explained.

"Does your plan include the fact that you won't be able to use both of your hands then?" Will paused, suddenly out of breath. "And that there are guards out there? And that we have no idea where we are?"

Jay snorted. "I'm not afraid of pain, okay? And once we get out of here, the rest will fall into place."

"No. They'll kill us! You said we'd better keep quiet."

"I thought about it and changed my mind!"

"Your plan is pretty hopeless. You realize that, don't you? Why are you doing this? And anyway - let me try! I have a thumb too!"

At last Jay stopped and looked at him. Will could tell he was considering revealing something to him that he had kept from him until now.

"We're not getting out of here, okay? I can't get this door open with a screw," he admitted.

"But, you just said..."

"I have lied to you. Listen to me. All this time you were important to them. But now the tables have turned. Now I'm the one who's important to them. And you are sick. They're going to notice and they're going to want to get rid of you."

Will felt himself beginning to shiver. He knew Jay was probably right, but he didn't know what he was planning.

"They'll kill you, if you're no longer useful to them," he continued. "We have to make you indispensable to them, okay? That means I'm going to hurt myself with the screw. And you're going to be the one to save me. And you're gonna think of a reason why only you can help me. You have to sell yourself to them, do you understand?"

"No..." he shook his head, causing his headache to flare up again. "I won't let you do that."

His brother looked at him with a strange expression. "You can't stop me. I'm going to do it. I'm doing this for both of us."

His brother continued to tug on the handcuffs, but they both fell silent and looked toward the door, when they heard noises coming from there.

"This is too soon!" whispered Jay. "No, no, no!"

The door was unlocked. Sam and Jorge stepped inside. They came closer and Will looked up at them.

"Time to go, Doc," Sam said.

"No!" shouted Jay now. "Look at him! He's sick! It´s something contagious! Just like that girl who almost died. You shouldn't touch him."

Jay once again tugged violently on the handcuffs and Will could literally feel for himself how much his wrist must be hurting by now. The two guards saw through his quickly invented lies immediately.

"Good try, Detective," Jorge said. "For the lies, I'll come back later and teach you a lesson."

"Leave him alone!" exclaimed Jay once again, as he continued to pull on the handcuffs.

"It's okay," Will said now, looking at him. Jay stopped struggling. There were tears in his eyes, but Will felt strangely calm all at once. "I know... You've tried everything," he said. "It's all right, it's okay."

Jay shook his head silently, he was crying now.

Somehow it gave Will a sense of relief that his disappearance meant that Jay wasn't going to hurt himself further for him. He wouldn´t put himself in more danger. Jay was important to these people and his team would do everything they could to get him out of here. Jay would live and that was all, Will had wanted to accomplish in all these days here. That gave him comfort.

"Don´t," Jay's voice trembled. "He´s the only one left from my family."

"Orders from the Boss.", Jorge smiled as he crouched down in front of Will. "Shall we, Doctor?"

He pulled a small syringe from his jacket pocket and sank it into Will's leg without hesitation.

Surprised, he sucked in the air, but the effect of the drug set in immediately, even before he could say anything else. He felt his head tilt back, and then there was nothing.

/

Chapter Text

/

The poolhouse


"Did we really have to bring him over here?" complained Jorge.

"Where else were we going to stuff him in one of the barrels? Paulo gets rid of his people here. We work for him now. Come on, get on with it!"

They carried the unconscious doctor further to the back, where they placed him on a laid-out sheet of foil.

"Get a barrel," Sam instructed Jorge.

"Do we really have to put holes in it?"

"We'll do it the way the boss said. Otherwise, he'll put us in a barrel – one without holes!"

"I'm getting tired of all this! I'm always being told not to do things like I want to do them! Did you see the Detective crying in the basement? We should have stabbed the Doctor in front of him!"

"Man, you need to go to a Psychiatrist!", Sam straightened up and propped his hands on his hips. "And I need a good Orthopedist. I'm getting too old to be dragging people around."

Jorge rolled one of the large plastic barrels over and removed the lid. Then he pulled out his knife and drilled two holes in the thick plastic.

"Should be enough," he decided.

"I'll get the tape," Sam started to move.

Jorge looked down at the unconscious redhead. He was pale, but his cheeks were flushed and a thin layer of sweat covered his face.

"Do you think it's true that he caught some illness from the girl?" he asked.

"He'd been nursing her for days. After all, Domenico had her ship in via the South American route. Who knows what she came in contact with."

"As long as we don't catch anything, we could care less," Jorge reached under the doctor's arms and pulled him up a bit. "What are we tying him up for? He's going to be unconscious for the next few hours anyway. That remedy works great on the girls."

"On the girls, maybe. But he weighs a little more than a fifteen-year-old girl," Sam replied. "The boss has given us instructions and we'll follow them. Later you can go see our Detective. But only if you stop whining now... we should hurry."

Jorge twisted his mouth into a smile. "I like him."

"I know. Tonight you can play with him. After all, he thinks his brother is dead."

"Oh yes, I like to mislead them," Jorge laughed. "I like it a lot. The girls are always crying and begging... would love to see that happen with our pretty Detective."

"Alright. I´m not going to stop you. Let's get finished."

They began by wrapping the doctor's ankles with tape. This was followed by his hands, which they wrapped in front of his body, and then they ran the tape around his waist to keep his hands down when he woke up. He should not manage to open the lid of the barrel.

Jorge tore off a piece of tape and tried to press it on the Doctor´s mouth.

"Wait.", Sam held him back. "He could throw up when he wakes up. The boss wants him to live."

"What if he calls for help?"

"We'll take him to Voight's house. Then he can yell and call for help all he wants," Sam stood up. "Come on, let's lift him inside."

/

The basement


"Shit, shit, shit!", Jay scratched his uninjured, bare foot over the floor. "Damn it, Will!"

He couldn't stop crying. He was shaking and the pain from the injuries was driving him crazy. He wiped away some tears by pulling his shoulder up and bowing his head. Will was gone and he could only imagine what these men were about to do to him. How would they kill him? Jay could only hope it would be quick and painless.

He thought of Will's expression when he had said goodbye to him. He had accepted his fate. But it couldn't be true, it couldn't end like this.

The door opened and he looked up, he still had tears in his eyes. In came a new guard, followed by Paulo. The guard held a small paper bag in his hand.

"What did you do to him?" Jay asked in a shaky voice. He didn't care that the man could see that he had been crying.

"I sent a little message to someone. Calm down, Detective."

"You want me to calm down?" he groaned. "My brother is gone! I won't rest until I take you and your men down!"

Paulo smiled slightly, as he looked down at him. "Oh, I've heard that a hundred times. And still, I stand here."

"What did you do to him?" he asked again.

"I put him in a barrel."

A sob escaped Jay and fresh, hot tears ran down his face. So this was how Will's life had ended? Dead, in a barrel?

"Why? What's so important about killing him and keeping me here?"

"I think you should worry about other things now. Tomorrow morning I'll have you brought to my office. I want you to rest until then. That's why my employee is going to tend to your injuries now."

"Hell, he won´t. Touch me and I'll break every bone in your body. That goes for everyone here!" he threatened, beside himself with grief and despair. "Leave me alone!"

"That's not going to happen, Detective."

Paulo was completely calm, unimpressed. Jay, meanwhile, was completely beside himself, unable to stop himself. Ignoring the pain in his thigh, he pushed himself up onto his knees.

"I'll kill you!" he pressed out. "I don't give a damn if I go to jail for it, but I'll kill you! I swear."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Paulo nodded at the man with the paper bag. "Let's start."

Jay watched the guy take a small spray can out of the bag. Before he even realized what he was going to do with it, a blast of finely atomized liquid was sprayed in his face. He began to cough and blink.

"Sweet dreams, Detective.", Paulo's voice sounded distorted and the images blurred.

He felt himself slump to the side, then a heavy sleep engulfed him.

/

The barrel

It was stuffy and hot. Will couldn't move. He was tied up like a package. His breath came in quick, short gasps. He felt like he was suffocating. Again and again he paused, motionless, listening. He could hear nothing, perceive no movements. Where was he? Was he somewhere underground?

Unsuccessfully, he tried to keep his panic in check. He had already gone through one panic attack after waking up. His heart had been racing, sweat had been pouring down his body. He had almost fainted again.

He couldn't really feel his body. Probably because he had been trapped in that position for too long. How long had he been unconscious? Why hadn't they killed him before they had put him in the barrel?

"Hello?" he called out for help for the umpteenth time.

Only his own voice echoed loudly from the cramped surroundings. Minutes passed. Minutes in which he had the impression of getting worse. Was his airway slowly closing up? He listened, listened to his own breaths. There was a Stridor, a whistling as he breathed - oh God, was he having a reaction to the medication?

Just as a new panic attack was breaking way, he heard something. He paused. It sounded like a car pulling up and being parked. Oh God, were they going to get him now and take him somewhere else? Would they bury the barrel somewhere? He kept listening.

A lock clicked, keys jangled, footsteps approached. A thin beam of light suddenly penetrated in the barrel above him. Only now did he notice that two holes had been drilled in the lid above him.

"What the hell?" he heard a voice.

Footsteps continued to approach. It took him a moment, but then Will realized whose voice he had just heard.

"Voight!" he said, but it was only a whisper. "Voight! Help!" he exclaimed, louder.

He continued to struggle for breath. The barrel moved, perhaps because Voight had stepped closer. A loud clack was heard, then the lid was lifted off the barrel. Instantly, Will sucked in the air that was now rushing in to him.

"Will, my God!", Voight touched his face, his neck. "I'm going to get you out of there!"

He ran his hands under Will's armpits and heaved him up a bit. Will pushed with his legs, though he couldn't feel them. He groaned, as his injuries hurt again. The barrel tipped slightly, as Voight pulled him fully out now.

"Where's Jay?" the Sergeant asked.

Will wanted to tell him, wanted to tell him everything right now - but at the moment, he couldn't speak. He continued to struggle for breath. He became so dizzy, that his vision went black.

Of course - the blood that had pooled in his limbs for so long because of the confined position, was now flowing back into his body and his circulation was crashing. Whatever of the anesthetic had still been in his body, was now being distributed again as well. Why hadn't he thought of that? Moving someone too quickly from a confined position, could be fatal.

"Will?" again, he felt hands on his neck. "Shit!"

He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. Through a rushing in his ears he heard Voight's voice again.

"5021 Adam, I need an ambulance and a team at my house ASAP! Do you copy? I have a male victim with an abdominal stab wound and circulatory failure."

"Copy, 5021 Adam." croaked a voice.

