Then the next time I came around I could hear the steady beeping of a hospital monitor. My whole body ached, my throat hurt. I swallowed, my throat was dry.

I whimpered.

“Had.”

Jack was beside me, my hand in his. He stood.

Everything came back in an instant. Terry, the kidnapping, the stabs.

I thought I was going to die and somehow I wasn’t. I swallowed hard, and my eyes watered. There was no stopping the sob that tore through me.

Jack leaned over me touching my face gently. “You’re fine. I got to you in time Had.”

I let the emotion out, unable to hold back the fear, pain and relief.

He saved me.

I lifted my hand to his face. His eyes so bright and clear. His hair disheveled.

I drew in a painful and deep breath as I sobbed.

“You’re going to be okay Hadley.”

I closed my eyes and let his words wash over me. I wanted that more than anything.

He caressed my cheek as I quietly sobbed trying to gain control over myself again. He stayed right there by me as I released the built up emotion with tears.

Control had been taken from me the moment my ordeal had started. It had started three years ago the night Alice died and I escaped. From then on it had controlled my life, unable to cope I had turned to drugs to numb the pain.

“Terry,” I whispered when I was able to talk again.

He nodded. “He won’t ever be able to touch you again.” He was fierce with a flash of anger.

I trembled and released a breath. “I…I…” I could not finish my sentence.

“I just need you to get better,” he said gently soothing my hair from my face.

I nodded, still unsure of the extent of the wounds he had inflicted. All I could remember was the pain, it was indescribable. The feeling of helplessness was the worst, not being able to do anything other than endure.

“I just want to take you home and keep you safe,” he murmured.

Home. The place where Terry had incapacitated Dallas and taken me. I wasn’t sure I would still feel the same safety I had felt before within those walls.

“I don’t…” I shook my head. “I can’t go back.”

“It’s fine. We’ll figure it out. Okay?”

I nodded and then swallowed. “Water.”

He got a cup with a straw and helped me take a sip. The cool water soothed my dry throat. I touched my throat, it felt painful and bruised. A reminder of what Terry had done to me.

He raked a hand through his hair. He looked tired.

I cleared my throat. “Dallas.” My voice was hoarse.

“He took a good knock, he’ll live.”

Jack sat back down beside the bed and took my hand into his.

“The cops have questions but I told Beth she is going to have to wait until you’re stronger.”

I looked at him, unsure if I had it in me to relive what I went through. I wanted to forget it happened, I didn’t want to relive them in my nightmares. Free. I wanted that more than anything.

He swallowed. “I should have listened to you.” He quietened, dropping his head.

“I thought it was Dallas.” I had been so wrong. My eyes began to sting with tears.

“But you were right, it was someone close.”

I swallowed, trying to build up the courage to ask.

Jack was patient and quiet beside me, allowing me to take my time.

“How bad?” I trembled. He held my hand tighter.

“Most were superficial cuts, they were not deep enough to do major damage.” He paused as if gauging if I could take more. “He stabbed you twice. One hit your lung and the other went into your ribs.”

Feeling vulnerable I moved my free hand to my chest and took a breath. Then it moved to my throat. It hurt to swallow.

“It’s just bruising. It will heal. There is no permanent damage.”

I nodded but that wasn’t what I was most afraid of.

“I was naked…”

My eyes stayed on him. I saw the moment he realized what I was getting at because his eyes darkened.

He shook his head. “There were no signs.”

My relief was palpable.

I looked away from Jack, needing a moment. A wave of new emotion rose up and I took a trembling breath trying to wrestle them so I could face Jack again.

He waited, never pushing.

I finally turned to him. “How did you find me?”

“When you accused Dallas of being the killer I truly thought you were so afraid you were seeing things that weren’t there. Honestly, Dallas can be a bit off but he would never hurt anyone. When you suggested he might be the person responsible for killing my sister I could not even entertain the thought much less believe you.”

He released my hand and stood. “But there was something in your logic that I couldn’t shake. That it could be someone close.”

He turned his back as he looked out the window thoughtfully. “I have spent so many years looking at every single clue going over it again and again while coming up with nothing. I had become that person, the one who runs down every clue, no matter how crazy it is. There was no way I could dismiss it without checking it out.”

Slowly, he faced me. “I put a tracker on Dallas’ car. Then it occurred to me I had also told Terry but he had access to that information at work. I thought it would kill two birds with one stone. That way I had physical proof they were not involved, something tangible. Not just the fact that I could not imagine either murdering anyone.”

In some weird roundabout way I had saved myself. If I had not accused Dallas then Jack wouldn’t have tracked Terry’s car.

He stood arms on either side, his hands curled into fists. “When I got back. Dallas was still out cold and you were gone. I was frantic. I had no idea how he got to you. It was so brazen and uncharacteristic of a serial killer.”

“I knew you would not have a lot of time so I began to run any leads I could find. There wasn’t much so I checked the trackers. I didn’t expect it to yield anything but I saw Terry was at a different location than his place.” He walked back over to stand beside me.

“It was odd but it was enough to peak my curiosity. Honestly I didn’t have anything else and I had to find you. I could not lose you like I did Alice.” He swallowed, and I wanted to reach out to touch him. To assure him unlike his sister I had survived and it had only been because of him.

“When I called him and asked where he was he lied.” The was a heavy silence. “That’s when I knew it was him. I just knew it.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I could not come up with one feasible reason as to why he would deceive me. It made no sense, other than he was hiding something.”

“I didn’t want to spook him and I didn’t want anyone to possibly tip him off. I knew I only had one chance to save you. He came over and played the his role so well I began to doubt myself. For a second I thought I might be losing it but once he left and I went over everything again, there was a nagging feeling I couldn’t shake.” He crossed his arms.

“I got my gun and I followed him to the abandoned house. There was no visible security measures taken. I don’t think he ever thought anyone would figure it out. I heard you. You were crying. I wanted to tear him apart limb by limb.” He swallowed. “But I had to keep my head, if I made a mistake you would die. I didn’t have a chance to save my sister, I wasn’t going to screw this up.”

He quietened.

“He was too preoccupied with you to hear me open the door or enter the room. I didn’t hesitate, I shot him.”

It was so quiet.

I was relieved to the say the least. If he hadn’t of done what he did, he wouldn’t have found me and stopped Terry. Terry would have killed me and I would have been another victim.

“He deserved it,” I said.