Eliana:

I wasn't going to make it out of the forest before nightfall. I could already feel it, the numbness seeping into my bones and the tiredness in my brain. The sun was already dimming, painting the fall sky with oranges and pinks, but among the trees it was almost green. Every crack of a tree branch, every footstep I heard, I thought it was one of them coming after me. I had to constantly remind myself that it was just me making the sounds.

Scarlette's jacket was a mercy against the cold, but once it was dark it wouldn't be able to help much. There was a whole other problem once I got back to a civilization- I was in my underwear, bra, a jacket, and her flats. There was still glass in my feet from when the men dropped me onto the shattered bottle, and even if they were numb and protected from the ground, the glass was going to be wedged deeper into my body with every step. If I came across other people in a bad part of town, in the middle of the night, halfway to naked, there would be more problems. I couldn't just stop a cop and get help either, there would be too many questions and they could still be looking for me.

During the robbery and hospital visit, I had given them the name Eliana North, who I considered myself to be now. They hadn't said anything, so the fake identification I acquired a few years ago seemed to be holding up better than I thought, but I didn't want to press that theory or give them a chance to get a photo. Even if they didn't put it through facial recognition software, someone could see it in circulation and recognize me.

My panting filled the air as I leaned against a tree. The overwhelming temptation told me to lay there and go to sleep, to just give in. The rational part of my mind was trying to claw its way back up, to tell me that it wasn't safe, and even if I had managed to lose them a while back, which I doubted, the hypothermia would set in soon.

Come on, Eliana. You didn't make it through all of that alive just to die alone with the squirrels. Keep going. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot.

In some miracle, my self coaching worked. I was moving again, although stumbling was a more accurate description. Not having looked at a clock for what I guessed was about a week, my concept of time was messed up. I couldn't have even guessed how many hours it was until I left behind the rest of the trees, but it had become pitch black.

Where the tree line ended, a road cut between them and a row of small houses. I had found civilization. I tossed the idea around in my head of knocking on a door, seeing if anyone could help, but that was risky. I didn't want police. I also didn't want to put anyone in any trouble. My apartment wasn't a viable option any more, that was for sure. They could track me back there and my whole escape would be pointless.

My years of living on the streets had started to kick in. The first step was to find somewhere warm, but I didn't even know where I was. Even if I could get out of this rain and the elements, temperatures had already begun to plummet. The air itself would freeze me if I stayed outside. I could try to scout out a warehouse or abandoned building like I used to stay in, but I also didn't want to walk up to a group of people dressed like I was. Some of them were nice and helpful, others weren't. I didn't want to run into a territorial pack like this.

It would help if I knew where I was. The road must have led into a town, but since I was unconscious when they took me, I couldn't be sure where I was or how far we had travelled. They could have driven for hours and I wouldn't know better. My best bet was to follow the road to a more populated area, where I was more likely to find someone or something to help me.

I stayed back behind the trees, hiding from the headlights of people who might pass, but it was growing late enough that the cars were thinning out. It was almost impossible to tell how long I'd been walking before I came across lights again, this time it seemed like a well lit hiking path. The sign labeling it made me pause.

I wasn't far from home.

The towns in this area were tightly packed, even if there was woods between them, they bled together without clear definition or boundaries. I must have only been a town or so over, if I had made it to the parks that bordered my own.

I didn't know this area well, since it was the opposite direction of my apartment, but I knew I was further west, I needed to keep heading forward. Maybe if I could sneak back towards my apartment, just get in to find a change of clothes and then get back out, I could do it without being detected.

While I stumbled and shivered, my mind went to Ezrah. Had he gotten back from his trip? Had Alessio? Were either looking for me? Had anyone even realized I was gone? If someone had found my apartment trashed and empty, would they have called the police?

My foot caught on a tree root and I hit my knees, groaning in pain. I couldn't see anymore, it was too dark and I was off the beaten path. I could barely discern lights ahead, but my heart was pounding, just from the strain of trying to walk in my state.