Probably a radio, the thought ran through Will´s mind. He felt a hand above his hip. Stab wound? Had Voight just said stab wound? He didn't feel like he had been stabbed... He didn't feel any pain at all. No, he didn't feel anything.

„W-wa... mhm...?“, he muttered, but he couldn't form words.

"Hang in there, Will. You're safe." he heard the deep voice of the Sergeant as if through absorbent cotton. "Help is on the way."

/

The leisure room

"What do you mean, you gave him another little greeting?", Sam couldn't believe what he just had heard.

Jorge was lying on a small couch. They had just taken the barrel to the older Cop's house and now they were going to do some celebrating. He took a sip from the liquor bottle he was holding.

"It was just a little sting! He won't die from it!" he then said. "It didn't even bleed after we put him in the barrel."

"Voight's going to tell Paulo about this! Or do you think he'll keep it to himself? Tomorrow, Paulo will contact him and then what? The boss told us to deliver the Doctor unharmed!"

"Then I'll just say it was an accident."

"There are no accidents with Paulo! Damn it, Jorge!", Sam slammed his beer can on the table. "Of course it didn't bleed when he was crammed in that barrel. But if Voight gets him out of there, the shit's gonna start flowing out of him!"

Jorge shrugged. "Maybe..."

"Are you really that stupid? Is it that hard to follow the smallest instructions?!"

"Hey, I've been doing this job for as long as you have!"

"Yes! But for the last few weeks I've been really doubting your sanity! We have to tell Paulo. Now!"

"No!", Jorge slammed the bottle on the table and stood up. "Paulo gave me instructions to exchange the Detective's handcuffs for a chain. So I'm going to see him now! I want to play with him!"

"You want to go to the basement now?" asked Sam, and he tapped Jorge on the chest with his index finger. "You're drunk. Let me go to him."

"Fuck off!" Jorge replied aggressively. "I'm going to get my reward now. Do you understand?"

Challengingly, the two stared at each other. Then Sam took a step backward.

"Okay, then do what you want to do with him," he finally relented. "But you'll answer to Paulo in the morning, or we're both as good as dead.

Annoyed, Jorge sighed and he reached for the bottle of homemade Tequila again. While taking another sip from the bottle, he walked out of the room without another word.

/

The cellar

Slowly, Jay regained consciousness. His head was buzzing and his body felt strange, probably the spray they had used on him. He coughed and opened his eyes briefly, but they immediately fell shut again. He heard something, realized he was not alone in the room.

Then a weight settled on his legs and he forced himself with all his might to open his eyes.

"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty."

He felt something on his neck, a breath, lips. Someone kissed his cheek. At first, his vision was blurry, but then Jay realized that it was Jorge, who was with him. The man smelled of alcohol.

„No!“, he jerked back from him.

Confused, he looked around. The man was sitting astride his outstretched legs. Panic seized him.

„Oh, you´re shy?“, Jorge asked and waited.

Jay realized that his thigh had been wrapped with a bandage. Then he felt that his arm had also been doctored and tied tightly to his chest. The bandage had been wrapped around his torso several times. His uninjured hand was still chained to the bar. He tried to move his bandaged arm, but the bandage was solid, he could not loosen the arm. He was trapped.

The bandages were placed on his clothes. He was strangely relieved that they didn´t undress him. Then he felt that something had been wrapped around his ankle again. He looked past Jorge. A chain with finer links had been connected to the bar where the handcuffs still held his hand at the metal bar.

"The chain is pretty, isn´t it?" asked Jorge. „Do you like your new accessory? It´s not as bulky as the other one.“

Something flashed and Jay saw that the man was holding a knife in his hand. Jorge was now bending forward, leaning on the bandage on Jay's thigh with his free hand. Immediately Jay cried out, as the pressure sent an excruciating pain through his lower body. Jorge laughed and slid a little higher so that he was now sitting astride Jay's knees.

"Do you like that?" the knife approached his neck and Jay moved his head back until it hit the wall. "Are you into pain, Detective?"

Jay gritted his teeth and eyed Jorge, who now had the knife pressed against the skin at his throat. The man reached into his hair and pulled his head back a little further.

"That's exactly how I killed your brother earlier."

Jay growled, anger immediately boiling up inside him, then he was filled with grief.

Jorge scored the sensitive skin on his neck a little.

"One fluid motion and it's over. Your brother didn't even wake up."

"You Pig!", Jay pressed out in disgust, his eyes filling with tears.

Jorge tossed the knife aside, released his hair and grabbed his chin.

"I´m just playing with you, Detective! Today, I won´t touch you. But for the lies you told, I will punish you. I will clean your mouth!"

Again, he pressed on the injury and when Jay cried out once more, he rammed something into his mouth. The neck of a glass bottle bumped against his teeth. A burning liquid, bitter as bile, was poured into his mouth. Some of it, he swallowed. He gagged and coughed. Jorge let go of his chin. The alcohol made its way into his stomach, he felt every inch. He kept retching and immediately spit out, when Jorge took the bottle away. His stomach was almost empty, he hadn't had food or water in hours. He felt like he was about to throw up. 

Jorge rose now and released his legs. Jay pulled them to his body, at least bringing his legs between the man and himself, as if that could protect him. The new chain clanked, as it moved across the floor.

Jorge now unlocked the handcuffs and released Jay's right hand. Jay was surprised, but he was ready to defend himself against the man. He raised his arm, but Jorge headed for the door now.

"Good night, Detective... Next time I will be a little nicer to you."

Jay shivered, when the door closed. He let himself sink to the side and huddled on the floor. He felt like he had landed in hell. He felt miserable, tired and exhausted.

Again, he began to cry, while his thoughts wandered back to Will...

/

Chapter Text

/

The emergency room


Will heard voices, they sounded like they were far away. He felt a touch. Some part of his consciousness signaled to him that he was in good hands, that he was saved. He was in a hospital somewhere, maybe the Med.

"I need a CT scan of the abdomen and skull. And we'll do a tox screen."

Crockett - was that Crockett's voice?

Will tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. Everything felt so infinitely heavy. His body, his eyelids, his mind. Breathing was difficult. He felt hot and cold at the same time.

"Okay. Tell them to hurry up."

"Is he awake? I need to talk to him!", Voight's voice got through to him.

"He's not responsive, Sergeant."

"We have no idea who's behind all this! He's the only one who might be able to tell us something!"

"I'm sorry. You'll have to let us work and wait. It's important that we move quickly now."

Desperately, Will tried to do something, tried to signal them that he could hear what was going on. A high-flow oxygen mask was pressed tightly on his face and oxygen was flowing continuously into his mouth and his nose. He concentrated, tried to raise his hand - but it was probably just a twitch.

"Wait!" said Voight. "He moved."

"Jay..." whispered Will now, and he moved his head a little to the side.

"He's awake. Will, can you open your eyes?", Crockett's voice sounded louder now, closer. "Will, open your eyes for me."

He tried, really tried. But he couldn't.

"Jay's still there," he said, but the mask swallowed his feeble attempts at communication.

"Take the mask off him, damn it!", Voight's voice also came closer. "Will, if you can tell us anything about these people, say it now. We need to find Jay."

"I'll take the mask off, but just a minute!", Crockett sounded tense.

Then he felt something being pulled from his face.

"Come on Will, I'm here. You can do it!", something touched his cheek.

"Domenico." he began, and he gasped. "Paulo... S-Sam and... Jorge."

"Okay, good... go on."

Will felt himself drifting away, continued to gasp.

"Elmira... House, basement."

"Good... Details, Will, I need details," Voight urged. "Were you able to see any of the surrounding area? Where was this house?"

Will sucked air into his lungs. His chest tightened. He could speak no more.

"Okay, that's it, Sergeant," Will felt the bed move, "Mask. Quick. We´re off to the OR. Now!"

/

The basement


It had taken a while, but eventually Jay's stomach had settled down and whatever they had given him before, was wearing off. The pain was getting stronger again, but it helped him focus on his situation.

He pushed the thoughts of Will away for the moment and palpated the delicate chain, that had now been looped around his ankle. It was thin, but as he pulled on it he realized, that he couldn't break it either. That the handcuffs were now gone, however, allowed him to stand up and not be forced to the floor by the bar the entire time.

Slowly he struggled up, gritting his teeth as he put weight on his leg. He moved toward the door, but the chain stopped him. In the other direction lay the pipe he had mentioned to Will.

He paused for a moment as the sadness, that the thought of Will had conjured up, hit him like an unexpected punch. Immediately tears welled up in his eyes and he took a deep breath. He still couldn't believe it.... For several seconds he stood there motionless, struggling to regain his composure. Then, after the pain inside him had been forcibly pushed to the back of his mind, he started moving again.

He barely reached the pipe when he stretched out. He closed his thumb and forefinger around the screw he had discovered earlier. It was indeed loose, as he had suspected. Perhaps someone who had also been locked in here had left it that way. Jay slowly turned the screw. Before he could grab it at the last moment, it fell to the floor and rolled to the side. Immediately he crouched down and reached for it. The bruise sent sharp pains again, but the action had been successful. He reached the screw just in time, before it slipped out of reach.

He picked it up and looked at it. It was not particularly long, but it had a pointed end. He looked at the lock on the chain. The screw wouldn't fit there, he wouldn't be able to pick it - but the screw could serve him as a defense, maybe even as a weapon. He looked at the door again.

If Jorge dared to come to him alone again, he would fight back.

/

The leisure room

"Bring the Detective to my office," Paulo instructed the men.

Jorge's skull was humming, he had a severe headache from the Tequila he had poured into himself the night before.

"Boss, I need to talk to you first," he said.

His heart was pounding, he didn't regret what he had done, but he didn't know how Paulo would react either.

"What is it?" the older man sounded impatient.

"When we put the Doctor in the barrel yesterday, my temper got the better of me."

The older man regarded him for a moment. "What?" he then asked.

"You said the Doctor was to be delivered unhurt. But he came to for a moment and I had to put him in his place. He has a small puncture wound now. On his stomach."

It was an outright lie that the Doctor had come around again. But Jorge couldn't think of anything better. He heard Sam shifting uneasily from one leg to the other behind him.

"How threatening is the stab wound?" asked Paulo calmly.

"Not fatal, Boss. It didn't even bleed much and-"

A blow struck him in the face, and it was so violent, that it sent him to the ground instantly. Confused, he blinked, as pain spread through his head and neck as if from a hammer blow. Paulo was suddenly on top of him and he was grabbed by the collar. More blows followed, on his forehead, his chin, his chest. Then it stopped.

"You work for me!" the older man now roared. "And you follow my orders. If you misstep like that again, I'll beat you to death."

