Not surprisingly the location Jake had chosen was yet another abandoned building. However, this warehouse was significantly smaller than all the others. There was one front entrance and only one back exit. It was much easier for someone to take up a defensive position as there were very limited access points. Even though Alan sent Dan around to monitor the back exit, I knew this wouldn't be the escape route Jake would use if he decided to run. He was more likely to escape out through a second story window, but I didn't expect him to.

I entered through the front entrance with Alan following close behind. Dr. Cumming kept his distance to give Alan space, but kept a watchful eye as we made our way into the heart of the building. Jake stood ominously in the middle of the open floor with his hands in his pockets and hood over his head. Part of me ached to run up and hug him. Even as more of my memory returned, I was still so addicted to him. I yearned for his warmth and his scent.

"Took you long enough," Jake mumbled.

"Sorry, there was some disagreement in how we were going to proceed," I admitted.

"I see you won in the end," Jake smiled.

"You know me," I shrugged. "Come on, Jake. Dr. Cumming has his car outside."

"I thought I said only you," Jake frowned.

I glanced back at Alan, who readied his hand on his holster, "Alan's a friend. You know that. And anyway, he's agreed to help you move into the facility quietly."

"On the condition you tell me what you've done with Richy," Alan interrupted. "Despite everything, he still has a family that would like to know what has become of him. Please give them that peace of mind, Jake."

"I don't know where he is now and that's the truth," Jake shrugged. "He's wherever the water will take him."

"Jake... you didn't..." I bit my lip.

"It seems he couldn't handle the torture he had inflicted upon me. I suppose that makes me the stronger one then doesn't it?" Jake responded with slight amusement.

"And how does that make you feel, Jake?" Dr. Cumming asked from the back.

"I had expected him to put up more of a fight. It was... unsatisfying," Jake said honestly. "But somehow the world feels lighter."

"Enough with the therapy session, there's plenty of time for that after you've been admitted," Alan shook his head dismissively.

"Come on, Jake," I held my hand out to him. "Let's go."

As Jake took two steps forward, Alan pulled out his sidearm and trained it on Jake. Jake shot him a glare, then took my hand and stepped up to me.

"That's close enough!" Alan exclaimed.

Jake ignored him and whispered to me, "It's ok, MC. I want you to know I forgive you."

"You forgive me?" I scoffed. "That's rich for the shit you pulled last night."

"You can't tell me that there wasn't a part of you that didn't enjoy it," he smirked. "That man terrorised you and your friends. He attacked Jessy just to sell his story. That's not even mentioning the trauma he's given Hannah. Part of you felt good for doing it."

"Every additional moment I remember has been pure torture," I squeezed my other hand so tight, I left impressed of my nails in my skin.

"Oh so not all of last night is remembered," he nodded. "Last night I had you at my mercy. I could have done anything and I mean anything I wanted to you. And those perverse thoughts did cross my mind. The other me would have."

"But you didn't," I muttered.

"What did I do instead?" he pushed.

"You took me back to our... home," I recalled.

"And?" he tilted his head suggestively.

"We sat on the couch together and you... you held me," I suddenly remembered. "You held me until I fell asleep."

The memory came back to me. Jake held me tight with his arms around me and his head resting on my shoulder. I could feel his warmth, but also his wet tears as they fell onto my shirt. I remembered him quietly sobbing.

"I know you may never understand what I had to do," he said solemnly. "I never wanted things to go this way. You weren't meant to be apart of it."

"And yet, you took away my choice and forced me to be apart of it in the end," I glared.

"I was angry and I know I took things too far. For that, I am truly sorry and sorry that I forced your hand in betraying me today," he explained. "Everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, then it's not the end."

"What is that meant to mean?" I frowned.

Jake smiled, then walked past me toward Dr. Cumming. "Let us not waste any more time."

As Alan escorted Jake and Dr. Cumming out of the building and to Dr. Cumming's car, I stood in silence trying to figure out what he meant. I felt a chill and folded my arms to keep warm, then followed the others out of the building.

I joined Jake in Dr. Cumming's reasonably new luxury car while Alan drove Dan in his old, beat up sedan. They followed us all the way to the psychiatric hospital. Not a single word was uttered during the entire trip. I spent the time staring out the window. Even the world around us was a bleak, overcast grey.