Keep going, Eliana. If you make it to whoever is out there, you can sleep.

I recognized the street name, and I realized that I was out of the woods and in a residential area. This was the same long and winding road that Alessio had taken me down to get to his home.

The last thing that I wanted to do was involve him, I didn't want to put him in any danger, but if I tried to walk any farther I was going to pass out. I needed help, if I could just see him for a couple minutes and rest, I could be on the run again by first light if it wasn't too late.

I was holding myself up by my aching arms and shoulders, tripping from tree to tree until I saw something familiar. Wrought iron gates and a long winding driveway. I knew that there would be another gate up ahead, but I couldn't remember how he opened the first one.

Every muscle in my shoulders screamed in protest as I put the full weight of my body onto my arms, pulling myself up and dropping to the ground on the other side. I let myself lay there on the asphalt for a couple of moments, my breathing shaky and irregular.

A few more feet. Then you can sleep.

I pushed myself up onto my feet, groaning. I couldn't see straight anymore. Everything was tilting and blurring and spinning. I had been beaten to a pulp and I hadn't eaten in days. I could vaguely see two figures ahead, one of them raising something in front of him that glinted in the lights from the house. A gun.

I raised my hands in surrender, trying to show them that I wasn't a threat. The large jacket I had been hugging around myself pulled apart at the front, starting up the shivers again that I had previously been numb to. My bare knees hit the pavement and I could feel the blood running down them. I couldn't hold my own weight anymore and went down, trying to speak.

"What the hell?" I heard one of them say to his companion.

They stepped closer slightly, I could hear them, and one of them swore. Neither probably knew what to make of me, a half naked girl laying in their driveway. These men might think I was a street kid, wandering around until I found people. They weren't Alessio, so they must have worked with him. I just hoped that he was already back in town.

I was going to try and stutter out a request for help, but one of them was already speaking into what I assumed was some sort of earpiece, "We're going to need some help out here.... Just.... Send anybody."

Stay conscious, Eliana. Stay awake long enough to explain everything.

My eyes fluttered but I could see a blonde boy coming closer and instructing his dark haired friend, "Keep your gun trained on her, I'll check her for a weapon."

"What is she going to do?"

"With Nikolov, we need to be prepared for anything, someone could have sent her."

Blondie grabbed my shoulder and I willingly rolled onto my side. He pulled back the jacket, looking for a gun, but he stepped back when he realized how little I was wearing and the mud, blood, and bruises that covered me. There was a good amount of swearing and confusion before I heard a familiar voice, but it wasn't Alessio's.

"What the hell is going on out here? I was in the middle of a meeting with-" Leonardo cut himself off and I could make out the look of shock on his face in the dim light. "Eliana?"

I looked at him desperately, determined to actually be able to form words, "Please...."

He stepped closer towards me as I pulled myself to my feet again. I stumbled a couple of steps before he grabbed my elbows to stabilize me. He took one look at my appearance and then ducked under me, half dragging and half carrying me. Leonardo looked to his blonde companion and ordered, "Open the gate, then call the hospital."

"No hospitals," I croaked, knowing that I needed one but scared nonetheless. I had no good explanation for where I had been or what happened, not without getting the police involved and making a mess.

Leonardo wrapped an arm tighter around my waist and mostly carried me through the gate and up the stairs to the huge house. "Don't worry, we'll bring the doctor here."

I was going to tell him not to worry about it, not to go through all of the trouble and that I just needed to sleep it off, but something deep in my mind told me that I had to have broken bones and a million other things that needed a doctor's help.

When Leonardo pulled me inside, I almost cried as the warmth enveloped me. I had been shivering for so long that I only remembered the feeling of being numb. All of my muscles gave out involuntarily, I wanted nothing more than to lay on the marble floor and sleep for days and I couldn't keep going.