Jorge ran his tongue over his bleeding lip and he breathed heavily.

"Do you understand?", Paulo had straightened up again and was looking down at him.

Jorge felt himself shaking. He was still in shock. It took him a moment before he could speak.

"Yes, Sir, he understood," Sam said now, not wanting to keep Paulo waiting any longer.

"I want to hear it from him!"

"Yes, Boss. Thank you, Boss.", Jorge pressed his hand against his aching forehead.

"Now do what I told you to do!"

"Yes, Sir."

Paulo left and Jorge breathed a sigh of relief. He had survived the punishment. Sam was suddenly with him, helping him up.

"Come on, get cleaned up and then we get to work..."

/

The basement


Jay had hidden the screw in the back pocket of his jeans, had pushed it very close to one of the seams, where it hopefully would not be noticed.

The night seemed to be over, because the door opened and Sam came in - followed by Jorge, whose face had been badly battered. It looked like he had just recently gotten into a fight with someone.

"I hope I'm responsible for you looking like that," he said, and a small, satisfied smile showed on his lips.

The two moved closer. Jay sat on the floor and Sam grabbed his arm to pull him up.

"Come on, the Boss wants to see you," he said.

Jay got to his feet. Jorge again held the Taser in one hand, while Sam now turned Jay's uninjured arm behind his back and held it there. He put his other hand around Jay's neck, so he could lead him in front of him.

Jay hated being at their mercy like this. He had tried to loosen the bandage around his upper body, had hoped to get his broken arm free. But the fastener of the bandage sat in a place on his shoulder blade that he simply could not reach. He would have fought even with the broken arm, if necessary, if there had been even the slightest chance of escape. But as it was, he was limited in his movements, and as long as Sam and Jorge were in pairs, he was inferior to them.

Jorge loosened the chain around Jay's ankle and touched Jay's bruised thigh as he stood up, pulling himself up his leg. Jay winced.

"You'll pay for your comment later, asshole," Jorge murmured in his ear.

"I wonder what Paulo thinks of your machinations," he replied tensely. "Does he know you're messing with the prisoners?"

"Enough already!", Sam tugged Jay's twisted arm upwards and he fell silent. "You won't get to say anything. Because you've got nothing to say, and the boss hates to be interrupted."

Jorge grinned and reached into his pants pocket. Jay saw him pull out a cloth that already had a knot tied in it.

"Open your mouth, be nice," he said.

Jay backed away slightly, bumping into Sam, who immediately tightened his grip around Jay's neck. Jorge stuffed the knot into Jay's mouth, then knotted the fabric at the back of his head.

"Let's go.", Sam pushed him forward.

/

Three days later

The hospital room

"Welcome back.", Maggie Campbell, the head nurse at the Emergency Room of the Med, was with Will when he regained consciousness. "Here, have a sip of water."

He looked around briefly, realizing he was in a room on the ward. She was holding something to his mouth. He realized it was a straw, stuck in a cup. He did as she advised and drank some of the water.

"Where's Jay?" he then asked, but his voice failed him.

"We had to intubate you for a while, try again."

Will swallowed. It was a little painful and he cleared his throat.

"Jay?" now his vocal cords were obeying.

The expression on Maggie's face changed. "They haven't found him yet, I'm sorry."

"How... how long have I been here?"

"It's day three."

Will's eyes snapped open. "And Jay's still there?"

"Voight found the first house you guys were held in. Hailey told me, she was here until an hour ago. But now she had to go back on duty."

"What else do you know?"

"Not very much, sorry. I'll call Dr. Marcel, he can fill you in on everything else, okay?"

She stroked his hair briefly and Will glanced after her, as she left the room. Desperation welled up inside him. Why couldn't they find Jay? Was he even still alive? What was Paulo's goal in all of this?

Will turned his head and looked at the monitor next to his bed. His blood pressure was a little low, oxygen saturation just satisfactory. What had happened? All he remembered was, that Voight had said something about a stab wound. But where? He lifted the covers and carefully felt the hospital gown. On his stomach he found a large band-aid. He felt the spot carefully.

"Are you diagnosing yourself?" Will looked up. Crockett stood in the doorway and smiled. Then he came closer. "You took your sweet time waking up," he pulled the blanket back up. "Do me a favor and don´t touch that."

"What happened?" asked Will.

"You were locked in that barrel for quite a long time. There were various drugs in your system. You were brought in with a stab wound in your lower abdomen and a high fever. The wound was treated, we stabilized you and gave you with various antibiotics. The fever continued to rise. But fortunately, the treatment eventually responded. It took us a while to figure out the reason for your fever."

"What was it?"

"Chagas." said Crockett simply.

"Chagas?" repeated Will in amazement. "The disease is located in South America. I...how is that possible?"

"What did you experience in the house where you were held?" the doctor now asked him.

"I was supposed to take care of a girl. She also had a high fever, blood poisoning... she seemed to have been in the hands of these people for a while. Maybe she was in South America before she was brought there. Do you think I caught it from her?"

"Human-to-human transmission is very rare," Crockett said. "But if you took care of her, you came into close contact with her. It´s possible. And it sometimes takes a while for the disease to develop."

"That poor girl must have been through so much," Will glared at him. "And Jay is still there. Do you know anything about what Voight has found out in the meantime?"

"Not really, I'm afraid. But I'll let him know you're awake. I'm sure they'll come and question you again. Until then, get some rest."

"Okay.", Will let his head sink back onto the pillow. "Thanks, Crockett."

His opposite smiled once more. "It's good to have you back with us, Will."

/

The basement


Hearing the door lock, Jay woke up from a restless, light sleep. He straightened up and got to his feet just as the door opened. Jorge walked in. He reeked of alcohol and cigarettes again. He held a roll of duct tape in his hand.

Quickly, Jay reached into the back pocket of his jeans. He found the screw and clutched it tightly with his hand. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. If Jorge was close enough, he wouldn't hesitate.

"Time for your punishment, Handsome."

He left the door open. Swaying, he approached him. Jorge was already quite drunk, which made Jay hope for an advantage. He backed away a bit, but the end of the chain was almost reached.

"You're drunk," he said. "Just let it go, okay?"

"Drunk or not, I'm still stronger than you," Jorge smiled and pulled a piece of tape off the roll. "Come here, you're going to wish you'd never been born."

He continued to back away, but then pushed his back against the wall.

"I'm going to have so much fun with you," the man threatened.

As Jorge moved closer, Jay lashed out. He swung at him and kicked at the brawny man. Amazingly agile, the guy dodged and he reached him. He pushed him further against the wall, pressing the tape across his face now. Jorge didn't care what he caught. One eye and part of his mouth were now covered by black tape. Then Jorge began to unwind more of the roll and wrap it around Jay's head. A moment later, another layer covered his mouth and one ear. His arm was caught between the wall and Jorge's massive body, but before Jorge could reach for his free arm, Jay slid the screw out of his fist.

If he hit the right spot, he could pierce Jorge's carotid artery. But even if he didn't, he had to at least hurt him badly enough so he would stop. Still Jorge was busy with the tape, making sure Jay couldn't scream. Then he tore off the tape. As expected, he now grabbed Jay's arm and wanted to continue, wanted to immobilize him. But Jay tore himself free with a jerk.

With a quick, powerful movement, he rammed the screw into the side of Jorge's neck. The man cried out and grabbed the wound. Jay pulled the screw back out and followed up again, this time with more force. He again hit a spot on Jorge's neck. Blood poured from between Jorge's fingers and he stumbled backward a step.

Jay pulled up the knee of his uninjured leg up and rammed it into Jorge´s abdomen. Groaning, Jorge leaned forward a bit, while still pressing his hand to his neck, now holding onto Jay's shirt. Jay took another swing and hit him in the head, punching whatever he caught. Jorge straightened up a bit again, pushing Jay backwards, but he managed to hit him again with the screw. He caught his counterpart on the cheek. The screw drilled into the soft tissue. Jorge cried out again and Jay yanked the screw out. Once again, Jay pulled his knee up. Now he hit the man on the chin. A loud noise was heard as Jorge's teeth collided. Once more, Jay kicked him in the abdomen. Now, finally, the guy toppled backward.

Jay got ready to follow up, kicking him again if necessary. But Jorge remained motionless. He was unconscious. Panicked, Jay now reached for the duct tape covering his face and his head. He was lucky to get any air at all. He tore the tape off piece by piece. He tore out part of his eyebrows, some eyelashes and hair in the process, but he was glad when he could finally breathe freely again.

For a moment he hesitated, allowing himself to catch his breath. Then he grabbed the roll of tape that was left and squatted down. He began by tying Jorge's hands. It wasn't easy with one hand, but he managed to turn him over and somehow fix his hands behind his back. Then he braced himself against the strong body and turned him on his back. Jorge was bleeding profusely from two neck wounds, but Jay had missed the carotid artery. The wound on his cheek was also bleeding profusely. Jay applied tape to the wounds, then wrapped Jorge's ankles to immobilize him in case he woke up.

When he was done, he sank back and sat on the floor again. His hand was bloody, his clothes were bloody. Still out of breath, he stared at the guy. He had fought him off and rendered him harmless - for the moment. But what about later, when he was feeling better? Would he take revenge then? Would he succeed then, because he was prepared? Briefly, Jay wondered if he should end it. But Jay was no murderer.

Of course, in the course of his life, his career, he had had to kill people. But it was always because he had had no other choice or because he had followed orders. Trembling, he still stared at the motionless man. He already knew he couldn't. He would not be able to kill him. But he hoped that he had at least made sure that he would not touch him or any other prisoner in the future.

The door was still wide open, so Jay started going through Jorge's things. He found the key he had used to unlock the door. But he couldn't find a key for the damn chain around his foot. He cursed, searched again, but there was nothing else there. He wasn't going to make it out of the room.

Feverishly, he thought about what to do. He thought it would be best if Paulo found out about Jorge's machinations. But for that, he had to manage to talk to him. He could only hope that the latest incident would persuade the man to hear him out.

His gaze now lingered on Jorge again, on the blood flowing from his neck. The man needed help, that much was clear. So Jay made a decision.

"Help!" he shouted. "Someone's hurt, I need help!"

Of course, nothing happened at first.

"Jorge's hurt!" he then followed up. "Help!"

Then suddenly, footsteps were heard and someone approached. Shortly after, Sam rushed into the room. He discovered Jorge on the floor. Jay and he stared at each other.

"What have you done?" shouted Sam.

"He needs help," Jay said. "And you know what he was up to."

"You bastard...," Sam moved closer and Jay straightened up a little more.

