* THOMAS *

I woke up on the beach near the cliff from which we jumped. The shoreline was splashing over my face, so I sat up and looked around for Lydia. She was two meters away from me, but she wasn't alone. She was unconscious and an old man in old clothes was kneeling next to her.

"Hey..." I called, not really knowing what was happening around me. "Leave her alone. " I growled and staggered towards my girlfriend.

"Calm down..." Older man replied and raised his hands up. "I'm not gonna hurt her. I just want to help her. "

"Yeah, sure. " I scoffed and slowly knelt beside Lydia, then touched her cheek.

After a while, however, my image started to blur and I passed out.

***

I don't know how long I've been unconscious. I woke up in some old fishing hut. The first person I thought of was Lydia. I started looking for her, but I couldn't see her anywhere.

I slowly got up from the bed and touched my hand to my head, which hurt me terribly. Suddenly I noticed some movement in the hall, so I got up and staggered in that direction.

"So I see you've already got up. " The same man who knelt beside Lydia on the beach said with a smile.

"Where..." I started, but the man interrupted me.

"Where's your girlfriend? " He finished. "In the next room. " He pointed with his hand.

So without waiting a moment, I went there and saw the red-haired girl sleeping on the bed.

I sat down next to her and took her hand while brushing a strand of her hair with the other.

She looked so innocent while she slept.

"She'll be fine. " Suddenly I heard a voice behind me. "She just needs to rest for a moment. "

"Why are you helping us? " I asked right away.

"I have no conscience to leave someone in need. " Replied after a moment. "If I hadn't helped you then, those people would've killed you. "

" What kind of people? " I asked, although I knew perfectly well who he meant.

"You don't have to pretend. " Man replied. "And you don't have to be afraid of me. Your brother won't find you here. " Said.

I froze.

"Yes, I know who you are, Thomas. " Man added when he saw my reaction. "I also know about your brother and your girlfriend. Television also works here, which may surprise you. " Laughed lightly.

He was wearing an old torn jacket and a T-shirt and dark pants. He had short gray hair and a fisherman's hat on it. I guess he might have been in his sixties. He seemed like a really nice person, but I knew you shouldn't trust strangers, even your family, after all. Anyone can cheat on you.

"So you know who we are, but I don't know who are you yet. " I replied after a moment of reflection. "What's your name? "

"Bard. " He replied. "You don't have to worry, laddie. You're safe here. " He glanced at me. "Come on, you need to eat something. " Added, and after a long moment I followed him.

He gave me warm soup, and before eating it, he assured me that it wasn't poisonous or anything like that.

His house was really cozy. It wasn't big, but it was enough for him. It had four small rooms with a bathroom.

"Thomas? " Suddenly I heard the voice of the redhead.

She was standing in the doorway of her room, staring at me wearily.

I immediately ran up to her and hugged her, which of course she immediately reciprocated. She sat down at the table with us and ate some soup while Bard and I told her everything.

While jumping off a cliff, she had to hit the rock with her head. Bard had dressed her before. The man assured me that fortunately it was nothing serious.

The sixty-year-old gave us new, warm clothes for which we thanked him very much.

We sat on the small couch and talked while Lydia fell asleep with her head on my shoulder.

"Why did your brother cheat on you? " Old man asked.

"It's Mitch. " I replied and tucked a strand of Lydia's hair behind her ear. "I could've expected this. But what's your story? " I asked. "You have a family? "

At this question, the man became sad. I immediately regretted the question when I looked at the photo standing nearby. Bard was there with his wife and two children. An older boy and a younger girl.

"I had. " Replied after a few minutes.

"I'm sorry. " I said right away. "I didn't want to... "

"I know. " He interrupted me and then rubbed his eyes to hide the tears. "You know... Today is the anniversary of their death... " Added, and the first tears started to run down his cheeks.

He got up and walked over to the photo.

"What happened to them? " I asked uncertainly.

The man didn't say anything for a long time. I figured it must be a very painful memory. He took a deep breath then said:

"You know, I didn't always live like this..." Began. "I used to be a very famous and good lawyer, and fishing was my passion. My wife and children and I lived in a very quiet and friendly neighborhood. We lived a relatively quiet life until that one day... " He said and gently ran his finger over the family photo. "I knew that the work of a lawyer may not be the safest... Especially when you have a wife and children. " He looked at me then continued. "One day I got a very serious case. I had to do everything to get one of the most dangerous and mentally ill people in prison. "

"And you did it, sir? " I guessed.

"Yes. And it worked..." Sighed. "But I knew that if I did it bitterly, I would pay for it..." He wiped away more tears. "Two days later I received a call from my wife asking me to pick her up and the children from school. She had a scared voice so I knew that something must have happened... " Said and he couldn't hold back tears anymore.

Lydia, who had been asleep until now, opened her eyes and listened to the story with me.

"When I got there, I saw my wife, Marie, and I knew. Tears were running down her cheeks... She was so scared... One of the people who were there held her and put a gun to her head, and the other brought our children and said: "We warned you..." Immediately after that, he cut my kids' throats, and the other guy shot my wife in the head... " He cried. "And I... "

Lydia didn't wait a moment but walked over to the man and hugged him.

"It wasn't your fault..." She said with tears in her eyes. "There was nothing you could do. "

"Who was the man you helped convict? " I asked uncertainly.

Bard glanced at me.

"They called him Bucho. " Replied, and Lydia and I exchanged glances.

"And the people who killed your family are..." Lydia began.

"Luke Radcliffe and..." Bard finished for her. "Mitch Rapp. "