"Alessio," Leonardo roared, yelling up the winding stairs. When no voice responded, he commanded the man next to him, "Go get our boss."

He was back? Alessio was here? I wanted to see him, if I had stayed conscious for this long then I could hold on for a few more seconds. My head dropped forward and I noticed the streaks of red smeared behind me- I must have lost Scarlette's shoes a little ways back, I was barefoot and my feet were bleeding again.

I wanted to apologize but I felt like my lungs were collapsing completely, everything in my body felt like it was falling apart. Leaning into Leonardo, I let him take almost all of my weight, knowing that I couldn't do it anymore. He caught me before I could hit the floor, basically hugging me to his chest from behind so that I didn't hit the marble.

On the verge of closing my eyes and letting myself sleep, someone appeared at the top of the stairs. There was a flurry of some of the most imaginative cursing that I had ever heard, but it was him, it was Alessio. I breathed a sigh of relief as Leonardo gently set me down on the floor, but it was cold so I gripped his arms and tried to pull myself up. I didn't want to be cold anymore.

I heard multiple sets of feet thundering down the steps and Alessio dropped to his knees next to me, ripping off his suit jacket and laying it over me. He barked orders to the men that had appeared, looking on in curiosity, "Blankets, towels, warm water."

Not daring to disobey, most of them hurried away at his orders, but Leonardo stayed by my side and rolled up his jacket as well, propping it underneath my head like a pillow. Another man, one I didn't recognize, stood over my feet and assessed my injuries with very shrewd eyes but didn't reach out to touch me. He was huge, both tall and extremely muscled, normally I would've been slightly intimidated if I had half of my senses.

Alessio set his hands on my face, "Eliana, I'm sorry but I need to get that jacket off of you, it's wet and it's going to make you sick."

I nodded as best I could, already sure that I was sick, but I didn't want to make it worse. He rolled me onto my side and tried to be gentle as he pulled my arms from the sleeves, but the choked cry that came out of my mouth from the pain stopped him. He seemed confused but Leonardo swore and nodded towards me, "Look at her shoulders."

Alessio took one glance at my bruised shoulders and looked at the man by my feet, "Angelo, I need your knife."

The scary one handed Alessio a large switchblade from his pocket, still silent, while Leonardo and Alessio set to work on cutting the jacket away instead. His warm hands slid under my bare back and lifted me up slightly, just enough to pull the cold fabric out from underneath me. He pulled his jacket up a little bit higher to cover me as I shivered.

"She shouldn't be moved," The terrifying man advised. "The doctor will be here soon."

"I don't even know where to start," Leonardo worried, first lightly grabbing my marred hands and then looking at my bloody legs.

"Eliana, look at me," Alessio commanded. I managed to drag my gaze to meet his eyes as he plead with me, "I need you to tell me what hurts the most."

"I don't know," I whimpered. It all hurt, every inch of my existence hurt. My breathing was so stressed that it felt like my lungs were shaking as I tried to breathe.

Alessio tried to say something else, but everything sounded like I was underwater. Even if I tried to swim to the top, something told me that I wouldn't be able to break the surface. Instead I let myself slip into it, to sleep again. I was still hyper aware of the hands touching me, trying to wipe blood and dirt and grime away from my skin and then something warm being placed over me, like a very warm blanket, but there was no way that I was going to be able to respond.

Alessio:

My office was filled with my men and a great deal of tension. Worry for Eliana had been my focus for the few days since we had been back, and it hadn't been treating me very well. I knew that I looked like a mess, slightly unshaven an disarrayed, but my men knew better than to ask too many questions. The ones in the room were privy to what was going on, but I doubted they understood who Eliana was to me. That fell on Leonardo, and Angelo seemed to have his suspicions as well. Most of them just knew there was a girl missing that we needed to find. They weren't blind, though, and it was unusual for me to be falling apart in this way.

"We have to start considering the fact that she might be dead," One of my men, Stefano, suggested.