"See that?" asked Jay, and he held up the screw and then put it to the side of his neck. With a determined expression, he looked at Sam. "I swear to you, I'm going to ram this thing in my neck. I want to talk to Paulo. Now."

Sam hesitated, was thinking.

"You can't reach me fast enough. And if you wait much longer, he'll bleed out. And I'm no good to Paulo, if I'm dead," Jay added. "Do you want to risk that?"

/

The bedroom

Sam was approaching Paulo's private chambers, when the door in front of him was suddenly yanked open. Paulo came toward him, dressed only in sweatpants and a T-shirt.

"What's that noise?" he harrumphed at him.

"The Detective attacked Jorge and hurt him badly," Sam reported tensely. "He's threatening to take his own life if he can't talk to you."

"You can't manage to keep a single man under control?"

"Somehow he managed to get a screw out of one of the pipes or the metal bar."

Paulo looked at him. "What was Jorge doing down there?"

Sam swallowed. "When he's drunk, then... then he sometimes does things..."

The older man's gaze turned cold. "How long has this been going on?"

"I haven't been able to stop him."

"For how long?" he urged.

"For several months. Something's wrong with him."

Paulo nodded. "Okay. Let's go downstairs."

Sam followed the boss, as he started to move. By now, more guards had rushed into the basement and they had pulled Jorge out of the room. A trail of blood led into the room, where the Detective waited.

No matter what Jorge had done, he was still Sam's friend.... And he didn't deserve that.

"You leave him there like that," Paulo ordered.

The other two guards let go of Jorge. Sam followed Paulo, as he entered the room. What was Paulo up to now?

"You know how to fight back, Detective," the boss began the conversation.

"This guy tried to rape me. And I think I have the right to defend myself," the Cop began and Sam looked at him dismissively. "Did you know what he does to prisoners? My brother told me Jorge was probably messing with the girl too. The one he was supposed to be nursing back to health and the one you were selling for a big amount, I guess?"

"I understand. It's not his place," Paulo looked around, seeing the blood. "I'm not judging you for fighting back. I will hold Jorge accountable. But I would like to ask you to give me the screw."

The Detective stared at Paulo tensely.

"You know we can knock you out," Paulo threatened.

"Not fast enough." the prisoner replied.

"Do you really want to die? You don't even know what's going on here."

The Cop smiled weakly now. "No, I don't know anything," he said. "I don't know who you are, I don't know where I am or what you want to trade me in for. All I know is that you killed my brother, and that with me gone, you have nothing left to continue with your little blackmailing plan."

"You have enough that´s worth living for," Paulo stepped a little closer. "A good job, longtime colleagues, friends.... a wife."

When the boss mentioned the wife, the Cop's expression changed. Sam realized she was his sore spot. Immediately, he stored that information.

"Do you want your wife to go on without a husband, without a brother-in-law, without hope? Give me the screw. Hailey doesn't deserve this."

"You Pig!" the Detective groaned. Tears were in his eyes now. "How do you know her name?"

"I know all about you and your little life. Watch yourself, or I'll instruct my men to get rid of your wife."

"No! You wouldn't dare!"

"I know she's at the 21st Precinct right now, and that she's going home at eight o'clock tonight. That´s when her shift ends. Nice apartment you have there - nice view of the marina."

"Don´t you touch her!" the Cop shouted. "Who are you blackmailing? Is it Voight? What does he have, that you want from him?"

"Give me the screw and I'll tell you."

Sam could see the man hesitating even further, but finally he gave in. All resistance seemed to be extinguished all at once. He dropped the screw and Sam charged forward. He picked it up and let it disappear into his pocket.

Paulo turned to him, as he stepped back. "The Detective and I are going to have a little chat. Alone. Take care of Jorge, but don't take him to the hospital. We'll take care of it ourselves. When he wakes up, you guys call me. I need to talk to him."

"Yes, Sir."

Sam left the room, joining the other two. Together they brought the unconscious Jorge upstairs. Sam was afraid of losing his friend.

But he had heard enough. He now knew how to get revenge on the guy, if Jorge didn't survive.

/

24 hours later

The hospital room

"I wouldn't advise you to leave the hospital already."

Will looked Crockett in the eye.

"I need to get to the precinct and find out what they're doing to find Jay. I'm going crazy, if I don't."

His counterpart nodded hesitantly. He knew Will was a stubborn man and couldn't be swayed, once he set his mind on to something.

"Okay. Then I hope everything goes well and that they can get Jay out of there."

"Thanks."

He started to move toward the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Crockett after a moment.

"I'm leaving."

"You know the rules. I'm wheeling you all the way to the cab. Don't argue."

/

The pool house

After the incident with Jorge, they had put a hood over his head and had taken him to a kind of pool house. There was a separate room, where he had been since. There was a small alcove with a toilet, otherwise the room was empty and lined with tiles. No window, no door - but a massive grate door, that gave a view into the rest of the building. In front of the grate was a small hallway, that led into a larger room. From there, some light and fresh air penetrated to him in the back. Somewhere, a window was open.

Jay could see that there was foil laid out on the floor in the bigger room and that there were some barrels there, like the ones that had been in Domenico's garage. The son had probably learned from his father how to dispose of people.

He had been immediately aware that this had been the place where they had killed Will. It filled him with a strange, oppressive feeling that he was also here now. It almost seemed as if he could still feel his brother's spirit here.

Paulo had revealed to him what his plan was. Voight was indeed the one he was blackmailing. He was going to make sure that Voight got his brother out of jail. If Voight did not comply with the demand, Jay would die. If Jay didn't cooperate, Paulo would have Hailey killed. This threat had broken his resistance. Paulo had found his weak spot, when he had mentioned Hailey.

Since he had hurt Jorge, other guards had come for him when the time came to send Voight the next message. They were no less brutal, and he didn't really stand a chance against them either - but at least they left him in peace the rest of the time. Neither Jorge, nor Sam had shown up again. But he reckoned that could change at any time.

/

The Precinct

Thirty minutes later, Will arrived at the precinct and he struggled up the stairs to the registration desk. Now he felt he was nowhere near as fit as he had thought.

"Will Halstead. They'd probably have to tie you to the bed to keep you out of here," Trudy Platt greeted him in her own charming way. Then she came around the counter and her gaze grew more compassionate. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he smiled weakly. "Can I go upstairs? I need to know more about the investigation."

"I'll let them know you´re here and then I'll take you upstairs." Trudy put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get him back. Hank will save him. Trust him."

He lifted his head and looked at her. "I do. Thanks, Trudy."

"You're welcome." she moved away and went back around the counter to let them know upstairs.

/

Another two days later

The office

The room he hated the most was blue. Blue walls, blue heavy curtains in front of the windows. A thick blue carpet on which he knelt. Each room meant a different kind of torture, a different hell. And he didn't know how long it would take for all this to finally end.

The day before, a video had been taken in the pool house. Paulo had beaten him before the recording, had pounded his cheekbone until it bled. He wanted Jay to show fresh injuries for the video message.

Before that, they'd been in a guest room and one of the guards had put a belt around his neck. He had pulled it tight for the duration of the recording. Just seconds longer, and Jay would have passed out.

Today, his eye was half-swollen shut and his throat still hurt. He was dragged back into Paulo's office. He didn't know what abuse awaited him today.

The luxury in the room disgusted him. The blue velvet, the gold elements, the oversized desk made of precious wood. Swank and opulence of a man who could kidnap, hold and sell others just like that - or have them killed, like Will.

His emotions had dulled by now. The last two days had taken their toll on him. He thought of Hailey, unaware that she was already in the focus of these criminals. Will was gone and he would die here too. The team couldn't find him or they would have gotten him out of here by now, that much was clear. He would probably never see Hailey again. So what was the point of fighting anymore? He let it all wash over him and awaited his end.

He hoped he would end up in a barrel, too, like Will. He owed it to him to endure the same fate he did, didn't he?

During the whole time he had hardly touched the food they had brought him. He drank only as much as he needed, meanwhile sleeping whenever he could. In sleep he could escape reality and the pain, at least for a short while.

Now he knelt on the thick carpet, the camera set up in front of him. A newspaper was held in front of the lens to show the current date. Then Paulo stepped up beside him as the guards lined up behind them. Sam was back. He felt the man's grip on his shoulder. Sam hated him, could not forgive him for what he had done to Jorge. His fingers dug painfully into his muscles, holding him down, but Jay didn't move. He had no intention of starting a riot. He had lost all ambition to free himself.

„Voight.“

„Sergeant Voight. How long do you intend to keep me waiting?"

It was the first time he was there during a phone call. His eyes widened, as he realized this fact. Previously, they had always recorded a video and then taken him away.

But now the phone on the desk was put on speaker, so Jay could listen to the conversation. Interested, he turned his head toward the phone, but Sam grabbed him by the side of the face and turned his face forward again, toward the camera. Jay closed his eyes and held still. Finally, the guard let go again.

"We have requested Carlo's release. But these things take time, as you know. We're still waiting for the Go from the DA's office," he heard Voight's voice.

"Time that your Detective is running out of."

Jay's gaze wandered unintentionally to the camera's lens. Could they see live what was going on? That was new...

"If you want Carlos, I need Detective Halstead unharmed and alive. I thought I made that clear?"

"Then I demand a sign of life from my brother. I haven't been able to reach him the last few days."

"Because he's being prepped for release."

"Bullshit!" exclaimed Paulo. He grabbed Jay's hair and his head was jerked back. A knife was pressed to his neck. "Bring me my brother by tonight or I will have Detective Halstead sent to you in his own blood!"

"Like Will Halstead?" asked Voight now.

Jay audibly expelled his breath at Will's name. A pain in his chest reopened the wound of grief and he couldn't stop tears from gathering in his eyes.

The knife was taken away. "My co-worker was punished for his mistake. He did not follow my instructions."

What were they talking about? His head was still bent back and his larynx ached with the movement, when he swallowed. He had to cough and Paulo yanked his hair once more.

"Quiet!"

"You're lucky Will survived," Voight said.

Jay opened his mouth, wanted to cry out in surprise at that moment, but something held him back, took his breath away. Relief and surprise took over his thinking for a moment. He struggled to catch his breath. What had Voight just said? Will was alive?

Then came the rage. It came like lightning, seized him and made him act immediately. As if automatically, he raised his free hand and he grabbed Paulo's arm. He twisted on his knees and tore the latter's hand free from his hair. He didn't care that the man tore out a tuft of hair in the process.

The next moment, he got to his feet, had lashed out and punched Paulo in the face. Before he could lunge further at the man, hands now grabbed him and dragged him backward, knocking him back and throwing him to the ground, where he was pinned.