At the hospital I watched from a distance as Dr. Cumming helped Jake fill in the paperwork for Karl Vogel's admission. Dan put his arm around my shoulders as I watched Dr. Cumming escort Jake to the ward's doors. Before they disappeared behind them, I saw Jake shoot a glare at Dan. Dan flicked him off in response. Then he was gone.

"Are you ok?" Dan asked me after a while.

"I don't know. I feel... empty," I shook my head.

"Come here," Dan pulled me in for a big bear hug. "I know that despite how much I hated the guy, you thought you loved him."

"No, Dan. I loved him. I really did. And... I still do," I bit my lip and tried to fight back the tears.

"Sorry to interrupt," Alan walked up to us suddenly. "I just wanted to let you know that they've found Richy."

I closed my eyes in pain, not wanting to hear any more.

"So the bastard killed him?" Dan asked.

"I don't know," Alan admitted.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Dan pulled away from the hug.

"I mean initial reports indicate that Richy ended his own life," Alan continued. "There were definite signs of torture, but they're not what killed him. However, he didn't put himself in the river."

"How?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to know.

"It appears he hung himself with the same rope that he had been restrained with," Alan shrugged. "He had ripped those bolts you mentioned, MC, through his feet. Forensics is checking that warehouse. We suspect he hung himself in the rafters."

"Bullshit, Jake hung him," Dan objected.

"Why would he hang him only to then dump him in the water? Why not just dump him in and let him drown? It seems redundant," Alan shrugged.

"Hanging wasn't part of the torture," I thought out loud. "It was drowning, burning, suffocation, then... infection? Besides, Jake was with me after he forced me to suffocate Richy."

"What are you talking about?" Dan questioned.

"I suddenly remembered when I was talking to Jake earlier. He took me back to our place then sat with me on the couch for the rest of the night. I didn't fall asleep until the early morning hours," I explained.

"Bullshit! Why would he drug you just to hug it out with you all night?" Dan argued.

"Devil's breath was the only drug he had at the time and he needed to incapacitate me so I wouldn't try to stop him. He had no intention of taking advantage of me like that," I continued.

"He only made you suffocate Richy," Dan reminded me.

"I think in his own way he thought he was doing me a favour. Letting me take out some aggression on Richy for what he had done in the past. I know he did enjoy it on a perverse level," I lowered my head to avoid eye contact with the others.

"Are you back to trying to tell me he's not that bad of a guy?' Really?" Dan rolled his eyes.

"He's still wanted for the abduction and torture of Richy," Alan clarified. "And intended murder if not full murder charges."

"So what will you do now?" Dan asked.

"Well I would like to go home, but I don't even know if that's possible," I sighed.

"You could come back to Duskwood," Dan offered.

"Dan, she's technically an illegal alien. Her visa would have been revoked long ago," Alan pointed out.

"So? Use your connections and get her a new ID!" Dan pressured.

"That's not even remotely legal," Alan frowned.

"No, I think I've had enough of Germany," I laughed. "Maybe I'll do what I thought about doing at the start of all thiis. I'll head to the embassy and tell them I was held against my will and coerced into doing things."

"I'll go with you and give a statement. Hopefully my status will carry some weight," Alan offered.

"Thank you, Alan," I smiled. "I don't suppose there's an embassy in Colville?"

"No, but there is a consulate. Let's go there now," Alan gestured for us to head back to his car.

As we headed out the lobby, I took one last look back at the admission desk. Dr. Cumming was speaking with a nurse and saw us leaving. He gave me a nod before we walked out the front doors to let me know everything was ok.

Alan and Dan sat in the front of Alan's old sedan while I sat in the back and leaned my head against the glass. I couldn't help but feel like a part of me had been ripped out. That hole in me was never filled again. I hardly noticed we had driven into the parking garage across from the US consulate until Alan turned the car off. Dan opened the door for me and helped me out. I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to say to these officials, but I was going to push the mugged tourist story for as long as I could. Maybe no one would even notice that I was wanted for questioning.

We got as far as the security screening before I was surrounded by several armed officers.

"Down on your knees! Hands on your head!" they shouted at me.

"I am an American citizen!" I yelled as I put my hands above my head. "I've been held hostage by an international criminal, but I have escaped and am trying to go home!"

"Down on your knees!" they repeated.

"I am the chief of police with the Duskwood Police Department and I can attest for her!" Alan pulled out his badge and tried to get between me and the armed officers while I knelt down.