I whipped around to face him and glare. He didn't know better, but thinking of Eliana and the possibility of her being dead sent anger and terror through me chest. I tried to keep my response cool, "She's not."

Angelo was at his usual place, leaning against the wall, "I have to agree with our boss about this one. If the Russians already killed her, they would have sent you her head in a box."

I sent a sharp look in his direction, but I know he wasn't saying it to be vindictive or cruel, he was just an extremely blunt person.

"Are we even sure that it's the Russians?" One man asked from near the fireplace.

Leonardo chimed in, "I think it must be. We've been pushing them more lately, they're the only one with a bone to pick right now. We have decent relations with the others."

"Has anyone reached out for help? The Germans might know-"

"I called Ansel already, he didn't know anything," I found myself pacing. "Although he heard that two others were working together a few weeks ago and disrupted one of the human trafficking rings, but couldn't get a handle on Niklov's whereabouts. He may have panicked and lashed out at us, he probably heard that we were on their turf and got suspicious."

"You think they took her to make an example of what happens to people who do business with you?"

I paused in front of my desk and nervously rustled through the papers there. "No, if it was because of suspicions that their store was laundering for us, they would have gone after her manager."

Leonardo stepped closer, dropping his voice to a tone that was more cautious, "If this was Niklov, then he somehow realized that he could set an example with her."

"Why would this girl be an example to you?" Stefano seemed genuinely confused. A silence was all that greeted his question, but Angelo's expressionless glance that awaited my answer told me that some of my men must have started to piece it all together.

"I agree," I growled. "There was no ransom in the first package, so there's no reason for them to hide it if they had killed her. They would have told us if she had died, the box of her clothes was a threat, to tell us that she's with them."

"Then they must think that she knows something, they want information from her. The box was their way of telling us that they think they can break her, and they can get secrets from her."

The thought of her clothes sent to me in a box, cut up and stripped from her body made me furious. She was a strong girl, but based on the look of pity that Angelo was giving me, we both knew the odds. The Russians were notorious for doing some brutal things, and if they were interrogating her for information, she might break or give in. Then they would kill her. Every second that she was with them, her chances lessened. They would almost certainly torture her to death, at best they might sell her into one of their trafficking rings.

My thoughts had pulled me somewhere else for the moment, but I was brought back by the sound of the door slamming. I glanced up, noting that Leonardo had left. He must have been called away without my realizing, but the men who were left in the room continued to converse and throw around ideas of where he might be holding Eliana.

She occupied my mind once again as I glanced down at my desk. I could feel Angelo's eyes on me but I ignored them, flipping through the file that Leonardo had asked for as soon as we arrived back home. I had told myself that I wouldn't read it, that I wouldn't invade her privacy or influence our relationship that way. After the third day of looking for her and finding nothing, I realized that I would have to search through her past to understand more about her and what she would do.

The only problem was that when I finally opened the file, there was barely anything there. Not as in 'Eliana was a goody two shoes who never broke a rule in her life' which is the perception she gave off, but like she hadn't existed much longer than a few years. The paranoia of my job made me immediately jump to the worst conclusions- what if she was a spy, what if it was a fake identity so she could infiltrate?

I had quickly forced those thoughts away. If Eliana had been lying, I would have been able to tell, I would have known. Right?

"Boss?" Angelo gave me a look, letting me know that I must have missed something.

"Yes?"

"Leonardo just called you from downstairs."

I couldn't help the sigh as I headed for the door, not wanting to leave me men alone while they speculated. I didn't want to leave the action even for a minute, but Angelo followed me out and I could hear the others not far behind. One of my other men, a newer recruit, met me halfway down the hall.

"Sir, Leonardo sent me to get you, there's a girl that stumbled in the front gates, he's with her now-"

A spark of hope flared inside my chest. It couldn't be her, she would have had to escape and it would have been nearly impossible. Nonetheless, I was much faster now as I headed towards Leonardo. Angelo was saying something else to me as I came to the railing