"He's alive?" shouted Jay, as he squirmed under the men. "You bastard! You let me think he was dead the whole time!", the men braced themselves on his bandages and he cried out in pain. "Ahhhh!"

"Jay!" he suddenly heard Hailey's voice over the speaker and his heart broke.

He squirmed again, trying to shake the men off.

"Hailey!" he pressed out.

Tears were streaming down his face now, running down in his hair. He continued to fight off the guards with all the strength he could muster. He wanted to hit Paulo again, and then again and again!

The older man laughed, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and noticed the blood flowing from a small laceration.

"I guess, Sergeant Voight, your Detective's spirits and his resistance have just been restored. Thanks for dropping that bombshell."

"Paulo, you rotten piece," Voight now said over the phone. "Jay, listen, Will's okay, he's-"

Paulo reached for the receiver and picked it up. The speaker was deactivated by the action and Jay could not hear the rest of the sentence.

Paulo now spoke directly into the receiver. "That's enough, Sergeant. I'm going to have your man taken to one of my warehouses - and I'm going to get him ready for the drop as well. I'll send you a little video when we're ready."

"Don't do anything stupid, Paulo."

"If my brother is not at the rendezvous point on time tonight, I will have your Detective's body sent to you."

/

The precinct

Will's heart raced as he was brought back into the office after the phone call between Voight and Paulo.

They hadn't let him stay on the phone call. But now he was dying to know what had happened. The rest of the team was following up on leads, but Hailey and Voight were present.

"Jay knows you're OK now," Voight said as he walked in.

"What do you mean?"

"Will, he thought Paulo had you killed," Hailey was pale, as she looked at him.

He stared at her, not knowing what to say. He could hardly imagine the agony Jay must have gone through. Alone - and thinking he was dead.

"This is torture."

"Of course it's torture," Voight said. "Paulo is playing a game with us - and with Jay. He wants us to bring him his brother tonight."

"That's what you're going to do, isn't it? Jay's been in their hands for over a week now."

"I can´t, Will...," Voight said and looked at him apologetically.

He swallowed and looked at him and Hailey.

"What do you mean? You have to."

"His brother, Carlos, was found dead in his cell last night."

"What?"

In shock, he stared at the Sergeant.

"I'll do everything I can to keep the news away from Paulo. But I don't know how long I'll succeed..."

/

Chapter Text

/

The supply room

Sam looked around the room the boss called the supply room. Various drugs and medications were stored here - and various poisons.

After they had dragged the Cop out of Paulo's office, one of the men had hit him with the gun and the guy had collapsed, immediatley unconscious. Now they would take him to one of Paulo's warehouses, as Paulo had announced to Voight.

Paulo had told him to get the drug they had also injected the Doctor with, when they had put him in the barrel. They wanted the Detective to be unconscious for the exchange. But Sam had other plans. He hated the guy, hated him for what he had done to Jorge. His friend had been struggling with death, still lying in one of the basement rooms where they had also held the Detective. Paulo wouldn't allow them to take him to the hospital. He said it was up to God if this man would get a second chance after his disobedience.

Sam had permission to let him out when he was better. He hoped today would be that day. He wanted Jorge to see the grand finale. Sam knew who was responsible for all of this. The damn Cop had rammed the screw in Jorge's neck and had stomped on him.

Apparently Paulo intended to keep his word and let the guy live if the exchange was indeed successful. But Jorge's ordeal had to be avenged in any case - and Sam would see to it that the guy passed away.

He approached a shelf and reached for the syringe containing the anesthetic. Not far away stood a small, brown bottle with a liquid in it. He took it and put it in the pocket of his jacket. Shortly after, he left the chamber and made his way to the basement.

He went to the room where Jorge was locked in and pulled out the key. When he unlocked it he was pleased to see that Jorge was awake and leaning against the wall. He had a bandage wrapped around his neck, and a large Band-Aid covering the wound on his cheek. Bruises decorated the rest of his face - but otherwise he seemed fitter than before.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Sam.

"You bet I am," he replied. "When is Paulo going to let me out of here?"

"He said you can come as soon as you've learned something and when you feel better," he said. "We're taking the Detective to one of the warehouses. The exchange is supposed to happen tonight. Are you in?"

"Of course I'm in!" he replied.

"I figured I'd make sure the guy doesn´t make it. No matter what Paulo decides."

He pulled the brown bottle out of his pocket a bit, so Jorge could read the label. His eyes widened.

"Good idea," Jorge nodded.

Sam grinned. "Come on, I'll help you up."

/

The van

With a pounding skull, Jay regained consciousness. Everything was spinning, he was dizzy. He felt himself being held down. His arm hurt violently, they had removed the bandage. He was lying on his stomach, a knee pressed into his back, his arms and head were pressed to the floor.

There were three men in the back of the van watching him. He tried to breathe as shallowly as possible and not move, as any movement made the pain in his body worse.

"Where's Sam, that idiot?" one of the men now asked.

"He went to see if Jorge was well enough to come along."

Jay groaned softly when he heard the name. So Jorge was still alive? He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back to the last few minutes in Paulos Office.

Will was alive, and he thanked God for that. And he had heard Hailey briefly on the phone. He cursed himself for not taking the opportunity to warn her about these people. But if the drop was actually going to happen that night, she'd be with the team anyway, with Voight, and she'd be highly focused. Besides, he was either as good as dead or soon to be worthless to Paulo - so Hailey would be also out of danger then.

He wondered how Will was doing. Voight had said something about an injury, about blood - he hoped he really was okay, as Voight had briefly mentioned on the phone.

Someone approached the van, which was parked with its rear doors open in a large garage. The grip on his arms tightened and the hand holding his head to the ground added to the pressure.

"Jorge, good to see you," Jay heard someone say and he cursed inwardly.

"Did you bring the drug?"

"Yeah, I'll give it to him," that was Sam's voice.

The car shook as someone apparently got in. The footsteps were now right next to him and then Jay felt a sting on the back of his neck. He winced, startled.

"Sweet dreams, asshole.", he heard Sam's voice, but then his eyes closed.

/

The Bullpen

"Will, how are you?"

He was pouring himself a coffee and was turning around when he heard the voice behind him. It was Kevin, who had just come into the small kitchen as well. Will smiled politely.

"I've been better," he then admitted. "But thanks for asking."

"Listen, you can rest a bit here," Kevin pointed to the small couch that was in the room.

He shook his head. "I can't. These people... they're cold as ice. I don't think I'll ever forget how they treated us. I can´t rest as long as Jay is still with them."

He glanced briefly at his counterpart, then his gaze was lost in nowhere as he thought of what Jay might be going through right now.

"We all know you care about Jay, but you're also just out of the hospital. You can't keep doing this."

"Thank you." he frowned thoughtfully as he looked back at him. "I really appreciate you guys worrying. But I'm okay."

Adam appeared in the doorway. "They found Elmira," he said excitedly.

Will's eyes grew wide and his heart began to beat faster. "Is she alive?"

"She's alive.", Adam nodded. "She's in a hospital in North Dakota. Domenico got away, but at least they got the girl."

Adam went back into the office and Kevin and he followed. Voight stood by the caseboard, where he now hung a picture of Elmira.

"Elmira Gvildys," he said. "Nineteen years old, from Vilnius in Lithuania. Her parents reported her missing four months ago."

"Four months?" Will exclaimed.

A painful stab pinched his stomach when he saw the picture of the young woman who had been locked in that house with him. She looked so much happier in the picture, healthy and full of life. It was almost incomparable to the condition he had found her in. Perhaps that was why he had thought her younger. The photo seemed to be from another time, another world.

"How is she?" he asked anxiously.

"Not good. The officer I talked to said, they only found her because someone took her to an emergency room and wanted to pass her off as his daughter. The nurses and doctors got suspicious because she couldn't speak a word of English. The man was already identified as Domenico."

„Guess her buyer wasn´t happy that she was in such a bad condition.“, said Kim.

"I need the contact information. I need to let them know about the Chagas-Infection. She needs the right antibiotics," Will became angry all at once. "I had told Domenico that she would relapse if he would take her! Those money-grubbing bastards."

"We're going to get this guy," Kim said now. "Just like his father."

Tensely, Will looked around. "Don't forget the guards, this Jorge... he´s done things to Elmira, she-" his voice drifted off, he fell silent.

For a brief moment, there was silence in the room. Then Hailey rose and came toward him.

"Come on, let's call the precinct that informed us," she said, and Will could see the worry and exhaustion that plagued him now in her face as well. "Let's at least help her now."

/

The warehouse

Jorge looked at the Detective with satisfaction. He lay at his feet, defenseless. During the drive to the warehouse, they had stuffed the guy into a corner of the van and he had stared at him the whole time. He had imagined what he would do to the guy if the exchange went wrong and they took him away to kill him. Oh, he'd think of a few things he'd do to him. Somehow he hoped the cops wouldn't hold up their end of the bargain and he'd be alone with him.

Sam had drugged the Detective so they could bring him here and prepare him without any opposition. What the others didn't know, however, was that Sam had only injected him with part of the anesthetic. He wouldn't sleep for long, and Jorge already knew the guy was going to be in a hell of a lot of pain when he came to. His broken arm was what really made things interesting.

Paulo would shoot his little video and then head to the rendezvous point with his men to scope out the area. So the Detective would be with him and Sam for a while. And Jorge would take advantage of that time. He had pumped himself full of painkillers so that he could really enjoy these moments.

"Do you have the leather straps?" asked Sam now, snapping him out of his thoughts with his question.

"They´re lying over there on the table."

Jorge continued to look at the unconscious Detective. Then he took his knife and unceremoniously cut the shirt off his body. With practiced movements, he pulled the fabric off his arms and out from under his back. Now he was wearing only Jeans.

He liked what he saw. The Detective was lean and muscular. A few bruises here and there adorned his pale skin. His injured arm was red and swollen. The other wrist, where the handcuffs had sat, was also red and chafed. The small splotches of paint left by the hematomas here and there suited him, testifying to the work they had done in the last few days.

Sam returned with the leather straps and pulled one of the Detective's arms up. "Come on, help me."

Together they fastened the frequently-used leather straps around the unconscious man's wrists. Then they hooked the connecting chain between the straps and clicked small locks through the buckles, so he couldn't break free.

"Let's pull him up," Sam got back to his feet. "Get to the engine."

While Jorge went to the control panel for the engine on the ceiling, Sam hung a bigger hook on the short chain that ran between the two leather straps. Once in position, Jorge pressed the green button and the Detective was slowly hoisted up.