"This is American soil! You have no jurisdiction here! Step aside!" one of the officers commanded.

Another officer ran past Alan and shoved me face down on the ground. Then he grabbed both my wrists, put them behind my back and ziptied them together. A female officer came up and checked my clothes for anything hidden. She took my phone off me then stepped away. The first officer then lifted me back off the ground and took me down a secure corridor into a holding cell. I could hear Dan getting loud and rowdy with the officers, but as soon as the door closed, it was dead silent. This was not at all what I had expected and I began to panic that they wouldn't even consider my story.

I was left to wait there for several hours before a guard came and moved me into an interrogation room. There two agents in classic Men in Black suits waited for me.

"I'm Agent West and he's Agent Reeve. MC, take a seat," Agent West gestured before him.

"Wait, that's not really your names, is it?" I questioned. The agents only gave me blank looks in response. "Of course they're not."

"Look, MC, it's simple. Give us Nym-0s and you can have your freedom," Agent West spoke plainly.

"I don't know where he is," I lied. "I managed to finally get away from him and came here for protection."

"You honestly expect us to believe you were held against your will?" Agent Reeve mused.

"It took us a while, but we finally traced your money overnight to your offshore account, MC," Agent West announced, then pushed over a bank statement in my direction. "The thing is with offshore banks, they are rather eager to assist when you mention a skilled hacker is involved. It's not good for business after all. They had no problem supplying us with your account statement this morning."

I looked down the piece of paper. Sure the opening deposit was exactly in the amount of my old savings, but there were hundreds of other deposits made afterwards. The sum of which had far more digits than I could ever believe.

"This isn't all mine," I shook my head. "I know it's in my name, but Jake... he's the one who took my money and set up this account."

"Oh, we know," Agent West smiled. "MC, do you know the name Mikael Eriksen?"

"Should I?" I asked confused.

"You squatted in his penthouse for several days," Agent Reeve took over. "During that time, Mr. Eriksen had about $100 million USD withdrawn from his various investments. $50 million of which has been traced and is confirmed now be sitting in this account of yours."

"Now obviously, we will have to confiscate that," Agent West interjected. "But here's what we think happened. The two of your partnered up, committed a bit of crime, but you've had enough. You decided it was time to cash in at the casino and head home with your winnings. You even had a nice cover story of being held hostage lined up and ready to go. Maybe you really did fight to escape him. By stabbing him in the back that is. And now you're here hoping we'll give you protection from him while you get to retire somewhere nice."

My eyes darted back and forth as I tried to understand what was happening. "I had nothing to do with this! I didn't even have access to the account! He stole that money from me! And he... he's framing me!"

Agent West leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes at me. "You really didn't know?"

"No!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly I remembered Jake's words from the night before, 'Whose wings I've clipped.' The realisation hit me that he always had this planned, in case I did turn on him and betray him. It was his insurance plan.

"You'll noticed there are no withdrawals," I added. "I'm telling you, I didn't know it existed! I didn't know he stole that Eriksen guy's money!"

"MC, where is Jake?" Agent West repeated. "If you want to have any chance of living a normal life again, you'll tell us where he is."

"He can't harm anyone anymore, where he is now," I admitted.

"Where. Is. He?" Agent West emphasised.

"At the psychiatric hospital here in Colville," I sighed. "Please, he's getting help, ok? He can't hurt anyone."

Both agents stood up and collected their paperwork.

"You made the right choice, MC," Agent West assured me as moved to leave the room.

"Please," I begged. "Please don't kill him. He's not a threat to anyone."

"We'll take that into consideration," Agent Reeve smirked. "A lot of patients go into psychiatric hospitals, but they don't always come back out, do they? And if they do, they're never the same. No one has to kill him to ensure that."

As soon as the door closed, tears started to run down my face. Why did he have to implicate me in his crimes? Why did he have to hold my freedom to ransom? I felt nothing but regret. Regret for everything that happened in the past several weeks. Regret for getting on that stupid plane and going into that stupid abandoned building. Regret that I didn't just walk away when we exited the sewer, that I would listen to him even though he was being an absolute asshole. Regret that I put up with all of his bullshit for just those brief moments of calm. Regret that I fought so hard for his mental health when he fucked with mine.

I wished I had found the Man Without a Face instead.