He was still sufficiently drugged and did not move as he was pulled higher and higher. As ordered by Paulo, Sam slid one of the blue barrels under the Detective's hanging body once he was high enough.

"I think you can get some rest now," Sam said. "Paulo will be along shortly."

Jorge looked at his prey again, then nodded. "I'm going to the office for a few minutes. Come get me after Paulo leaves."

Sam watched his friend move away. He didn't want to face the boss just yet. Then, a moment later, when Sam heard noises, he turned around. Paulo entered the hall from a side entrance. The older man brought Tom, who was in charge of the videos and streams.

"We'll send the video to the precinct right away," he instructed Tom. "I want Voight to see how his man is doing right now and realize I'm not kidding. Is the line adequately secured?"

"They won't find us here, boss," Tom replied.

"Very good. Let's get started."

/

The precinct

"Oh my God."

Will clutched the back of the chair convulsively as the screen in the bullpen flickered to life, playing the video that had just been sent to them. His heart was pounding madly. He couldn't take any more of this.

They all saw now, what a terrible situation Jay was in. Suspended by his arms, far above the ground. His upper body was naked, Will now saw all the bruises and injuries. Tears gathered in his eyes.

"His arm is broken, they can't do that!" he groaned in horror.

"They do a lot of other things to their prisoners," Voight said. "Adam, where are we with the preparations?"

"We're still looking for-"

"Why can't you find him?", Will interrupted him agitatedly. "He can't have dropped off the face of the earth! They just transported him there, didn't they! You guys have thousands of cameras in the city! He's got to be somewhere!"

"Will, please calm down," Hailey said, and she put a hand on his shoulder.

Will had to force himself to keep from shaking her off.

"You can't really want to wait until the exchange! Do something!"

"We've been searching all of Domenico and Paulo's known properties for days. We're following up on all the clues," Kim explained. "Believe me. We've been trying everything from the beginning to get you two out of there."

He knew she was telling the truth and that his accusation was not fair. But seeing his brother like this was just too much. He ran his hand over his eyes and wiped away the tears.

"Hey.", Voight nodded towards the screen and they all directed their attention there again.

Paulo appeared in the frame and approached Jay, who was hanging motionless over a blue barrel. He grabbed Jay's waistband and pulled him a little toward him. He pulled out a knife with a thin, long blade and, with a short, quick motion, stabbed Jay's forearm, just above the elbow. Then he pulled the blade a little more across the joint. Immediately, blood poured from the wound and dripped down.

"No!", Will winced and jumped up from the chair now. His wound suddenly hurt violently. The movement had not been good. "This is insane!" he shouted.

Paulo let go of Jay again and he slowly swung back and forth. A thin stream of blood was flowing from the wound on his arm. The camera now approached the barrel and filmed into it. The first small drops of blood gathered at the bottom of the barrel.

"Do you hear that, Voight?" the man now asked, without turning back to the camera. You could hear the blood dripping onto the plastic. "I told you I'd send him to you in his own blood. I would hurry. Your Detective's clock is ticking faster and faster. You better be on time."

The video once again showed the injury, the blood and Jay's motionless face. Then the recording ended and the screen went black again.

"He's torturing him!" stunned, Will paused, pressing his hand to the wound. He didn't move as Hailey tried to move him back to the chair. "What does that get him?"

"Our attention," Voight turned to him. "He wants us to know that time is running out for Jay and that he means business. This may not be the last injury."

"No. No, you said that Jay had to remain uninjured, right? The guy agreed!"

"These people make their own rules, do you understand that?", Voight's voice was getting harder now, more impatient. "I'm going to call his middle man and tell him we'll be at the meeting place on time."

"Is that going to do anything? Carlos is dead.", tears now clouded Will's vision again. "Paulo will see right through the act, won't he?"

The team had found a man who looked a lot like Carlos. An officer who would pose as Paulo's brother. They had hoped to trade this man for Jay as a pretense. That it would take long enough for the bluff to be called and then, when the time came, to save Jay at the last moment.

At the same time, the technical team was also working hard to find out about the source of the videos and the video stream. They hoped that they would be able to determine Jay's whereabouts sooner. They would respond to whichever promised success first.

"We'll get him back! Let us do our job," Voight tried to reassure him. "We need to analyze the video now. I want you to get some rest. Take a few steps. Hailey, maybe go downstairs with Will and get us all something to eat at the food truck?"

She nodded as Will reluctantly got moving, eventually following her with a pounding heart.

/

The warehouse

Paulo was gone. He had recorded his little video, gathered his men, and would now be gone for a while.

Jorge walked closer to the Detective. He seemed to be slowly regaining consciousness. Sam had done a good job of estimating the dose of the anesthetic. Jorge nudged the Cop's body and he slowly swayed back and forth a bit. The movement seemed to wake him up fully - or maybe it was the pain, because after a moment his eyes snapped open and he gave an agonized cry.

Jorge grinned. That had been even better than expected. For a moment the Cop's body swung in the air as he tried to grasp his situation and get his footing on the ground. Then his gaze wandered downward and he seemed to realize that there was nothing left to support him. Quickly his movements died away. He now hung motionless in the straps with his face contorted in pain.

"Welcome to hell," Jorge said. "Are you glad to see us again?"

Breathing heavily, it took the Detective a moment before he answered. "I... could have killed you."

"Oh, you'd better have. Because now I'm going to kill you along with my friend Sam. Don't get your hopes up for a happy ending to all this. Because there's no happy ending for you, Detective."

/

The Precinct

While Hailey stood in line at the food truck getting something to eat, Will stood a little apart. He wasn't feeling well. He was nauseous and shaking.

"Did Voight finally banish you outside?", Trudy's voice sounded behind him and he turned around. Her expression changed immediately. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I just-"

Then his legs buckled and he landed on the floor with a choking sound. The fall sent a stabbing pain into his lower abdomen. The shaking became more violent and he blinked against the gray, bright sky.

"Will! What's wrong?", Trudy was over him now and more people came running.

"I'll call an ambulance!" he heard Hailey's voice beside him.

"No!" he said, blinking against the threat of unconsciousness and taking in a deep breath. "I don't need... no ambulance. I´m just dizzy..."

"Will, I don't think this is a good idea.", the Sergeant supported him as Will now forcefully pushed himself up and returned to a sitting position.

"I'll be fine," he said, and he glanced at the bystanders. "I'm okay, sorry!"

"You're not okay!", Hailey was kneeling beside him now. "You're pale, you're sweating and shaking. Let me look at your wound."

She reached for his jacket, trying to lift his shirt, but he held her back. He looked at his sister-in-law now.

"I told you, it's just circulation, just a bit dizzyness. Please don't tell Voight," he pressed out. "I have to keep being there... I have to be there when you get Jay out of there. I'm coming with you!"

"No. Will, he'll never allow you to come," Hailey said now. "And I'm worried about you. Tell me what's going on!"

Will propped himself up on the asphalt and straightened his legs. Slowly, he struggled back up while Trudy helped him stand. The bystanders moved on, the excitement seemed to have passed and they had lost interest by now.

"I'm fine." he replied grimly, doing everything he could to stay on his feet. "There's no way I'm going to stay here while you save Jay."

"Yes, you will," Hailey's look turned serious. "We can't take civilians to an operation like this. And you're a relative, you're traumatized and injured! Be reasonable, damn it."

"But I need to know what's going on!" he replied stubbornly.

"I'll make sure you do," Trudy now interjected, and she nodded to Hailey. "Will and I, we'll stay here if you get Jay out of there."

Astonished, Will looked at her now. He had least expected her support.

"Don't worry, we'll keep track of all the radio transmissions and stay on top of this. You'll be safe and ready to go as soon as it's determined which hospital Jay is going to. Can you live with that?"

Slowly, he nodded as he leaned on her a bit now.

"Thank you." he whispered as they started to move.

"I know you and your thick skull far too well, Will Halstead." she commented, walking with him toward the stairs. "Way too well. When we get inside, you tell me what's going on. And no excuses!"

Slowly they moved inside while Hailey was still picking up the food at the truck, which had been waiting for them by now. Then she rejoined them.

"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes!" replied Will merely.

Trudy apparently signaled to Hailey that she would take care of him now, because shortly thereafter she was gone.

He was aware that he was adding stress to all of this for Hailey. She had the same fear for Jay that he did. But she dealt with her current feelings differently, had better control of herself.

They entered the precinct and Trudy led him behind the counter and toward the downstairs restrooms. Just before that, they stopped and Will broke free of the supportive embrace.

„Thanks.“

"Okay, no more lies," the Sergeant looked at him piercingly. "What do you need?"

Will allowed himself his first look at his wound. He knew something was wrong. He was probably bleeding internally again. Something must have torn in all the commotion when he had jumped up from the chair.

His outer seams had definitely come undone in the fall, he was sure of it. He lifted his shirt and his suspicions were confirmed. The patch was already soaked with blood.

"Oh damn." muttered Trudy.

"My stitches ripped," he said. "I need a first aid kit with a needle and thread."

"You sure we shouldn't take you to the hospital after all?"

He shook his head slightly. "I can handle it. And I promise you, I'll go to the Med as soon as Jay is safe."

She nodded, seeming content with that. "You go in there, and I'll be right back."

After she left, Will opened the door to the men's room. Bracing himself, he went inside and he leaned against the tiled wall opposite the sink. Damn, he had to hang in there - he'd take care of Jay first and then himself.

How much longer until the drop? Two hours or so? He could stay afloat with ibuprofen and caffeine for that long if he tamponaded the wound. Slowly, he sank to the floor along the wall until he finally sat on the cold tiles, stretching his legs out from him. He glanced at the opposite wall.

"Come on." he whispered. "Just a few more hours..."

/

The warehouse

Tick, tick, tick - Jay could hear the blood dripping onto the floor of the barrel below him at regular intervals. It was like some kind of clock, telling him that his time was running out. He was now alone with Jorge in the large room. He didn't know where Paulo and the rest of the men were.

His whole body hurt, but especially his arms and wrists made him almost insane. His broken arm throbbed and burned with pain.

"Do you know where they had taken me?" asked Jorge now.

Jay didn't answer, just glared at him as he tried to breathe through the pain. Jorge moved closer, nudging him, and his body slowly began to sway.

"Nghhh!", he gritted his teeth and tried to suppress a cry of pain, as the pain became more intense.

"In the basement, in a fucking cell like yours," Jorge continued to circle him. "I thought I was going to die. But the prospect of revenge and retribution apparently kept me alive."

Briefly, Jay glanced at him, then recognized Sam entering the hall behind his tormentor. So he was alone with the two of them?

"Paulo will call me as soon as it's clear that this thing is going down," Sam informed his partner. "Until then, he wants me to send him a video stream from the hall. He wants to monitor everything. So you'll have to be patient, my friend."

"Oh don't worry, I can be patient....“, then he nodded at Sams Jacket. „Got it?"

„Yeah.“, Sam pulled a cloth out of his pocket, followed by a small brown glass bottle.

With Jorge now holding the cloth, Sam dribbled a clear liquid onto the cloth. Jay swallowed hard. What the hell were these two up to?

"Let him down a bit. I've got to start the video in a minute," Sam said.

Jorge walked over to a pillar and pressed one of the buttons located there. Jerkily, the chain moved over Jay and he cried out as the engine that had pulled him up began to move. He was lowered down a bit, his feet disappearing into the barrel. After a moment, the movement stopped and Jay took a halting breath from the pain the movements had caused.

"Come to Daddy.", Jorge stepped up and guided an arm behind his back.

He pulled him to him and Jay groaned as the tension on his arms increased. Then Sam was there as well. With rough movements he stuffed the wet cloth into his mouth and Jay gagged as it slid back a little too far. The liquid they had dribbled on it wet his mouth. It tasted bitter. Then he heard tape being torn off and Sam pressed a big piece to his mouth.

"Have fun, Asshole.", Sam murmured to him, then turned back to Jorge. "Pull him back up."

Jorge let go of him and Jay's body swung back slightly. His bare feet hit the walls of the barrel, then the chain pulled him back up. Panicked, he wondered what the two could have soaked the cloth with? It was not chloroform, otherwise he would be unconscious by now. Maybe some kind of poison?

When he was back in the same position as before, the two placed themselves a little further away and smiled smugly.

"Time to start the video. Paulo has to live with the fact that our friend has come around again," Sam commented and he pulled out his cell phone. The moment he pointed the lens at him, it rang. Sam put it down again and answered the call. For a moment, he just listened.

"Yes Sir, okay Sir...I understand..."

Then he ended the call and looked first at Jay, then at Jorge.

"Today is your lucky day," he said to Jorge.

"Why?"

"Because Paulo just found out from a reliable source that Carlos is dead."

Jay's eyes snapped open. He was immediately aware that this was his death sentence. If Carlos was dead, he was worthless to Paulo.

"So what now?" asked Jorge.

"Paulo comes back so we can send Voight one last video. After that, we're supposed to take out the Detective somewhere and then send him to Voight in the barrel."

Jay's breathing quickened. His heart began to race even faster. A smile spread across Jorge's face.

"Today is indeed my lucky day," his eyes fell on Jay. "After I'm done with him, I'm going to skin him alive."

/

The Bullpen

"Okay, tech has told me that they've been able to narrow down the signals. Part of us is getting ready for the handoff, the other part is searching the areas they just sent us. Our number one goal is to get Detective Halstead out of there alive."

Will watched as Voight assigned each team member and other officers. Now things were getting serious. Trudy kept beside him, in case his body gave him trouble again. He had tended to his wound as best he could and had taken a high dose of Ibu. For the moment, he felt okay.

Then suddenly, Voight's cell phone rang. After a tense glance at the display, Voight raised his hand to signal that he needed silence. Everyone present stopped talking.

"Voight."

After that, he just listened. The following seconds passed agonizingly slowly. Will watched everything with concern. Then Voight hung up without another word.

"What happened?" it was Hailey who asked first.

Voight looked first at her, then at Will. "Paulo knows Carlos is dead. The handover is not happening."

Soundlessly, Will's mouth opened and he stared at the Sergeant. They all knew what this meant. Jay was as good as dead.

/

The warehouse

Jay felt strange. His mind seemed to be racing. He knew he was in mortal danger, knew these people would kill him. But at the same time he felt more relaxed, his body was not as tense as before. His entire mouth seemed to have dried up by now. The cloth stuck to his tongue. He tried not to think about it so he wouldn't start gagging again.

Again and again he thought he saw or heard things that were not there. Maybe it was from the liquid Sam and Jorge had dripped on the cloth?

He glanced toward the door. He had thought he saw Hailey - and then she had been gone again. He heard the team arrive. But then they were alone again. He saw Will in front of him - then he was gone. All impressions faded away after short moments.

He tried to move as little as possible, so as not to aggravate the pain in his arms and shoulders again. By now he had lost most of the feeling in his arms. They were numb as long as he didn't move, which was a blessing.

When the door to the adjoining room opened, he lifted his head and looked over to see who was coming in. Was this real now? He winced as the pain in his shoulders flared up again. It was Jorge, who had briefly left, his hands now hidden in his pants pockets and chewing gum.

"Are you having fun?" he asked him. "Doesn't look like fun," he then added.

He stretched and ran his fingers over Jay's collarbone and then further down his chest. Jay made a choked sound.

"Shhhht... I'm just working up an appetite."

Jay raised his head briefly and looked at him in disgust. Then the strength left him and his head sank back to his chest again. Jorge's hand slid further to Jay's butt. Jay moved his legs to shake him off. New pain made him groan. Jorge stepped a little closer, now putting one hand around his waist and his other hand under his chin. He pressed against him and lifted his chin a little. Jay kept his eyes closed. He felt Jorge's breath on his skin as he now ran a finger over his beard.

"You like that?"

When Jay opened his eyes again, he spared a response. He looked past him and fixed on the nearest wall.

"I'm really looking forward to touching you and then I´m going to kill you by pulling off strips of -."

"Get out!", Paulo's angry voice made them both flinch.

"Sorry, Boss.", Jorge let go of him, stepped back and quickly went to the door.

Paulo and some men approached. One of them began to set up a tripod. Jay already knew the procedure. They would attach the camera to it and send Voight a video, or start a livestream. That would be the last sign of him, while he was still alive. The last video the team would get from him.

Jay focused on Paulo. The older man came closer and looked at the blood that had already flowed from the small wound and dripped onto the bottom of the barrel.

"Not exactly a good yield." he said, and then he watched as the man screwed on the camera and then connected various cables to a laptop. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, we're ready."

Paulo now walked to the camera while the other men retreated into the background. He pressed a button.

"Voight, are you still there?" he asked. "You've been lying to me all along. My brother is dead, murdered in the cell you put him in. Murdered by someone who was supposed to make sure he was brought back to me! So I think it's only fair that I claim a life for a life now."

He twitched the slender knife again and moved closer. Jay tried to hold still, but could not. Tensely he watched as the blade was now placed on his stomach.

"Shhht, it's almost over," Paulo said softly.

Shortly after, Jay felt the pain as the blade was sunk into his upper left abdomen. He groaned as his abdominal muscles tightened.

"Wasn't so bad, was it? That was the spleen. Your abdomen will now fill with blood and you will lose consciousness." Slowly, Paulo pulled the blade back out. "I was told that's how my brother died, too."

Then Paulo stepped back and he left without looking back.

Jay's breathing faltered, his muscles twitched, he barely felt the pain. His eyes wandered to the camera. Paulo had left it on. He didn't know if it was a recording or if the feed was live. It didn't matter. He imagined Hailey seeing him now, maybe Will too. And the team. This was his goodbye to them, his final greeting. He would be leaving soon, it would be over soon. With luck, Jorge wouldn't be able to carry out his plans, Paulo had put a spoke in his wheel.

All at once he became quiet and his eyes closed as if by themselves.

/

The precinct

"Something's wrong," Will's gaze was fixed on the screen. "He's not just unconscious... I think he's seizing."

Trudy Platt was the only one who had stayed behind in the office with him. The rest of the team had already set out to search, assisted by countless other officers. They were now meticulously following the transmission on the screen.

"I can't see anything...the picture's quality is pretty bad," Trudy said.

Will moved closer. "I'm sure... Trudy, we need to let Voight know about this!"

Meanwhile, the technical department had found out even more precisely what area the current signal was coming from. There were only a few hangars of the size seen on the video, that could be considered in the area. They were confident they would find Jay quickly now. Trudy pulled her radio from her belt.

"5021 Adam, have you located the target yet?" she asked.

"We've checked off the first two possibilities. Approaching number three now." came Voight's reply.

"Do you have ambulances on site?"

"On standby."

She handed Will the radio. "Go ahead."

"Voight, I think Jay just had a seizure. Tell the paramedics, they need to look for the cause. Shock or a poison that was administered to him."

"Understood," came the terse confirmation. "5021 Adam out, going to radio silence now."

Will handed Trudy back her radio. He had clearly sensed the tension and concentration in Voight's voice. Now things were getting really serious.

"You've done all you can, Will," she said, "How are you doing?"

He looked at her for a moment, then his gaze drifted back to the screen. He left her question unanswered. He knew he needed to get to a hospital himself. But first he needed to know Jay was safe.

"Will?"

"Not now, Trudy," he replied quietly.

Then suddenly, there was a glaring light on the screen, turning the image completely white. Then the transmission cut off.

"What-?", Will was still staring wide-eyed at the spot, where Jay had been visible all along.

"The mission has started," Trudy said, and she squeezed his hand. "They're going to get him out of there now."

/

The subconscious

Jay had hoped to go in peace. But he didn't get his wish. For a long time he had simply floated in a black, dark nothingness. No fear, no pain, just darkness that had enveloped him.

But then there had been flashes of images and his mood had changed. The calmness turned into fear, into panic and then suddenly he was in the middle of a scenario that felt so real, that he didn't know what had happened...

"How could you do this to me?"

Hailey threw a kitchen towel at him and she reached for a glass that was on the kitchen shelf. Jay wanted to say something, but no sound escaped his throat.

"You're a horrible person!" Will was suddenly there, pushing him back, glaring at him hatefully.

"You left us behind! Left us alone!" shouted Hailey.

She threw the glass to the floor at his feet and it shattered, glittering, into hundreds of pieces.

"I knew you would leave me one day! All you ever think about is yourself!"

He looked at her, opened his mouth, but only blood gushed out and dripped on the floor, mixing with the blood that had already accumulated there.

Why wasn't anyone helping? He was hurt. Why wasn't Will helping? Will had to do something, didn't he?

"You brought this on yourself!", Will stepped back now, moving away.

"I'll never forgive you for this! Do you know how worried I've been?", Hailey sobbed.

Jay pressed his hands to his neck, trying to say something, to reassure her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and that he would never leave her. He wanted to apologize to Will - for whatever. But only gurgling bubbles of air came from a cut on his throat, and more blood followed - there was blood everywhere...

"I hate you!" hissed Hailey.

"You egotist!"

Their words hurt him, penetrating deep into his soul, hurting in a way he had rarely felt before.

He knew this was the end... the end of everything.... It wasn't peaceful and painless. No, it was horrible and traumatic and there was nothing he could do to make it right...

/

The warehouse

A deafening bang startled Jay and snapped him out of his panicked state. Confused, he opened his eyes. Had he been unconscious? Just a moment ago he had been with Hailey and Will, hadn't he? What was going on here? It was hot. Everything was blurry all at once. He blinked. His ears were beeping.

He now saw several men rushing into the hall. Paulo was among them, with him were Jorge and Sam. Jay turned his head as a light appeared in the corner of his eye. Through the small windows on the large roll-up door to the hall, a blinding white light now shone. He saw smoke rising, then the panes shattered and something was thrown in. Smoke projectiles.

Had the team found them? Another bang and the gate was pushed inward before part of it collapsed. Jay squeezed his eyes shut as the light streamed in even more harshly now. Shots rang out and Jay realized he made a good target. Shortly after, a bullet actually whizzed past him so close, that he could feel the rush of air and the heat.

Suddenly something pulled at his arms and he cried out as the pain exploded so violently, he thought his arms were being ripped from their joints. His scream was swallowed by the tape and in all the confusion and noise that was suddenly in the hall, he didn't even hear himself cry out. He looked down and saw Jorge, pulling himself up against him. He had apparently been hit by a bullet and was now struggling back to his feet by grabbing him. He had a knife in his hand. Jorge was now standing and Jay followed the blade that was now approaching his neck. Eyes wide, he saw the metal flash, then felt it against his throat.

"You're mine!" shouted Jorge now. "Mine!!!"

The knife stroked the sensitive skin on Jay's neck, scoring it. It was like in his vision, already he saw himself gurgling and gasping for air, as the life flowed out of him....

Three shots suddenly threw Jorge backwards. He stumbled and went down. The knife slid across the floor, clattering. Jay stared at the man, who now lay motionless on the concrete floor, while his dead eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

"Halstead!", Voight's voice brought him back to reality and he raised his head.

He stared at his superior, looked around, saw that there were now people in black riot gear all over the hall. With a quick movement, the Sergeant pulled the tape from his mouth. Jay tried to spit the cloth out, but Voight had to help him pull it out.

"Ambulances are on the way. Hang in there!" he murmured to him.

Voight pushed Jorge aside a bit with his foot, then knocked the barrel over. Splashes of blood wet the concrete floor - his blood.

Voight moved away. A moment later, Jay felt the chain move above him. He was lowered to the ground, finally! As his feet touched the ground he was infinitely glad to be able to take the weight off his arms. For maybe a second or two he stood on his feet, but then he slumped to the ground, powerless.

"Jay!", Hailey was suddenly there.

Her blue eyes scrutinized him fearfully, her hands sliding over his face and his neck, pressing on the spot on his neck where Jorge had just cut him.

"I'm sorry." he tried to say to her, but no sound came out.

She just looked around and couldn't see him trying to apologize.

The horror continued... Was this real or was he caught up in their argument again? Agitated and afraid, he sought her gaze. Was all well between them?

"Parameters secured!" someone shouted nearby.

"Good.", Voight returned. "The ambulance will be here in two minutes."

"He's so pale...," Hailey looked back at him now and put her other hand on his forehead. "He's literally burning up. He's not breathing right! His heart is racing!"

"One minute!"

"Jay, what did they give you? Tell me!" she urged.

His lips formed the word "poison," but nothing left his larynx. His mouth and throat were so dry!

"Poison?" repeated Hailey. "What poison?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. He didn't know.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." he tried to say again and again.

"How could you do this to me? You left me behind! Left me alone! I knew that you would leave me one day! All you ever think about is yourself! I hate you!"

Hailey's words came back into his mind now abundantly clear. He had to apologize to her, he had to tell her that she was wrong, that he loved her! Clinging to her clothes with his uninjured hand, he glared at her urgently.

"I'm here. Everything will be all right," she said.

She was so good to him... why was she not angry now? Confused, he looked at her. Where was Will?

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't! Why couldn't he tell her how he felt? He loved her, more than anything in the world, and he would never hurt her. She knew that, didn't she?

"What the hell is wrong with him?" roared Voight now. "What did they give him?"

"Belladonna!" shouted one of the men who had just been arrested nearby. "The boss likes to use Belladonna, and I heard Sam bragging that he was going to give the guy a good dose. Hey, am I getting a deal now?"

Jay couldn't quite hear Voight's sarcastic reply, that you had to negotiate a deal before you gave away your information. The ringing and static in his ears picked up all at once.

He looked once more into Hailey's blue eyes, then his own closed and he gave in as a all-consuming exhaustion now overtook him again.

/

The hospital room

"I didn't think you guys were going to make it in time," Will said.

He was now wearing a hospital gown again himself. They had stitched up his wound and told him to stay for several more days in the hospital. This time, however, he would obey.

After all, Crockett had allowed him to leave the bed. Hailey and he sat by Jay's bedside and they waited for him to regain consciousness. Will was sitting in a comfortable, padded transport chair and Maggie had draped a blanket over him. By now he was letting everything wash over him and he wasn´t complaining. He was just glad that Jay was here now and that they had been able to do something about the poisoning in time. His other injuries had also been taken care of. They had been able to save his spleen, repair the cut. He would be fine.

"We were lucky. And we had the moment of surprise on our side," Hailey said.

"Thank you... Thank you guys for saving him. And I'm sorry for being such a handful. I know it wasn't easy for you either."

She smiled briefly.

"You don't have to apologize for anything," she said then. Hailey's gaze shifted back to Jay. "I'll just never let you two go anywhere alone again."

Will laughed softly. Hailey stroked the back of her hand across Jay's cheek. At that moment he moved, seeming to feel the touch. His face contorted and he groaned softly.

"It's all right," Hailey said soothingly. "You're safe. Will and I are here, with you."

His features relaxed again and Will continued to watch excitedly to see if he would open his eyes. Only seconds later, his brother's green eyes looked at him and his lips silently formed his name. A smile broke out on Will's lips.

Hailey quickly grabbed the cup with a straw that was next to the bed. She held the straw to his lips so he could drink some water. After she took the cup away again, Jay cleared his throat.

"Hailey..." he looked at his wife for a moment, then back at him. "Will... are you... okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me."

"Your... They said... I thought..."

Will put a hand on his arm. "I´m all right."

Jay closed his eyes and exhaled in relief.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hailey gently now.

"I've been having crazy... dreams.", he then said, looking at Hailey again. "I'm sorry... We had a fight, didn't we? Is... is everything okay between us?"

"Oh, Love, of course everything is fine!" she replied in surprise and she gently stroked his hairline.

"I love you. You know that, don't you?" he added worriedly.

"Yes..." she smiled. "I love you too."

"Will... I'm sorry," Jay whispered now.

"For what?" he frowned. "I have to apologize to you. You only got into this whole thing because of me."

"No.", Jay swallowed and closed his eyes. "You were mad at me... mad about something."

"Jay, we weren't fighting," Hailey said now. "You were poisoned with belladonna and slept for a very long time. The doctors said the poison caused hallucinations. Those dreams weren't real, you know? It's all good. I'm glad you're back with me."

He looked at her for a long moment, nodded, and breathed an "Okay."

Will patted Jay's arm and rose. He had a feeling the two of them should have a moment to themselves now.

"I'll leave you two alone for a minute," he said. "Hailey, do you want me to bring you something?"

She smiled. "I'm good, thanks."

He nodded. "Be right back."

He walked slowly to the door and turned around once more. Hailey was talking quietly to Jay. Will was glad she was there for him now.

He carefully pulled the door closed behind him and walked out into the hallway. He propped himself against the handrails on the wall, not wanting to take any chances of his wound reopening.

He paused briefly and reviewed the last days, weeks. It bordered on a miracle that they had survived all this and would recover.

He thought of Elmira, who was now in a hospital in North Dakota and whose parents were on their way to see her. He thought of Paulo and Domenico, who had both been arrested by now and hopefully couldn't hurt anyone else.

And then he thought of all the fears that had plagued him and that he needed to work through now that Jay was also out of danger.

"Will Halstead! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Turning around, he spotted Dr. Wallinson, a physician who had been working on the geriatric unit since several months and who was apparently in that part of the hospital, seeing a patient.

"Linn!" he called out, and he smiled faintly. "I'm here with Crockett's permission, don't worry."

The red-blond, petite woman approached him. "Then, where's your wheelchair?"

"In there. I'm fine," she looked at him sternly. "Linn. Come on."

She moved closer. "How's Jay?"

He was smiling now. "He's awake."

"And how are you? I mean, really. No excuses!"

"I'm okay." he looked at her a little uncertainly. She had caught him in a weak moment. They were silent for a moment. "What are you doing here?" he then asked. "Do you have a patient?"

"Yes, but it´s all good. 69-year-old with a large laceration to the head after a fall.", she lowered the tablet she was holding and eyed him. "I've got some time. Do you want to grab a coffee in the cafeteria with me and talk?"

He hesitated, but then nodded. "I'd love to."

"Then let´s go..." she put a hand on his back and kept it there.

Together they walked off and Will thought for a moment that it felt good to know she was by his side. He was glad that she seemed to care about him, that he wasn't alone at the moment.

"Can I confess something to you, Will?" she asked suddenly as they walked slowly down the hallway.

He stopped, they looked at each other. Then he nodded.

"I couldn't imagine not having you here anymore," she said then. "I'm always happy when we meet."

Astonished, he looked at her, blinking. What was that supposed to mean? She smiled cautiously.

"I'm glad nothing happened to you."

He nodded, not knowing what to say. He wondered if she had feelings for him. Was that possible? She was pretty, smart and funny – he liked her but he never would have thought...

„Okay...“, she then added and she laughed softly, she seemed embarrased.

„Linn... I...“

"Are we going?" she asked before he could even maneuver himself any deeper into this moment of shame.

With these words, the moment had passed and she offered him her arm for further support. He kind of felt bad for a second, but then he smiled and accepted the help.

There was someone who cared about him, who was happy when they met. He would not forget that and he would ask her out, when he got out of here.

"Yes, let's go.", he answered. „You know, I´m also happy when I see you...“

„Really?“, she giggled. „Now that was not so hard to admit, was it?“

„No, it wasn´t.“, he grinned when they continued their way. „Coffee is on me by the way.“

„I don´t see a wallet on you, Dr. Halstead...“

„Oh.“

„Don´t worry, you can return the favour when you get out of here...“

- THE END -